Bhutan Travel Guide: Days 8-11, Travelling Solo, Flight To Bangkok With The Royal Family, Costs & Final Thoughts
In this penultimate episode of my Bhutan Series on Winging It, I wrap up my 11-day trip to Bhutan and share my final experiences exploring Thimphu and Paro, plus my biggest takeaways from travelling through one of the most fascinating countries in the world.
After originally planning a trek in the Haa Valley, I changed my itinerary and spent my final days wandering Bhutan’s capital Thimphu, experiencing Bhutan’s National Day celebrations, visiting local cafés, exploring markets, and eventually heading to Paro for my final night before flying back to Bangkok. I also give an idea of what budget day-to-day life is like when travelling solo in Bhutan.
Along the way I stayed in luxury glamping tents in hills of Paro, met incredible locals, and had an unexpected moment on my flight to Bangkok when I discovered the King and Queen of Bhutan were on the same plane. I managed to speak to one of their closest advisors during the flight, which was a very interesting chat indeed!
To wrap up the series, I also share my favourite experiences in Bhutan, practical Bhutan travel tips, what it actually costs to visit Bhutan, and advice for anyone planning their own trip to the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon.
If you're wondering how to visit Bhutan, what an itinerary looks like, or whether Bhutan is worth visiting, this episode brings together everything I learned from my time there.
🎧 If Bhutan has ever been on your travel radar, this series will show you why it deserves to be.
This entire journey through Bhutan was made possible by Breathe Bhutan, who created an incredible, deeply immersive itinerary that allowed me to experience the country far beyond the surface. From meeting local families to having honest conversations like this one, their focus on authentic, responsible, and meaningful travel is something I’ll be showcasing throughout this series.
Thanks & Credits
Huge thanks to Breathe Bhutan for creating an authentic, culture-focused itinerary and making experiences like this possible. Also, thanks to Tourism Bhutan for hosting me on this trip and making this series possible.
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This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Hello and welcome to the penultimate episode of my Bhutan series. And today it's going to be days 8 through to 11 where I fly back to Bangkok. And then I'm going to give a summary of the whole trip. Nothing too in-depth, just some of my favourite things and what you should look out for when you're travelling to Bhutan. Welcome to the Winging It Travel Podcast, your weekly ticket to the world.
dropping every Monday and hosted by me, James Hammond, proudly part of the Boy Escape Network. This is a travel podcast that throws out the itinerary and dives straight into the raw, real and unpredictable essence of global exploration, chasing moments over milestones, those spontaneous encounters, immersive sounds and unforgettable stories. Whether I'm hiking up volcanoes in Guatemala,
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camping under the stars in British Columbia.
met incredible people, seen breath taking places and collected unforgettable stories. I now get to share them with you, alongside some of the most diverse and well travelled guests from around the world. Expect engaging conversations that bring fresh perspectives and inspiring travel tales. There are also raw, reflective solo episodes where I share personal insights, practical tips and honest stories from the road. This is a podcast for travellers, dreamers, backpackers and anyone who's ever thought, what if I just went for it and travelled? If you're looking for stories to tell, tips to share,
and experiences to inspire, then you're in the right place. There's so much travel content coming your way, it might just spark that trip you've been dreaming about for years. You can find Winging It, and more fantastic travel podcasts from around the world at voyescape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Now, I'll start with going back to the previous episode on day seven. I might have mentioned that I changed my mind about a certain decision.
That was on my itinerary. And that was for days eight and nine. I was supposed to be in the hills of Ha, that's H-A-A, trekking and staying in tents with a little crew both nights. Now, as I've said on this series, December is cold in the evening. So during the day, it's 10 to 16 degrees between that. Very mild, very nice, very pleasant. At night, at the lower altitude, it's getting to minus two or three.
And the thought of me hiking during the day, which is fine. I'm going to be sweating. It's not an easy hike. It's going to be warm, mild warm, and then go right down to those temperatures where I've sweated out. There's no facilities, no guest houses, no tea houses, nothing like that. And coming down to a chill in front of the fire, but ultimately in my tent. I didn't fancy that in such harsh conditions in the hills.
