Laya and Jomolhari Trekking

Cost Includes / Excludes

Laya and Jomolhari Trekking Detail Itinerary

Information on Bhutan Tours:

Traveling in Bhutan controlled and restricted by the Government of Bhutan, visitors can enter only in group wise through proper Government registered travel agencies of Bhutan.

View Nepal Treks have strong and good connection with our reliable Bhutan counterpart agents for your safe and secure travel with us. Bhutan Government allows foreign travelers to spend minimum of US$ 200 per day / per person to make the country sustainable form eco and friendly tourism by minimizing mass flow of tourist.

What is Bhutan famous for?
Bhutan, the land of Thunder Dragon a Buddhist religion with Tantric Buddhism country and the only Buddhist kingdom in this world, the
peaceful environment and panorama of mountains with different monasteries are main attraction of Bhutan including its colorful festivals.

Bhutanese Food:

Bhutanese meal consists of Vegetables, hot chilies, rice, maize and wheat. National dish is chili and cheese (Ema-Datse), other foods are; cheese or meat / veg dumpling (momo), salad of cucumber, tomato, onion and cheese. Bhutanese food is normally spicy so be careful while you are ordering foods.

Bhutanese Drink for travelers:

Use bottled water for drinking during Bhutan tour. Local alcohol is ARA which is distilled after fermentation of rice or wheat or corn, modern drinks are also available such as coke, sprite, Pepsi, Miranda, mountain dews....

Clothing accessories:
Depending upon the season of travel and trip chosen as per altitude, Bhutan a small country with varied temperature range from subtropical, alpine to arctic climates in the higher Himalaya Mountains above 4,000 meters.

In addition on booking with Destination Holidays provide you with much information as per the season of travel in Bhutan.

From October till March, warm clothes such as thermal underwear are required. April till September, light clothes for the day and a warm jacket or a sweater is must for the evenings.

Due to varied temperature and climate conditions it is advisable to dress warmly, layered clothing is better than one or two thick garments in order to keep warm. Clothing should preferably be made from natural materials in order for the body to be comfortable.

As Bhutan is in its developing stage people think differently therefore it would be advisable for you to avoid walking around in skimpy or tight fitting clothes. For visits to monasteries, dzongs and other religious institutions dress modestly and respectfully, and refrain from smoking while on the premises. Hats, caps, shoes etc. should be removed before entering the premises.

You need to pack clothes as per season and trip chosen involving trekking, sunglasses/spare glasses, pair of casual shoes, knife, hat, umbrella, camera, films and accessories (including spare camera batteries), insect repellent, hand cream, small sewing kit & safety pins, torch or flash light with spare batteries, mirror, scissors, sun cream, lip salve, soluble aspirin, antiseptic cream, anti-histamine cream, anti-diarrhea pills, a preparation for the relief of sunburn, and any medication you take regularly, or might need to take for a periodically recurring condition, such as asthma.

The other recommended items are: personal medical first aid kit, water purification tablets (though mineral water can be bought), toilet & tissue papers, flashlight, comfortable walking shoes, sleeping bag, dust mask, sun hat, sun glasses and sun block cream.

Food and drinks:
Bhutan due to its culture, religion and customs similar to Tibetan, so much of the main foods and cuisine are almost the same with few varied types of meals. It is always handy to carry dry food and biscuits or anything that can be brewed with hot water such as coffee and drinking chocolate.

Customs:
No prohibition on still and video cameras, tape recorders or radios as long as they are registered with custom officials and are of personal use.  Printed matters considered unsuitable by the Bhutanese Government are prohibited.

Insurance Policy:
It is most advisable that clients should have full insurance against medical and personal accidents.

Booking formalities and visa:
Minimum two weeks required booking trip from Kathmandu to travel in Bhutan with advance payments to View Nepal Treks, along with deposit of your passport for visa process and full payment of the tour.

From overseas, minimum of two weeks with all your personal, passport details are required with payment required as per the company's rules and regulations.

Equipment& Packing:
The main necessary and important that one needs to prepare with seasonal clothing and the trip selected with Bhutan varied climate as per seasons.

