Introduction to Bhutan

Dear Jambay
I wanted to let you and Wind Horse Tours how much Mie and I enjoyed our trip to Bhutan.
Kudos to Tin Zen for a wonderful week.  He took very good care of us and was able to fulfill all of our requests.  He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Bhutan and Buddhism. He took us to many temples and historic sights which we enjoyed.   The hike to the Tiger’s Nest was memorable.  I feel very proud that I could do this very strenuous trek. Just walking through the rice paddies was so nice and relaxing.  We were able to see so much of your beautiful country.  All of the people we met were very nice and hospitable.  Land of smiles.    Also to our driver Vin who transported us safely from one end of Bhutan to the other.
My one complaint was the food.  Simply put, I do not like Indian food, the spices upset my digestion. All of the hotel buffets seemed to be based on Indian cuisine.  It’s part of your culture I know, I’m not in the USA.  And the hotels must cater to the majority of their clients. We did enjoy our traditional Bhutanese lunch. Most of the lunches were better that the dinners at the hotels.  Tenzin was able to change our preference to a la carte for the last few nights and that helped us a lot.
I have a request.  One day we drove to the end of a road and then we walked to a monastery.  We were the only visitors there.  I’m sorry I don’t remember the name.  We met several of the young teenage monks.  We talked for quite a while.  They were very curious about the world outside of Bhutan.  They took us inside their temple (which was locked up) and then to another temple inside.  I drank some holy water and they let Mie roll the dice.  She got a 15!  They were impressed.  So was I.  It was a very special place and time.  I have some Bhutanese currency that I can’t seem to get exchanged anywhere.  Can I send this money to you and then ask Tenzin to deliver it to the monastery the next time he visits?  It’s only about $22 USD but maybe it will help them.
Best Regards, Wayne and Mie Kemp

Beautiful country and beautiful people.
Me and my wife have visited Bhutan for 7 days (8 November- 15 November 2019) trip. We enjoyed our trip a lot. Our guide Dechen Kencho Dorji was amazing. He did everything to make us comfortable. He has good knowledge of Bhutan’s cultural and historical aspects. He respected our privacy to have some time for ourselves just to enjoy the moment.
All I have to say is we really enjoyed everything. Hike to Tiger’s nest was mesmerizing. Hot stone bath and Thursday night dinner were like icing on the cake. Thank you so much for all the professionalism of Wind horse. We are definitely recommending this trip to our friends and family.

We’re at the airport in Paro awaiting our flight out. We had a great week! Namgay took excellent care of us and we truly enjoyed the week.

Thank you for your message. We just arrived home today from Kathmandu ! Our stay in Bhutan was wonderful and it was a fantastic experience ! Every thing was perfect, food, landscapes, people… Our guide and driver were very nice and we really appreciated to share all these moments with them. Thank you again for your great organisational work !

My husband and I took our first trip to Bhutan with our 20yr old daughter.We chose Wind Horse as our guide service via Kimkim travel service.
I was more than happy with our team. We were well taken care of and came to appreciate all the preparations and in spite of our apprehension about being led around by guides it actually was one of the highlights.In the 8 days we spent together our guide Pema Namgyel and driver Sonam Tenzin came to feel like travelling companions rather than hired travel company employees. Pema’s professionalism and knowledge of the history and culture and Sonam’s calm and skilled driving on washed out roads and sketchy driving conditions made us feel secure and in good hands.
We had some reservations about going during monsoon season in August but other than some rain at night and light rain on our hike to Tiger’s nest, the weather was no problem and we far preferred some clouds to the crowds of high season.
Accommodations: Highlights were Ugyen Homestay in Ha Valley, Gangtey Palace in Paro and Hotel Dewachen in Phobjikha..
Food: Loved it. I am going to attempt to make “chilly cheese” at home. We appreciated the hotels serving Western breakfast but we particularly enjoyed trying the local cuisine. Least favorite was the largely empty road house lunch stops that looked to be set up for large volumes of tourists. Since we were usually the only group eating there it seems that we could have gone to someplace more local. However, we understand the logistics of setting up ongoing relationships with the restaurants.
As we were asked to provide constructive criticism I would just say that we saw many temples and it was very hot. Felt only able to absorb so much but Pema had so much information I had to listen. However thanks to Pema, I was able to identify Guru Rinpoche in the temple above Tiger’s Nest on my own. Maybe include some more secular sites. For example, we enjoyed poking our heads into the many “general” stores to see what was for sale.
Other highlights:
-the first night in Thimphu we wandered down to the National Stadium right by our hotel and caught the second half of the Nepal v Bangladesh women’s football (soccer) match.
-driving over Dochu La Pass in the mist, stopping to watch Gray Monkeys in trees next to the road. Stopping for specialty rice balls sold at roadside stands on the road from Punakha. But the ultimate had to be the spectacular hike to Tiger’s Nest on our last day in Bhutan. A once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.
Bhutan, we will miss you.intro
Lisa, Grant and India

