Travel To Bhutan From UK (London, United Kingdom) - Yak Holidays
The best tips for travel to Bhutan from UK (London-United Kingdom), flights to Bhutan from UK, Bhutan visa for UK citizens, Bhutan tours, treks, festivals in Bhutan and more.
The British / UK citizens / nationals wishing to travel to Bhutan from UK (United Kingdom) from London should book a prepaid package holiday with one of the Bhutan travel agency such as Yak Holidays International (us). Your tour operator will process your tourist visa for Bhutan and the same company will make the entire travel arrangements like:
- Booking the hotels.
- Processing of tourist visa for Bhutan and necessary permits (for trek).
- Booking your flights to Bhutan.
- Arranging transport for your trip, Bhutan tour guide etc.
- Trekking cooks and helpers.
- Ponies and yaks for trekking trips.
- Trekking equipment.
Oliver Money with his friends in front of Tiger’s nest monastery.
Bhutan visa for UK (United Kingdom) citizens:
The MRZ no. marked in red should be clear in your scanned passport copy.
Validity of passports for travel to Bhutan from UK:
The validity of the passport should be minimum of 6 months from the date of travel to Bhutan.
The procedure to obtain Bhutan visa for UK citizens visiting Bhutan is the same as any other international tourists.
You have to send a scanned copy of the photo page of your passport to your tour operator in Bhutan. The local Bhutanese tour operator will process the tourist visa for you with the Department of Immigration, Thimphu Bhutan. It normally takes 2-3 working days to process the Bhutan visa. Your Bhutanese agent will e-mail you e-Bhutan visa issued by the department of immigration, Thimphu Bhutan. You have to carry this document when you board your flight to Bhutan. The actual Bhutan visa will be stamped in your passport at the immigration counter in Paro International airport.
Please note that no foreign missions or missions can issue Bhutan visa for British / UK citizens / nationals.
Bhutan Tourist Visa Fee for UK Citizens:
The Bhutan visa fee for British / UK citizens is US $ 40 per person per trip. It is normally paid to your travel agency in Bhutan along with the tour cost. Bhutan visa extension fee is US $ 40.
The duration of Bhutan tourist visa depends on the length of Bhutan tour booked with your agent / tour operator.
Flights to Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom):
There are no direct flights to Bhutan from the UK (London, United Kingdom). You have to fly to Delhi, Kathmandu or Kolkata and then connect your flight to Bhutan. If you wish to combine your trip with Sikkim and Darjeeling in India, you have to fly to Kolkata and then to Bagdogra airport. This is the nearest airport in India from Bhutan and is 200 km away from Phuentsholing (Border town with India). The drive is for 5 hours.
Please note that Bhutan has only one international airport in Paro. International airport code is PBH.
Drukair and Bhutan Airlines are the only two Bhutanese airlines that operate flights in and out of Paro International Airport.
Drukair & Bhutan Airlines fly to Delhi, Kolkata and Kathmandu on daily basis.
Please contact us for the schedules and timings.
Aerial Distance & Flight Duration:
- Delhi – Paro (Bhutan): Aerial distance: 1214 Km, Approximate Flight duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes (via Kathmandu) & direct flight duration is 1 hour 46 minutes.
- Kathmandu – Paro: Aerial distance is 405 Km. Approximate Flight duration is 58 minutes.
- Kolkata – Paro (Bhutan): Aerial distance: 536 Km, Approximate flight duration: 1 hour 13 minutes.
Bhutan flight fares:
Bhutan Airlines and Drukair have kept the flight fares at par. The fares given below are for Round trip in Economy & Business class.
- Bangkok – Paro – Bangkok: US $ 951 (Economy) & US $ 1290 (Business).
- Kolkata – Paro – Kolkata: US $ 459 (Economy) & US $ 706 (Business)
- New Delhi – Paro – New Delhi fare: US $ 592 (Economy) & US $ 1033 (Business).
- Kathmandu – Paro – Kathmandu fare: US $ 464 (Economy) & US $ 710 (Business).
The beautiful Paro International Airport (2235 m).
Check Baggage allowance on Drukair & Bhutan Airline:
- 30 Kg in economy class & 40 Kg in business class.
- Infants paying 10 % of the applicable fares are not entitled for any baggage allowance.
Cabin Baggage / Hand carry:
- 7 Kg in business class & 5 Kg in economy class.
Excess baggage charge:
The charge per kg of excess baggage is equivalent to 1.5 % of one way adult fare.
The festival season in spring and autumn are busy months. Hence, you are advised to book your flight / travel to Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom) early.
The flights to Bhutan – Ultimate mountain flights:
Your flights to and from Bhutan are scenic and are your ultimate mountain flights. The passengers always scramble for the best seats in your flight. You can see the up-close view of the Himalayan ranges including Mt. Everest. Yes, you heard it right.
