Bhutan is an intriguing country. Located between Tibet and India, this isolated country does not get many Western visitors. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing worth seeing.  Bhutan is blessed with gorgeous, often mountainous scenery and a rich traditional culture.

Bhutan has not shied away from embracing modern technology, but development has been slow, with growth planned to conserve the environment and protect the country’s cultural and spiritual traditions.  In fact, according to Wikipedia,  in 1987 Bhutan’s king responded to criticism about the pace of development by saying “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.”

Are people really happier in Bhutan? Why not go and see for yourself? To get to Bhutan, you will need a US passport and a visa. Bhutan does not issue visas unless you have booked a trip with a licensed tour operator in Bhutan.

As a foreigner, you are required to pay a fee of $200 per day ($165 if you go during January, June or July), but this includes meals, accommodations and travel expenses.

Your tour operator should be able to help you get a Bhutan visa. The actual visa itself is issued on arrival, but you must apply beforehand. Before you leave, you will receive a Bhutan visa clearance number that you can use to book airline tickets on Bhutan’s national airline, Druk Air.

There are no direct flights from the US to Bhutan, so odds are you’ll have a layover in a nearby country, such as India.  Because of Bhutan’s unique visa process, a private visa expediting company can’t help you get a Bhutan visa. However, if you need a visa for a neighboring country, we will be more than happy to expedite it for you.

Need help getting a visa?  Contact us today!

Tags: Bhutan, Bhutan visa

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 10:25 pm and is filed under Country-Specific Visas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.