Nepal or Bhutan?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 77 71
UNESCO listings among them 9 0
Cost level Budget Very high
Busiest month in our write-ups November October
Currency Nepalese rupee (NPR) Ngultrum (BTN)
Plugs and voltage C, D, M - 230 V C, D, G - 230 V
Everyday languages Nepali Dzongkha
Driving side left hand side left hand side
Region Southern Asia Southern Asia
Capital Kathmandu Thimphu
Nepal
Namaste with joined palms opens every door; mountains set the pace and the perspective.
What we have written up
- Badimalika temple
- Bandipur old town
- Bardia National Park national park
- Begnas Lake lake
- Bhaktapur old town
- Bhote Koshi River river
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash rules outside Kathmandu and Pokhara - ATMs thin out fast
- Tipping guides and porters is customary and significant - ask your operator for norms
- Power cuts happen - a headlamp earns its place
Bhutan
Gentle, devout and unhurried; tradition is worn daily, not performed for visitors.
What we have written up
- Bhutanese Weaving tradition
- Buddha Dordenma statue
- Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary wildlife sanctuary
- Bumthang Valleys monument
- Chele La Pass mountain pass
- Chendebji Chorten chorten
Worth knowing before you go
- Most visitors pay a Sustainable Development Fee of 100 US dollars per person per night, arranged with the visa
- Cards work in Thimphu and Paro hotels, but cash ngultrum is needed elsewhere; small Indian rupee notes are widely taken
- Traffic runs on the left and Thimphu famously has no traffic lights - police direct it from a booth
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.