Head wear:
Woolen tops, baseball caps or sunhats.

Body wear (this all required on your duration of Holiday):
Please bring all your necessary daily wear as per the duration of the holidays in Bhutan / Nepal and as per the season regarding clothing and other wear.

Foot wear:
For normal tours and sightseeing a runners and sports shoes is the best, as this involves short walks and climbing on steps also.
For trekking it obvious that you need a good comfortable walking boots if possible water proof (wax polish to be carried on other leather boots and shoes against wet areas and snow) with warm woolen shocks and for leisure walk soft cotton socks.

Equipment:
Daypack: A small rucksack as day to carry your necessary and valuable items; camera, water bottle, money, passport, towel, toiletries items, water proof for the walk and Sleeping Bags and walking poles as options.

Personal:
Camera and batteries, spare passport photos, water bottle, money belt, Torch / Flash Lights, Sewing kit, Sunhat/ Sunglasses, Ipods, Books, Wet Ones, Detergents to wash clothes, Writing materials, Swiss Army knife, Calculator, Personal toiletries, including tampons, Contraceptives, Insect Repellent, Sunscreen.

Note:
If you are wearing glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are few on route trekking traveling remote areas. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.
Please don’t forget to check up with your Doctor & get advice whether your health permit or not to go into the region.

We also recommend:
A dental check-up prior to traveling, you know your blood group in case of emergency and to send your medical / dietary lists.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions which might affect you on tour, you make these known to your Travel Agent at the time of your booking

Medical Supplies:
In every trip we do provide with essential comprehensive medical kits however you may carry your own medical kits as per your doctor’s recommendations.

List of some recommended items:
Band Aids / Bandages, laxatives, upset stomach remedy, anti-diarrhea remedy, Panadol /Aspirin, rehydration remedy, antiseptic cream/powder, sterile.

Currency:
The national currency of Bhutan is the Ngultrum (Nu) and it currently trades at approximately Nu 43 to US $1.00. The three currencies accepted within Bhutan are the Ngultrum, the Indian Rupee and the US Dollar. There are two Banks in Bhutan.

Bhutan National Bank Limited (BNB) Bank of Bhutan Limited (BOBL) Currencies accepted as foreign exchange within the banks are:
US Dollar, Pound Sterling, Euro, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, HK Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Singapore Dollar, Danish, Swedish & Norwegian Kroner

The Bhutanese currency pegged to the Indian rupee and thus trades with the currency. There are no coins, and you can expect to be handed wads of cash. The smallest note is for 1-ngultrum, and its worth only about $0.02 USD. As of April 2013, USD1 is equivalent to about 53 ngultrum if you are using USD50 or USD100 notes. Please take note that USD50 and USD100 notes are given a better exchange rate than USD20 notes or lesser. The smaller USD notes fetch about 5% less.

Bhutan is a cash economy! Visa and MasterCard are not accepted at smaller shops, but bigger shops and some hotels accept MasterCard.   There is an American Express office in the capital, and Amex is accepted in a few rare instances. More important, an Amex office means you can get your travelers' checks replaced if necessary.

If you bring in cash, best option is to change dollars or whatever you bring into ngultrums at the airport. The exchange rate is the same as in the banks in town. Keep in mind that banks get much harder to find outside the capital. You can also change your money at the hotels in Thimphu, but the rate is not as good.

For a stay of two weeks 100-150$ will cover your expenses, inclusive drinks with meals, and some souvenirs. However, this will certainly not be enough to cover tips.

Because Indian money trades at par with the ngultrum, rupees are generally accepted in Bhutan and may be occasionally given as change.  But since 2012 there have been shortages of Rupee notes due to Bhutan’s high import economy so if you can, bring and spend Rupees--you will be doing your guide and driver a big favor.

Accommodations:
In Bhutan most places have tourist standard facilities depending upon the choices, as we have put a lot of effort into locating the most appropriate type of accommodation for each tour.

It will always be clean and hygienic, comfortable and of a very high standard. Accommodation for Bhutan trips is in a combination of good standard tourist class hotels and Guest Houses in the Treks operated by the local people, which offer Twin Sharing accommodations, please be prepared for the common Bathrooms.