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of minus three, four, five degrees in a tent. So I asked BreatheButan if I could change my mind and they said, yep, but there's a couple of things. We will have to cancel everything to do with the hike. I'm like, yeah, that's fine. And you'll have to look after yourself financially, this is for the rest of your trip. said, that's fine. They agreed to keep one accommodation for me, which I'll come to later in the episode, which was already booked in. yeah, that's cool. And the other two nights will be paid hotels by yourself. said, yep, that's absolutely fine as well. And more importantly, they said,
Look, I don't need the guides anymore because I am on my own checking out Timpu and Paro. And they said, look, the guys will go home and you'll be on your own for three days. Is that fine? I'm like, yeah, that's pretty cool as well. Cause when you go online, it's a bit confusing as to whether you can actually be there on your own without a guide. So they'll let me hang around Timpu and Paro by myself checking out some sites on my own. I to explore Bhutan just as a solo traveler. So that's pretty cool as well, right?
So cancel the hike and we headed back to Timpu. Bit of a trek from there actually from the Gangtai Monastery. Took nearly all day and I actually looked at changing my flight to go back a day earlier. That was a bit of a lunchtime thing. Didn't quite work out. Stuck to the original itinerary for flying out on day 11. So got back to Timpu quite late in the end and I managed to stay at a hotel called the Hotel Gak Yil and it's right in the center of Timpu.
quite close to the National Stadium. I think the price was about, in USD, $25 a night, maybe even $20. It was so cheap, three-star hotel, very, very comfortable and very warm at night too. But once I got to the hotel, I said goodbye to my guides. I gave them all a tip. So that's the driver and Ratu and Sonam, my two guides. They didn't want to accept the money, but honestly, it's really important to give them a tip. You can sort of average around maybe 10 to 15 US dollars a day.
That's a good range to keep in your mind. I kind of spread out all my US dollars and I kind of said, no, there's a no, take the money and go. I can't let you just go away with nothing. I'm not accepting that. So I gave him a tip, gave him some hugs, some shakes of the hands and they said, look, if you need anything, just WhatsApp us. We'll arrange your transport from Timpu to Paro for my last couple of nights with a local friend and a local guide. So yeah, that's cool. Honestly, if you're
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ever in any situation, let us know. And I spoke to Surnam about this, the main guy, and he said it's a bit unusual situation because they like to see you have a good time, obviously, but also be safe and just be okay up until you fly out. So the fact that they're kind of leaving me a little bit and they're going home doesn't sit too comfortably with them. But I said, Hey, look, I'm quite a well-seasoned Bhutan seems really nice in terms of the people and the culture. And I don't think safety is an issue.
I'll be fine. And they said, okay, we'll take that and we'll head off into the night. And they drove off into the night and I stayed at Hotel Gatgyal where I had dinner at the hotel. There's a restaurant there, maybe slightly on an expensive side for Butam. Maybe eight to $10. can get a lot of food. I had like Indian curry and rice and stuff like that. Very comfortable, but I was really knackered from the day of traveling. And this is the end of day seven. So stayed the night and got to sleep. I also want to shout out to Gangtae Monastery for my breakfast.
on that morning of travel because they gave me baked beans. mean, monks are heroic, aren't they? Anyway, back to day eight, up in the morning, sunshine, blue skies, as you would imagine, as it has been on every day of this trip so far. So I got out, no breakfast for me at the hotel. And I thought, do know what? I'm going to take a wander through the streets of Thimphu and see what's about. On this particular day, this is national day in Bhutan. And I know
There is a ceremony and sort of performances at the National Stadium around the corner. So that was on my radar. But first up, I visited the clock tower, which is literally a two minute walk and I got a lay of the land. So clock tower, one of the things to see in Timpu is like the Vancouver clock tower just goes off every hour standard. And on my street, there was hotels, there was 24 seven pharmacies and shops, you know, to get supplies, confectionary and stuff like that.
There's also fast food places and restaurants. And also in my block, there was bars that open till late and the Butanese do love a drink. So they're out there to the early hours for sure. So I took a walk to the clock tower, got to the end of the road. If you put Timpoo in Google, you are going to see this famous roundabout where they have one policeman directing traffic. That is where on Hotel Gapgill, that road, that is where the roundabout is. I mean, it's cool to see, got a few photos.
