Getting Into Bhutan

Fly to Paro or drive in from Siliguri, and what to allow for a mountain airport with a handful of daily flights.

There are three practical ways into Bhutan: by air to Paro, by road from India through Phuentsholing, and — being developed — through the new Gelephu crossing in the south. Almost everyone arrives by one of the first two. <h2>By air: Paro (PBH)</h2> Paro is Bhutan's only fully international airport, and in practice the gateway for nearly all visitors. It is a demanding piece of aviation engineering: a single runway at about 2,332&nbsp;m in a narrow valley, surrounded by mountains, flown by pilots rated for the approach and with mountain flying experience as a requirement. Routing. There are no direct flights from Europe, North America or Australia. Connections run through Delhi or Kolkata, and through Bangkok, with a parallel set of itineraries reaching Paro via Doha, Dubai or Singapore depending on season and carrier. From Europe, Bangkok or Singapore are the usual gateways; from the United States, typically Bangkok or Doha. Connections. Bhutan's main carriers operate relatively few daily flights into Paro. A same-day connection from Delhi or Bangkok is possible but has no margin. The standard advice from experienced operators is to arrive a day before any onward commitment, becau.