How does the flight work from Manila?

Manila (MNL) to Paro (PBH) is one stop — typically through Singapore (SIN) or Bangkok (BKK), where Drukair (KB) and Bhutan Airlines (B3) operate the final leg into Paro, the only airport in the country. We do not sell the international flights as part of the package, but we advise on the right connection for your dates and ticket the Paro leg on your behalf at the prevailing rate.

Is the Paro landing as difficult as people say?

It is a visual approach flown by a small number of certified pilots, threading between the valley walls — difficult, not dangerous. It is one of the more memorable arrivals in aviation, and from the cabin on a clear morning it is the first of the trip's quiet astonishments. The pilots who fly it do so routinely and well.

Do Filipino travellers pay the Sustainable Development Fee?

Yes. Filipino passport-holders are international visitors, so the SDF applies at USD 100 per night per adult, set by the Royal Government of Bhutan. It funds free health and education for Bhutanese citizens, and is included in full in your transparent price breakdown.

Best time of year to come from Manila?

October and November are the photographer's autumn — clearest skies, the festival peak, crisp mornings in the valleys. April is the second window: rhododendron and cherry blossom, longer evenings, the passes green. We would steer away from the deep monsoon of July and August unless you specifically want the quieter, greener valleys of that season.

Can we add Gangtey (Phobjikha)?

For nine nights and above, yes — Phobjikha is a glacial valley three hours east of Punakha, among the quietest places to spend a night anywhere in the country, and the black-necked cranes are there from late October into February.

A week in Bhutan, considered from Manila

Seven nights in the western valleys, paced for two.

A private Bhutan journey for a couple flying out of Manila — the one-stop hop through Singapore or Bangkok, then Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha, given the space to be travelled slowly rather than ticked off.

Journeys begin at USD 14,000 per couple.

7 nights · luxury tier

Begin your proposal Speak with us first

Why this week, and not another

Manila to Paro is one stop — almost always through Singapore or Bangkok, where Drukair (KB) and Bhutan Airlines (B3) pick up the final leg into the only airport in the country. It is a long-ish travel day rather than a hard one, and it deposits you somewhere that feels a considerable distance from the city you left: a high Himalayan valley at the end of a visual approach, prayer flags on the ridgelines, the Pa Chhu running cold below the terminal. Seven nights across Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha gives a couple three valleys, three lodges, one guide, and a pace that asks nothing of you that you did not ask of it first.

What the week tends to look like

Two nights in Paro for the arrival and the climb to Taktsang; two in Thimphu, the capital taken at walking speed; two over Dochu La in Punakha, at the confluence of the Mo and Pho Chhu; one last night back in Paro for the early flight out. The drive from Paro to Thimphu is 54 km, a little over an hour; Thimphu to Punakha is 75 km and closer to three hours over the 3,100-metre pass at Dochu La. We hold the shape and move the hours within it to suit how the two of you actually travel.

The contrast, taken seriously

Much of what makes Bhutan land for a Manila couple is the contrast itself — the move from a fast, warm, Catholic city of fourteen million to a Buddhist kingdom of valleys where the working day still turns around the dzong. We do not flatten that difference into something easy. The guide reads where your curiosity actually sits — the iconography in a temple, the logic of a Tshechu, the quiet of a courtyard at first prayer — and gives you the considered version rather than the brochure one. Buddhist philosophy here is lived rather than displayed, and a week is long enough to begin to see how.

Who you'll travel with

One Bhutanese guide for the full week — matched from a small, carefully curated network, chosen for languages, pace, the way they read a room, and the kind of conversation you'd find quietly memorable on the last evening. The guide is named in your proposal before you confirm; if the match does not feel right, we change it. A driver and a clean, steady car run alongside for every transfer.