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Happy days. So Gapgyal was spent G-A-K-Y-I-L. Let's put that in Google. After the clock tower, I was like, I need a coffee and some breakfast. So I went to Ambiont Cafes. It's one of the top cafes in Thimphu. Amazing coffee. The coffee they serve there is actually from Chick Magula in India, in Bangalore. And if you rewind back to this time last year,
I did go to Bangalore and India and that part of the country on a coffee tour at the exact place where they grow the coffee and roast it. And this Ambient Cafe orders from there. So I'm little averse to the taste. Great taste in coffee. I know it's Indian and not Bhutanese, but honestly it's brilliant. And Ambient Cafe serves a mix between Western food and Bhutanese food. So I had a toastie for breakfast. Very comfortable setting. It's elevated. A little view outside.
Mostly locals in there with a few Westerners or tourists on their own, not with a guide. So Ambient Cafe is so good that later on I did go back for dinner. After Ambient Cafe is like, right, I need to go to National Stadium. Let's see what's going on for National Day celebrations. National Day in Bhutan is held every year on the same day. Luckily I was there for December. I did not plan that. And also don't forget, technically I would have been in the hills hiking and not in Timpu or Paro for this day. So this was new. I approached the National Stadium.
lots of people milling about, probably about 10am, 10.30am. I asked the policeman, can I go in? He said, yeah, yeah, free, walk in, take a seat, whatever you want to do. Brilliant. And this place was packed to the rafters of locals, of kids, and of people who have the day off work. Even though the cafes are open, most people do have the day off work. Now, traditionally for National Day, the Royal Family
will be at the stadium attending the ceremonies, performances, giving out awards, et cetera. But on this particular year, for the first time ever, they went somewhere else. So that's pretty unlucky. But don't worry, I'll come to the Royal Family at the end of the episode for something a bit cheeky and extra. Nashville Stadium was brilliant. It's the main stadium where they hold football games, sporting events, competitions. And I sat there with the locals watching these performances for an hour in the sunshine. Very comfortable.
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great atmosphere, positivity, and mostly the performances are different schools around the country who perform to win certain prizes for the national day. It's conducted in Zonka, a traditional language, and also English, which is great as well so I can understand what's going on. So I really liked all the color, all the performances, all the music. Generally it was a great few hours to sit there in a national stadium as one of the things to see and do, the national stadium, and check out what this awesome activity is. It finished about midday.
And everyone went home after that. Then around the corner to the Centenary Farmers Market, a great farmers market, huge, lots of stuff going on, very busy, fruit and veg, the whole lot that's worth checking out. Then I went to Hope Cafe for coffee. It's a little bit hidden, put it in Google, Hope Cafe. It's in this like little shopping center on the top floor. And I love this cafe because I got to sit down with the owners and have a chat. They speak great English. She even tried to give me free coffee. I was not having that.
But we sat there, talked about life, Butam, their plans for the cafe and the business. I think the owner wants to go to Australia to get stuck into degrees and masters and improve her learning. As a lot of Butanese do, they go to Australia for higher education. I probably sat there for an hour on the sofa talking life. Another great interaction with local people. Please go to Hope Cafe. I love the ambiance in there. It's got some nature in there, some wall art.
And of course all the things that they sell, but the owners are really nice. You can sit down on the couch with them, have a chat about Bhutan, travel, tourism, everything you can think of. I really enjoyed my time. I actually went back the next day, but for now, Hope Cafe, coffee, day eight, coming towards an end. I actually went to Ambient Cafe again for dinner because they had a cheeky burger and chips and I just needed some Western food. So that was pretty much my day eight, wandering around Thimphu.
So I saw the National Stadium, a of cafes, I walked the streets, saw the roundabout, the farmer's market. That's all really within 10, 15 minutes of each other. The temperature is quite small, but a lot of it is in the hills. So the flat bit where the National Stadium is, there's lots to see and do in there during the day, but also at night too. So day nine, I did go back to Hope Cafe for a coffee. I also checked out the only roastery in Bhutan.
