Bhutan's southeastern border town with Assam, India: a gateway for journeys that begin or end in eastern Bhutan.
Samdrup Jongkhar is a busy border town on the edge of the Assam plains. For travellers it is most useful as a gateway: journeys through the east can start or finish here instead of backtracking to Paro, with Guwahati in India within a few hours’ drive.
The town has a three-storey Zangdopelri temple, and the road north climbs from the plains through subtropical forest to Trashigang.
The whole country in one journey: from Paro and Tiger's Nest through Punakha, Phobjikha and Bumthang to the dzongs, temples and weaving villages of eastern Bhutan, leaving by road into India.
USD 3,600
The south is warm and subtropical, with heavy monsoon rain in summer. Autumn, winter and spring are the most comfortable seasons.
Samdrup Jongkhar is about a two to three hour drive from Guwahati in Assam. International travellers can enter and leave Bhutan here. The road to Trashigang takes around six hours.
