How to Reach Thimphu From Chennai

The ‘Gateway of South India’ or Chennai, is a remarkable destination to reach out to any parts of the country. Well-connected through air, railway network and roadways, this megacity in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, also has outstanding connectivity with some of the major foreign countries and cities. Be it within Asia, the European belt, the Middle East or any other parts of the globe, you will always feel connected if you are in Chennai!

Having said so much about this city’s connectivity across the globe, let’s see how to reach Thimphu from Chennai. Does Chennai have direct flights, trains, or buses to Thimphu? If yes, how to get access to them, and if not, what are the alternate options to be tried?

How to Reach Thimphu from Chennai by Air

The Chennai International Airport is known to be the fourth busiest airports in India. However, when it comes to flights to Bhutan, this airport doesn’t have any options to fly directly to the Paro International Airport in the Land of Thunder Dragons.

Thus, if you are thinking about how to reach Thimphu from Chennai by air, you should fly to some of the designated airports in India that have direct as well as connecting flights to Paro International Airport in Bhutan. Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, Bodhgaya Airport in Gaya (Bihar), Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri (West Bengal), and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati (Assam) are some of the Indian airports that have flights to Paro.

Both the official air carriers of Bhutan: Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines, offer flights between Paro International Airport and the above-mentioned airports.

With the completion of your air journey to any of these airports, you can book a direct or connecting flight (via Kathmandu) from there to reach Paro. From Paro, you can take the local buses or rent out a taxi to reach Thimphu by road.

NOTE: For international tourists, they can book flights to Paro from Singapore, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Bangkok (Thailand), and Kathmandu (Nepal).

How to Reach Thimphu from Chennai by Train

Bhutan – the Land of Thunder Dragons doesn’t have any railway connectivity with India. Thus, a train journey from Chennai to Thimphu won’t be possible! However, if you have already started thinking about how to reach Thimphu form Chennai, and is not in the mood to change your mind, you can book your train tickets to some of the closest Indian railway stations to Bhutan, and finally reach Thimphu by road from those railway stations.

West Bengal and Assam has the nearest railway stations to Bhutan. Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, New Alipurduar, Siliguri, and Hasimara are the nearest railway stations in West Bengal. In Assam, Bongaigaon Railway Junction and Guwahati Railway Station are the two nearest railway stations to Bhutan.

Upon reaching nay of these railway stations, you should embark on a road journey to enter Bhutan through Jaigaon, Gelephu, or Samdrup Jongkhar entry points. As you enter into the Bhutanese land, you can easily reach Thimphu by buses and private taxis (details of the roadway journeys will be discussed in the next section).

Here are some of the popular trains plying between Chennai-West Bengal and Chennai-Assam:

Chennai Central Howrah Junction Premium (02842)

Coromandel Express (12842)

Bangalore Express (06029)

Howrah Mail (12840)

Chennai Central Shalimar Express (22826)

Guwahati Express (12507, 12509, 12515)

Dibrugarh Express (15901)

Yesvantpur Junction Dibrugarh Express (05901)

Dibrugarh Express (05905)

How to Reach Thimphu from Chennai by Road

To take a road trip between Chennai and Thimphu, you should first plan a road trip between Chennai and Kolkata by following this route: Chennai – Gudur – Nellore – Guntur – Vijayawada – Eluru – Rajamundry – Vishakhapatnam – Kolkata.

As you arrive in Kolkata, you can either head out to Esplanade Bus Stand in the city to take an 18 hours’ bus ride to Thimphu, or plan another road trip to reach Thimphu via Jaigaon. If you wish to take the road trip, you have to traverse another 705km (17 hours) by road to reach Jaigaon town in Alipurduar district of West Bengal.

From Jaigaon, you can enter Bhutan through Phuentsholing, and continue driving along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing Highway to reach Thimphu. This part of your roadway journey would cover approximately 147km (4 hours’ drive).

Also, if you have already booked air or train tickets to Assam, you can opt for a road trip from either Bongaigaon or Guwahati. If Bongaigaon is in your mind, you should first make it to Gelephu entry point, which is around 50km (1 hours’ drive) away from Bongaigaon. Upon reaching Gelephu, you can take the local buses or hire private cars to reach Thimphu, which is nearly 243km (7 hours’ drive) away from Gelephu.

From Guwahati, you can start driving towards Samdrup Jongkhar entry point; 150km (3 hours’ drive). Upon reaching Samdrup Jongkhar, you board the local buses or rent out Bhutanese cabs to reach Thimphu, which would be around 243km (7 hours’ drive) away from Samdrup Jongkhar point.