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They're called Mountain Cafe. You'll see this in Paro, in Timpoo and other places for coffee and breakfast. I think I had a tuna toastie actually, really, really good. And these guys do open quite early at seven. There's absolutely no one in there. So I was in El Mion having a coffee and a toastie. But Mountain Cafe is known because they are the only ones who have a roastery in the country and they locally source the beans as well. So I think they do have that monopoly so far. I'm not sure it's just because they can afford to do that or
They are the only ones who are allowed to do that. I'm not sure, but they're the ones if you want a real traditional local coffee and not from India, those are you guys. Then I had a lift from another guy, Bri Bhutan, who picked me up from my hotel. checked out and went in a car for an hour to Paro and had a great chat about life, tourism. He was a really great guy. I think he follows me on Instagram actually. And he's just another guy with Bri Bhutan. And you'd be very lucky to get him if you go with those guys to book your tour. So I arrived in to Paro.
As I said, about an hour away, it's down the valley. And my stay this night is the originally booked night, which actually would have been my last night on the original itinerary. And that's at 10 Zingaling Luxury Tents. This place is really high up in the hills. So there's no real easy way to access there. So before we went up to the luxury tents, I went to Parrow to meet my guide, Sonam and Ratu, went for coffee at Mountain Cafe, had a coffee and a cake, and I got to chat about life, asking how things are going, it's only been a day or two.
since I last left them, but things are going good. And they wanted to ask me if there's anything to sort out, anything like that. said, no, I'm really good. It's absolutely fine. And they said, okay, well, we'll pick you up tomorrow because we're going to find a hotel in Paro after this night. said, yeah, that's fine. So after casually checking out Paro, I jumped into the guide's car and we drove up to Tenzeling luxury tents. It's quite a trek up. The roads aren't great. But when I arrived at Tenzeling, my word is glamping to the absolute luxury.
My tent was huge. It's as big as any room I've stayed in in terms of a hotel room. Very warm. The bed had a heater on top of the mattress. mean, my word, this was unbelievable. They do room service, hot showers, laundry, anything you want. I spoke to the owner, had a good chat with those guys. So I ordered dinner to the room. There's not much place to go, but I walked around the site, got some photos and because of the time of year, not very busy. So Tenzing luxury tents is definitely worth staying at if you want that luxury glamping.
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experience. Quite late in the day. I'm pretty tired at this point. Getting a bit knackered, but I know the next day is a full day in Parrow. So next morning, day 10. Just a quick pause in the episode there. If you're enjoying the podcast and getting value from these conversations, one of the biggest ways you can support Winging It is by leaving a five star rating all of you on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now. It generally helps the show reach new listeners and keeps the podcast growing.
and it's free and it only takes a few minutes. Alternatively, if you'd like to support the podcast in another way, you can also buy me a coffee over at buymeacoffee.com forward slash Winginit. It's a simple way to help cover hosting, gear and the time that goes into creating these episodes. And I seriously appreciate every coffee that I receive is only $5. You can also head to winginittravelpodcast.com to book your travel through my affiliate links. That just means that if you book your flights, accommodation or travel gear through those links,
It helps support the podcast at no extra cost to you and allows me to keep sharing these stories from the road. And finally, if you know someone who loves travel, storytelling or meaningful conversations, please share the podcast, whether that's by word of mouth, sending an episode to a friend or posting it on social media. It really does make a huge difference. Right. Let's get back into the episode. Stunning views of breakfast. Got out of my tent, looked over the horizon because it's clear days every day. The sunrise. Incredible.
glow, that frost that kind of sits quite low level in the early hours. And then I went to breakfast in the main restaurant area. And I think this is the best breakfast I have had in Bhutan. It was like a full English breakfast with fruit, cereal, juices. Like it was so much food. Couldn't believe what I was eating. Almost like not fine dining, but close to it in terms of a breakfast. And that came with the price.
That's where have a coffee. Americanos, they do sell there. Had to pay for that. Absolutely fine. And had a chat with the owner. So I do recommend staying there if you want that bit of luxury on your itinerary. My guys picked me up from the location and we drove into Paro to try and find a hotel. Walked around a few, chose one. I don't actually recall the name of the hotel, but it's right in center of Paro and it's very comfortable for a similar price to the one in Timpu. Just a nice room. Heated quite nicely. I'll be there until I go to the airport.
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That's when my guys left me again. said, yep, if I need anything, let them know they both live in Paro. So they're fairly local, but Paro is so small that I don't think you need a guide to check out the city. So walked into Paro, couple of main streets, not much to see in terms of temples unless you drive out further. And I went to a few cafes. So obviously I mentioned Mountain Cafe. went to also Brioche Cafe. They do great cakes actually. And then coffee at Mountain Cafe. But the main thing on this day was also getting souvenirs.
And the best thing about Bhutan is anything you buy in Bhutan is made in Bhutan. Whereas if you go to any other country and buy souvenirs, clothing, little trinkets, whatever you're trying to buy, sometimes it just says made in India or made in China. But in Bhutan, I checked a few shops, everything is made in Bhutan. And I probably spent a hundred Canadian dollars on souvenirs. I bought loads of stuff and you can pay by card as well. So that's a bonus if you're looking for that.
After walking the main streets up and down, you do get through it pretty quickly after a couple of hours, especially after you've finished souvenir shopping. So I then went back to rest at the hotel and then had dinner at the Himalayan kitchen and had dinner with the owners. I the owners invited me in. They cooked me an amazing meal, more of a Nepalese vibe. So thakpa, which I guess is more Tibetan, momos, chow mein and some veggie spring rolls. I mean, that was an incredible meal.
And we sat there and talked about life, YouTube, the podcast. And he said, if you ever come back to Paro, let me know. I've got his WhatsApp. He said, just message me and we'll go for dinner again. The super nicest couple. And they also have a TV in there and they watched like YouTubers go into Bhutan. So hopefully they watch mine on that screen. That'd be pretty cool. And just a nice way to end my last night in Bhutan by speaking to some more locals. mean, how nice is this group of people?
So next day is day 11. This is my last day. One last look at Paro walking through the town. Again, a coffee at Melon Cafe. I think I grabbed two pastries as well. Danish pastries. Yeah, so good. And then I grabbed a taxi to the airport, which does cost around 10 US dollars. So just bear that in mind, but it takes 10 minutes. It's literally right next to the town. And that was pretty much my time in Bhutan to an end.
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Bit of a sad ending, bit of a chilled ending as well. Checking out Tim Poon Paro, the main settlements in Bhutan. But had enough time to check them out, walk around the streets and get a local vibe and a local feel. Now the extra thing going back, I want to come back to the Royal Family. On my flight, there was a little bit of a commotion. We couldn't go at the front end of the airplane. Bit strange. All were shackled up to the back and entered that way. Despite my seat being near the front. Now I've this before, commotion at the front.
Lots of people milling about and lots of people not knowing what's going on. I've seen this in Vinaywati when the president walked onto the plane with his entourage. This time it wasn't so clear. I was like, okay, well something's going on. not sure. Can't really get an idea or view, but the business class, if you like, this plane, which is basically a curtain and they open three seats to two was closed. Couldn't see it. Anyway, thought nothing of it. We took off. We're going via India. We are flying for an hour.
stopping off a little bit then flying to Bangkok. I don't know why that was. But on the second half of the flight, a seat beside me come available because the guy went to sit at the back. And one of the entourage I keep to see walking up and down and through the curtain came to sit next to me. This is a golden opportunity and he's know what's going on. So I introduced myself and I said, hi, I'm James, been to Bhutan for like 11 days, love the country. Like who's through there in business class that people keep wondering about. And he said, that's the king. I went, what the fourth king.
He goes, no, no, no, the current king and the current queen. I'm like, what literally King and Queen of Bhutan are sitting through there. He's like, yeah. I'm like, well, that's mental. So for half an hour, I asked him load of questions and we had a great chat. He was like one of his main advisors or entourage. He asked me what my name was, how I enjoyed Bhutan. I asked him to pass on my regards from James to the king and queen and say, I love being in their country.
And he was explaining that he was going to Bangkok to accept an award from a university. I couldn't get my head around that the Royal family was on the same plane as me. And I asked him like, well, is he okay? Like, people get looking through? Because yeah, we're just making sure he's comfortable and not too bored on the flight. I'm like, this is incredible. And in front of me, you've got like the military, the police, the whole entourage covers like high society, but also advisors and that sort of civil service as well.
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So we had a chat for half an hour, asked where I'm from, what I did in Bhutan, where I'm going to. I asked him a lot of questions about his job and what he got up to as well. So the most wholesome chat for half an hour, shook his hand, he had to go off and see to the Royal Family. But what an absolute privilege to be on the same flight as the Royal Family. Now you may be thinking, it's crazy that someone that high status travels with the local people, but don't forget Bhutan is a carbon negative country. I don't think
High ranking officials can be seen flying private jets, private transport all the time or ever. Doesn't go with their message. And the King and Queen are very passionate about being a country that looks after the environment and makes sure tourism is at a level that's enough to provide for local people, but not too big for mass tourism. And they're looking after the country. The people love the Royal family. They're very highly respected, liked, loved, and everyone I speak to has great words to say about them.
So was an honor to fly back to Bangkok with the Royal Family on the same flight. Really enjoyed it. I arrived back into Bangkok quite late. It was dark and I got a taxi from the airport into an area of Bangkok quite close to the center. I Bangkok's huge. Took about 25 minutes and I'll come to Bangkok in another episode. So summary of the trip. Let me do a couple of minutes on this. If you listen to every episode, I haven't left anything out. I'm just going to give you my thoughts and also some tips and tricks maybe for Butam.
Off the bat, top five things I did in Bhutan. The Tiger's Nest hike is a must. You will do that. Ama Om's homestay, the Druk Wangyal festival, breakfast with the monk in Thimphu. That was pretty special. And the flight in, cannot underestimate flying into Bhutan on a clear day in the morning and seeing Everest and Kanchenjungka. Unreal. You must try their national dish, chili cheese or amadashi. Most dishes will have chili.
and cheese in them. So it's a thing that they love. Very spicy food. I love spice. I can handle it a little bit. So not too bad for me. Just be aware it's a mix between Chinese and Indian maybe. Not sure which side it kind of lean towards, but great food. In terms of coffee, they do have Americanos, lattes, et cetera, in a lot of cafes in the main establishment. My tip would be probably in the hotel you're saying that they might do a coffee machine coffee.
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Most hotels at four stars do have that free stars hit and miss. If you need a coffee, just ask your guides, can we stop off for an Americano? I'd also advise buying them one because it's luxury, it's not cheap. So they would make every effort to get to a cafe that serves great coffee. Just make sure you treat them to a coffee as well. mean, Sonam loved cappuccinos, so I bought them a few cappuccinos. In terms of the tour, Bree through Tan, absolutely incredible as a tour company. They made it as authentic as possible.
Everything I asked for, they delivered on. I wanted interviews. I wanted home stays. I want real local life. Everything that I really want from the trip was delivered. And I want to say thanks to Kinley and his team at Breathe through Tan for making it possible. I also want to say a big, huge thanks to my crew. So God, the driver, Sonam, the guide, and Ratoo, the guide as well. Ratoo is also a photographer and a videographer. So we'll put his link in the show notes. I think you can also hire him as a guide as well.
He's licensed a great guy, both great guys. Ratoo is slightly younger in his twenties, both very knowledgeable, both speak great English and you'd be honored to have them as your guides. But Breathe Through Tan, what a company, loved every second of the tour. Also I'm grateful and thankful for them to cancel my hike and let me explore the country by myself for a few days as well. An average in terms of price, it's going to cost you for the tour.
I did 10 nights, 11 days that costs somewhere between three to three and a half thousand USD depending on what type of accommodation you want. I went for a mix of monasteries, three star hotels, the odd four star and a homestay. So kind of reduce the cost a little bit. If you want five star all the time, you're going to pay more. Don't forget the hundred dollars a day fee, non-negotiable have to pay it as a hundred US dollars.
For 10 days, obviously add on an extra thousand USD on top of the cost. And you'll probably need a couple of hundred dollars for the 10 days, just for bits and pieces here and there. But you can pay by card in Bhutan too. But I would recommend bringing cash because you'll need to change into local currency to buy coffees and little things throughout the country. But you also need to tip your guides. I mean, an average rule is probably 10 to 15 USD a day. Obviously I had two guides, so I did 10.
