Altitude in Bhutan

Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayas with an altitude starting from 150 meters in the south to 7500 meters above sea level in the north bordering Tibet.

All places of visit like Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdiphodrang, Trongsa, Bumthang, Mongar and Tashigang for cultural tours will take you up to 3500 meters above sea level which, does not possess any risk to the health regarding to the altitude sickness syndrome. 

Unless visitors are on trekking tours. The mountain pass reaches up to 5000 meters above sea level. It is recommended that you should spend at least two days getting acclimatized with high altitude, and at the same time overcome your jet lag if you are travelling from the US and Europe.

Bhutan is paradise for adventure seekers. The country is well known for its well-preserved tradition, culture and untouched nature. Which makes it a must to visit destinations for the trek lovers.  The treks will lead you to some high-altitude spots and there are some signs to watch out for. 

High altitude sickness symptoms:

There are three level of altitude mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms: 

Mild, Moderate and Severe.

• Mild AMS symptoms include thumping of headache, nausea, fatigue, trouble sleeping and lack of appetite. These symptoms will subsidize with usual headache remedies.
• Moderate AMS will make you feel continuous headache, rapid heartbeat and more nauseous (which may lead to vomiting). This case will require careful monitoring to ensure it doesn’t proceed to more severe symptoms.
• If the symptoms of AMS are ignored they can lead to life threatening conditions affecting the brain and lungs. 

Severe altitude mountain sickness (AMS) will lead to High altitude cerebral Edema (HACE) and high altitude pulmonary Edema (HAPE). 

HACE happens when you experience severe AMS symptoms, there is also the declining brain function with loss of physical coordination and balance. The person in their case will have trouble carrying out simple tasks like walking along a straight line or tying their shoelaces.

Display of change of attitude, such as irritation, confusion or disorientation may also imply HACE. Then the person may become drowsy and unconscious. Common symptoms are hallucination, loss of consciousness, fever and fatigue, photophobia, hypertension, confusion, cough, shortness of breath, inability to walk.

HAPE causes breathlessness due to excessive fluids in the person’s lung. Other symptoms are dry cough, nose bleeding, fever, rapid heart breath, tightness in the chest, swelling and fainting. 

High altitude sickness prevention:

Before the trek.

• Get advice from your doctor and arrange medicine for high AMS.
• Purchase travel insurance that covers your trekking and helicopter rescue. 
• Stop smoking and intake of all alcohol during your trek.
• choose a suitable trek as per your fitness level. 

Altitude Chart: