How to Reach Thimphu From New Jalpaiguri

NJP Junction or the New Jalpaiguri Railway Junctions is among the closest and busiest Indian railway stations to Bhutan. Located in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, this railway station also serves as a corridor to visit several other sought-after tourist destinations. To name a few, there is Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and the entire North-Eastern part of India.

Since the station is located within a proximity to Bhutan, it could be an ideal choice to embark on a Thimphu trip. And in case, you are not so sure about how to reach Thimphu from New Jalpaiguri, let us help you how you can reach Bhutan’s capital city by air, train and road from New Jalpaiguri.

How to Reach Thimphu from New Jalpaiguri by Air

Since the Jalpaiguri city do not have its own airport, you cannot reach Thimphu directly from New Jalpaiguri. However, as the Bagdogra Airport is the closest Indian airport to New Jalpaiguri; located around 19km, you can take a short drive to the airport to fly to Paro International Airport in Bhutan. You can book flights operated by both Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines, and also choose between direct or connecting flights (via Kathmandu, Nepal) from
Bagdogra Airport.

Upon arriving in Paro, you can either get onto the regular buses plying between Thimphu-Paro, or hire local cabs to reach Thimphu from the airport.

How to Reach Thimphu from New Jalpaiguri by Train

NJP itself is one of the busiest railway stations in West Bengal. However, if you want to enjoy a train journey from this station to reach Thimphu, you can book train tickets from NJP to Hasimara Railway Station, which is known to be the nearest Indian railway station to Bhutan.

Upon reaching Hasimara Railway Station, you can take buses or hire taxis to reach a town called Jaigaon on the Indo-Bhutan border. As you reach this town, you can collect your Bhutanese Visa, and make entry to Bhutan thorough Phuentsholing town. From this town, you have to follow the Thimphu-Phuentsholing Highway to reach Thimphu. This journey would take you almost 4 hours while covering 147km in total.

How to Reach Thimphu from Kolkata by Road

Road trip from New Jalpaiguri would be the most exciting option; this would be a must thing for the thrill and adventure seekers! To plan a road journey to Thimphu, you can either book a bus journey or hire private taxis from New Jalpaiguri to reach Jaigaon town in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal; total distance would be 157km (4 hours’ drive).

Jaigaon town shares its borders with the Phuentsholing town in Bhutan; you can enter the Land of Thunder Dragons through this town. Once you enter Phuentsholing, you can take the local buses or hire a cab to reach Thimphu. This part of the road journey would take around 4 hours (147km), and would take you along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing Highway.