Packing List for Bhutan: What to Carry in Every Season

Bare shoulders and shorts are turned away at a dzong door, so a packing list for Bhutan has to clear a dress code before it clears the weather. The valleys sit between 2,200 and 3,100 metres and the passes go higher, so a bright afternoon and a cold morning happen on the same day. Pack for layers, for a long climb to the Tiger's Nest, and for one set of clothes you can walk into a temple wearing.

Most trips in start on the Indian side. The guide to preparing for travelling in India deals with that leg and nothing beyond the border.

Packing list for Bhutan, every season

The constants, whatever month you arrive in.

• Layers rather than one heavy coat. Mornings and afternoons are different seasons
• A fleece or light down, even in summer
• Long trousers, and at least one pair you are happy to wear into a temple
• A shirt with sleeves that covers the shoulders
• Walking shoes with grip. Dzong steps are steep, worn and often wet
• High-factor sunscreen and sunglasses. The light at altitude is harder than it feels
• Lip balm and moisturiser. The air is dry outside the monsoon
• A refillable bottle. Bhutan restricts single-use plastic
• Cash in small notes. Cards thin out past Thimphu and Paro
• A power bank, for long drives between valleys
• A small daypack. Dzong visits and the Tiger's Nest both want hands free
• Slip-on shoes, because they come off at every temple threshold

What to wear inside a dzong or temple

This is the one section that is not advice. A dzong is a working government building and a monastery, and the dress code is applied at the door.

• Long trousers or a long skirt. Shorts are refused
• Shoulders covered. No sleeveless tops
• No hats inside, and shoes come off at a temple threshold
• Nothing with a slogan or a loud print
• One tidy set kept for dzong days saves repacking every morning
• Bhutanese staff wear the gho and kira to work, and visitors are not expected to
• A scarf or shawl covers shoulders at short notice and packs to nothing

What to pack for the Tiger's Nest climb

Paro Taktsang is a sustained climb on a dirt path with a long stepped section near the end, and it takes most of a morning.

• Proper shoes. This is not a sandal walk
• Trekking poles or a stick, which help more on the descent than the climb
• Water, at least a litre and a half, and something to eat
• A layer you can take off. You will start cold and finish warm
• Sun protection. Much of the path is open
• A bag that closes, because cameras and phones are left at the entrance to the temple

What to carry in winter in Bhutan

December to February. Dry, bright and genuinely cold once the sun is off the valley floor.

• A proper insulated jacket for evenings
• Thermals for the night, especially in Phobjikha and Bumthang
• A warm hat and gloves
• Thick socks, and more pairs than feel necessary
• A hot water bottle, which several guesthouses provide and none guarantee
• Heating is not universal outside the larger hotels, so sleep warm rather than expect warmth

What not to bring to Bhutan

A short list, and two of these are rules rather than preferences.

• Tobacco in quantity. Personal amounts are taxed at the border and the paperwork is real
• Single-use plastic. Restricted, and visibly so
• Drone equipment, without written clearance arranged in advance
• Shorts and sleeveless tops, if dzongs are on the itinerary at all
• A large wheeled suitcase. Hotel approaches and monastery paths are stepped

The dress code does more damage to an itinerary here than the weather does, because a morning at a dzong cannot be rescheduled around a wardrobe. Our nine day journey through the valleys of Bhutan is built around the climbs and the dzong hours, and customised tours is where a list like this gets matched to real dates.

Also Read

1. Things to Know Before Planning a Trip to Bhutan
2. Respecting Local Customs: Everyday Etiquette for Care-Based Travellers
3. Understanding the Land: How Ecology Shapes Local Life

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear to a dzong in Bhutan?

Long trousers or a long skirt and a top that covers the shoulders. Shorts and sleeveless tops are refused at the door. Hats come off inside and shoes come off at a temple threshold, so slip-on footwear saves time across a day of several visits.

Do I need hiking boots for the Tiger's Nest?

Not boots, but proper shoes with grip rather than sandals or thin trainers. The path is dirt, loose in places, and stepped near the end. Poles help more on the way down than on the way up, and the altitude makes the whole thing harder than the distance suggests.

How cold does it get in Phobjikha and Bumthang?

Cold enough at night to need thermals and a proper insulated jacket from December to February, even though the days are dry and bright. Both sit higher than Paro and Thimphu. Heating is not universal outside the larger hotels, so sleep warm rather than expect the room to be.

Can I take a drone to Bhutan?

Not without written clearance arranged in advance, and that is best handled before you travel rather than at the border. The same forward planning applies to tobacco, which is taxed on entry in personal quantities, and to single-use plastic, which is restricted.