Kolkata to Kathmandu (via Bhutan) Overland

Travel insurance is compulsory for all our trips. We require that, at a minimum, you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. When travelling on a trip, you won't be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24 hour emergency contact number has been seen by your leader. If you have credit card insurance your group leader will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/insurance.php

VISA INFORMATION Many countries that we visit on our travels will require visas to enter. Some are best obtained before you leave home, and others can be obtained en-route. Whilst the ultimate responsibility for obtaining visas is yours, we will endeavour to assist you wherever possible. The visa requirements for your trip vary depending on where you are from and where you are going. The information provided is given in good faith and we do try to keep the visa information as up to date as possible. Please read the information very carefully to make sure everything is clear and you aware of what you need to do. Please also be aware that rules surrounding visas do change, often suddenly, and without prior warning. This is why it is important that you also double-check the information we provide for yourself. For visas that are needed in advance, you may wish to submit the applications directly to the relevant embassy or consulate. If you require any supporting documentation for your visa applications, Dragoman will obtain this on your behalf as part of your trip price - we will contact you to request additional information in order to make this application for you. However, for trips that involve multiple visas, you may find it beneficial to use a specialist visa agency to assist you with your applications. While this does sometimes increase the cost, it usually makes the process much easier for you. As you will often need to submit your passport together with your applications, we recommend that you avoid making any travel plans in the weeks leading up to your departure. Most countries require that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your entry into the country. For trips that are not yet guaranteed, you may find yourself in the position whereby you will need to start the visa application process prior to your trip being guaranteed - in this situation we still advise you not to purchase flights until your trip is guaranteed. However, you can start your visa application process, ensuring that when applying for your visas or letters of invitation that you allow several days before and after your entry into the country to allow for delays, availability of flights, etc. PASSPORTS Check that your passport will still be valid for 6 months after the end of your trip - this is important as some countries WILL refuse entry to anyone whose passport is due to expire. A temporary or 'visitor's' passport is not valid on our trips. You will need to provide us with your passport details prior to departing for your trip. If you change your passport, please remember to inform us as soon as possible - however, please be aware that changing your passport can cause big problems if you need to apply for visas or permits (such as the Inca Trail or Gorilla Trekking) in advance. INDIA Citizens of all countries will need a visa to enter India as a tourist for up to 180 days. Most Dragoman passengers will need to obtain their visa in advance. It is now possible for most nationalties to apply for an E visa. Please note this is only an option if you arriving into India via a major airport and you are staying in India for less than 30 days. If you are entering into India overland or if you are staying for longer than 30 days then you won't be able to apply for the e visa and you will need to apply for a visa at your nearest Indian Embassy before you travel. If you are eligable for and E visa please visit the following website to see if you are eligible for this https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/ evisa/tvoa.html. If you are joining the trip in Chennai and take the e-visa option, we will need a copy of your receipt as soon as you have applied for it - if we do not have this in advance, we will not be able to obtain your permits for the Odisha region (see below). It is highly recommended if you need a visa before you travel to do this in your country of residence; You can apply directly at your closest Indian Consulate or Embassy. For UK residents, please go to the website - http://www.vfsglobal.com/India/UK/ - to fill in the online visa form and book an appointment to complete the application. Alternatively you can apply via a specialist visa agency who can put the application in for you. Please be aware that the photos that you bring to the appointment must be 50mm x 50mm, or your application will be rejected (this is a unique square-shaped photo). The photos must be in colour and have a plain white background, and computer generated photos will be rejected. Please paste one photo to the front of your application and leave the other one loose. You must sign under the photo on page one and the declaration on page two. Visas issued in the UK are valid for 6 months from the date of issue (by which time you have to have exited the country). Please note that you cannot extend any tourist visas once within India. If you are asked to provide an address in India on your visa form, please use the joining hotel for your trip or the address below: Hotel Fortune 36/38 1st Marine Street Metro, Dhobi Talao Mumbai Tel 022-22052502 If you are asked to provide a referee in India on your visa form, please use the details below: Eugene Pram, Pram Tours, 436 Barkat Nagar, Tonk Phatak, Jaipur, 302015, India Tel: +91 14 1259 4205 Please bring 10 photocopies of your passport and Indian visa (on the same page). These may need to be used for hotel check-ins. Please also bring 2 passport photos in case these are needed. If travelling to Sikkim, your Sikkim permits will be arranged in Kolkata with your tour leader - please bring several passport photos for this permit. IMPORTANT NOTE - If you are travelling on the Chennai-Kolkata leg - please note that all permits for the Odisha region must be arranged before you arrive in Chennai. Dragoman will arrange the permits on your behalf but it is very important that you send us a high quality scan or photo of your passport photo page when you book and of your India visa as soon as you obtain it. We will need these scans 10 days before the trip starts in Chennai, at the very latest. If we do not receive these scans in time we will be unable to take you on the trip through the Odisha region. Please also bring an additional 2 passport photos on the trip. If you are travelling to Bhutan - please send Dragoman a scan of your passport photo page when you book as this is important for arranging the Bhutan group visa. If you are travelling on the Mumbai-Chennai leg or the Kolkata-Kathmandu leg - please send Dragoman a scan of your passport photo page when you book, as this is important for arranging train tickets on these legs. In some cases (late bookings) we may also require a copy of your Indian visa (or receipt of an e-visa if you plan to take this option). A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission (including transiting through an airport in an area of risk). BHUTAN VERY IMPORTANT - Dragoman will require a scan of your passport photo page - please send this to us as soon as you can, or 2 weeks before arrival in Kolkata at the absolute latest. In some cases we may also need a scan of your India visa once issued, this is normally required for late bookings (within 30 days of departure). Citizens of all countries (except India, Bangladesh and the Maldives) will need a visa to enter Bhutan as a tourist. All tourists must be on an organised tour, and the visa is valid for the length of time of your tour within Bhutan. The easiest way to get a visa is to obtain it on arrival. This is available for all nationalities at the border at Phuntsholing or the airport in Paro. However, we do need to arrange some paperwork in advance before our arrival at the border, for which we will need the passport scan mentioned above – please send this as soon as you can so that we can arrange your visa to be picked up at the border. A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission (including transiting through an airport in an area of risk). NEPAL Citizens of all countries (except India) will need a visa to enter Nepal as a tourist for up to 90 days. The easiest way to get a visa is to obtain it on arrival. This is available for almost all nationalities at all land borders and airports into Nepal. At the time of writing, the cost of a single-entry visa is USD25 for 15 days, USD40 for 30 days, or USD100 for 90 days – these costs are the same for all nationalities. You will need to provide one passport photo (this can be obtained at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport for those joining the trip in Kathmandu). A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission (including transiting through an airport in an area of risk).