Payment for tour in Bhutan

Hello Sharon,

Making advance payment for your travel arrangement is the norm. For your local travel agent to successfully apply for your travel visa, the tourism council of Bhutan will verify if you have made the full tour payment. This is done to ensure the implementation of the minimum daily tariff set by the Government.

Sharon,

Advance payment is necessary for your local tour operator to process your visa and confirm your flight tickets and hotel reservations. If you are concerned about the legitimacy of your local tour operator, you can always check if the company is registered and certified by the tourism council of Bhutan. Also you can ask for the details of visa, flight and hotel reservation confirmation prior to your arrival to Bhutan.

Hope this helps.

All tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian passport holders) who wish to travel to Bhutan require a visa and must book their holiday through a Bhutanese tour operator. The tour operator will handle Visa arrangements and all reservations for visitors.

http://www.tourism.gov.bt/plan/minimum-daily-package

All tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian passport holders) are subject to the minimum daily tariff policy set by the Government.
The minimum daily package covers the following services.
• A minimum of 3 star accommodation (4 & 5 star may require an additional premium).
• All meals
• A licensed Bhutanese tour guide for the extent of your stay
• All internal transport (excluding internal flights)
• Camping equipment for trekking tours

It also includes:
• All internal taxes and charges
• A sustainable development fee of $65. This fee goes towards free education, free healthcare, poverty alleviation, along with the building of infrastructure.

The minimum daily package for tourists travelling in a group of 3 persons or more is as follows:
USD 200 per person per night for the months of January, February, June, July, August, and December.
USD 250 per person per night for the months of March, April, May, September, October, and November.

Individual traveller upto 2 people are subject to an addtional surcharge of USD 40 per night over and above the minimum daily tariff.

http://www.tourism.gov.bt/about-bhutan/surcharges

Tariffs:
To achieve high value low impact sustainable tourism, all tourists visiting Bhutan are subject to the minimum daily tariff set by the Royal Government of Bhutan. All tourists must book their travels through local tour operator certified by the Tourism Council of Bhutan.

Minimum Daily Package rate and Discounts:

The Minimum Daily Package rate, Surcharge for FIT or small group and Cancellation Policy shall be as follows:

Season Minimum Daily Tariff Months Applicable
Peak Season USD 250 per person per night Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Lean Season USD 200 per person per night Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Dec

1. The Minimum Daily Package rate includes:
• Sustainable Development Fee;
• Charges for accommodation on a twin sharing basis;
• Food and non-alcoholic beverages;
• Service of Guides;
• Transport within Bhutan;
• Trekking Haulage.

2. The charges for accommodation as mentioned above shall be for a minimum of 3-star accommodations and any additional service or demand for a higher grade of accommodations would contribute to a higher cost on the Minimum Daily Package rate.

3. A tourist should be entitled discounts on the Minimum Daily Package rate as follows:
• Children of 5 years of age and below during the time of their visit shall be charged only visa fee and any other charge therein shall be exempted;
• Children above 5 years of age but below 12 years of age accompanied by elders/ guardians shall be entitled 50% discount on Minimum Daily Package rate including SDF after verifying their age from their passport;
• Students who are 25 years of age and below shall be entitled to 25% discount on the Minimum Daily Package rate including SDF upon submission of valid student identification document;

4. Duration discount:
• A discount of 50% on SDF shall be provided for tourist(s) who spend more than eight nights but less than fifteen nights;
• There shall be no charge on SDF for tourist(s) who spend more than fourteen nights.

5. Group size discount:
• In a group of 11 – 15 tourists, one person is entitled to a discount of 50% on the Minimum Daily Package rate including SDF.
• For a group of 16 persons and more; one person is entitled to 100% waiver on the Minimum Daily Package rate including SDF.
• If the group size is bigger than 27 people or more, the group shall not be entitled to one and a half or two separate discounts unless they belong to two separate groups;

6. A tourist traveling via Phuntsholing shall be exempted from paying SDF for one night halt either during entry or at the time of exit and for those traveling via Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar they shall be exempted from paying SDF for one night halt each during entry as well as exit. However, it must be reflected in their itineraries that they shall be lodged in one of the TCB approved hotels.

Surcharge for FIT or small group
Individual travellers up to 2 people visiting Bhutan are subject to a surcharge as follows over and above your minimum daily tariff:

Number of Tourists Surcharge
One traveller USD 40 per night
Two traveller USD 30 per person per night

Thank you everyone for sharing.