How to Reach Thimphu From Jalpaiguri

A major city in the state of West Bengal, India, Jalpaiguri is one such tourist destination that gives you easy access to other major tourist destinations as well. Visitors often throng this city to reach out to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and all the Seven Sister in the North-Eastern India.

For all those wanderlusts, who yearns to visit Bhutan’s capital city Thimphu from this city, but are not sure about how to reach Thimphu from Jalpaiguri, they should now sit back and relax as we explain how they can plan their journey from Jalpaiguri to Thimphu.

How to Reach Thimphu from New Jalpaiguri by Air

If you plan for a flight journey to reach Thimphu, you should fly to the Paro International Airport in Bhutan as it is the only international airport in the Land of Thunder Dragons. Also, as Jalpaiguri doesn’t have any airport of its own, you need to take a short drive to the Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri, West Bengal, which is almost 60km (2 hours’ drive) away from the city.

Both the national air carriers of Bhutan: Bhutan Airlines and Druk Air, has regular flights between Bagdogra and Paro. The air carriers also have regular connecting flights between these two airports that flies via Kathmandu in Nepal.

NOTE: International tourists planning to fly directly to Paro International Airport, can book flights from Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Dhaka (Bangladesh).

How to Reach Thimphu from Jalpaiguri by Train

New Jalpaiguri is the sole railway station that serves the city of Jalpaiguri. It is located around 43km (1.5 hours’ drive) away from the city. But then, Bhutan doesn’t have any railways connectivity with any foreign countries, thus, you might not be able to take a train from Jalpaiguri to Thimphu. Worried about how to reach Thimphu from Jalpaiguri now?

Well, though you may not be able to enjoy a train journey from Jalpaiguri to Thimphu, you can always take a train ride from New Jalpaiguri to Hasimara Railway Station, which is one of the closest Indian railway stations to Bhutan. And as you arrive at Hasimara, you can take a roadway journey from Hasimara to Jaigaon to enter into the Bhutanese land though Phuentsholing. From Phuentsholing, you can board local buses or hire a cab to reach Thimphu.

NOTE: Details of the road journey will be discussed in the next section.

How to Reach Thimphu from Jalpaiguri by Road

Roadways are considered as the best mode of communication to reach Thimphu from Jalpaiguri. And in order to start with your road journey to Bhutan’s capital city, you can take a local bus or rent out a private vehicle to drive to Jaigaon town in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district. This journey will cover around 100km (3 hours).

Once you reach Jaigaon town, which also shares its boundaries with Bhutan’s Phuentsholing town, you can board the local Bhutanese buses or hire local taxis to reach Thimphu. This part of the journey will take you along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing Highway, and will take around 4 hours (147km) to complete.