While we’re a year away from our travels, it’s not too early to prepare for the trip. We will fly from Albuquerque to LA and then on to Bangkok. Our adventure begins, as it always does in Albuquerque, at a ridiculously early flight. Our time on planes will be almost 18 hours and about 24 hours of travel to Thailand. If you have never flown to Asia, you should know that it is a long travel day.

Once in Thailand, we’ll spend just two nights in the city and spend most of our time on the Chao Phraya river and in the temples that line its banks. The temperature will seem hot to us for March and we’ll dress accordingly. After some street food in Lat Krabang, we’ll take another early morning flight to Bhutan (we depart around 5:00AM!) for the short flight into Paro. From there, we’ll move across the country, west to east, stopping along the way in Thimphu, Punakha, Trongsa, Jakar, and back again. Along the way, we’ll visit temples, schools, and Dzongs, and hike on beautiful trails into the forests of pine. Our final hike will be to the famous Tiger’s Nest, a 3-hour hike up to the temple.

We return to Albuquerque through Bangkok in a single day, making the adventure that much more exciting (or exhausting, depending on your perspective). Below is a brief itinerary; a more detailed one will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. All locations in Bhutan are subject to change due to weather or other conditions.

Day 1: AM Flight to LAX, LAX to Hong Kong, overnight in Hong Kong March 21st; travel to BKK, arrive around noon on March 22nd
STAY: Great Residence Hotel, 1 night
Day 2: Downtown Bangkok, Chao Phraya River, Temples, evening street food in Lat Krabang
Day 3: AM Flight to Bhutan – Arrive Paro early afternoon. National Museum, Paro Dzong drive to Thimphu, evening in Thimphu.
Day 4: Thimphu to Punakha: Chimi Lhakhang, a monastery dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kuenley (the Divine Madman), Punakha Dzong.
Day 5: Punakha to Trongsa: stops along the road (could be a long day), stay in Yangkill. First visit to Trongsa Middle School.
Day 6: Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa National Museum; travel to Bumthang, Jakar
Day 7: Tang Valley; Orgyen Choling House (story of Pema Lingpa)
Day 8: Tang Valley to Punakha: Evening hike to cremation grounds.
Day 9: Punakha to Paro: hike to Tango University. A visit to see the Takin! Evening in Paro.
Day 10: Hike to the Tiger’s Nest
Day 11/12: Return to Bangkok and the US

We generally fly United / ANA Airlines for this trip. Costs for travel are generally around $1600 for flights to Bangkok and back (although, as I write this, flights are very inexpensive, around $950). Our flight into Bhutan is roughly $800RT (prices can and do change for this ticket; we’ll lock in all costs about six months before travel).

Costs in Thailand are relatively inexpensive, no more than about $200 in total. In Bhutan, we’ll have a daily rate of around $300 per day (subject to change). These costs are all-inclusive in terms of transportation, food, and housing.

Total Costs for the trip will be between $4200 and $5000 depending on flights (that’s our big unknown). In past years, the least expensive trip was $3600 and the most expensive was $4800. Should things change dramatically, I will alert you in plenty of time.

All money is collected in-house, and refunds are granted in full up until we purchase flights and book our Bhutan travel. Funds are electronically transferred to Bhutan in full 60 days before departure.

You can make payments to the school in any amount you like up to December 1st. Once all funds are collected, I’ll book all plane tickets. We offer trip insurance through Allianz. The insurance is optional. Medical coverage and evacuation insurance for the trip are provided by the school for all student travelers.

Finally, all travelers are required to get several vaccines for this trip. A list will be provided at our first official meeting in April. All travelers must provide proof of vaccination prior to departure. We use New Mexico Travel Health Services for vaccinations, and you can get your vaccinations elsewhere.

To say that travel to Bhutan is an adventure is an understatement. I hope you will join us on this trip to the Land of the Thunder Dragon!