Safety in Bhutan: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 1 September 2026.
Safety
- Areas closed to tourism — The Ministry of Home Affairs periodically designates parts of Bhutan as off limits to tourists, and the Tourism Council publishes the current list. These are usually some Buddhist monasteries north of Thimphu and some trekking areas towards the Chinese border, which can only be entered with a special permit from that ministry.
- Assam border area — The south-eastern areas bordering the Indian state of Assam are known for having hosted, in the past, the activity and training camps of Indian insurgent movements.
- Earthquakes — Bhutan sits in one of the world's most seismically active zones and has had several quakes above magnitude 6 in recent decades. Moderate earthquakes have become more frequent and still hit hard, because buildings and infrastructure are fragile. The highest seismic risk is flagged for the eastern Yangtse region, the area around Haa in the far west, and the Dagana–Chhukha–Tsirang region in the south-centre.
- Floods and glacial lakes — Heavy rain brings landslides and flooding, and glacial lake outburst floods are a real risk in the valleys downstream. The eastern and southern regions are the most flood-prone, and forest fires are another hazard.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 1 September 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Bhutan before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 1 September 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.