Bhutan Paro Thimphu Punakha Bumthang Tiger's Nest Pilgrimage Complete Guide 2026
Browse more guides: Bhutan travel | Asia destinations Bhutan Paro Thimphu Punakha Bumthang Tiger's Nest Pilgrimage Complete Guide 2026 TL;DR I have been planning Bhutan trips since the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) dropped from USD 200 to USD 100 per day on September 1, 2023. Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, is 38,394 square kilometres and roughly 779,000 people, ruled today by Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the 5th Druk Gyalpo, crowned in 2008. You enter through Paro International Airport (PBH), the only commercial airport. From Paro you hike the 4.4 kilometre round trip to Paro Taktsang at 3,120 metres, 900 metres above the valley floor, where Guru Rinpoche meditated in the 8th century for three years and three months and where Tenzin Rabgye built the monastery in 1692 (restored after the April 19, 1998 fire). You drop into Thimphu for Tashichho Dzong (1216, expanded 1641, reconstructed 1962), the 51.5 metre bronze Buddha Dordenma finished in 2015, and the Nati...