How To Reach Bumthang

One of the most major dzongkhags or districts of Bhutan, Bumthang translates into a ‘beautiful field’ and so it is, with the four major mountain valleys. They are - Ura, Chumey, Choekhor and Tang, with a number of ancient temples and monasteries in its regions. Although Choekhor was known as the main Bumthang Valley, Ura, Chumey and Tang are also generally a part of the valley.

Bumthang is a little further away from the southern border of Phuntsholing, the entry gate into Bhutan. It’s a long ride, but nevertheless a magical one, passing through the equally delightful towns of Thimphu and Punakha. Conveniently, Bumthang has its own domestic airstrip that makes flying to Bumthang, plain sailing! Here's a detailed guide on how to reach Bumthang.

Druk Air and Royal Bhutan have connecting flights between New Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Kathmandu, Gangtok and Dhaka to Bhutan’s only International Airport at Paro. Since there are domestic flights from Paro International Airport to Bumthang’s Bathpalathang Airport in Jakar, travelling by air could be the easiest and fastest way to reach Bumthang. You can reach Bumthang from Paro by flight in about 30 minutes.

You can take a train from Kolkata to Hasimara, which is about 17 km from the Jaigaon-Phuntsholing Border. You will find plenty of buses and taxi cabs in Phuntsholing that can take you to Bumthang by Thimphu. A drive from Phuntsholing to Bumthang via Thimphu is about 426 km and takes about 13 hours.

You will be entering Bhutan via the Jaigaon-Phuntsholing Border. From Phuntsholing you can book a shared taxi to Bumthang through Thimphu, Punakha and Wangduephodrang. Travelling by road takes more time, but it might be more economical; the country sides are enchanting and you get resting breaks in between.

If you are stopping over at Thimphu, there are regular buses and taxis in Thimphu that can take you to Bumthang. The distance between Thimphu and Bumthang is 271 km and the travel time would be about 9 hours.