How Much Does a Bhutan Trip Cost from Singapore? 2026-27 Prices for 5, 7, 8 and 9 Days in SGD

In short

A guided Bhutan trip from Singapore costs about S$2,050 to S$3,550 per person for 5 to 9 days on 2026 and 2027 departures, twin share. That price includes Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 (about S$128) per night, the USD 40 visa, 4-star hotels, all meals, a licensed guide, a private vehicle and entrance fees. Budget separately for the Drukair return flight from Changi, travel insurance, tips and personal spending. The SDF is a quarter to a third of the price, so the 5-day trip is cheapest in total and the 9-day trip is cheapest per day.

Bhutan trip cost from Singapore at a glance

• 5 days (The Essence of Bhutan): from S$2,048, usually S$2,250
• 7 days (Bhutan: Valleys & Tiger's Nest): from S$2,685, usually S$2,950
• 8 days (The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan): from S$2,958, usually S$3,250
• 9 days (The Grand Journey Through Bhutan): from S$3,231, usually S$3,550
• SDF: USD 100 (about S$128) per adult per night, USD 50 for children aged 6 to under 12, free under 6
• Visa: USD 40 (about S$51), reviewed within five working days; HSJ Travel applies for you
• Flights: Drukair is the only airline flying Singapore to Paro without a change of plane; direct returns from about S$1,560 when checked on 27 October 2026

Prices are per person on a twin-share basis for two travellers, checked on 24 October 2026. "From" prices are sale departures; the live price for every date is on each tour page. SGD conversions use about S$1.28 to USD 1.

Bhutan has a reputation for being expensive, and for Singaporeans the first quote can come as a surprise next to a week in Bali or Chiang Mai. The reason is simple once you see it laid out: Bhutan charges every visitor a nightly government fee, and it requires every tourist to travel with a licensed guide. Those two rules mean there is no budget backpacker version of Bhutan, but they also mean the price you are quoted covers almost everything once you land in Paro.

This guide breaks down where the money goes, what each length of trip costs in Singapore dollars, what is not included, and how to keep the total down. It is written by HSJ Travel's Bhutan destination coordinator, using the prices and inclusions on our own Bhutan tours from Singapore.

Where your money goes in Bhutan

A Bhutan package price is built from a handful of parts. Knowing them makes it easy to compare quotes, because a cheap headline price often means one of them has been left out.

1. The Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): USD 100 a night

Every international tourist pays the SDF for every night spent in Bhutan. It is USD 100 per adult per night, about S$128, and Bhutan's Department of Tourism has fixed that rate until 31 August 2027. Children aged 6 to under 12 pay half (USD 50) and children under 6 pay nothing. The fee funds Bhutan's free healthcare and education and its conservation work; it is not a hotel or guide charge. It is paid with the visa application, before the visa is issued.

The SDF is charged per night, not per day, so a 7-day trip carries 6 nights of SDF. On HSJ Travel's Bhutan tours it works out to between a quarter and a third of the package price:

The Department of Tourism set today's rate in 2023, when it halved the fee. Its announcement counts the fee per day; in practice it is charged for each night you spend in Bhutan.

2. The Bhutan visa: USD 40

Singaporeans need a Bhutan visa before they fly. It costs USD 40 (about S$51), a one-off fee per trip that is not refunded once you apply. You can apply yourself on Bhutan's official visa site, or a tour operator or hotel can apply for you; HSJ Travel applies once your trip is paid. Each application is reviewed within five working days, so allow at least a week before you fly. Our Bhutan visa guide walks through the application step by step. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you leave Bhutan, according to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both the visa and the SDF are already inside HSJ Travel's Bhutan prices, so nothing is owed on arrival at Paro International Airport.

3. Guide, driver and private vehicle

Since Bhutan reopened in September 2022 you no longer have to book through a tour operator, but you do have to travel with a licensed guide. A Department of Tourism notice of 8 April 2026 says every tourist must be accompanied by a licensed guide at all times, including at monuments and on the drive from Paro airport to Thimphu or any other district. Older advice that a guide is only needed beyond Thimphu and Paro is out of date. A guide, a driver and a vehicle are therefore part of every Bhutan trip, whoever books it. On HSJ Travel's trips that means a licensed English-speaking guide and a professional driver in an air-conditioned vehicle for the whole stay, from the airport welcome to the last drop-off. This is the main reason a solo traveller pays more per head than a couple: the guide and vehicle cost the same whether there is one passenger or two.

