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Travel and Tourism in Bhutan
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Bhutan.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
- Time Difference
- UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 68.39
- Climate
- Varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in the Himalayas
- Ethnic Groups
- Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
- National Holiday
- National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 27 30 N, 90 30 E
- Location
- Southern Asia, between China and India
- Airports
- 2
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
The Tsechu Festivals: Where the Sacred and the Spectacular Meet
The tsechu festivals are among the most extraordinary public events in Asia, and for many visitors they represent the most vivid and memorable experience of Bhutan. The word tsechu means the tenth day of the month in the Tibetan lunar calendar, and the tsechu festivals are held annually in each district's dzong, typically in the autumn or spring, to commemorate events in the life of Guru Rinpoche and to transmit the blessings of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition to the assembled community. They are simultaneously religious ceremonies, cultural performances, community gatherings, and spectacular theatrical events, and the combination of sacred significance and sheer visual drama makes them unlike anything else in the world.
The centerpiece of the tsechu is the cham dance, a form of sacred masked dance performed by monks who have trained for years in the precise movements, gestures, and spiritual significance of each dance. The masks are extraordinary works of art in themselves, made of papier-mache and painted in vivid colors, depicting the faces of protective deities, demons, wisdom teachers, and the many figures that populate the Vajrayana cosmological universe.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Medical facilities in the populated areas in Bhutan such as Thimphu and Paro are available but may be limited or unavailable in rural areas. U.S. citizens in need of urgent medical care should try to get to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in the capital city, Thimphu. For emergency services in Thimphu, dial 113 for police or 112 for an ambulance. Medical services may not meet Western standards, and some medicines are in short supply.
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