Feeling in need of a travel-related highlight for the near horizon, I spotted Wild Frontiers’ Easter trip to Bhutan.
Hazel proved keen too, and after a recce of the alternatives at the Adventure Travel show, we’ve booked on the Land of the Thunder Dragon Spring Festival Tour, which is timed to include the Paro Teschu.
Very excited now it’s definite!
Destination: Bhutan (and India)
Why: Holiday with Hazel, timed to catch the Paro festival
When: March 2008
How: Land of the Thunder Dragon Spring Festival Tour, with Wild Frontiers:
- Day 1: Depart UK
- Day 2: arr Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi, onward flight to Baghdogra/Guwahati (dep from IGIA Terminal 1b). Onward travel to India/Bhutan land border crossing at Phuntsholing
- Day 3: Phuntsholing – Paro
- Day 4: Paro Festival
- Day 5: Paro Festival – Thimpu
- Day 6: Thimpu: Dechen Prodrung
- Day 7: Thimpu – Wangdue: Huntsho Community Primary School
- Day 8: Wangdue – Punakha – Wangdue
- Day 9: Wangdue – Trongsa – Bumthang
- Day 10: Bumthang
- Day 11: Bumthang – Mongar
- Day 12: Mongar – Trashigang
- Day 13: Trashigang
- Day 14: Trashigang – Guwahati
- Day 15: Guwahati – Calcutta / Kolkata
- Day 16: Calcutta/Kolkata – UK
Information
- Wikipedia: Bhutan
- Wikitravel: Bhutan
- FCO travel advice: Bhutan
- BBC country profile: Bhutan
- Lonely Planet: Bhutan
- Local English language newspaper: Kuensel
- Other websites:
Language
- Dzongkha (official language of Bhutan)
- Sharchopkha (major regional language spoken in eastern Bhutan)
- Bumthangkha (regional language of Bumthang area)
Weather
Average temperatures
Source: http://www.bootan.com/bhutan/weather.shtml
January to June (High/Low °C) | ||||||
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | |
Paro | 9.4/-5.8 | 13.4/1.5 | 14.5/0.6 | 17.6/4.6 | 23.5/10.6 | 25.4/13.1 |
Thimphu | 12.3/-2.6 | 14.4/0.6 | 16.4/3.9 | 20.0/7.1 | 22.5/13.1 | 24.4/15.2 |
Punakha | 16.1/4.2 | 19.6/5.3 | 21.2/9.2 | 24.4/11.9 | 27.2/14.8 | 31.2/19.5 |
Wangdue | 17.0/4.3 | 19.0/7.8 | 22.8/10.4 | 26.2/12.9 | 29.1/17.7 | 29.2/20.1 |
Trongsa | 13.0/-0.2 | 13.9/0.4 | 16.7/4.4 | 20.1/6.6 | 21.0/11.6 | 22.2/13.6 |
Bumthang | 10.8/-5.1 | 10.0/-1.4 | 16.2/3.5 | 18.7/3.9 | 21.3/9.5 | 22.5/13.5 |
Mongar | 15.5/8.2 | 15.9/8.3 | 20.0/11.6 | 22.8/14.0 | 25.1/17.4 | 26.1/19.5 |
Trashigang | 20.4/10.5 | 21.7/11.5 | 24.8/14.4 | 28.3/17.0 | 30.0/20.6 | 30.7/22.6 |
  | ||||||
July to December (High/Low °C) | ||||||
JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
Paro | 26.8/14.9 | 25.3/14.7 | 23.4/11.7 | 18.7/7.4 | 13.9/1.4 | 11.2/-1.7 |
Thimphu | 18.9/13.4 | 25.0/15.8 | 23.1/15.0 | 21.9/10.4 | 17.9/5.0 | 14.5/-1.1 |
Punakha | 32.0/21.6 | 31.4/19.8 | 29.9/20.0 | 27.8/18.9 | 22.3/13.0 | 15.0/7.9 |
Wangdue | 18.4/16.2 | 29.1/20.0 | 27.5/19.1 | 26.1/14.7 | 22.6/9.6 | 19.1/6.3 |
Trongsa | 25.3/15.3 | 23.8/15.0 | 22.6/14.2 | 21.8/11.7 | 19.8/6.4 | 18.2/2.5 |
Bumthang | 14.1/10.9 | 23.0/13.7 | 21.6/12.1 | 19.5/5.9 | 16.1/-0.5 | 12.3/-2.3 |
Mongar | 16.1/15.8 | 25.4/19.6 | 24.7/19.4 | 22.7/15.8 | 19.9/11.2 | 15.7/9.5 |
Trashigang | 31.5/23.1 | 30.2/22.7 | 30.0/23.9 | 29.1/17.7 | 26.1/13.6 | 23.0/11.6 |
Forecasts