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Epic Bhutan road trip on my BMW R 1200 GS: Covered 5500 km in 16 days

4th May 2024, 14:17 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

The benefit of a shaft drive was apparent as the rider of the Kawasaki Versys 1000 had to lube the chain before the return trip.

BHPian cjt2012 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This trip was on my mind for a couple of years, after having planned the trip last year, we dropped the plan a few days before the trip due to the extreme heat in May.

This year, however, we decided to venture on the trip towards the end of March.

A road trip is always about the adventure and thrill of the journey and not just about the destination. As a group of four (Parvez Patel Age 70 - 2022 BMW R1250GSA, Khodaram Zandbaf Age 62 - 2017 BMW R1200GS, Darayus Dastoor Age 61 - 2022 Kawasaki Versys 1000 and myself Clement Thomas Age 48 - 2017 BMW R1200GS); we started planning for the trip at the beginning of January 2024, a WhatsApp group was made and that was about it.

It was not until 14 days before the trip that we really sat down and did some groundwork on the possible routes and arrangements in Bhutan. One of the group members had his sister undertake the journey by air last year, so we decided to employ the services of the same travel company, to arrange our Hotel bookings, bike clearances and meet us at the Indo-Bhutan border.

Odometer Reading the day before the trip

Loading the Base attachment of the Moskomoto Reckless 80 setup

Initially, inside Bhutan we were contemplating renting Bhutan-registered RE Himalayan, however, thankfully better sense prevailed once we reached Bhutan.

Some arrangements inside Bhutan are mandatory a brief list of requirements as listed below:

A Bhutanese tourism department-approved guide is mandatory to accompany tourists along with a Taxi and driver for the guide.
Passports or Voter ID is required to enter Bhutan. We used our Passports which were duly stamped upon entry. Tourist must pay a sustainability fee at Immigration of Rs1200/- head/ night of stay in Bhutan (For Indians, Srilankans and Maldivians). For all other nationalities, USD 250/- night must be paid as sustainability fees.
The tour operator has to present Proof of hotel reservations. All hotels for tourists have to be three-star and above. Travel insurance is also required which is set at Rs700/- per person for the duration of the stay.
Original RC of the bike, Valid insurance, PUC, Original Valid Indian Driving license card, are the necessary documents for any Motor vehicle including Motorcycles.
It is preferable to have the motorcycle in your name otherwise you may need an authorization letter from the owner permitting you to ride in Bhutan.
Rs 4500/- per Night of Stay in Bhutan for Motorcycle/Motorcar is to be paid in cash at the Regional Transport office in Phuentsholing.
These documents have to be submitted to the RTO in Bhutan who will then issue the Route Permit.
Indian Currency is accepted, and the exchange rate is 1:1
One very important point - Make sure you have your bank cards cleared for transactions in Bhutan (generally on most Indian bank-issued cards - it's written in the small print that the cards cannot be used in Nepal and Bhutan). You will be required to call your Bank helpline number and ask them to allow usage of the cards in Bhutan.
Please also ensure that you have sufficient INR currency at hand, as everything has to be managed by cash inside Bhutan.

My bike is generally well-kitted for long trips, but I did a small service at home only wherein I, changed the Oil, cleaned the K&N air filter, Cardan shaft removed and greased, Cardan Oil changed, Checked torque values on all crucial nuts and bolts and Tyre pressure checked.

I have both Aluminium Panniers and Soft Luggage and for this trip, I decided to go with the soft luggage basically to manage the weight (Panniers tend to be heavier)

Some very essential generic requirements on the motorcycle are as below:

