How to Reach Thimphu From Pune

Bhutan enthusiasts often end up asking how to reach Thimphu from Pune! In case, you too have the same question in your mind, you must know that there are multiple ways one can reach Bhutan’s capital city from Pune.

Famed as the ‘Queen of the Deccan’ or the ‘Oxford of the East’, Pune serves as pivotal tourist destination in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Well-connected through air, railway network and roadways, you can reach out to almost all the other major tourist destinations from this city.

While within this metropolis, you can also make it to an array of international destinations; Thimphu in Bhutan is also included in this list. Be it by air, train or road, you can always plan an overwhelming trip to the capital city of the Land of Thunder Dragons from Pune. Let’s see how to plan these trips without any hassles or last minutes changes!

How to Reach Thimphu form Pune by Air

Pune International Airport has a considerable number of flights taking off and flying on a regular basis; you can probably reach any of the major destinations in the world from this airport. However, since Paro International Airport has a limitation on flights taking off and flying due to its topography, you cannot take a direct flight between Pune and Paro.

However, to reach Paro from Pune by flight, you should opt for a break journey. You can first fly to some of the designated Indian airports, and book a flight to Paro from those airports. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati (Assam), Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, Bodhgaya Airport in Gaya (Bihar), and Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri (West Bengal) are the designated airports that offer both direct and connecting flights to Paro.

Upon completion of your flight journey to Paro, you can further reach Thimphu via the local Bhutanese buses, or hire local taxis to reach the capital city of Bhutan.

NOTE: Foreign nationals who wishes to fly to Paro without reaching India, can book their flights from Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Dhaka (Bangladesh).

How to Reach Thimphu from Pune by Train

Bhutan, the Happiest Himalayan Kingdom doesn’t have any railway connectivity with any of the foreign land; India is also included in this list. Thus, you may not be able to take a train ride from Pune to Thimphu. However, you can always book your train tickets from Pune to some of the Indian railway stations that are located within a proximity to Bhutan, and can reach Thimphu from there via roadways.

West Bengal and Assam are the two closest Indian states that could serve your purpose of reaching Thimphu via train. If you go for a train ride from Pune to West Bengal, you can book your train tickets to Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, New Alipurduar, or Hasimara railway stations. From these railway stations, you can embark on a road journey to reach Thimphu via Jaigaon (West Bengal) and Phuentsholing (Bhutan).

If you wish to book train tickets to Assam, you can deboard the train at Bongaigaon Railway Junction or enjoy your train ride till Guwahati. From Bongaigaon, you can reach Thimphu via Gelephu point. From Guwahati, you can hit the roads to reach Samdrup Jongkhar point, and drive further from there to reach Thimphu.

NOTE: Road journey details will be discussed in the next section.

Azad Hind Express (12129), Howrah Duronto (12221), Kamakhya Pune Special Train (02512), and Karmabhoomi Express (22511) are some of the popular trains to reach Assam and West Bengal from Pune.

How to Reach Thimphu from Pune by Road

For a roadway journey from Pune to Thimphu, you should first reach Kolkata as it is the nearest Indian metropolitan that offers multiple roadway options to reach Thimphu or any other corners of Bhutan. To reach Kolkata from Pune, you can follow this route: Pune – Nagpur – Nagpur – Sambalpur – Kolkata.

Once you reach Kolkata, you can either take a bus ride directly to Thimphu, or opt for yet another exciting road trip to Thimphu via Jaigaon and Phuentsholing. The Esplanade Bus Stand in Kolkata offers regular buses operated by the Royal Bhutanese Government. These buses would take around 18 hours to complete the journey between Kolkata-Thimphu.

In case, you want to take the road trip, you should begin with a 705km (17 hours’) drive from Kolkata to Jaigaon in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal. Following your arrival in Jaigaon, you can make your Bhutan entry through the Phuentsholing town, and board the local Bhutanese buses or hire a cab to drive further to Thimphu, which is located around 147km (4 hours’ drive) away from Phuentsholing.

Also, if you have already booked a flight or a train journey to Assam, you can reach Thimphu by road from Bongaigaon or Guwahati. If you want to start from Guwahati, you should embark on a roadway journey from within the city to Samdrup Jongkhar point in Bhutan; 150km (3 hours’ drive). From Samdrup Jongkhar, you can drive or enjoy a bus ride for another 419km (or 11 hours) to reach Thimphu.

Starting from Bongaigaon, you can first take a drive to Gelephu, which is only 50km (1 hours’ drive) away from Bongaigaon. Upon reaching Gelephu, you can take the local buses or private taxis to traverse another 243km (7 hours) to reach Thimphu.