Bhutan:
Our guide Subash was for sure one of the most funniest persons we have ever met. He really went out of his way and made everything possible – we even met the King of Bhutan on our day of arrival! We had so many questions and he had an answer to almost all of them. Also, he was very open, friendly and helpful at all times. He did a great job!
Our driver was an excellent driver under the most difficult road conditions, and also a kind and engaging travelling companion. We appreciated his patience and skill, he is a man of few words, but his little chuckle speaks volumes. Together they were a perfect team.
The tour program was also very good and versatile, we have the feeling that we were able to see all the most important sights and wonders of nature in the area around Paro, Thimphu and Punakha. We learned a lot about history, buddhism and the bhutanese way of life. Also we were really content with the choice of hotels. Especially the Druk hotel in Thimphu and the Tashi Namgay Resort in Paro.

We wanted to thank you personally for all your help in putting together and organising our amazing Indian and Bhutanes adventure. Thank you for being so patient as we took time to finalise the itinerary and answering all our questions.
We had a great time in India and Bhutan and will certainly recommend your company to anyone that intends to travel there. Best regards Evi & Jan

A year of planning to the Land of happiness and the Dragon led to a life time of memories. We as a girls Whatsapp group of Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam embarked on the idea of a reunion in Bhutan. Based on the web reviews chose Wind Horse Tours and they took care of all queries, substantial and silly from us 17 ladies for a period of nearly 10 months as the plan started taking shape. The tour commenced on Nov. 6th 2017 for a period of 8 days and 7 nights. Our group included a mix of Indian and non-Indian(US/UK) passport holders. The WH Manager Yonten Jamtsho was prompt in replying to our emails and coordinating with us all. From our arrival into Paro till our departure every minute details were taken care of by our exclusive guide Yeshi Penjor and his team which included the luggage van driver Prem and the tour bus driver Guddu and Raje.

I do recommend Wind Horse Tours for a comprehensive Bhutan tour for their individual, personalized and flexible plan.  However, I have to mention this that although we had made the advance payment by March beginning, i.e almost 8 months in advance, they did goof up on the hotels. Hotel Tenzeling instead of the desired Tashi Namgay was nice too. But a farmhouse turned hotel for half of the group in Gangtey did not go down well as our initial request was on the lines of Dewachen Hotel. We refused to stay there for personal inconveniences. Our ever resourceful guide Yeshi managed to find alternate hotel rooms of our liking. All ended well but did cause a dent regarding the efficiency of WH Tours.

We have recently returned from an amazing 7 day visit to Bhutan.  We started the research into Bhutan about a year ago and discovered that we would need to book through a Bhutanese travel company.  I initially contacted six companies for information and then worked with three to prepare an itinerary.   From the initial contact I got a very good feeling about Wind horse and decided to book with them.  They have the advantage of having an office in the Netherlands and in Minnesota, USA. My contact was with Bas in the Netherlands office and he replied to my emails very quickly and showed such a friendly and positive attitude in his emails. After reading some other reviews of Wind horse it was obvious to us that this was the company to plan our trip. We had a rough outline of the places we wanted to see and Bas drafted up a couple of itineraries for us.  We selected the hotels we preferred (the standard selection of hotels was fine rather than paying significantly more for larger US luxury chain hotels) and Wind horse provided a detailed description and their comments on our choice.  We have travelled extensively and usually do all our own planning and bookings.  Wind horse had no problems working with us on the final itinerary we had chosen.