USB Charging port 12V (My bike has 3 USB ports)
Aux Lights
Headlight guards / protectors
The Connected cradle to accommodate the phone is a very essential requirement when using a Phone for Google map Navigation.
In hindsight, I should have probably used a Tail bag instead of the dry bag in my Moskomoto Reckless 80 set up along with the two dry bags on the side. Pack one bag with all necessary travel essentials (preferably the tail bag) which should contain everything that you may require for the night stay at the hotel and your next day's morning routine, The other bags can be left secure on the Motorcycle itself, this saves you time and effort to get back on the road the next morning.
Ensure you have a good set of riding gear, this is non-negotiable - I was using Klim Adventure Rally Pro Jacket, Klim Badland Pants, Rynox Gloves, Scorpion AT950 modular helmet, Rynox Dry Innerwear (Not a big fan of this product- I found it to be a little uncomfortable as it sticks to your body after sweating, I rather prefer a cotton t-shirt inside in this heat).
All four of us were using the Parani intercom, but the pairing was not as seamless as they claimed and the four of us could never get connected with each other. Only two of us could always remain paired. I am not entirely sure if we were pairing it the correct way, but it was very frustrating after having invested in a new intercom only to see it unable to connect all four of us.

Other equipment carried were: Sony Action cam with loop recording charged by the bikes 12v USB port, essential tools, a Puncture repair kit, a compact air compressor (12V supply from the bike), a jump starter, Cable ties (very important), straps, bungee chords, Essential first aid and medicines, Spare Brake pads front and rear, Spark Plug set, key fob spare battery, Emergency key.

Throughout the trip, only regular fuel was used on my bike, however, my friends used 95 octane wherever possible, but as we realized on the highways it was not easily available.

The only thing unanimously decided was that we would not be riding late into the night, and that, we should find a decent hotel with safe parking by sunset.

Day 1: 24.03.24 Mumbai (MH)- Akola (MH) (583Km)

As usual, group members were not exactly on time. By the time we congregated and started the trip, it was 6:15, getting out of Mumbai in the early hours of the morning was easy, however, roads after Thane for about 30-35 km are under repairs and have a lot of diversions. Lack of route planning meant that we were just following Google and it did take us through some villages. Not a very smart idea, and we decided that the route needed to be better thought out, We all decided that, we would stick to National Highways only, and if they were not available, only then take a State Highway.

For the most part, the roads were good. We stayed at the Grand Jalsa resort off the highway at Akola.

Day 2: 25.03.24 Akola (MH) - Rewa (MP) (780km)

After the previous day's experience, we decided to only stick to NH, and the route took us via Nagpur, Seoni, Jabalpur, Katni to Rewa. By far, the best National Highway in the entire trip, first NH53 until Nagpur (absolutely brilliant roads ) then NH 44 and NH 30 towards Rewa, The roads were so good that I could engage Cruise control at 100kmph and leave it for up to 15min on some stretches. The motorcycle being absolutely planted and stable, it just gobbles up distances effortlessly. We stayed at Hotel Chandralok, the hotel is owned by a Sikh gentleman and he is a bike enthusiast. Nice hotel and good food. The festival of Holi was around and this meant that traffic on the road was not as bad, but this would impact us the next day.

Near Pench Tiger Reserve - Hydration stop

At Hotel Chandralok Rewa - Brilliant Hospitality specially for Bikers

Day 3: 26.03.24 Rewa (MP) - Muzaffarpur (BR) (530km)

Started late from Rewa due to the good hospitality, Again sticking to NH as planned we made rapid progress, However, soon we realized a serious problem, It was Holi and it was a very big festival in Bihar. So big in fact, that everything, and I mean every damn thing is closed in the entire state of Bihar. This meant that Petrol would become an issue, and sure enough, three of the bikes were down to one line on the fuel gauges (The GSA with 31ltr fuel tank was very comfortable / not concerned) and no petrol pumps were open, we had already started riding very conservatively but we were very concerned with our fuel situation.

Towards late afternoon, we found a petrol pump which was closed, however, there was a pushcart next to the pump and they were selling petrol in Black, Selling 750ml whiskey bottles filled with petrol (say about 700ml per bottle) at Rs150/-. We bargained and were able to strike a deal for one bottle of petrol at Rs110/- . We bought 6ltrs each, enough to propel us until Patna. This entire fuel fiasco meant that we wasted a lot of time trying to find a petrol station. Contrary to popular belief, Roads were very good initially via Hanumana, Mirzapur, Mughalsarai, Mohania, Arrah, Patna towards Muzaffarpur, NH30, NH135, NH35, AH1, NH319, NH922, NH22. We got some traffic on the outskirts of Patna. As dusk set in we stopped for the night at Hotel The Premier in Muzaffarpur (BR).

Don't even ask how rubbish that hotel was, but nonetheless a place to stay the night.

Near Mirzapur - road side eatery

Highway services after a Toll plaza

Day 4 27.03.24 Muzaffarpur (BR) - Bagdogra (WB) (438km)

Started later than planned, got very heavy traffic to exit the town, following NH only as planned, The roads were, for the most part, good. Towards evening, we were tired and decided to stop for the night at Bagdogra.

Route taken was Darbhanga, Phulparas, Forbesganj, Araria, Purnia, Dalkhola, Kishanganj, Islampur, to Bagdogra.

That is NH27 all the way. The section of road after Dalkhola until Kishanganj was no so good with some potholes.

The night was spent at Orbit Hotel, which had decent facilities with food.

Near Purunia - The best and simple Dhaba food experience during the trip

Day 5 :28.03.24 Bagdogra (WB) - Jaigaon (WB) (158km)

We had a leisurely breakfast and left the hotel late since this was the last leg to Bhutan, we took the most scenic and stunning northern route, surprisingly the roads were excellent and through some densely forested areas with tall trees on both sides, after which started the tea gardens, we crossed the famous Coronation Bridge on the Teesta river, which is a sight to behold, towards evening we reached Jaigaon. At Jaigaon, as we were approaching the border the roads were very bad with chaotic traffic.

We have a friend who is a businessman and an avid motorcycle rider at Jaigaon, so we had a good evening tea and snacks while we waited for our Guide to take us into Bhutan.

After the immigration process, we proceeded to Hotel Gardhen, Since Parvez was tired and exhausted, he decided that he would not be riding the motorcycle inside Bhutan and instead sit in the car with the Guide and Driver, and to give him company, Khodaram also decided that he will also not ride inside Bhutan. Both the bikes were left at Jaigaon with our friend and only Darayus and I got our bikes into Bhutan.

As mentioned in the beginning, we were contemplating renting Bhutan-registered RE Himalayan, but when we saw the bikes on offer, we quickly changed our mind and decided to use our own bikes.

The difference between Jaigaon and Phuentsholing is stark and you will be amazed at how clean and quiet Bhutan is.

Tea Gardens in West Bengal

Jaigaon/Phuentsholing Border Entry gate to Bhutan

Day 6 : 29.03.24 Phuentsholing - Thimpu (150km)

We checked out of the hotel at 9:00 am and went to clear immigration which was a time-consuming process, Indians make up the bulk of the tourists who visit Bhutan, and Immigration clearance took about 1.5hrs.

Then we went to file the route plan and clear the paperwork for the two motorcycles which we intended to ride, it was also a slightly lengthy procedure which took about an Hour to complete, we paid Rs22500/- per bike for the 5 nights route plan inside Bhutan.

Formalities completed, and we started our trip to Thimpu. The quality of the roads is excellent and they are completely built and maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the roads are totally winding in nature and are a real pleasure and fun experience.

On the way we stopped at Takthikoti canteen operated by BRO on the invitation by Chief Engineer of Project Dantak, towards evening we reached Thimpu and checked into Hotel Nordenma.

One of the fellow riders knew Kelly Dorji (Actor and Model), he invited us to his Restobar in Thimpu called Grey Area, we had some great food with impeccable hospitality from Kelly. A huge thanks to him for inviting us.

Enroute to Thimpu - Kawasaki Versys 1000 and the BMW R1200GS

Day 7: 30.03.24 Thimpu Local Sightseeing

Started the day visiting the Buddha Dordenma, Simply Bhutan, Royal Takin Pzeserve (Takin is the national animal of Bhutan), Bhutanese Cuisine at an authentic restaurant, and some local shopping.

