Bhutan 2026: Himalayan Passes and No Winter Tyre Rule

Bhutan sets no seasonal tyre obligation. On a Himalayan road network that is a gap in the rules rather than a statement about the weather: the east–west Lateral Road crosses a series of passes above 3,000 metres, and Chele La near Paro, at roughly 3,988 metres, is the highest motorable road in the country. Between December and March those crossings ice over and take snow.

The tread figure that does apply is 1.6 mm in the main grooves. On a network made almost entirely of hairpins and gradients, treat it as the point at which a tyre is already overdue.

Tyre Law Summary for Bhutan

Three countries in one, by altitude

Bhutan changes climate vertically rather than seasonally, and a single day’s drive can pass through all of it:

• The southern foothills around Phuentsholing sit a few hundred metres above sea level and are subtropical and humid.
• The inner valleys — Thimphu and Paro at roughly 2,200 to 2,400 metres — are temperate, with frost on winter mornings and occasional snow.
• The passes and the north are alpine. Snow lies on the high crossings for months.

This is why a single tyre recommendation does not work here. What does work is carrying chains in winter and driving to the surface in front of you.

Winter: chains, not dates

No date in Bhutanese law tells you when to change anything. The passes decide instead. If your route crosses Dochu La, Pele La, Thrumshing La or Chele La between December and March:

• Carry chains and know how to fit them. Fitting them for the first time in the dark, on a camber, in falling snow is a bad plan.
• Expect ice before snow. Shaded hairpins on the lee side of a pass hold black ice long after the sun has cleared the rest of the road.
• Start early and finish early. Crossings are usually best mid-morning, after the sun has been on the surface but before afternoon cloud rolls in.

Monsoon: the bigger risk is the hillside

From June to September the rain is heavy, particularly in the south. Landslides and rockfall close sections of road at short notice, sometimes for days. Tyres matter here in one specific way: debris on the carriageway cuts sidewalls. After driving through any slide zone, stop and check both sides of every tyre. A cut sidewall cannot be repaired regardless of tread.

Descents are the wear you will not see

Two-kilometre descents are routine in Bhutan, and continuous braking builds heat into brakes, wheels and tyres together. Use a low gear, let the engine do the holding, and plan cooling stops on the long drops — for example off Thrumshing La towards Mongar.

Bhutan’s neighbours

Bhutan has exactly two land neighbours, and one of them is not open to road traffic:

• India: wraps around Bhutan to the south, east and west, and is the only practical land approach. No winter tyre season, 1.6 mm, and it also drives on the left.
• China: across the Himalayan crest to the north. The frontier is not an open road crossing, and China drives on the right.

Nepal and Bangladesh are often listed as neighbours in error. Neither shares a border with Bhutan; the Siliguri Corridor of India separates them.

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Bhutan drives on the left. Speed limits, licences and permit rules are covered in the Driving in Bhutan guide.

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