With the convenience of an office  in the Netherlands, we could pay the initial deposit and final payment by electronic bank transfer direct to them there, rather than try and remit the money to Bhutan. This is very convenient for UK and European travellers. We received confirmation of our hotels and once the Druk air schedule was published, Wind horse booked our flights. There were a few questions over the next few months and all these were answered promptly in detail by Bas.

A month before we were due to arrive in Bhutan, Wind horse emailed us our Bhutan visas, flight tickets and information package.  Our week in Bhutan was in the middle of a month long visit to India and we flew from Delhi to Paro.  The Druk air flight was excellent with spectacular views of several of the world’s highest mountains and one of the most difficult runway landings in the world, expertly executed by the Druk air captain.  We also had the honour of having the King & Queen of Bhutan on our flight as they were returning from a visit to India.

On arrival in Bhutan we were met by our friendly guide Karma and our driver Tenzin.  They immediately made us feel welcome in their country. The vehicle provided by Wind horse was a comfortable 4 wheel drive SUV. We started our itinerary in Thimphu at the Druk Hotel.  We had seen some reviews on line about poor quality hotels and food in Bhutan but on arrival at the hotel in Thimphu we were pleasantly surprised. The accommodation was excellent and the food very tasty.  In all the hotels the meals are usually buffet style with a selection of Bhutanese and Western dishes.  The Druk hotel also had an extremely cosy bar and lounge area with an amazing selection of drinks. At the end of each day we discussed the next day’s itinerary with Karma and sometimes made a few changes.  Occasionally we would finish our sightseeing early afternoon and return to the hotel for a short break before going out on our own to explore the area. When we started out each morning, cold bottled water was always in the vehicle.  We did a lot of interesting hikes and saw some wonderful view of the Himalayas.  We also visited Punakha for an overnight stay and drove from there to the Phobjikha valley to see the black necked cranes. This drive is quite long and arduous as the road to the valley is unpaved and rough in sections.  The road goes through the foothills so there are also a lot of hairpin bends and steep scary drop offs.  Our driver was extremely careful and we arrived in the wonderful valley.  All the hotels, including those in the remoter areas provided good quality accommodation and delicious meals.  The places that Wind horse selected for lunch were always excellent, with clean washroom facilities.

We returned to Paro for the final three nights and did the hike up to Tiger’s Nest Monastery.  This was the highlight of our visit.  It is a fairly tough climb with several hundred steps down into a canyon and then several hundred steps up the other side before finally reaching the spectacularly situated monastery but our guide made sure that we climbed at a reasonable pace and we enjoyed a break and wonderful views from the café at the halfway point.  

We cannot speak highly enough of Windhorse Tours and especially Bas our contact throughout the whole process.  He was even in contact with our guide while we were in Bhutan to make sure everything was going to plan.  There are many tour companies offering tours to Bhutan but because of the complexities of visiting that country, it is of paramount importance that visitors choose a well-established reliable company to organise the trip and Wind horse must surely be one of the best.

In conclusion, travelling to Bhutan requires more planning and is a little more expensive to visit than some other countries in Asia but the warmth of the people and the magnificent scenery make it a truly worthwhile and memorable experience.

 

 

My husband and I absolutely LOVED our 8-day “Introduction to Bhutan” tour.  We have both done lots of traveling, both before we met and together, and this trip was the BEST!  Our guide (Kinley) and driver (Sonam) made everything so easy and relaxing for us.  We are especially grateful to the Wind Horse staff for their willingness to customize our itinerary to include a wedding ceremony at Dechenphodrang monastery, overlooking Thimpu valley.  We can’t thank Wind Horse enough for a once-in-a-lifetime, phenomenal vacation!  We hope to return to Bhutan again in the future — maybe for a trek next time!

Dear Anand
Thanks for writing. We had a wonderful time on our trip to Bhutan.
The itinerary and the guides were fine. We enjoyed the trip very much. We do look forward to coming back and getting into eastern Bhutan, and also to do some trekking.

The only thing I found odd on the trip, and this is very minor, but still odd, is how guests have to pay for water at meals. Seriously? Couldn’t this be included in the cost of the meal? The price is so small that it is annoying. Tourists don’t carry around Bhutanese money that small. Paying for soda, beer, wine, sure that is expected. But please, included a couple of bottles of water with each meal, or have the guides bring in a bottle from the car. It’s very strange.
That said, we look forward to our next trip with Wind horse. We are thinking of Bhutan in October. Any ideas?

