Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Route · Bhutan
The road from the plains to the capital climbs from about 300 m to 2,300 m in 5–6 hours, through the fog belt at Gedu, past Chhukha's hydropower country to the confluence at Chhuzom, then up the Wang Chhu to Thimphu.
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · CommonsEvery way to go
| How | Time | Cost, indicative 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Operator vehicle with guide | 5–6 h | ₹6,000–9,000 for the vehicle, shared by the group |
| Public coach | 6–7 h | ₹300–500 a seat |
| Shared taxi | 5–6 h | ₹800–1,500 a seat |
The standard way for tourists. Your licensed guide rides with you from the first checkpoint at Rinchending, and the driver stops for tea at Gedu or Chhukha and at Chhuzom. A group of four sharing the car pays about ₹1,500–2,250 each, plus the guide's daily fee.
Several companies run coaches between Phuentsholing and Thimphu, booked in advance at the bus station or online. As a tourist you must still travel with your licensed guide, whose seat you pay for. It is cheaper than a car but slower, with fixed departure times. Ask your operator before planning on it; check current status before you travel.
Shared taxis leave from Phuentsholing when full and are used mainly by locals. Tourists need their guide aboard, so in practice a small group books the whole taxi with their guide. Agree the fare and stops before you leave.
At each end
Photo: Afifa Afrin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Bhutan's road door from India, a gate away from Jaigaon
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
A capital without traffic lights, run from a dzong
Questions
About 5–6 hours by car for roughly 150 km, longer by coach or in heavy monsoon rain. Fog near Gedu and roadworks can add an hour. Check current status before you travel.
Coaches run on this route, but tourists must be accompanied by a licensed guide beyond the first checkpoint, so you would need your guide on the bus with you. Most operators use a vehicle instead. Check current status before you travel.
It is a good two-lane national highway by Himalayan standards, with experienced drivers, but it is winding and can be foggy and slippery. Take travel-sickness tablets if you need them.
Tea at Gedu or Chhukha, a photo stop at the Chhuzom confluence where the Paro and Thimphu rivers meet, and a short visit to Simtokha Dzong just before Thimphu if time allows.
More in Bhutan
Plan with a local planner
We reply within one working day with a route, a sleeping-altitude profile and an itemised price in your tier. Change anything. Pay nothing until you are sure.