4. Hotels and all meals

Every hotel that takes tourists in Bhutan must be approved and certified by the Department of Tourism, which grades hotels from one to five stars. Many Bhutan packages sold in Singapore are priced on 3-star hotels, so check the grade before you compare two prices. HSJ Travel's Bhutan trips use 4-star hotels in Thimphu and Paro and a 4-star tented resort in the Phobjikha valley, with a boutique hotel in Punakha and a guest house in Bumthang on the longer trips:

The grades are the Department of Tourism's own: Norkhil, Kaachi Grand (opened in 2023, 44 rooms) and Gangtey Tent Resort (10 tents) are listed as four-star, and Swiss Guest House as three-star on its certified hotels list. Bhutan also has five-star lodges, such as Amankora, which cost more per night than a 4-star hotel and are not in our standard prices; ask us if you would like a quote with one.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included every day, so food costs on the ground are close to zero unless you order drinks.

5. Entrance fees, transfers and water

Entry to every dzong, temple and museum on the itinerary is included, as are Paro airport transfers both ways and bottled water on the road.

What 5, 7, 8 and 9 days in Bhutan cost from Singapore

All four of HSJ Travel's Bhutan trips start and finish in Paro, run five departures a month all year, and include the hike to Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest. The longer trips add valleys rather than repeating the same sights, which is why the price per day falls as the trip gets longer.

Per person, twin share, two travellers, SGD, checked 24 October 2026. Sale prices apply to selected departures; each tour page shows the live price for every date.

5 days: The Essence of Bhutan, from S$2,048

The shortest way to see Bhutan properly. You drive from Paro to Thimphu, see Buddha Dordenma and the capital's craft bazaar, then return to Paro for the Tiger's Nest hike. It fits into three days of annual leave around a weekend, and it is the lowest total cost because it carries only four nights of SDF. See dates and prices for The Essence of Bhutan.

7 days: Bhutan: Valleys & Tiger's Nest, from S$2,685

The trip most first-time visitors from Singapore choose. It adds the drive over Dochula Pass to Punakha Dzong and a night under canvas in the glacial Phobjikha valley, home to black-necked cranes from late October to mid February. For two extra days you get Bhutan's countryside as well as its capital. See dates and prices for the 7-day trip.

8 days: The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan, from S$2,958

Everything on the 7-day route plus a day trip over Chele La pass into the Haa valley, one of the least visited corners of western Bhutan, where Lhakhang Karpo stands below the forest. It suits travellers who want the classic sights and one quieter day away from them. See dates and prices for the 8-day trip.

9 days: The Grand Journey Through Bhutan, from S$3,231

The longest trip crosses Pele La into central Bhutan to Bumthang, the country's spiritual heartland, with its 7th-century Jambay Lhakhang. It has the highest total but the lowest price per day, and the long road days are part of the experience. See dates and prices for the 9-day trip.

Fitting Bhutan into Singapore's 2027 holidays

Most of us plan Bhutan around annual leave, and Singapore's 2027 public holidays and school breaks open several good windows. Drukair leaves Changi on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and comes back on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, so start with the flight days and count your leave from there.

Two examples of how the leave adds up. Around Deepavali, a 5-day trip flying out on Thursday 28 October and home on Monday 1 November needs two days of leave, the Friday and the Monday. Around Hari Raya Haji and Vesak Day, a 7-day trip from Sunday 16 May to Saturday 22 May needs three: the Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Public holidays from the Ministry of Manpower; school holidays from the Ministry of Education for primary and secondary schools. Check your own school's calendar before you book. For a year-end trip, our Bhutan in December guide covers the weather, snow and festivals.