Thanks

Dear Anand,
We enjoyed our trip immensely. And couldn’t have been happier with our guide Pema and driver.  They were very helpful, and did everything we wanted.
We thought all the places we visited fitted with just what we wanted to see and it was a good mix of cultural and natural.  We were really happy that the 2 guys decided to walk up to the Tigers nest with us and they were helpful and encouraging.
Hotels were great, in fact better than we expected. Food also good.
We enjoyed seeing your country so much, it was a real dream come true and lived up to expectations.  There were no lows!  We have recommended your company via Facebook and personally to several friends and work colleagues.  We wish you every success with your business.
Please give our sincere thanks to all that helped organise our trip on the ground and in the office.

Dear Anand,
Please excuse this belated note. My husband Andrew has been quite busy with work, so I decided to respond on my family’s behalf.
All in all, our 7 days in Bhutan were truly remarkable. The pastoral and rugged beauty of the country will stay with us for a long time.  Our guide Tashi was the ideal match for our family of three. He was engaging and informative without being garrulous. Also, he was so thoughtful to arrange a birthday cake for our daughter on the day of our arrival because we landed in Bhutan on her 13th birthday. The royal baby was born on the same day as well, which was an unexpected honor for her!
The restaurants Tashi selected for us were fantastic; we ate very well. Also, our driver Yamraj was the consummate professional. He focused on his driving and made us feel quite safe despite the treacherous terrain. We are not sure how he maintained his calm as he drove over 6 hours from Gangtey to Thimpu on an unpaved, rocky road.

Our only regret was having asked Tashi to switch our itinerary at the end of our visit so that we could climb Taktsang the day before the scheduled date. We wanted to visit the National Museum in Paro on our last day because the museum would be open. The previous day it was scheduled to be closed due to a national holiday. Anyhow, Tashi accommodated kindly but had us still tour Thimpu rather than driving us straight to Taktsang. Anyhow, we started our hike up the mountain at 2:00pm; of course, our climb down coincided with nightfall and was quite scary for me and my daughter.
Besides the climb down in the dark, we cannot fault Tashi because we asked for the schedule change. Other than the poor timing, we had the most wonderful trip and feel fortunate to have been paired with Tashi and Yamraj. I particularly enjoyed Paro for its flowers and temperate climate; our daughter loved the chill and snow in Gangtey the most.
Thank you for arranging an unforgettable, lovely trip for us.

Dear Anand – We had a wonderful experience in Bhutan.  The guide and driver were friendly and helpful, giving us a glimpse at Bhutanese culture. We were satisfied with the arrangement of accommodation and food. However, the food was a little bit too salty and invariable for us. We would expect some alternative choices of food styles, especially in Thimphu. But overall, we really appreciated the trip and all the works you had done for us. Thanks a lot!
Sincerely, Hsin Tu Tsai
– TID – 8732, Introduction to Bhutan, March, 22-29,2015. Guide Leki

Just wanted to commend your company and our guide, Yeshi and driver, Dawa, on the well planned program that you developed for your guests. Our days were filled with wonderful activities and no question went unanswered. We truly both saw and understood the culture and would highly recommend your company and these two employees in the future. Not only did Yeshi and Dawa lead our tour, they also became our friends and helped us when we had trouble with the ATM, taking certain climbs, and focusing on our special interests. For example, my husband loves archery and Yeshi and Dawa made certain he saw and took part in various tournaments. Thank you for a wonderful eight days in an amazing country. Darla and Ben Shaw, Ridgefield, Ct. USA

TID 582-Introduction to Bhutan Tour for Peggy and Family ( 26 Dec. 2012- 02, Jan. 2013)

Dear Ugen and company,

I have finally posted on Trip Advisor (Sammy10dog) and want to be sure to let you know how pleased we were with everything about our trip from start to finish.  Your office was helpful in our planning and our guide and driver (I don’t think I could spell either name properly :(…) were wonderful. In any other country with such new development I might have been worried about food or safety or travel in the mountains.  I know that it is mainly the friendly and respectful culture that helped ensure our happiness, but, for example, our driver – like most on the road – amazed me with his skill and care as we navigated roads that barely seemed passable at times.  When we wanted to take a special dinner on New Year’s Eve, they made sure we were well-arranged, transported, and ensured an easy trip back to the hotel. My family and I could not have been happier.  The trip to Bhutan is a huge undertaking for an American family, but you really did manage to make this trip of a lifetime work out wonderfully in every way.

