What's on in Thimphu (Bhutan), 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

  Bhutan charges a nightly levy per visitor on top of everything else, and the visa comes through a licensed operator rather than an embassy. Regional visitors pay a much lower rate. Check the current figure before budgeting. Source ↗

Still on: Cranes wintering at Phobjikha (1 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))

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

• Festival

  Losar

  1 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyLunar New YearClosures

  Government offices and most shops close for several days, families go home, and the archery grounds fill from the morning onwards. The quietest time to see the dzong and the hardest time to get anything done. Source ↗

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cranes wintering at Phobjikha (1 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Losar (1 Feb – 10 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

• Season

  Monsoon in the valleys

  15 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyRisk

  Cloud sits on the passes, the Dochula viewpoint shows nothing for weeks, and landslides slow the east–west highway. It is the cheapest and emptiest season, and the valleys are at their greenest.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (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), Monsoon in the valleys (15 Jun – 15 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), Monsoon in the valleys (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Thimphu Tshechu, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Thimphu Tshechu

  21–23 SepMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Three days of masked dances in the courtyard of Tashichho Dzong, with the whole valley in its best kira and gho. The thongdrel is unfurled before dawn on the last day and rolled away by sunrise. Source ↗

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Monsoon in the valleys (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Autumn touring season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Autumn touring season

  1 Oct – 30 NovDry seasonCrowdedBook early

  Clear passes, the high trekking routes open, and a tshechu somewhere most weeks. It is also when the licensed operators are full, so a September enquiry for October is late.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Thimphu Tshechu (21–23 Sep)

Busy — Autumn touring season

• Nature

  Cranes wintering at Phobjikha

  1 Nov – 20 Feb · usuallyBirdlife season

  Around three hundred black-necked cranes spend the winter on the marsh at Phobjikha, and the valley keeps its power lines underground for them. A day trip from Thimphu in the cold months.

• Festival

  Black-necked Crane Festival

  11 NovBirdlife season

  One day in the courtyard at Gangtey, three hours east over the Dochula, marking the cranes' return to the Phobjikha valley. School dances and a crane dance, and a small crowd of birders. Source ↗

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Autumn touring season (1 Oct – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Sustainable Development Fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cranes wintering at Phobjikha (1 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))