Thimphu · Bhutan

The kingdom of the
thunder dragon

Private journeys through Bhutan, arranged from Thimphu by people who live here. Cultural routes through the western valleys, high trekking in the Himalaya, and the long quiet roads east.

Where we areAn office in Thimphu, guides in every valley

How we travelPrivate departures — your group only, any date

Getting inParo is the principal gateway; land entry is possible

What it costsOne quotation, SDF and visa fee included

Who we are

A small company, working
in one country

We only sell Bhutan. That is not a positioning statement — it is the practical reason our itineraries have realistic driving times in them.

Sky Dragon Expeditions is based in Thimphu. We plan and run private journeys across all twenty dzongkhags: the well-travelled western circuit through Paro, Thimphu and Punakha; the central valleys of Trongsa and Bumthang; the trekking routes above the treeline; and the long eastern roads that most itineraries never reach.

Every trip is private. There is no fixed departure calendar to fit around and no group of strangers to keep pace with — you tell us when you can come and what you want the days to feel like, and we build the route around that. Our guides are licensed, Bhutanese, and generally from the valleys they take you through. This is what you can hold us to.

20dzongkhags, all of them open to travel

60%minimum forest cover, written into the constitution

2,235 melevation of Paro, where your trip begins

Young monks standing beside prayer flags

PunakhaThe dzong at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, built in 1637

Our journeys

Ten routes through Bhutan,
all of them adjustable

These are the itineraries we run most often. Treat each one as a starting point — the pace, the nights in each valley and the walking are all yours to change.

Paro Taktsang seen through strings of prayer flags

Cultural 8 days · 7 nights

Western Valleys Discovery

Paro, Thimphu and Punakha at a pace that leaves room for the Taktsang climb, an afternoon in the Punakha rice terraces and a drive over Chele La.

Paro · Thimphu · Punakha
Easy to moderate

Trongsa Dzong spread along the hillside above the Mangde valley

Cultural 11 days · 10 nights

Dragon's Heartland

East from Punakha over the Pele La to Trongsa, then into the four valleys of Bumthang — the oldest temples in the country and the quietest roads.

Punakha · Trongsa · Bumthang
Easy

Trashigang Dzong above the Drangme Chhu in eastern Bhutan

Cultural 14 days · 13 nights

The Eastern Road

The full length of the country, west to east, over Bhutan's highest road pass into the weaving districts most itineraries never reach.

Paro to Trashigang
Easy

The Haa valley floor between forested ridges

Cultural 7 days · 6 nights

Haa and the High Passes

Over Chele La into the quietest of the western valleys, with village walks, two old temples and a night away from the main circuit.

Paro · Haa · Thimphu
Easy to moderate

The snow range seen from the Druk Path Trek above the treeline

Trekking 8 days · 7 nights

Druk Path: Paro to Thimphu on Foot

Four walking days on the ridge route between Paro and Thimphu, camping beside high lakes, with cultural days at either end.

Paro to Thimphu on foot
Moderate · 4 walking days

The snow massif of Jomolhari above the Paro Chhu valley

Trekking 11 days · 10 nights

Under Jomolhari

Seven walking days up the Paro Chhu to Jangothang, under the north face of Jomolhari, returning over two passes above 4,800 metres.

Paro · Jangothang · Lingshi
Strenuous · 7 walking days

How it works

From a first message to
arrivals at Paro

Tell us what you want

A paragraph is enough. When you can travel, how long for, how much walking you enjoy, and what you would rather not do.

We send a plan and a quotation

A written itinerary with real driving times and honest walking distances, and one price covering the SDF, the visa fee, hotels, meals, guide and vehicle.

We adjust it until it fits

Most itineraries change two or three times before anyone commits. Add a night, drop a drive, swap a valley.

We handle the paperwork

Visa application, permits where a route needs them, hotels, domestic flights. You arrive at Paro and your guide is in the arrivals hall.

The country

Valleys, and how they differ

Bhutan is not one landscape. Punakha is sub-tropical and warm all year; Phobjikha is a glacial bowl at three thousand metres. Knowing which is which is most of the work of planning a trip.

2,235 m · western BhutanParo

Wide, flat-floored and farmed in rice, which is unusual at this height.

