Byways Tours & Travels
Travel to Bhutan with a local team
From Byways to Highways — a licensed Bhutanese tour operator, based in Thimphu.
We plan private, all-inclusive journeys through Bhutan — your visa, licensed guide, hotels, meals and the daily Sustainable Development Fee, all arranged.
Travel to Bhutan: five points that make it different
The process is unlike anywhere else, but once you know these five points it is one of the easiest trips to arrange, because almost everything is done for you.
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You do not apply for a visa at an embassy. A licensed tour operator such as Byways Tours & Travels handles the Bhutan visa application process: you send us a passport copy and a passport-size photo (45 mm x 35 mm). Your Bhutan visa is processed in about five working days.
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You prepay the Sustainable Development Fee. The Sustainable Development Fee per night per person has to be paid when applying for your Bhutan visa. Our tour packages are inclusive of your Bhutan visa fee and SDF.
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A licensed guide accompanies you. It is mandatory throughout your stay, and quickly becomes the best part of the system: translator, historian, fixer and friend in one.
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Only two airlines operate in Bhutan. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines.
How to get to Bhutan explains every route. Confirm the Bhutan sector before booking your long-haul flight. -
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Your trip is pre-arranged. Hotels, ground transportation and visa are set before you land.
That is the whole system. Tell us your dates and interests, and the kingdom effectively organises itself around you. Travelling from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany or Singapore? Each has its own page with the routing and visa answers for that passport.
When to travel to Bhutan
Spring brings colourful flowers and the Paro Festival; autumn brings the clearest Himalayan skies and the Thimphu Festival. Winter is quiet and crisp and brings the Druk Wangyel Festival, and the monsoon months are green and uncrowded.
Best time to visit BhutanWhat a Bhutan travel package includes
Your Bhutan travel package includes 3-star hotels, all meals, your guide, a driver and private vehicle, entry fees, the daily Sustainable Development Fee and the visa fee.
Bhutan trip cost in fullPlan your travel to Bhutan
Tell us when you'd like to travel and what you'd love to see. Our team will reply with a free custom itinerary and exact quote.
- Free itinerary & quote — no payment, no obligation
- Visa and SDF paperwork handled for you
- Response within 24 hours from a licensed local operator
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Why travel to Bhutan
A kingdom that has never been colonised, measures itself by Gross National Happiness and keeps more than seventy percent of its land under forest cover. People travel to Bhutan for the dzongs (fortresses), the tshechus (festivals) and the lhakhangs (temples), for valleys still farmed by hand, and for the quiet of being one of a few hundred visitors on any given day.
Gross National Happiness
Bhutan considers Gross National Happiness (GNH) more important than Gross Domestic Product. Our progress is measured in happiness!
A carbon-negative kingdom
Bhutan is the world's first carbon-negative country. Bhutan's constitution requires at least sixty percent of the land to stay under forest cover for all time.
Unique culture and tradition
The gho (male dress) and kira (female dress) are everyday dress, dzongs still house both monks and government, and the tshechu festivals are held for the community first. You are a guest at them, not an audience.
Lesser crowds
Bhutan follows a “High Value, Low Volume” tourism philosophy, which means it does not practise mass tourism or cater to backpackers, unlike other popular tourist destinations in the world.
Experience vibrant festival
In spring, colourful flowers bloom and Paro celebrates its festival. Autumn offers the clearest Himalayan skies and the lively Thimphu Festival. Winter is calm and crisp, marked by the Druk Wangyel Festival, while the monsoon turns the landscape lush and keeps crowds away.
Walk the Trans Bhutan Trail
The restored Trans Bhutan Trail runs 403 kilometres across the whole country, linking historic villages, monasteries and mountain landscapes. It follows paths that people used for centuries to travel and trade between eastern and western Bhutan.
Why travel to Bhutan?
Discover why Bhutan is called the "Last Shangri-La" and what makes it unique.
Start exploringPlan your travel to Bhutan
Get practical information to prepare for your Bhutan adventure.
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Create magical memories in the mystical kingdom of Bhutan
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Your trusted Bhutan travel partner
Licensed
DoT certified operator
Local experts
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Best value
Transparent pricing
Personalized
Custom itineraries
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Your local team in Thimphu
Byways Tours and Travels is a fully licensed Bhutanese tour operator based in Thimphu. Our name is our promise: from the quiet byways most tours never reach to the grand highways of Bhutanese culture, we take you the whole way.
Certified by the Department of Tourism and committed to Bhutan's "High Value, Low Volume" philosophy, our guides — many of whom grew up in remote villages across Bhutan — bring unmatched knowledge of hidden trails, sacred sites, and local customs. We don't just show you Bhutan; we invite you into our home.