Thank you and best wishes to all of you in the New Year.

Our family trip to bhutan was great and interesting. our tour guide ” sonam” and the driver ” kamalraj” was very responsible for taking care all of us and they’re very funny:) bhutan have a very beautiful scenery country.. there”s a lot of antique temples, mountains, rivers,,,, we’re going in summer season so is quite cloudy in the morning, and can’t see the himalaya clearly. but if go for winter I thk should not be a problem… Bhutan foods are very healthy and delicious!!! we all love the red rice, beef and of course their ” green chilli with cheese..” We very enjoy the Bhutan trip!!! espeacially TIGER NEST!!! Well, very thankful to our guide and driver for bringing us to the nice places, is very memorable… thanks!

TID 8549 (Oct 30 – Nov 09, 2014) Private Tour 
Hello Anand,
As I mentioned previously Galen was an excellent guide. I had a small nature tour business in Belize for 14 years so I know what makes a good tour and what makes an excellent guide. She was friendly, adaptable, knowledgeable and thoroughly professional. her knowledge and ability to discuss Buddhist religion and the temple art was particularly great for my wife. her demeanour and actions exemplified the 4 pillars of your Gross Happiness Index. She was a delight to spend time with and both Helen and I felt privileged to make her acquaintance. The actual tour was very good tho now that I have abetter idea of the actual conditions, I have a few suggestions. Considering that we were not able to do steep climbs and the parks have no trails, I would not have done the long dusty drive thru Jigme Dori park in order to have a picnic. What really worked out well from our perspective was the 2 walks we did going downhill thru the forest on the paved road from Chele Pass – smooth surface, no dust and minimal traffic. Nice nature experience and decent birding. it was unfortunate that we had to split our hotels in Punakha/ Jangdue considering it appeared that there was indeed room for us at the the Drung chu resort for both nites.

I had been assured we were wait listed there so having to spend the nite at the Punatsangchu Cottages which served an unbelievable breakfast of porridge, white bread and potatoes only, telling us there were no eggs in the village was very disappointing. especially considering Drungchu’ s rooms were absolutely excellent, clean lines and everything a hotel room should have – one of the best equipped and designed rooms we have been in. I realize you have a big operation and the room may have been available last moment but disappointing nonetheless. We are considering booking again for central Bhutan in the future but would need to be assured that you would indeed honour your commitment to making sure we had the requested rooms considering we booked 6 months in advance.

So, all in all a very satisfactory experience and we would recommend your services to others but would warn them about the problem with hotel substitutions and would again advize you to work on that wait listing issue because besides the fact of the inconvenience of moving rooms each day and Punatsangchu Cottages’ inadequate breakfast, it also added quite a bit of driving time to our day.

Introduction to Bhutan for Martina & Clare TID: 8531 May. 11-18, 2014
I had a fantastic holiday. The pace was relaxed. I am pleased we managed to get a couple of long walks in, as they were very enjoyable. Everything went smoothly and our guide and driver were both excellent, flexible and had a good sense of humour.
My least enjoyable part was going to the thanka shop, paper factory, painting school etc as it felt as if we were being taken to places to shop. However, that only happened on the one day and there was no pressure on us to buy.
Accommodation was very good. Food in the last venue was the least good.
A great trip!! Clare

TID 737, April 12 -19,2014
Dear Anand, It’s very nice to hear from you, and, yes, the Queen was the icing on the cake! You are most welcome to use pictures from the album, though I’m not sure they can be downloaded at decent quality from the site. Tim can send you whichever ones you’d like directly. Just let him know. I’ve copied him here, so you have his email address.

Some feedback:

The trip and itinerary were amazing! Leky and Chimi were excellent. We’ve been to many places where we’ve had guides and drivers, and I have to say, these two men were by far the best we’ve had to date. Chimi always drove safely and carefully along the crazy roads—both on the way to other towns and on the way to other unplanned destinations. As a mother, I cannot ask for anything more!