What is not included, and how much to budget

Return flights from Singapore

Flights are the one big cost outside the package. Drukair, Bhutan's national airline, is the only airline flying from Singapore to Paro without a change of plane: three times a week, out on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and back on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, about six hours each way with a short stop in Guwahati. Drukair does not publish a fixed fare. When we checked Trip.com on 27 October 2026, direct return fares for early November started at about S$1,560, and its average return fare for the following 30 days was about S$1,930. Connecting flights through India were cheaper, from about S$1,080 return, but take more than a day each way. Fares rise around the spring and autumn festivals and Singapore school holidays. Our Singapore to Bhutan flights guide has the full timetable, including the later flights home in January 2027, with check-in, baggage and how to book.

Other ways to fly to Paro

Only Drukair and Bhutan Airlines fly into Bhutan, and every international flight lands at Paro. If the Changi flight is full on your dates, both airlines fly to Paro daily from Bangkok, Delhi and Kathmandu and about four times a week from Kolkata, according to Little Bhutan's August 2026 route guide. Reaching those cities from Singapore adds a flight and often a night on the way. Kathmandu is the cheapest of these routes into Paro, which makes it the natural way in if you are combining Bhutan with Nepal. HSJ Travel's Bhutan prices start and end in Paro, so they are the same whichever way you fly.

Travel insurance

Bhutan stopped requiring travel insurance for visas in April 2024, but you should still have it: HSJ Travel's Bhutan trip pages list insurance as something you arrange yourself. Choose a policy that covers medical care, trip cancellation and flight delays, because weather in the Paro valley does sometimes delay flights.

Tips

Tipping is not a Bhutanese tradition and is never compulsory, since hotel and restaurant bills already include a service charge. It has become common to thank your guide and driver at the end of a trip if you were happy with them; the amount is up to you. Keep it in clean US dollar notes or ngultrum, set aside before the last day.

Drinks, laundry and extras

Meals are included, but alcohol and bottled drinks with meals are not. A traditional hot stone bath, offered at hotels and farmhouses including the tented resort in Phobjikha, is an optional extra. Shopping is the biggest variable: handwoven textiles, thangka paintings and silver can cost far more than a typical Southeast Asian souvenir.

Bhutan's currency in Singapore dollars

Bhutan's currency is the ngultrum (Nu, or BTN), which is pegged one-to-one to the Indian rupee, so its rate against the Singapore dollar moves with the rupee. Check the day's SGD to INR rate and you have the SGD to ngultrum rate too. You pay HSJ Travel for the whole package in Singapore dollars, so the ngultrum only matters for tips, drinks and shopping.

Spending money in practice

Singapore dollars are hard to change in Bhutan. Bring US dollars in clean, recent notes and change them at the airport, a bank or your hotel. Visa and Mastercard work in larger hotels and some craft shops in Thimphu and Paro, but small shops and rural cafés take cash only, and ATMs do not always accept foreign cards.

Example: a 7-day Bhutan trip for two from Singapore

For a couple taking the 7-day trip on a sale departure, the package comes to S$2,685 x 2 = S$5,370. That covers 6 nights of SDF (about S$1,536 for two), both visas, hotels, every meal, the guide, the vehicle and all entrance fees. Add two Drukair return tickets, two travel insurance policies, a thank-you for the guide and driver, and whatever you spend on drinks and souvenirs. At the usual price the package is S$5,900 for two.

Small group or private: how the price works

Every HSJ Travel Bhutan trip runs on fixed departure dates as a small group of up to 12 travellers, and the same itinerary can be booked as a private departure for just your family or friends, on a date you choose. The prices in this guide are for the group departures, per person on a twin-share basis.

On a group departure the guide and vehicle are shared, which keeps the price per person down. On a private departure they are yours alone, so the cost depends on how many of you travel, and we quote it for your dates. A group date is usually the simpler way for a couple or a solo traveller to keep costs down; a private departure lets a family or a group of friends set their own pace.

How booking and payment work

A deposit of S$400 per person holds your place on a departure, and the balance is paid before you travel. You can pay by card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) or by bank transfer, which has no handling fee; a 3.5% handling fee applies when the balance is paid by card. The balance due date and the cancellation charges are set out in our booking terms.

Two parts of the price are Bhutan government charges. The USD 40 visa fee is not refunded once the application is made. The SDF is different: Bhutan's Department of Immigration refunds it for cancelled or shortened trips, through the visa portal after you leave, according to the Department of Tourism FAQ, and on our trips we request that refund for you. Travel insurance that covers trip cancellation is still worth having for the rest of what you pay.