2,320 m · the capitalThimphu

A capital with no traffic lights and an archery ground in the middle of it.

1,250 m · sub-tropicalPunakha

Rice on both banks, jacaranda in late spring, and no need for a coat.

about 2,900 m · glacial bowlPhobjikha & Gangtey

Empty, high and cold. Come between November and January or not at all.

2,670 m · the quiet westHaa

The valley to add if you have seen the west and want to see it again properly.

2,200 m · the crossroadsTrongsa

You see it an hour before you reach it, across the gorge.

2,600–3,100 m · four valleysBumthang

Older than the dzongs, and considerably quieter.

1,400–1,600 m · the east beginsMongar & Lhuentse

Where the visitor numbers fall away to almost nothing.

1,100 m · the far eastTrashigang & Trashiyangtse

Four days' driving from Paro, or an hour's flight from Yonphula.

When to come

There is no closed season,
but there is a difference

Spring and autumn are the settled seasons — clear air, comfortable days, and most of the major tshechus. Winter is cold at night and often brilliantly clear, which makes it the best time for Himalayan views from Dochu La and the only time to see black-necked cranes in Phobjikha.

The monsoon, roughly mid-June to early September, is wet, green and very quiet. Cloud sits on the passes and afternoon rain is normal, but valley travel continues and the country looks entirely different.

Read the month-by-month guide →

Typical conditions by month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Settled — clear and comfortable Cold or variable, often clear Monsoon or deep winter

A general guide to western and central Bhutan. Conditions vary with altitude, and weather in the Himalaya does not read guides.

Before you book

The three things people
ask about first

Bhutan’s entry rules changed materially in recent years and a lot of what is written online is out of date. This is the current position.

The visa

A visa is required before you travel and costs US$40 per person, one-off and non-refundable. You may apply directly through Bhutan's official online system, or a tour operator or hotel can apply on your behalf.

Indian nationals do not require a visa but do need a permit, issued online or on arrival. Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals have separate arrangements.

Full visa guidance

The Sustainable Development Fee

A levy set by the Royal Government of Bhutan and charged for every night you spend in the country. It funds free healthcare and education, conservation and infrastructure, and it is included in every quotation we send.

Traveller	Per night
Adult	US$100
Child aged 6–12	US$50
Child under 6	Exempt
Indian nationals	Nu. 1,200

Current rate, confirmed to 31 August 2027.

Getting here

Paro International is the principal gateway, served by Drukair and Bhutan Airlines from a small number of regional hubs. It is not the country's only airport, and aviation infrastructure is being expanded.

Entry by road is possible at Phuentsholing, Samtse, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar. Which are open to international visitors can change, and requirements vary by nationality.

Flights and borders

Government fees and entry rules can change. All the travel questions →

Festivals

Tshechus, and how to
plan around them

A tshechu is a religious festival held in a dzong or monastery courtyard in honour of Guru Padmasambhava. Masked cham dances are performed over several days, the community turns out in its best kira and gho, and the whole valley stops.

Dates follow the Bhutanese lunar calendar and are confirmed each year, so they move against the Gregorian calendar. Courtyard seating is public and unreserved — we will get you there early and tell you where to stand, but nobody can reserve you a place.

Two of our journeys are built around them: Courtyard and Mask in the western valleys, and Autumn Festivals of Bumthang for the village version.

A cham dancer in costume at Thimphu Tshechu

Get in touch

Send Inquiry & Get a Quotation

Tell us who is travelling, roughly when, and what you would like the trip to include.

A guide standing among tall prayer-flag poles on a Bhutanese ridge

Talk to us

We answer every enquiry ourselves

No call centre and no automated quote. A person in our Thimphu office reads what you have written and replies with a plan built around it.

Thimphu, Bhutan

+975 77682156 +975 77308916 skydragontoursbt@gmail.com Message us on WhatsApp

Enquiry

Tell us what you have in mind

We will come back with a written itinerary and a full quotation — the Sustainable Development Fee and the visa fee included, with nothing added at the end.

The kingdom of thethunder dragon

A small company, workingin one country

Ten routes through Bhutan,all of them adjustable