region

Western Bhutan

Sleep in Thimphu, treat Paro as the arrival and Tiger's Nest stop, and add Punakha only with a full extra day for the Dochula pass road.

Not field-verified

Rules in force · 3

Bhutan ↗Sustainable Development Fee: USD 100 per adult per night for international visitors until 31 Aug 2027 (children 6–11 half rate, under 6 free); Indian nationals pay in rupees at a lower rate. Confirm the current rate on the official tourism site before booking.
Bhutan ↗Visa: apply through the official Bhutan tourism visa system, cleared before you board; plan the trip through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator.
Bhutan ↗Paro is Bhutan's only international airport: approaches are visual, flights run in daylight only, and cloud or wind cancels them; keep a spare day at both ends.

The west is a chain of valleys along one road: Paro, Thimphu and Punakha are 1–3 hours apart by car, with mountain passes between them. Moving every night wastes the mornings; keep the Thimphu room for the capital, do Paro at the start or end, and go to Punakha only if you can spare the day.

Where to sleep

Thimphusleep base

The capital: chorten, dzong, museums, markets. About 1–1.5 h from Paro.

Paroovernight

Airport valley; Tiger's Nest hike takes most of a day.

Punakhaovernight

Punakha Dzong by the river; over Dochula, about 2.5–3 h each way.

Night sequences

4 nights: Thimphu 2, Paro 2 with the Tiger's Nest hike
6 nights: Thimphu 3, Punakha 1, Paro 2

Thimphu, Paro, Punakha and Bumthang in five nights is mostly time in the car.
Paro flights are cancelled for cloud and wind: do not book a same-day connection out of Paro.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Paro	Thimphu	75 min	unknown	Your operator sets the car; mountain road, so start early in the monsoon.
Punakha	Thimphu	180 min	unknown	Over Dochula; usually done as an overnight, not a day trip.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding culture: your operator's car carries the bags from hotel to hotel.

Open Thimphu