Travel medicine for Bhutan
Bhutan begins at altitude. Paro Airport sits at 7,332 feet.
Get the altitude medication the CDC recommends for trekking above 2,500 meters, prescribed without the appointment. Sent to your pharmacy, ready before you fly.
- Physician-founded
- Licensed in all 50 states
- HSA / FSA eligible
- Same-day Rx in most cases
The first thing you do in Bhutan is land at 2,235 meters. Thimphu is higher. The Tiger's Nest hike climbs almost a thousand meters of switchbacks to a monastery at 3,120 meters, and the Druk Path and Jomolhari treks push past 4,000 meters. The CDC notes that any unacclimatized traveler proceeding to a sleeping altitude above 2,450 meters is at risk for altitude illness, and that the prevalence on standard trekking routes can approach 30 percent at higher elevations. Acetazolamide compresses the body's three to five day acclimatization into one. Started the day before you fly into Paro, it is the difference between standing in front of the monastery and turning around at the cafeteria switchback.
Bhutan travel health guide — vaccines, snapshot overview, and what to review before you go.
Orders are reviewed and prescriptions sent to your pharmacy within 24 hours.
Booking questions, platform help, or just not sure where to start, give us a call.
+1 (302) 251-2302Rx at your pharmacy in three steps.
No appointment. No waiting room. Answer a few questions and a licensed provider reviews within hours.
Your destination, dates, health history, and current medications. Takes about 2 minutes.
A licensed clinician reviews your health profile, checks for interactions, and approves your prescription.
- Allergy screen passed
- Drug interactions clear
- Prescription approved
Your approved prescription is sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. Pick it up when your pharmacy has it ready.
Skip the appointment. Get the same Rx.
Both columns cover the visit and prescribing only. Your pharmacy bills the medication itself on either side.
Medications in the Tiger's Nest & Paro Valley plan
Bhutan medication FAQ
- Paro Airport sits at 2,235 meters and Thimphu at 2,334 meters, so you arrive at altitude and you sleep at altitude from night one. The Tiger's Nest hike climbs to 3,120 meters, well above the 2,500 meter threshold the CDC uses for acetazolamide consideration. The hike is short, but the elevation gain is fast and the air is thin, which is the exact profile that drives acute mountain sickness on day-hike itineraries. Acetazolamide compresses the three to five day acclimatization the CDC describes into one, started the day before you fly. For travelers adding the Druk Path Trek or Jomolhari Trek (sleeping above 3,500 m), the case is stronger still.
- The CDC recommends 125 mg twice daily, starting one day before ascent and continuing through the first two days at altitude. For a Bhutan itinerary that usually means the morning before you fly into Paro, through Thimphu, through the Tiger's Nest hike, and through any onward trek. Side effects most travelers notice are tingling in the fingers and toes, more frequent urination, and a flat taste to carbonated drinks. Your provider will walk through the timing during your visit.
- Three medications that cover the altitude exposure across a full Bhutan itinerary. Acetazolamide (Diamox) is the AMS prophylaxis the CDC recommends for ascending above 2,500 meters, taken 125 mg twice daily starting the day before you fly. Prescription-strength ibuprofen handles the altitude headache that builds during the Tiger's Nest climb and the cumulative soreness from the near-vertical switchbacks. Hydroxyzine (Vistaril) addresses the sleep disruption that hits almost every traveler above 2,700 meters, where the CDC notes periodic breathing becomes nearly universal and can interrupt rest. Together they let you stand in front of the monastery instead of turning back at the cafeteria viewpoint.
- Orders are reviewed by a US-licensed provider and the Rx is sent electronically to your pharmacy within 24 hours. Most travelers can pick it up the same day.
- After your provider approves the Rx, it is sent electronically to whichever pharmacy you choose during your visit. Your pharmacy will tell you when the medication is ready for pickup. You can use your pharmacy insurance to cover the medication itself.
- If a provider cannot safely prescribe (rare, usually due to a sulfa allergy or kidney contraindication for acetazolamide), the visit fee is refunded in full. You only pay if the Rx is sent.
Paro lands you at altitude. Tiger's Nest takes you higher. Start the medication that gets you there.
Get the acetazolamide the CDC recommends for trekking above 2,500 meters, prescribed without the appointment.