Plan Your Journey

Before December

Three to four online advance sharing sessions. Nothing else is asked of you before you travel.

11–13 December

Arrival and immersion, optional. Welcome dinner on 12 December.

14–15 December

Core gathering.

16–18 December

National Day period, optional.

GaME begins in Thimphu, and the circuit includes Thimphu and Paro. The venue will be confirmed later through the co-design process.

Direct connections to Paro International Airport are available from Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bagdogra in India, as well as Bangkok, Singapore, Kathmandu and Dhaka. Flights are operated by Bhutan's national carriers, Drukair and Bhutan Airlines, and can be booked directly or through an agent. Private aviation can arrive in Paro with prior clearance. Thimphu is about an hour's drive from Paro.

Routes and schedules change, so the organising team can advise on current options. You can raise questions about flights and transfers in the registration form.

Within Bhutan, the organising team coordinates shared vehicles and drivers for programme travel, arranged at cost.

International visitors need a visa, arranged before travel. The visa fee is USD 50. The organising team guides you through the process and coordinates the information needed from you.

Bhutan also charges international visitors a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) for each night of their stay. For GaME, the SDF is waived for registered participants for their entire stay. Partners and family members travelling with you who are not registered as participants pay the standard SDF. The team collects the details needed for the waiver once your participation is confirmed.

Nationals of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives follow different entry arrangements, and the team will advise. As December approaches, you will receive clear guidance on what is needed and when.

You pay for your own travel, accommodation, and meals and transport outside the programme. Group meals and transport during the programme are arranged in advance, and you pay your share of their actual cost when you register. The registration form sets out each item, its cost per person and the payment terms.

Bhutanese participants' share of shared costs is still being worked out. The per-person amount will be based on the shared costs of the venue, food and transportation; the support model is to be confirmed.

Refunds

Payments made at registration are 75% refundable if you cancel on or before 15 November 2026, and non-refundable after that date.

Collective costs

The gathering's collective costs, including the venue, preparation, production, staff, materials and convening work, are published in an open record on the GaME website.

Offerings

You may also contribute time, skills or materials, or make a voluntary financial offering towards these collective costs in the spirit of jinpa, generosity freely given. Individual offerings stay private; totals and how they are used are published on the website.

If offerings fall short of the budget, the gathering is scaled to fit rather than passing costs to hosts or participants. Any surplus goes partly to Leave a Trace, agreed improvements to the venues we use, and partly to future gatherings and related ecosystem work. The open record shows how it is used.

Hosts, cooks, guides, drivers, facilitators and the teams preparing the gathering are acknowledged by name and fairly remunerated, with preference for for-benefit partners and sourcing.

Partners and family members aged 18 and over are welcome. GaME cannot accommodate anyone under 18.

In the registration form, tell us who is travelling with you and whether each person is joining as a participant or accompanying you. Anyone joining as a participant must be registered, and can be registered through the same form as you. Shared costs and SDF arrangements differ for participants and accompanying guests, and the form sets these out.

From 11 to 13 December, participants from Bhutan and around the world spend time together around the country. These days are optional, and there is no single itinerary. Your interests and the people you have connected with shape how you spend them. The organising team brings options together, makes introductions and works with hosts and communities to arrange experiences around the people joining.

Culture and spirituality

A day in a Bhutanese life, farm-to-table experiences with a host family, dzong, temple and monastery visits, sacred sites and prayer offerings, traditional cultural dinners, folk games and traditional sports, and local craft and textile encounters.

Nature and wellbeing

Guided hikes and nature walks, wildlife and sanctuary visits, yoga and mindfulness sessions, valley and landscape excursions, and seasonal scenic drives.

Enterprise and innovation

Incubators and accelerators, innovation labs and maker spaces, and start-ups and enterprises with their founders.

Ecosystem and institutions

Government and regulatory bodies, development institutions, academic and research institutions, ecosystem actors and networks, and policy and partnership bodies.

What is possible depends on participants' interests and on the hosts and communities who welcome us. In the registration form, you can share the areas that interest you, people you would like to spend time with and conversations you would like to continue.

The National Day period is optional. If you plan to stay, tell us in the registration form so we can help with travel and accommodation around it. The organising team will assist with participation in formal events, subject to access requirements.

For the welcome dinner on 12 December, each participant brings a distinctive gift from their hometown, along with the story of the place it comes from. This is GaME's contemporary expression of Zhudrey Phuensum Tshogpa, recalling the regional offerings brought to Zhabdrung's gathering at Punakha. Choose something that speaks of where you come from; its value lies in the place and the story, not the price.

Bring warm layers for cold mornings and evenings, comfortable shoes for walking and hiking, and formal attire for dzong visits or National Day events. The organising team will share dress guidance for these occasions.

Thimphu sits at around 2,300 metres and Paro at around 2,200 metres. Take the first day gently, drink plenty of water, and consult your doctor before travelling if you have concerns about altitude. December is generally dry and clear, with cold nights that can fall below freezing.

We recommend travel insurance that covers medical care and evacuation. Tell us in the registration form about any accessibility, dietary or health needs we should plan around.

Language

Dzongkha is Bhutan's national language. English is widely used in public institutions, education and tourism.

Currency

The ngultrum (BTN/Nu.), pegged to the Indian rupee.

Payments

Carry some cash. Cards and digital payments are accepted in many places.

Time zone

Bhutan Time, UTC+6.

Context

Bhutan is a democratic constitutional monarchy and predominantly Buddhist.

1. 1

   Confirm your attendance

   Complete the registration form: who is travelling with you, your travel plans, the shared elements you will join and your stay preferences. Your share of shared costs is paid here.

2. 2

   Complete MIND

   You receive a confirmation and credentials for MIND, a guided conversation about your work and interests. Complete it within five days. It helps the organising team connect you with others before December.

3. 3

   Join the advance sharing sessions

   Take part in three to four online advance sharing sessions with institutions and partners in Bhutan and with other participants.