Buddha Dordenma at Thimpu- Angels look mesmerizing

Day 8: 31.03.24 Thimpu - Punakha (73km)

Again a day on the motorcycle, with excellent roads and breathtaking scenery, The two of us on the motorcycles would take off using Google maps and reach the pre-determined meeting point. as discussed with the guide, driver and our two other friends.

We stopped at Dochula Pass which is a monument with 108 stupas in memory of the fallen soldiers. The bikes always generate a lot of interest among the public wherever we stop, At Dochula, we saw a lot of tourists, specially a group of "Ladies only" tourists group from various parts of India, we ended up meeting the same group a few times more along the trip in the next couple of days.

We also met a group of three German riders who rented RE bikes locally and were exploring Bhutan.

Onwards we rode to Chime Lhakhang " The Divine Madman temple", whilst there, we witnessed a freak accident, burning down and gutting the Monastery which was being newly constructed for the Monks, we chipped in to help in any way we could to remove combustible material from the immediate vicinity. This put us behind schedule to visit a few more places in Punakha, We later went to our Hotel and called it a day.

We stayed at Hotel Lobesa, it had a beautiful view outside the windows, a good balcony and big rooms, by far the best hotel we stayed at in Bhutan.

Punakha Fort Entry - Note the large honeybee comb

Day 9: 01.04.24 Punakha - Paro (115km)

Started after breakfast, since we missed a few sightseeing locations the previous day due to the fire at the Monastery, we went to the Punakha Fort. This is an impressive structure with unmistakable Bhutanese architecture, a sight not to miss is the school of Trout fish which you can see from the bridge leading to the fort, after spending some time at the fort we were on the road again back along the same road for most of the way.

Stopping again at Dochula Pass, the cafe is very good and since the sky was a bit more clear than the previous visit, we were able to see a few of the tall Himalayan mountain peaks at a distance.

The highlight of the day was our invitation from the Chief Engineer of Project Dantak to visit the headquarters. We were deeply honored and thrilled to have received his Invitation, we had a very good interactive dialogue with the Chief Engineer, who was kind enough to explain the various aspects of the BRO's mandate in Bhutan, the history behind the entire project and the Museum.

We were presented with a coffee table book consisting of the entire history of Project Dantak. Deeply honored and Salute to our soldiers who work in such extreme terrains.

We then took to the road leading to Paro, as usual, the roads were brilliant with swooping curves at every turn.

Paro is a beautiful town located in the Valley, this is also the town with the International Airport. Towards evening we reached our Hotel. We stayed at Hotel Ratna Vara, a decent hotel, However, the food could have been better.

We retired early as the next day was the big trek to Tiger's Nest.

Day 10: 02.04.24 Paro Local sight seeing

We left the Hotel early to the Tiger's Nest base, but before that, we stopped and had a refreshing breakfast at a local diner.

Tiger's nest by far symbolizes Bhutan, it's a must-do trek for tourists arriving in Bhutan. It's by no means easy, and definitely not for the faint-hearted, and you need to be relatively fit to attempt such a Trek.

The base camp is at 7300ft and the Nest is at 10500ft, the trek itself is about 5.5km, Parvez, the oldest among us chose to sit this one out, We started climbing at about 8:40 am and finally reached the summit at about 12:00, spent about an hour in the temples on top, the view of tiger's nest from any direction is breathtaking and beautiful. The trek consists of trails and steps both paved and stone steps.

The cafe midway is a good place to rest your legs and re-energise.

The trek down was also quite daunting, by the time we reached the base it was about 2:30pm, and we were all tired and decided to head back to the hotel.

In the evening, we went out for a bit of souvenir shopping.

Tiger's Nest - A Bhutan trip - "must do trek"

Day 11: 03.04.24 Paro - Phuentsholing

We had a leisurely breakfast and then headed back on the road to the border town of Phuentsholing. We again had the same invitation to refresh and recharge at the Takthikoti GREF canteen which we accepted. Reached Phuentsholing towards evening, and headed to the same Hotel (Hotel Gardhen). Parked the bikes and came out to Jaigaon to have tea at our friend's place. After that, we headed back to the Hotel in Phuentsholing and retired early since we planned an early start for the return road trip.

