Bhutan Essentials
Full Name
Kingdom of Bhutan
Capital City
Thimphu
Time
Bhutan time is 6 hours ahead of GMT and there is only one time zone throughout the country.
Language
The national language is Dzongkha. English is widely spoken in major towns and is a medium of education in schools. There are a host of local dialects spoken in small pockets within the country.
All our guides speak fluent English.
Visa
Visas are required by all visitors to Bhutan. We process your Visa prior to your arrival in Bhutan. The actual Visa will be stamped onto your passport when you land in the country, for a Visa fee of 20 USD. Visas are valid for 14 days only. The duration is easily extended for up to 6 months for an additional fee of 20 USD.
Credit cards
Credit cards are only accepted by some shops in the bigger towns. Do not rely on credit cards as a source of cash while in Bhutan. We suggest that you take sufficient travelers checks and cash and use the credit card as a back-up only.
Money
The unit of currency is the Ngultrum (Nu.), which is equivalent to the Indian Rupee. The Indian rupee is also an accepted legal tender. Major convertible currencies and travelers' cheques can be exchanged at banks in major towns. Certain credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, & American Express) are accepted at a few large hotels and shops.
- 1 USD = 42 Nu.
Depending on where you buy, the following is a rough chart of price of different commodities:-
- Coke: 20 - 100 Nu.
- Beer: 50 - 150 Nu.
- Bottled water: 15 - 50 Nu.
- Men's haircut: 30 - 150 Nu.
- A finely woven kira (woman's dress): 50,000 Nu.
Shopping
The most popular tourist purchases are traditional Bhutanese arts and handicrafts. Produced by skilled artisans, these are generally of a high quality, and include Buddhist paintings and statues, textiles, jewelry and wooden bowls and carvings. Bhutan is not a consumer society, and the variety of everyday goods available is not particularly large.
Buying and selling of antiques is strictly forbidden.
Food
Traditional Bhutanese cuisine is very rich and renowned for the plentiful use of chilies. The most popular dish, ema datsi, is comprised of chilies (used as a vegetable) in a cheese sauce. Hotels and restaurants generally serve Indian, Chinese, Continental and Bhutanese food.
Smoking
Bhutan is the only country in the world to totally ban the import and sale of all tobacco products. You can bring in a reasonable amount of cigarettes for personal consumption, but you will be charged an import duty of 100%.
Smoking is banned in all public places including restaurants and bars.
Drinks
Even though the Bhutanese drink water straight from the tap, we urge you to drink only bottled water. On treks, we provide boiled and filtered water.
A reasonable variety of both hard and soft drinks are available in hotels, restaurants and shops in most towns. Many Bhutanese enjoy drinking traditional homemade alcoholic brews made from wheat, millet or rice.
Accommodation
The standard of accommodation remains relatively basic, particularly away from the major western towns. All the hotels we use are approved by the Royal Government’s Department of Tourism and they are under constant inspection. They are simple but clean, and service is slow but friendly.
Electricity
In Bhutan, electricity runs at 220 / 240 volts. If you do bring electrical appliances, do not forget an international converter kit complete with a set of adapter plugs.
Electric Plug Details
Health
The main health risks are similar to other South Asian countries, namely diarrhea, respiratory infection or more unusual tropical infection. It is wise to have health insurance, and although vaccinations are not required they are recommended. When trekking there are also risks associated with altitude sickness and accident. In the event of health problems there are basic hospital facilities in each district.
As a sensible precaution we recommend that you consider getting at least some of the following recommended immunisations:
- Hepatitis A & B
- Typhoid
- Cholera
- Tetanus
Please check with your doctor for the latest recommendations.
Safety
The crime rate is currently extremely low, making Bhutan one of the safer places in the world. It is rare to feel at all insecure within the country.
Communications
All major towns have basic communication facilities, including post, telephone, fax and telegraph. Television and internet (dial up) were introduced in 1999, and can be accessed in major western centers.
- Country dialing code: 975
