These terms govern your use of this website and the booking of any journey with Thunphel Bhutan Travels. By using the site or confirming a booking with us, you accept them.
Who we are
Thunphel Bhutan Travels is a licensed tour operator based in Changgangkha, Thimphu, Bhutan, registered with the Department of Tourism and a member of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators. Every journey we sell is private and designed for the guests travelling on it.
Bookings
A booking is confirmed when we have received your written confirmation and the deposit we agree with you. Until then, itineraries, dates and prices we discuss are proposals, not commitments. We keep group sizes small and take on a limited number of journeys, so availability can change between a proposal and a confirmation.
Pricing and the Sustainable Development Fee
Our journeys are priced per person per day and include Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per guest per night, accommodation as agreed, a private guide and driver, ground transport within Bhutan, and the inclusions set out in your itinerary. International flights, travel insurance, visa fees, personal expenses and gratuities are not included unless your itinerary says otherwise. Prices are quoted in US dollars.
Payment
Payment schedules are set out in your booking confirmation. Payments for travel to Bhutan are processed through the channels required by the Department of Tourism. We will never ask you to pay into a personal account.
Changes and cancellations
If you need to change dates or cancel, tell us in writing as soon as you can. Refunds follow the schedule in your booking confirmation and are subject to the cancellation rules of the Department of Tourism, hotels and airlines involved. The Sustainable Development Fee is refundable for unused nights under the government’s own rules. Where a supplier withholds a charge we cannot recover, that charge is passed on at cost. If we must cancel or materially change your journey for reasons within our control, you receive a full refund of what you have paid us.
Travel documents, visa and entry
You are responsible for holding a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates. We arrange your Bhutan visa as part of your journey once your booking is confirmed and payment received. Entry to Bhutan remains at the discretion of the Royal Government of Bhutan.
Insurance
Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of travelling with us, covering medical treatment, emergency evacuation, cancellation and personal belongings. Journeys that include trekking at altitude need cover that explicitly includes trekking to the altitudes in your itinerary.
Health and fitness
Bhutan is a mountain kingdom. Some journeys involve walking at altitude, uneven ground and long drives. You are responsible for ensuring the journey you choose suits your health and fitness, and for telling us about any condition that could affect your travel. Tell us early — most things can be designed around.
Itineraries
An itinerary is a plan, not a contract of hours. Weather, road conditions, festival dates and monastery access can all shift in Bhutan, sometimes on the day. When something must change, your guide and our team in Thimphu will propose the best available alternative. That flexibility is part of how the country works, and honestly, part of its charm.
Liability
We choose the hotels, guides, drivers and partners we work with carefully, and we hold the licences and insurance required of a Bhutanese tour operator. We are not liable for loss or injury arising from events outside our reasonable control, including weather, natural events, flight changes and decisions of government authorities. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under law.
Website content
The content of this site — text, photography and design — belongs to Thunphel Bhutan Travels or is used with the permission of the properties shown. Please do not reproduce it without asking us first. Journey descriptions are written honestly and updated regularly, but details such as hotel facilities can change between our visits.
Privacy
How we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Contact
Questions about these terms are welcome. Write to us at our contact address in Thimphu or through the Plan Your Journey page, and a person — not an autoresponder — will reply.