Day 12: 04.04.24 Phuentsholing - Darbhanga (BR) (530km)

The previous night's food did not seem to go down well with my gut. I felt sick in the stomach and threw up a few times in the night. My friends did not think I was fit enough to ride, but, that was not a choice. The friend in Jaigaon was also riding with us for a few hundred kms on his Triumph Tiger 800, he offered to take me to a hospital on the way.

By 10:00am my condition had worsened, I had thrown up about 5 times and was feeling severely dehydrated, I spoke to a doctor's friend, and she prescribed Tab Ondem and an Antibiotic to fight the food poisoning. The tab immediately helped and I was feeling a lot better, thus decided to continue as much as possible, and took the same roads back so we knew that the roads were good.

By nightfall we were in the town of Darbhanga and decided to stop for the day at Hotel Garcia International, It was a very nice hotel and we had a nice peaceful night.

Day 13: 05.04.24 Darbhanga (BR) - Hanumana (MP) (500km)

I felt a lot better in the morning, starting at about 8:30 am roads were good as we were taking the same road back, the afternoon heat was too much and we were stopping often to hydrate and stretch our legs as we were having cramps.

Passed UP in the evening, it was very sad to see the lack of any hotels after Mirzapur, by nightfall we had passed Mirzapur but could not find any hotels, so we kept pressing ahead, it was only after entering MP we saw a newly built hotel, we took the rooms even though it did not have any AC, it was about 9:30 pm by the time we reached the hotel, had dinner and retired for the day.

We stayed at the Highway Treat Hotel.

Day 14: 06.04.24 Hanumana (MP) - Nagpur (MH) (598km)

Road were as good as they could be, made rapid progress. These bikes on such wonderful roads are really a treat and a dream ride. The skies were overcast and that also meant that the heat was a little lesser than usual.

Reached Nagpur by sunset and called it for the day.

Day 15: 07.04.24 Nagpur (MH) - Wadner (MH) (370km)

Since we were not in a tearing hurry to reach, we took it easy with the riding, the day time heat had again started to rise, the roads were excellent and by early evening we decided to stop for tea at a roadside hotel which had just newly launched, since rooms were available with AC we decided to stay put there. Stayed at Hotel Gurukripa.

Day 16: 08.04.24 Wadner (MH) - Mumbai (MH) (520km)

Started around 7:30am and took a slightly different route than when we had left from Mumbai, using NH53 passing through Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Dhule then onto NH60 towards Malegaon, Nashik, Igatpuri, Thane and Mumbai. NH60 was good but every intersection has multiple speed breakers and as such has to slow down.

The real agony was the poor condition of roads leading to Thane which starts about 30km before Thane and the afternoon traffic with the scorching heat was really unbearable. Finally reaching home by 6:00 pm.

The epic round trip was about 5500km, In hindsight, we could have accomplished this trip in 2 weeks, but with a group of riders, we have to cater to the pace at which everyone is comfortable.

The bikes which accomplished this trip were the real gems, each of the motorcycles did not miss a beat or give us any kind of mechanical trouble.

The benefit of shaft drive was amply apparent as the Versys chain needed to be lubed before the return trip. The superior comfort of the GS/GSA is also something I wish to highlight, the suspension is truly an engineering marvel.

Without a doubt, the BMW GS/GSA is one of the best motorcycles ever made.

I wish here to thank my fellow riders for such a great trip, a memory etched forever in my mind.

Before I conclude, I have to say that our Highway systems have seen a remarkable improvement, they were simply fantastic.

One takeaway for anyone planning a road trip - stick to the National highways for as long as you can before you consider altering to SH or any other roads.

Few more photos for your viewing pleasure

Enroute to Thimpu - On Arguably the best purpose-built motorcycle