Kathmandu to Paro
Drukair's morning flight joins Kathmandu's royal squares to Bhutan's dzongs in about 65 minutes. On a clear day the high range runs along one side of the cabin, from Everest to Kanchenjunga.
Photo: Rama Krushna Behera / Unsplash
Seat choice
Flying east puts the high Himalaya on the left: Everest, Lhotse and Makalu, then Kanchenjunga. On Drukair's Airbus the A seats are the left-hand windows. If your request did not stick, ask for one at check-in.
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Departure
In the October 2026 schedule the flight leaves daily at 09:10. Breakfast at 06:15, away for the international terminal at 06:45. Bhutan runs 15 minutes ahead of Nepal, so you land at 10:30 Paro time.
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Mid-flight
Kanchenjunga slides past the left windows, and then the approach runs between forested ridges before the runway shows beside the river. The left side also gives the better view of the way into the Paro valley.
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Paro
Paro takes flights only in daylight and good visibility. If cloud closes it, the flight waits in Kathmandu or turns back, and we book the next seat in and shift your first Bhutan day. Leave slack in the plan around it.
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When to fly
March to May is warmer but hazier. From mid June to mid September cloud hides the peaks, and Paro is delayed more often. If the mountains are the point, aim for autumn and the first weeks of winter.
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That evening
After lunch in Paro it is about an hour and a quarter by road to Thimphu. Before dinner, walk down Norzin Lam, the main street, where a traffic policeman still directs the central junction by hand.
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Planning
In June 2008 Nepal's last king left his palace, and that November Bhutan crowned its fifth king. Walk both chapters, ask for the left-hand windows when you book, and let the flight between them carry the view.
Photo: Pema Gyamtsho / Unsplash