Paro is the only way most visitors arrive in Bhutan: the country has a single international airport and it sits seven kilometres north of Paro town. The airport is operationally difficult — a short runway in a narrow valley surrounded by 5,000-metre peaks — and only a small number of pilots are certified to land here. The approach weaves visibly between mountainsides; a window seat is one of the great cheap thrills in international aviation.
Drukair and Bhutan Airlines are the only carriers permitted to operate. The main routes are from Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Kathmandu, Dhaka, and Kolkata, with seasonal additions. Flights are weather-dependent and the airport is closed at night, so a missed connection can mean a 24-hour delay. Book one or two days of slack at either end of an itinerary if you can.
Overland entry into Bhutan is possible only through the Phuentsholing border with India in the south; from Phuentsholing it is a six-to-seven hour drive over winding mountain roads to Paro. Independent travel is not permitted: a licensed Bhutanese tour operator must arrange your visa and a guide will meet you on arrival.