What's on in Paro, Bhutan through the year

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Rule

  Sustainable Development Fee

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  Every visitor pays a nightly Sustainable Development Fee on top of flights, rooms and guide, and it is the single number that decides whether a trip here happens. Check the current rate before you plan around it. Source ↗

• Rule

  Daylight, visual-only flights

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  Flights in and out are flown on sight in daylight only, by a small number of certified crews, with further restrictions on windy afternoons. Delays and cancellations are ordinary here, so never book a tight onward connection. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Paro Tsechu, Spring walking season

• Festival

  Paro Tsechu

  15 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Days of masked dance in the dzong courtyard, ending before dawn on the last morning when the great thongdrel is unrolled down the wall and taken in again before the sun reaches it. Rooms in the valley go months ahead. Source ↗

• Season

  Spring walking season

  15 Mar – 31 MayTrail seasonCrowded

  Rhododendron on the Jomolhari approach and the Tiger's Nest walk without the summer cloud on it. The festival sits inside this window, which is why it is the dearest stretch of the year to come.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Paro Tsechu, Spring walking season

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Paro Tsechu (15 Mar – 20 Apr (usually)), Spring walking season (15 Mar – 31 May)

Busy — Spring walking season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring walking season (15 Mar – 31 May)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Monsoon in the valley

  15 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyRisk

  The valley stays green and the trails stay open, but the mountains are behind cloud and the flights become a lottery. It is the quietest time to be here, leeches on the forest paths included.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Monsoon in the valley (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Monsoon in the valley (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Autumn trekking season

  25 Sep – 20 NovTrail seasonBook early

  The clearest weeks of the year and when the Jomolhari and Druk Path routes are actually walked. Book the flights first: seats into the valley are the constraint, not the hotels.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Monsoon in the valley (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Autumn trekking season (25 Sep – 20 Nov)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Autumn trekking season (25 Sep – 20 Nov)

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Daylight, visual-only flights (1 Jan – 31 Dec)