How to Reach Bhutan from Chennai

Once known as ‘Madras’, Chennai or the ‘Gateway to South India’ is a much-sought after destination among the globetrotters. Be it diverse history, the imprints of modernisation, the essence of rustic cultures and livelier traditions, this megacity stands second to none! Home to the much acclaimed ‘Marina Beach’, this city can be revered as the largest tourism hub in South India, and serves as a perfect destination to visit many other national and international tourist destinations.

Owing to its robust railway communication with the rest of the country, roadways connectivity with other Indian states, and air traffic, this gorgeous city attracts a large number of tourists every year. Well, if you are pondering about how to reach Bhutan from Chennai, here is what you should do to visit Bhutan, the Land of Thunder Dragons from Chennai.

How to reach Bhutan from Chennai by Air

There is no direct or connecting flights between these two destinations. However, to find an easy answer to how to reach Bhutan from Chennai by air, you should take a flight to any of these Indian cities or airports: Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata), Bodhgaya Airport (Gaya), Bagdogra Airport (West Bengal) or Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (Guwahati).

From these airports, you can take a direct flight to Paro International Airport in Bhutan via Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines flights. You can also opt for connecting flights of these two Bhutanese air carriers; these flights fly via Kathmandu (Nepal).

How to Reach Bhutan from Chennai by Train

Chennai has a very well-structured railway connectivity with most of the major Indian railway stations and junctions. If you are wondering about how to reach Bhutan from Chennai by train, you can select Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Hasimara, and New Alipurduar in West Bengal, or Bongaigaon and Guwahati in Assam as your destination point.

Upon arrival at any of these railway stations, you can complete the final portion of your journey through road as Bhutan do not have any railway connectivity with India. If you prefer any of the railway station or junction in West Bengal, Jaigaon-Phuentsholing entry point will be the best option for you to reach Bhutan from Chennai. In case, you take a train journey to Assam, the Bongaigaon-Gelephu or Guwahati-Samdrup Jongkhar entry points will give you an access to enter the Bhutanese territory.

Here is a list of some of the trains between Chennai-Kolkata and Chennai -Guwahati:

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 Bhutan from Chennai by Road

If you have the question; how to reach Bhutan from Chennai by road, you are surely going to have an enthralling experience ahead! Well, in order to compete this roadway journey, you first need to take a trip to Kolkata, which is an ideal pitstop to advance towards the Last Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.

Here is a sorted road-map that would take you to Kolkata from Chennai: Chennai – Gudur – Nellore – Guntur – Vijayawada – Eluru – Rajamundry – Vishakhapatnam – Kolkata. Once you reach Kolkata, the City of Joy, you can continue your drive to reach a town called Jaigaon in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district. This is the town that shares international boundary with Bhutan. Once you have your tourist permit, you can enter into the Bhutanese land through Phuentsholing.