Our Bhutan tours from Kathmandu cost $525 to $960 per person, depending on trip length and group size. The Kathmandu–Paro flight is booked separately, so your total comes to about $1,000 to $1,520 per person once you add it.
That package covers more than hotels and a guide. Bhutan’s daily Sustainable Development Fee and the visa fee are built in, and together they make up a big part of the price. This guide breaks down where the money goes, what the flight costs, and what you still pay yourself in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha.
What’s Inside This Guide
- Quick Cost Summary
- Package Prices by Group Size
- Where the Package Money Goes
- Kathmandu to Paro Flight Cost
- Costs That Aren’t in the Package
- 3 Days or 4 Days: Is the Extra Day Worth It?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Planning Guides
Quick Cost Summary
These totals assume an economy round-trip flight at current fares. They don’t include travel insurance, tips or personal spending.
| 3-Day Bhutan Tour | 4-Day Tour with Punakha | |
|---|---|---|
| Package price per person | $525 – $690 | $740 – $960 |
| Kathmandu–Paro round trip (approx.) | $470 – $560 | $470 – $560 |
| Total per person | $995 – $1,250 | $1,210 – $1,520 |
The lower figure in each range is for a group of 8 to 12 on the cheapest fare. The higher figure is a solo traveler on a fuller flight.
Package Prices by Group Size
Both tours are private. The per-person price drops as the group gets bigger, because the guide, vehicle and driver are shared between more people.
| Group size | 3-Day Bhutan Tour | 4-Day Tour with Punakha |
|---|---|---|
| Solo traveler | $690 | $960 |
| 2–4 people | $555 | $770 |
| 5–7 people | $535 | $750 |
| 8–12 people | $525 | $740 |
Solo travelers get a private hotel room. Groups of two or more share twin rooms. The full list of inclusions is on each tour page: the 3-day Bhutan Tour Package and the Bhutan Tour Package with Punakha.
Where the Package Money Goes
A large share of any Bhutan package goes to the government, not to the operator. That’s why Bhutan costs more per day than most travel in Nepal.
Sustainable Development Fee
Bhutan charges most international visitors $100 per person for each night in the country. On the 3-day tour that’s $200, and on the 4-day tour it’s $300. The rate was halved from $200 in September 2023 and is set to stay at $100 until 31 August 2027.
Children under 5 don’t pay the fee. For older children, ask us before booking, since we quote family trips individually.
Visa fee
The Bhutan visa costs $40 per person and isn’t refundable. We apply for it on your behalf, and the fee is already in the package price.
What’s left for the trip itself
The rest pays for 3-star hotels, all meals in Bhutan and entrance fees. It also covers a licensed guide and a private vehicle with driver. On the 3-day tour, $240 of every booking is government fees. On the 4-day tour, it’s $340.
Kathmandu to Paro Flight Cost
The flight isn’t in either package, because fares change daily and many people fly in or out on their own routing. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines both fly between Kathmandu and Paro.
When we checked fare-search sites, economy round trips started at roughly $470, and one-way tickets from about $275. Airlines set these prices and they move with the season, so treat them as a current guide, not a fixed figure.
Book once your tour dates are confirmed. Only two airlines fly the route, so there are just a few flights each day.
Costs That Aren’t in the Package
- Travel insurance: no longer compulsory for Bhutan, but strongly recommended. Make sure it covers medical treatment and evacuation.
- Tips for your guide and driver, paid in cash at the end of the trip.
- Horse hire at Tiger’s Nest: recent rates are roughly Nu 700–1,000 one way, paid locally. Rates change and we don’t collect this fee.
- Drinks, snacks and souvenirs: bottled drinks beyond water, alcohol, and anything you buy at markets.
- Kathmandu hotels before and after the Bhutan trip, plus your Nepal visa if you’re not already in Nepal (USD 50 for 30 days on arrival).
The Bhutanese ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee at the same value. Carry some small notes for tips and the horse handler.
3 Days or 4 Days: Is the Extra Day Worth It?
In a group of two or more, the 4-day tour costs $215 more per person than the 3-day tour. For a solo traveler the difference is $270.
$100 of that extra cost is the third night’s Sustainable Development Fee. The rest covers another hotel night, meals, and the longer drive over Dochula Pass (3,100m) to Punakha.
For that, you get Punakha Dzong, Chimi Lhakhang and a lower, warmer valley the 3-day trip doesn’t reach. The cost is a long Day 3, with the drive back to Paro and the Tiger’s Nest hike on the same day. If your time in Nepal is tight, the 3-day tour still covers Paro, Thimphu and Tiger’s Nest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mostly because of the Sustainable Development Fee. Every night costs $100 per person in government fees before you pay for a hotel or a meal. Nepal has no country-wide daily fee like it, so the same budget goes much further there.
Yes. You no longer have to book through a Bhutanese tour operator, but you still need a visa and you still pay the $100 nightly fee. A licensed guide is still required inside dzongs, temples and Tiger’s Nest. You also need one to travel beyond Paro, Thimphu and Punakha. Most of what visitors come to see falls under those rules, so in practice you need a guide for most of the trip. Both our packages include one.
No. The fee is charged per night, not per day. The 4-day tour has three nights in Bhutan, so the fee is $300, not $400.
Not much, since meals, hotels and transport are prepaid. Bring enough for tips, drinks, souvenirs and horse hire if you want it. Indian rupees circulate alongside the ngultrum, which is pegged to the rupee at the same value.
No. Bhutan’s $40 visa fee is non-refundable. Ask us about the cancellation terms for the rest of the package before you confirm.
Related Planning Guides
- Bhutan Tour Package (3 days): Paro, Thimphu and Tiger’s Nest from $525 per person
- Bhutan Tour Package with Punakha (4 days): adds Dochula Pass and Punakha Dzong, from $740 per person
- How to Travel from Nepal to Bhutan: flights, visa, insurance and the best months to go
- Everest Base Camp Trek Cost: if you’re pairing Bhutan with a trek
Our Bhutan tours from Kathmandu run from $525 to $960 per person, with the visa and every night’s Sustainable Development Fee already included. Look at the 4-day tour with Punakha if you have the extra day, or the 3-day tour if you don’t. Send us your dates and group size on WhatsApp and we’ll confirm the exact price.