If you wish to spend a few additional days in your start city before the departure of your tour, then we can arrange accommodation for you. On last day of the tour usually arrives at our final destination in the late afternoon, when the tour ends. If you would like to book accommodation for the night or even stay additional nights, we will be more than happy to arrange this for you as well. All our accommodation is carefully chosen, conveniently located, clean and comfortable.

Travel / Medical Insurance:
Travel / Medical insurance a compulsory in all our trips, all clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment and repatriation. Please Note you should check that your insurance policy is adequate for Trekking & Tours in Bhutan.

Tipping & Bargaining:
Tipping in Bhutan is not compulsory but it is a way of traditions handed by earlier visitors this might be expected by the guides, porters and Tour Driver, any gratuities for good service will be gratefully accepted at the end of the tour.

Bargaining is kind of culture, especially in markets when hiring the Local Vehicles, Buying the Jewelries and Local Clothing.

Arriving in Bhutan & Transfers:
Before you depart for Bhutan please send us your flight details so that we can arrange a complementary transport from the airport to the hotel in Kathmandu, where our staff and representative will receives you please look for your name on board or with VIEW NEPAL TREKS on reaching outside the main terminal, please note our phone numbers if incase of flight delay and change in time & Schedule or if you don’t see our Sign Board on your arrival in case of emergency:
Please notify on these + 977 or Cell: 980-1129 611 / 985 1029611

Standard commercial airline baggage restrictions apply. Usually this is 20 kg for economy passengers and one piece of carry-on luggage. It is advisable to check with your airline before traveling.

Travel Tip:
You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!

Passport:
Your passport is a valuable document and you should exercise extreme care in keeping it safe. We recommend that you keep your passport on you at all times, preferably in a money belt that is worn under your clothing. We advise that you take copies of relevant pages in your passport and any visas that you may purchase in case of loss or damage. Your tour leader will require your passport details at the pre-departure meeting. Again, we recommend that you have a photocopy of your passport details, kept separate. Your passport must be valid for six months after the END of your tour, and must have one blank page for each country to be visited.

VISA AND OTHER FORMALITIES:

Getting into Bhutan is easy for travelers if you plan in advance with professional travel company.

View Nepal Treks arranges visas and all formalities few weeks before the travel date.

Passport must be at least 6 months valid at the end of travel date. if passport has minimum 2 pages empty space that will be great because one page for Bhutan visa stamp and another page you may use for another country's visa if you are travelling more places after Bhutan.

Visa is issued by foreign affairs, for tourist visa we as a tour operator apply and get it for you.

We send your visa copy on your e-mail, which you need to print and carry.

Visa formalities:

For every foreigner who wishes to travel Bhutan have to get Bhutan Visa. For visa, a passport is required which must be valid for at least 6 months after leaving Bhutan. The Druk Air allows boarding to people with visa clearance from Bhutan Government only.

All Travelers except Indian residents requires visa, to obtain the visa at 20 days prior to date of entry into Bhutan with PP details and photo’s.
Visa only service is not entertained in Bhutan one should have to join for full tour package services from local tour operator which includes guide, accommodations, food, tours and transportation.  Visa fee of US$ 40 (increased from Jan 2013 AD) which is mostly included in the trip package. Guests require multiple entry visas for India, Nepal if they are traveling to Bhutan and back to India or Nepal.

Traveling into Bhutan must be obtained from Nepal through Bhutan counterpart agents. Please note that; Once the visa is issued, it will not be amended, revalidated and visa fees will not be refunded.

Tourism Council of Bhutan issues visa clearance which will be e-mailed or Fax to your local travel agents to Bhutan and View Nepal Treks. Travelers are required to produce visa clearance copy at the time of check in for Druk Air flight, entering by overland must produce Visa clearance letter at the entry point.

Actual Visa is stamped at passport on arrival in Bhutan.

Restricted Travel:
To enter Bhutan, foreigners are issued with Entry Permit valid for Thimphu and Paro only. Rest of the Bhutan considered as restricted area, and foreign travelers requires special permits to enter immigration checkpoints located at main / major junction around the country.