A sample shape of the week

Day 1
Arrival in Paro — into the valley
Met in the arrivals hall after the connection through Singapore or Bangkok; twenty minutes to the lodge; an unhurried walk to Rinpung Dzong if the light holds.
Day 2
Across to Thimphu — the capital, slowly
The 54 km up the Pa Chhu valley to Thimphu; Memorial Chorten in early light, the Folk Heritage Museum at the right hour, a long first afternoon to settle.
Day 3
Thimphu on foot — the working capital
The weekend market if the day allows, the great Buddha Dordenma above the valley, Tashichho Dzong as the light goes; the city read at the pace of the people in it.
Day 4
Over Dochu La — 108 chortens and the valley opens
The 75 km to Punakha over the 3,100-metre pass; the eastern Himalayan range on clear days; Punakha Dzong at the river confluence in late-afternoon light.
Day 5
A day in Punakha — paddies, suspension bridge, slow lunch
Lobesa's terraced rice, Chimi Lhakhang, a long riverside lunch, the suspension bridge when the wind has dropped.
Day 6
Back to Paro — ahead of Taktsang
The drive back over Dochu La; Kyichu Lhakhang in the afternoon; an early night with the climb briefed by your guide.
Day 7
The Tiger's Nest, then departure
Taktsang at 3,120 metres, switchbacks paced by your guide; the descent, a hot stone bath at the lodge, and the guide walks you back to the terminal. The team writes a fortnight later.

The day-by-day above is illustrative. The proposal you receive is built around your dates, your pace, and your interests — not this template.

Frequently asked

How does the flight work from Manila?: Manila (MNL) to Paro (PBH) is one stop — typically through Singapore (SIN) or Bangkok (BKK), where Drukair (KB) and Bhutan Airlines (B3) operate the final leg into Paro, the only airport in the country. We do not sell the international flights as part of the package, but we advise on the right connection for your dates and ticket the Paro leg on your behalf at the prevailing rate.
Is the Paro landing as difficult as people say?: It is a visual approach flown by a small number of certified pilots, threading between the valley walls — difficult, not dangerous. It is one of the more memorable arrivals in aviation, and from the cabin on a clear morning it is the first of the trip's quiet astonishments. The pilots who fly it do so routinely and well.
Do Filipino travellers pay the Sustainable Development Fee?: Yes. Filipino passport-holders are international visitors, so the SDF applies at USD 100 per night per adult, set by the Royal Government of Bhutan. It funds free health and education for Bhutanese citizens, and is included in full in your transparent price breakdown.
Best time of year to come from Manila?: October and November are the photographer's autumn — clearest skies, the festival peak, crisp mornings in the valleys. April is the second window: rhododendron and cherry blossom, longer evenings, the passes green. We would steer away from the deep monsoon of July and August unless you specifically want the quieter, greener valleys of that season.
Can we add Gangtey (Phobjikha)?: For nine nights and above, yes — Phobjikha is a glacial valley three hours east of Punakha, among the quietest places to spend a night anywhere in the country, and the black-necked cranes are there from late October into February.

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Begin when you're ready.

Five questions, or a conversation in your own words — a bespoke draft either way.

Begin your proposal Speak with us

Preparing

Why this week, and not another

What the week tends to look like

The contrast, taken seriously

Who you'll travel with

Why this week, and not another

What the week tends to look like

The contrast, taken seriously

Who you'll travel with

Arrival in Paro — into the valley

Across to Thimphu — the capital, slowly

Thimphu on foot — the working capital

Over Dochu La — 108 chortens and the valley opens

A day in Punakha — paddies, suspension bridge, slow lunch

Back to Paro — ahead of Taktsang

The Tiger's Nest, then departure

Eight nights in Bhutan, a long way east of the canals.

Six nights across the western valleys, on the short hop from Chennai.

Six nights in the western valleys, on the short hop from Dhaka.

Begin when you're ready.

Why this week, and not another

What the week tends to look like

The contrast, taken seriously

Who you'll travel with

Arrival in Paro — into the valley

Across to Thimphu — the capital, slowly

Thimphu on foot — the working capital

Over Dochu La — 108 chortens and the valley opens

A day in Punakha — paddies, suspension bridge, slow lunch

Back to Paro — ahead of Taktsang

The Tiger's Nest, then departure

Eight nights in Bhutan, a long way east of the canals.

Six nights across the western valleys, on the short hop from Chennai.

Six nights in the western valleys, on the short hop from Dhaka.

Begin when you're ready.