How to pay less for Bhutan

• Book a sale departure. Selected dates on all four trips are about 9% below the usual price; the tour pages and our departures page show which ones.
• Travel as two. Prices are per person on a twin-share basis. On a private trip a solo traveller pays more, because the guide, vehicle and room are not shared; a group departure shares the guide and vehicle, so ask us for a solo quote either way.
• Go in the quieter months. June to August (monsoon) and December to February (winter) see less demand for flights and hotels. The SDF stays at USD 100 a night all year, so the saving comes from flights and availability, not the government fee.
• Book flights early. Drukair's Singapore seats are limited and fares rise quickly around the spring and autumn festivals and Singapore school holidays.
• Bring children under 6 for free on the SDF. Children aged 6 to under 12 pay half.
• Choose the length that fits. Per day, the 9-day trip is the best value; in total, the 5-day trip is the cheapest.

How to compare Bhutan quotes from Singapore agents

Bhutan packages look alike on paper and differ in the details. Before you compare two prices, check:

• Is the SDF included for every night, or added later? Leaving it out makes a package look about S$128 a night cheaper than it is.
• Is the visa fee included?
• Are all three meals included every day, or breakfast only?
• What grade are the hotels, and is any night in a tent or farmhouse?
• Are entrance fees and the Tiger's Nest hike included?
• Are flights included, and on which dates?
• Is the price per person twin share, and what does a solo traveller pay?

On HSJ Travel's Bhutan trips the first five are included, flights are not, and prices are per person twin share. All four trips, with live prices for every date, are on our Bhutan tour packages from Singapore page.

Is Bhutan worth the price compared with Nepal?

Per day, Bhutan costs more than Nepal, and the SDF is most of the difference. For comparison, HSJ Travel's 11-day Langtang Valley Trek and 12-day Poon Hill and Chitwan trip in Nepal both cost less in total than our 5-day Bhutan tour. What the SDF buys is a country that limits visitor numbers, keeps its monasteries working rather than staged, and spends the fee on its own people. If you want the Himalaya on a tighter budget, choose Nepal; if you want Bhutan's dzongs, festivals and quiet roads, the fee is the price of entry.

Every visitor signs Bhutan's Pledge of Friendship when applying for a visa, and it names the fee directly:

Who prices and runs these trips

This guide is written by Chencho Gyeltshen, HSJ Travel's Bhutan destination coordinator, from the prices and inclusions on our own four Bhutan tours. HSJ Travel has guided travellers in the Himalaya for 18 years under Nepal Tourism Licence 961/065, with our own guides and destination coordinators in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and India. Travellers rate our trips 4.98 out of 5 across 145 verified reviews, and every one of them would recommend us (as of 27 October 2026). Our team is on +65 8096 1243, by phone or WhatsApp.

Sources

Fees, flight days and exchange rates change. These are the sources behind this guide:

• Department of Tourism, Bhutan: visa and fees
• Department of Tourism, Bhutan: announcements, including the SDF rate to 31 August 2027
• Drukair Singapore: three weekly Singapore to Paro flights from April 2026
• Drukair: November 2026 schedule (PDF)
• Drukair: December 2026 schedule (PDF)
• Daily Bhutan: Bhutan removes mandatory travel insurance, April 2024
• MFA Singapore: Bhutan travel page
• Ministry of Manpower: public holidays for 2027
• Ministry of Education: school terms and holidays for 2027
• Department of Tourism: notice on mandatory licensed guides, 8 April 2026 (PDF)
• Department of Tourism: notice on hotel certification (PDF)
• Department of Tourism: certified hotels list (PDF)
• Bhutan tourism service provider directory: hotel grades
• TTG Asia: Bhutan removes the Minimum Daily Package Rate, July 2022
• Trip.com: Singapore to Paro fares, checked 27 October 2026
• Little Bhutan: getting to Bhutan, flights to Paro (updated August 2026)
• HSJ Travel tour prices and inclusions: the four Bhutan tour pages linked above, our booking terms and traveller reviews

Prices, fees, hotel grades and flight fares checked on 27 October 2026; flight days from Drukair's November and December 2026 schedules. Exchange rate about S$1.28 to USD 1.