Safe Travel:
Do not take unnecessary valuables with you, a money belt, or similar, worn close to your body is the best way to carry passports, airline tickets, money and other Valuables.

Do not leave any valuables in hotel rooms, please use SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES in the Hotel. Items are left at the individual’s risk.

Pickpockets are not common in Bhutan but it can happen, especially in tourist areas and in crowded markets; you must always exercise care.

Be aware that anything left lying around will also be liable to theft.

Departure Tax: International Flight departure taxes are included in your flight ticket from Nepal. However If you are flying with in the country, there are some departure tax inclusive with air tickets.

Time Zone: Bhutan Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 5:30 Hours).

The year is divided into 4 different seasons in Bhutan - winter, spring, summer and autumn. The best period to visit the country for plant lovers is during spring when the flowers are in full bloom. The mountain slopes are covered with beautiful and colorful flowers. Spring season commences from early March and continues until late May. Even though the days are clear haze disturbs the mountain views. Late May, and the downpour begins. It continues till late August. Come September and the autumn season begins. It continues till late November. With temperate climate, clear blue skies and extraordinary mountain views it is the best season to visit the country. Winter begins in late November and continues till late February.

Bhutan Climate:

The spring from March and May, fall / autumn season September to November has good weather. December to February is winter and cold outside in morning and evening time but nice and sunny during day time. July and august is rainy season so expect rain but weather is unpredictable like other places in the world. If you go higher altitude is cooler and lower altitude is warmer in Bhutan. Due to mountains can enjoy nice breeze too. Most of the days are clear except monsoon and good for hiking.

Cancellation:
Incase of any cancellation of the tour prior to departure, a cancellation policy as per the company's rules and regulation shall be applied.

Risk and Liability:  Bhutan tours are run strictly under BHUTAN TOURISM BUREAU, we or our agents shall not be responsible for any changes or cancellation of the programs due to road blockade, cancellation of flight, sickness or accident, political unrest etc. Any extras cost thereof shall be borne by the clients.

Package cost includes:
Flight fare Kathmandu-Bhutan -Kathmandu, hotel/guest house accommodation on full board basis, sightseeing tour as per the itinerary, An English speaking guide, transportation by private vehicle during the tour and monastery entrance fee.

Cost excludes:
Nepal / Bhutan visa and entry fees, International airfare beside flight to Bhutan and back to Kathmandu, personal medical / travel insurance, emergency evacuation  or any charges in case, if required, expenses of personal nature etc.

ELECTRICITY:

Bhutan has generated own hydro and supplied all over country, there is no problem of power cut in cities. The supply is 220 voltages, 50 cycles AC with 3 prong plugs like many Asian countries. Hotels provide converter for your electric devices if needed.

Voltage:
Electricity in Bhutan is 230 volts AC, 50 cycles. We do have two pins & 3 pins power sockets, you better to have two Pin travel plug adepter which will be useful to charge your batteries.

Drug Policy:
Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs allowed on any part of the trip. Anyone discovered in possession of any such drugs, will be asked to leave the tour immediately without question or refund.

Water:
You should not drink the water from the tap in Bhutan because of bacteria.
You can either use water purification or buy the bottle of water. Now a day, some people are bringing their own water filter which is very impressive & useful.

Photography:
Photography is important part of the holiday that carries the memory of holiday in the photos.  Please remember, that you are guests in the country of travel and sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without asking permission. It is absolutely forbidden by law to take photos at any borders, as they are all active military installation.

• Trips Cancellation Policy
• Last Hour Booking
• Payment of the Balance
• How to pay your deposit
• travel & medical insurance
• Trips & Itinerary Condition
• Equipment & Clothing
• Season
• Tour and Trekking Guides
• Welfare and Safety
• Eco-Tourism
• Insurance & Emergency Expenses
• risk & liabilities
• privacy
• Weather
• changes to your holiday and pricing
• publicity
• children
• health & fitness
• Clients’ Responsibility
• nepal visa & passport condition