How to reach Bhutan from India

Hello everyone, so if you are planning to visit Bhutan and wondering how to reach there then below is the solution to your problem.

There are three options to reach Bhutan and I am going to explain all of them in brief.
 A) Air B) Road and C) Train

By Air

Fly directly to Paro  (Airport distance is 6km from Paro and 54km from Thimphu)
You can book your tickets only through Bhutan government website Druk air and select SAARC under nationality but one thing I must tell you that the fares are really high and there is rare chance to get the availability on your desired dates.

Fly till Bagdogra
You may take a flight till Bagdogra to cut down the expense and from Bagdogra you may hire a taxi or take a bus till Jaigaon-border town and at the other side of Jaigaon is town Phuentsholing in Bhutan where you can collect permit and depart further by Bus or Bhutan taxi and this is what most of the people do so they get to see roadside beauty from Phuentsholing To Thimphu.

NOTE: Jaigaon to Phuentsholing you can just walk through border gate which is open from 6 am to  9 pm.

By Road

There are three border gates from where you can enter Bhutan-
1. Phuentsholing (16 km from Hasimara railway station and 150 km from Silliguri)
2. Gelephu (east side)
3. Samdrup jongkhar (east side 150 km away from Guwahati)

Out of these three places, phuentsholing is generally used by tourist people because this is the nearest gate to reach Thimphu, Paro, and other tourist destinations.
You can take your own car or hire a Bhutan taxi from any of these places and yes Bus is also an option for you but they are not frequent and are very few.


By Train

Hasimara is the nearest railway station to reach Jaigaon or Phuentsholing after getting down here you can take an auto which will take not more than half an hour to reach border gate which is 16 km from railway station.
There are lot of train options from all over India to Hasimara and if you don't find any then travel till Siliguri by air or train and then take another train or bus from Siliguri to reach Hasimara.

Triund Trek

Triund is a small hill at the top ridge in the state of Himachal with the view of Kangra Valley at one side and Dhauladhar mountain on the other side. Once you are at the top you get a spectacular and breathtaking view of mountain and Valley very closely. The trek will take you through a forest of oak, rhododendron and deodar trees. 

Though this is one of the easy (4 hr going and 3 hr coming) treks with clear trail, the starting three hours is easy but the last one hour is difficult with 22 hectic curves, so do fill your bottles with Glucose which will keep you hydrated but you have to buy it from the town only, Enroute there are three to four cafes in which magic view cafe is at mid point with a magical view where you can enjoy Nature with hot Maggie and Ginger lemon tea all your choice. After reaching the top you can book your tent and ask them to place it wherever you may feel. I would suggest not to book tents from Mcleodganj as the prices are higher and you are not left with the choice of bargaining which you can do after reaching to Triund. They provide you vegetarian meals with two options one with Rice and Daal and the other is chapati sabzi with rice and daal, you need to prior book your meal. Don't forget to watch sunset and night sky full of stars. The people out there may arrange bonfire if you give them some extra money and bet me that is really worth if you are with interesting folks. Enjoy playing some sort of games or Antakshari, when you are over with all your fun go back to your tent, take a good nap and wake up early in the morning around 6 am to witness the ultimate view of valley and sunrise. Enjoy the good morning tea and start returning to avoid the afternoon heat.  

There is a two-hour snowline trek from Triund which you can do on the same day if you reach early else you can do it while returning.

If you wish to come back same day then better start early,

How to reach

From Dharamkot (Galu Devi temple) -7 km

Once you reach to Mcleodganj which is 3kms above Dharamshala take a cab or auto to Dharamkot which will charge you around Rs.300 to 350. The cab will take you through a rough road and drop you to the Galu Devi temple from where the actual Triund trek starts for 7km and the total time it will take 3 to 4 hours leisurely totally depends on your speed. There will be a security guard in the starting point who is going to register the names of all your group member and an ID proof will be submitted from anyone of the group member which you may collect once you are back.

From Bhagsunag waterfall - 9km

From Mcleodganj take an auto to Bhagsu temple and start your trek of 9km This route will exhaust you more so would suggest starting from Dharamkot route which is easier and more beautiful.

Best Time 

Best time to visit Triund is March to May and September to December as January & February there is snowfall and July & August it's Rainy 

Things to carry 

warm clothes, trekking shoes, torch, soap, Glucose, necessary medicines, sun's cream lotion etc.