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each per day and for the driver, I gave him seven per day. So just bring that cash into the country. There are ATMs as well. It's not like you're restricted, but I bought cash in change at the airport, which gives the same rate as somewhere in town. In terms of booking your flights, they're quite pricey. They're cheaper from places like Nepal and India. For me from Bangkok, it was $1,400 Canadian return. So make sure you add that into your costs.
and they don't fly every day. There's a set schedule every month. I think they fly one way, so maybe two or three times a week and obviously reverse for that. But there's more flexibility on the Himalayan side. I mentioned coffee earlier. Mountain Cafe is the only roastery based in Bhutan. They also have a new winery growing grapes and producing wine. Michael Juergens was a previous guest on the podcast. Check out his episode. I interviewed him maybe two or three years ago about this process. He co-owns.
that winery and is leading that project. Very interesting indeed. You can go visit him and his brewery. They love their coffee. They love their beer. They love their wine. They love their alcohol. So anything goes in Bhutan. But my favorite coffee was Ambience Cafe because I love the coffee from Chip Macaloo in India. Most souvenirs are authentic. They're Bhutanese. I would highly recommend supporting and going to see Chokky Art School because they look after underprivileged kids and give them a chance to get skilled at something and progress in life.
and move up the social scale. They do rely on government handouts and money from tourists to survive. So please check out those guys and buy a few things. Everything they sell there is made from the kids at the school. December in terms of time to go, I've been mentioning this a lot on the podcast from my series, clear days, mild in the day, really cold at night. And I think I did struggle a little bit from that change of weather. The monasteries were quite cold that I stayed in.
And obviously the accommodations in the hills got pretty cold as well. But the four star hotels and three star hotels at a low altitude like in Thimphu and Paro, very nice indeed. My favorite place to stay at was the Tenzing luxury tents. I know it's glamping so it's a bit different. That was the best. In terms of hotel, I love the access suites in Thimphu. And overall, I just want to say I had the most magical time for 11 days. I loved my guides. We had a laugh every day. The roads are great. So it's not too difficult to get into places.
James Hammond (:
We had a great van to get us around, like a modern transit van. I want to say thanks to Parbati actually from Breathe Bhutan who came along on the tour. She provided some humor and she was like me actually experiencing Bhutan because she works with Breathe Bhutan and is not a guide. So we had a lot of dinners and lot of coffees and lot of experiences together. That was good fun. The food was great. A lot of food. I mean, this is the type of food where it's not at a car set dishes. You're going to get
're going up to Tiger's Nest,:
a water bottle that converts water into safe drinking water. The locals do drink from the tap. They don't advise tourists to do that. So every water I had was from a plastic bottle. But yeah, water tour. Very enjoyed myself. Would love to go back and take some more people to Bhutan. I would 100 % use Breathe Bhutan as my tour group. Check out the show notes for links to those guys for the website and how to get in contact if you're looking to book a tour and check out all the other episodes that I've done on Bhutan for my trip.
I covered everything on this trip and if you want a visual, you can check out my YouTube channel, Roaming With Hammo, if you want to see what things look like. But for now, my last episode will be an immersive episode of a typical day in Bhutan. I've got some pretty cool sounds to add in that I've not shared on the podcast so far. That's going to be pretty cool. It's like going to be a mix between YouTube and podcasts, but only in an audio format. And it should be pretty cool with some decent soundscapes I collected on my trip.
If there's anything I've missed, let me know. I think I've covered everything that I would like to say. Any questions, send me a on Instagram or you can email me at jameshammondtravel at gmail.com. Please rate the podcast five stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify or any podcast app that you use. If you're on YouTube, please give us a subscribe and a follow. And if you want to contribute to the production costs of the podcast, you can head to buymeacoffee.com forward slash wing in it. And you can buy me a coffee for $5. And finally,
James Hammond (:
Head to voyascape.com for more amazing travel podcasts covering many different topics. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks to the people of Bhutan and thanks to Breathe Bhutan and Tourism Bhutan for making this trip possible. And I'll see you for the last episode on the whole series. See you there. And that's it for this episode on Winging It. I hope you took something from this episode, whether it sparked a new idea, offered a different perspective, or simply let you feel part of the journey. If you enjoyed it, leaving a quick rating or review on your podcast app really helps the show.
reach new listeners. And if you know someone who might connect with this episode, share it by word of mouth or social media. It makes a huge difference. Head to voicecape.com for more amazing travel podcasts as well. And thanks so much for listening and I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, keep winging it.