BHUTAN: Kingdom in the Sky

CLIMATE

The country is affected by monsoons that bring between 60 and 90 percent of the region's rainfall. The climate is humid and subtropical in the southern plains and foothills, temperate in the inner Himalayan valleys of the southern and central regions, and cold in the north, with year-round snow on the main Himalayan summits.

Temperatures in Thimphu, located at 2,200 metres above sea level in west-central Bhutan, range from approximately 15°C to 26°C during the monsoon season of June to September but drop to between about -4°C and 16°C in January. Most of the central portion of the country experiences a cool, temperate climate all the year round.

Thimphu experiences dry winter months (December to February) and almost no precipitation until March.

Bhutan's generally dry spring starts in early March and lasts until mid-April. Summer weather commences in mid-April with occasional showers and continues through to the pre-monsoon rains of late June. Autumn, from late September or early October to late November, follows the rainy season. It is characterized by bright, sunny days and some early snowfalls at higher elevations. From late November until March, winter sets in, with frost throughout much of the country and snowfall common above elevations of 3,000 metres. The winter northeast monsoon brings gale-force winds down through high mountain passes, giving Bhutan its name - Drukyul, which in the Dzongkha language mean "Land of the Thunder Dragon".

Bhutan: Kingdom in the Sky
Dates and costs
8-20 April 2009
A$$4400 per person twin share, $4860 single, starting and finishing in Bangkok.
Full Tour Description: Kingdom in the Sky

1-13 May, 2009 (FULL)