Bhutan's national carrier is Druk Air, and it currently has a monopoly on flights in and out of Bhutan. There is one airport at Paro, about an hour's drive from the capital, Thimphu. You can fly in from Delhi, Kathmandu, Calcutta, or Bangkok. There are also occasional flights via Dhaka and Gaya.  The Delhi flight runs four times a week and comes via Kathmandu so it takes about three hours, including a short stopover. Flight time from Kathmandu is just over one hour. The Bangkok flight comes in and out daily via Calcutta, Dhaka or Gaya.  For more information on the flight schedules see the Druk Air website or ask us and we will happily explain further.

The price of Paro flights is charged on top of the tour price.  Current rates for return flights are US$445 (Kathmandu), US$430 (Calcutta), US$710 (Delhi) and US$790 (Bangkok) but there are substantial discounts available between mid-May and the end of August 2009. Druk Air flights cannot be booked directly, so we will arrange these for you. You will need to arrange your own international flights to your chosen point of entry to Bhutan. You should bear in mind that Druk Air schedules are subject to frequent change, and often at very short notice, so discuss with us before you make long haul bookings - if you can arrange flexible tickets it is advisable to do so.

It is also possible to enter or leave Bhutan by road via the Indian state of West Bengal, at Phuntsholing on the Indian border. This allows you to combine a trip to Bhutan with some time in Darjeeling or Sikkim.  Phuntsholing is three or four hours' drive from the nearest Indian airport in Bagdogra, and about six hours' drive from Thimphu.  You can also enter or leave the country at the south-eastern town of Samdrup Jongkhar.  From here it is a short drive to Guwahati which has flights to a number of Indian cities.

Your passport needs to have at least 6 months' validity.  You will also need to make sure that you have a spare page for a visa for Bhutan, as well as space for the visas for any countries you are visiting en route.  If you need to get a new passport please do so well before your planned trip so that there is no delay in applying for your Bhutanese visa.

You will need to fill in a form for us with some personal information, and send us a scanned copy of the identity page of your passport, and then we will apply for your visa for you around a month before your trip and as long as your funds have arrived.

We will send you a copy of the confirmation showing that your visa has been authorised. Your actual visa will be issued on arrival at Paro or Phuntsholing.  If you are entering via Phuntsholing you need to bring 2 passport photos with you.  Visas can be extended for up to six months in Thimphu if necessary on payment of a further $15.

Don't forget to make enquiries about visa requirements for any countries you are passing through en route even if you are only in transit.

Currently Druk Air operates on a book and buy basis and we are unable to hold flights for any length of time without paying for the seats.  With effect from 25 October 2009, Druk Air has announced that it will switch back to a system which offers a TTL "ticketing time limit" in which you have to pay for your flights to secure the seats, which can be held for you while you decide on your dates and organise your international flights.  For travel dates which are more than 45 days away the TTL date will be 30 days from the date of booking.  For travel dates less than 45 days but more than 14 days away the TTL date will be 7 days from the date of booking.  For travel dates within 14 days there will be no TTL and the flights must be paid for to secure the seats.

A full refund of the ticket price can be obtained for cancellations made up to 30 days before travel, subject to payment of an administration charge of US$25. Between 10 and 30 days before travel 50% of the ticket price will be refunded (again subject to payment of a US$25 charge). For tickets cancelled within 10 days of travel no refund will be available and the US$25 charge is incurred.

Once tickets have been issued, date changes can be made up to 7 days beforehand on payment of a US$10 administration charge.    There is no charge for date changes in business class.  Rerouting of tickets is permitted once, but the ticket will then be stamped non-reroutable and non-refundable.  Route changes to a sector with a lower airfare attract a US$25 administration fee.  No fee applies to route changes to a sector with a higher fare.