Thimphu Bhutan

Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan, is located on the hill, at an altitude of about 7,375 to 8,688 feet above sea level. Known as a beautiful city, the hilly curved roads around this city and the cold frosty charming environment create a strange feeling in the minds of the tourists. And looking at the colorful houses, it seems like a picture carefully painted by an artist. And so thousands of tourists flock to this city every year to see the picture-like city of Thimphu.

There are numerous police check posts on both sides of the road keeping in mind the safety of Thimpur hill road. And so the check post will be seen first at the entrance to Thimphu city. There is also a huge beautiful lake on the road which calms the mind. There are many things to see within the city of Thimphu, notably:

Buddha Dardenma Statue: A 51.5 meter tall statue on the hill made of bronze and covered with gold plating. The Buddha Dordenma statue can be seen from anywhere in the city.

National Memorial Chorten:  The entry fee of a large Buddhist upsana center (national memorial chorten) located in the heart of Thimpur is Tk 300 (Tk 150 if student ID card is shown). The monument was built in 1974 to pay tribute to Jigme Darji, the 3rd King of Bhutan. There are many paintings and statues here. There are thousands of pigeons.

City View Point: Thimpu city can be seen properly from here. Also, the beautiful, lush green “King's Palace” or Dichincholing Palace of Bhutan's king and queen can be seen from here.

Simtokha Dzong : Here is the Rigne School of Monastic Studies, frescoes and state carvings.

Thimphu Jung : Established in 1961, Thimphu Jung houses the National Assembly, the throne room of the King of Bhutan and various government departments.

National Takin Reserve Zoo : A small zoo, it houses Bhutan's national animal, the Takin. Entry fee is Rs 300.

Tasich Dijong or Thimphu Dijong : It is called district office. There is a Buddhist temple in between.

Parliament House : The Parliament House is next to Tasich Dzong or Thimphu Dzong. A beautiful building exactly like the pictures. A beautiful architecture built in red color in the midst of green, which easily catches everyone's attention.

There are also some places to visit like Thimphu Clock Tower, Farmers Market, Royal Palace, National Library and BBS Tower.

September to November is the best time to visit Thimphu, Bhutan. Considering the weather and natural beauty of Bhutan, these three months are the best time to visit.

Bhutan can be reached by bus, plane or rail. In terms of going by bus, there are bus services from Dhaka to Nabeel, Manik Paribahan, Shyamoli, SR and Shah Fatehullah. Shyamli bus leaves from Kalyanpur at 9 pm and from Arambagh at 8 pm.

Reach Burimari border from Dhaka and go to immigration office. After completing the necessary work from there, you will have to walk to Changrabandha Immigration Office of India. After the work there, you can hire a Shyamli bus or any taxi and go to Jaigaon Indian Immigration Office.

If all is clear from the Indian Immigration Office, the exit seal will be applied without any problem. Then leave for Bhutan. Visa on arrival should be obtained from the Bhutan Immigration Office located in Phuntsholing. This visa will only allow travel to Thimphu and Paro. In case of travel elsewhere that permission should be taken from Thimphu.

The distance from Phuntsholing to Thimphu is 147.3 km and takes 4 to 5 hours. From Phuntsholing you can go to Thimphu by taxi or jeep. If you go to Thimphu by taxi or jeep in a group, you can visit and take pictures at any place you like.

But Bhutan can be easily reached by air. Since it is a SAARC country, there is no need for a separate visa. Druk Air and Royal Bhutan Airlines operate from Dhaka to Paro in Bhutan. Paro is Bhutan's only airport. But traveling by air will cost more than by road.

In case of railways, the Indian border will also go from the town of Jaigaon to Hasimara in New Jalpaiguri. Trains to Bhutan are available from Hasimara.

Transit Visa: To visit Bhutan by road, one first needs an Indian transit visa. Application for this visa can be made at Gulshan or any other branch in Dhaka. But the ticket has to be booked in advance because the ticket to go to Bhutan has to be submitted along with the transit visa application.

As a group of 4-5 people, the taxi fare from Changrabandha to Indian Immigration is Rs 1800-2000. Again, going to Thimphu from Phuntsholing by micro will cost 2500-2800 rupees. You can also go to Thimphu from Phuntsholing by bus, in which case the cost will be 240 rupees per person. In total for 4 days and 3 nights, if you make a group of 4-5 people, it will cost 17-19 thousand taka per person. And shopping will cost a little more. It depends on one's shopping.

And so it is better if 4/5 people or 7/8 people match with a travel group instead of going to Bhutan alone or together, in that case, if you share the cost of travel, accommodation and food, the total cost per person will be much less.

Also Read: Bhutan Tour Plan

To stay in Thimphu, Bhutan, it is better to go there and make a booking instead of booking a hotel in advance, in that case there is a chance to stay in a hotel at a bargain price. Here you will find all kinds of hotels. You will get hotel room rent from minimum 1800 rupees to maximum 16 thousand rupees. Some of the notable hotels include- Hotel River View, Pemaling Villa, Hotel Vara, Hotel Dralha, Hotel riverside, Hotel DrukYul, Khamsum Inn. Double room rent in these hotels ranges from Tk 3600-4100.

The normal dishes here are also quite interesting. Any hotel here will like to eat thick pulses, vegetables, fish and meat. Also have fun eating 'Ema Datsi', 'Kewa Datsi', 'Jashamaro', 'Fakshapa' and Momo among different types of food. But yes, these dishes must be eaten with red rice. Some other interesting dishes are - suja (tea made with butter and salt), Thimpur Hotel 89's puri and vegetables, Hotel choephel Norkri's dal, vegetables or any dish.

You can shop at local markets in Bhutan. Also at the Farmers' Holiday Market you will find various items of Bhutan. But you can see this market only on Saturdays and Sundays. You can buy Bhutanese hand-woven clothes, wooden items, stone items from various handicraft shops here.

Also Read: Paro Travel Guide

Featured Image: UnusualTraveler.com