The seating arrangements on your flight to Bhutan from UK:
The seats on the Bhutan flights are allocated on the “First come, first serve basis” at the check-in-counter of the port of entry into Bhutan.
If you are flying in from Kolkata, request the ground staff at the check-in-counter to allocate the seat on the right. Those flying from Delhi or Kathmandu may request to assign the seats on the left, possibly by the window.
If you are flying to Bhutan from Delhi or Kathmandu, you will see a beautiful mountain panorama. You will see five mountain peaks all above 8000 m, Mt. Everest (8848 m), Mt. Makalu (8463 m), Mt. Kanchenjunga (8586 m), Mt. Lhotse (8516 m), Mt. Cho Oyu (8188 m) and finally Jomolhari (7326 m). But if you travel to Bhutan from Kolkata, then you will see the beautiful Mt. Kanchenjunga and Mt. Jomolhari.
Your chances of seeing these scenic high points on the surface of the earth will be better if you travel in early spring or winter or in autumn. The morning flights are even better as there will be less or no clouds to obstruct the mountain ranges.
The view of Himalayas from Drukair.
Visiting Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom) during Festival seasons:
If you plan to visit Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom) during festival seasons in the Spring and Autumn season, then you are advised to book your flights / Bhutan tours from UK (London, United Kingdom) well in advance (At least 3 months). The festival seasons are very busy with tourists and unless you book your Bhutan trip early, you will not be able to get seats in the airlines or desired hotels.
Bhutan Tours from UK (London, United Kingdom):
All our Tours of Bhutan are private and guided trips and all the Itineraries will be designed in close consultation with the clients.
No backpackers or budget travelers, unfortunately. This is not discriminatory, but a simple check to over-tourism.
Bhutan has always been an outlier, be it in its pursuit of happiness for its citizenry or in its unique policies that seek to bring about a holistic progress to the country. One such policy has been about who is allowed to travel to Bhutan from UK (United Kingdom) Or any other country. Being conscious of its fragile Himalayan environment, its age-old tradition and culture, and the unadulterated Buddhist way of life, the country encourages limited tourists each year.
Please check our tour page link for Itineraries and price.
- For Trekking in Bhutan, please visit our Trekking page.
COVID-19 update on travel to Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom):
The most recommended Bhutan tours from UK (United Kingdom) are:
- 8 days Bhutan tour from UK (United Kingdom)
- 10 days Bhutan tour from UK (United Kingdom)
- 11 days Bhutan tour from UK (United Kingdom).
The beautiful Punakha dzong.
Travel to Bhutan from UK (London, United Kingdom) is permitted now and quarantine for COVID-19 has been completely lifted from 23rd September 2022. However, the officials at the Paro airport and entry points in southern Bhutan like Phuentsholing may carry out a random RT-PCR test to monitor and control the spread of new COVID-19 variants. No tests will be conducted while exiting Bhutan.
What are the documents & details required to process Bhutan visa for UK / British citizens / national ?
You need to send the following documents / details to process Bhutan visa for British / UK citizens / nationals:
- Scanned copy (s) of passport.
- Half photo / Passport size photo.
- Residential address.
- Occupation details.
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1. Is it possible to get Bhutan visa for UK / British citizens / nationals from the royal Bhutanese consulate in London ?
No, It is not possible to get Bhutan visa for UK nationals from the Royal Bhutanese Consulate in London. The Bhutan visa for tourists are issued only by the Department of Immigration in Thimphu Bhutan.
2. Any direct flight from London (UK) to Bhutan (Paro Airport) ?
No, there is no direct flight from London (UK) to Bhutan (Paro Airport). The visitors to Bhutan from UK are recommended to fly to Delhi in India and then make flight connection to Paro by Drukair or Bhutan Airlines.
3, What are the recommended Bhutan trips from London (UK) ?
The most recommended Bhutan trips from London (UK) are:
4. Can I travel to Bhutan from London (UK) on back-packing trip ?
No, back-packing is not permitted in Bhutan. You have to book a pre-paid package holiday in Bhutan through a local or international tour operator and all trips whether tour or trekking should be guided.
5. Do the non resident Indians (NRIs) have to pay US $ 100 per night for travel to Bhutan from London, UK?
The British / UK nationals of Indian origin (NRIs) wishing to visit Bhutan have to pay US $ 100 per night stay in Bhutan for travel to Bhutan.
6. What is the Bhutan tour cancellation policy ?
(1) No charge if cancelled within 45 days of the start of the tour programme;
(2) Charge 20% of the tour payment if cancelled within 30 days of the start of the tour programme;
(3) Charge 30% of the tour payment if cancelled within 21 days of the start of the tour program;
(4) Charge 50% of the tour payment if cancelled within 14 days of the start of the tour programme and
(5) Charge 100% of the tour payment charge if cancelled within 7 days or after the arrival in Bhutan.