Make the best of plans and explore pristine beauty and magical monasteries on a self-drive road trip through Bhutan. Between the Himalayan range and the enchanting valleys, this road trip can be an enthralling experience for visitors. Let's look at the details up-close:
A self-drive road trip through Bhutan won't be so heavy on your pockets. You will have to take permission from the border Immigration Office. As Bhutan is a hilly region, the roads are pretty narrow, steep, and curvy so practice your driving skills beforehand.
Photo Credit: upload.wikimedia.org
Photo Credit: upload.wikimedia.org
Siliguri is nearest Indian city from Bhutan´s border. From there, Phuentsholing, the border town of Bhutan, is but a mere 150 km away. it takes about a four- and half-hour drive to reach Paro through Phuentsholing –Thimphu highway. Paro is a valley city that is full of monasteries. The famous Tiger´s Nest monastery or the Taktsung Palphug monastery is located here. A sacred Himalayan Buddhist site, the moastery sits on the edge of a steep cliff 900m above Paro valley. Paro is also good for rafting, kayaking and trekking.
Photo Credit: upload.wikimedia.org
Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan is a mere 65 km from Paro and route goes via the Paro-Thimphu highway and joins the Phuntsholing-Thimphu highway. The roads are well maintained, so the journey is easily accomplished in 1.5 hours. Thimphu is a picturesque city situated by the riverside. A few must-visit places in the capital city are- National Memorial Chorten, Motithang Takin Preserve, and Tashichho Dzong. Also get this, there are no traffic lights anywhere in Thimphu, and yet, drives are peaceful!
After this, you can visit Punakha which is a beautiful area that you shouldn't miss. The drive is nearly three hours if you take the Thimphu–Punakha toll road.
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A self-drive road trip through Bhutan is incomplete without a trip to Punakha. The former capital of Bhutan, Punakha is 73 km from Thimphu and the trip can be accomplished in 2.5 hours via the Thimphu-Wangdue Phodrang highway. The Himalayan city is famous for its amazing 17th-century fortress, its unique techniques for growing rice as well as its beautiful architecture. Punakha is situated at the juncture of two beautiful rivers the Pho and Mo Chhu rivers which makes this place look even more majestic.
Photo Credit: cdn.bookmytour.bt
Take a break from driving for a couple of days and sign up for safaris at the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National park. It's a mere 3.5 hours drive from Punakha, situated on the Black mountains, a sub-Himalayan range, and home to a lovely pine forest and other kinds of alpine vegetation. More importantly, you can spot Bengal tigers, clouded leopards, red pandas and golden langurs here. It´s an 9 hour scenic road trip back to Bhutan´s border down Phuentsholing. So plan to reach before sunset to avoid driving at night.
You can also make a brief detour from Paro to explore the Chele la pass, the highest motorable pass in Bhutan at 13,000 feet. It´s an hour and half´s drive from Paro to Chele la and can be approached by taking the Bhumthang-Ura highway for 6 km and then exit onto the Bondey-Haa highway.
This journey will leave you with memories of craggy mountains, rolling valleys and breathtaking vistas while driving when done in the right weather conditions. So do check that once before making any plans.
A self-drive road trip through Bhutan is all you need to forget your worries and explore the world outside. What are you waiting for then? Just pack your bags and hit the road!