Leky took us to a farmhouse outside of Wangdue where the girls enjoyed playing with a baby calf and watching the cows be milked. His “auntie’ invited us to lunch. All around an enjoyable experience. I told Leky that we would have really enjoyed a farmhouse stay at her place, so maybe this is something you would want to consider in the future. Her place was extremely clean and welcoming. I mentioned a farmhouse stay to Jambay, but he didn’t think it would be a good idea with the kids. Certainly, they would have complained, but I think they would have gotten something out of it as well. Just a thought for the future.

Hotels: Hotel Druk was superb! Highly recommend. As for the Tenzingling, a few things: Beautiful buildings, beds were fine, but the pillows were very hard. Bathrooms were cold and shower curtains were moldy. Our last morning in the hotel, all of us woke up with many small bug bites on our legs, arms, neck and feet. I cannot say for sure if there was a bed bug issue, but it’s something worth mentioning to you. I came home and washed everything on very high temperatures and steamed our luggage just in case. I think you need to know in case others find an issue.

We also did not enjoy/sleep well at the Punatsangchhu Cottages. Both beds and pillows were very hard. The breakfast options were very limited. Knowing this, Leky took us around the corner to a family place for dinner which was superb.

Some of the highlights for us were not actually on the itinerary but arranged by request with Leky: the whitewater rafting, the visit to the primary school in Wangdue, the farmhouse visit and the archery practice. On the itinerary, we loved Punakha Dzong and the National Arts and Crafts school, and of course, our favorite: Tiger’s Nest. We found it an easy climb but were very grateful to have the horses for the younger two and to have left early.

So, honestly, everything else was top notch. We knew going into the trip that the hotel options would be sketchy, and having the Hotel Druk break up the other two was lovely. Communication with Jambay was always quick and clear. I appreciate that. Please clarify your wording on the children’s ages. According to the tourism council of Bhutan, it’s “if a child is 5 plus and not 6 she/he will not have to pay the tariff, but have to pay the Visa Fee of USD 40 one time.”

I hope this helps. I’ve already had friends who would like our tour and itinerary information, and I will certainly pass them along and highly recommend Wind horse. I saw on Google+ that you followed HK Sprint. I actually don’t run the program anymore as I’m working at the school

Wind horse should consider yoga/meditative retreats. I would definitely sign up for that, or better yet, you arrange it and I’ll lead it!Let us know if you need anything else.

Dear Jambay, Namgyal, Djimmy and the others off the team of Windhorse,

Thank you so much for a great and memorable holiday in beautiful Bhutan. Our trip was above expectations regarding Windhorse. From the moment we were picked up from the airport we felt special. Namgyal (Guide) and Djimny (Driver) gave us from the start a very warm welcome. But also the email correspondence upfront with Jambay or one of the other teammembers was very nice, quick responses and everything was very clear. Namgyal is a very friendly and kind guide who speaks very well English. He knows everything about Bhutan and he can tell it in a nice way. Djimny is a very calm, friendly and safe driver and knows all the places in Bhutan.

The guide and the driver were very patient and helpfull with us (also with our 3 and 5 year old kids). Everything we could discusss with them, they lowered the tempo if needed. They did everything to give us a pleasant stay. In our opion they did this in a very natural way. We think that they were enjoying the trip as well. Because of Namgyal and Djimmy we had a great holiday and we could enjoy the nature, beauty and culture of Bhutan, so again for them, a BIG thanks! Because of them we could climb up to the Tiger’s nest with the kids.

We gave Namgyal already our feedback regarding the hotels, some were great, some were beyond expectations, some hotels were good regarding the room, but disappointed in the food. But overall we had a great stay in Bhutan. We would like to give you the suggestion, to tell the next travellers, that they will do some excercise, to make the sure they are in good condition, before the will come to Bhutan, so they will have it easier on the hiking. It will be easier for them to climb the Tiger’s nest.And we are not sure, if the food in Bhutan is not that diverse, but we would like to suggest to have some more variety in the food. After 6 days eating rice, noodles, chicken and chilli’s &cheese and some vegetables for lunch and diner, you’re done with it. We changed our plan for the last evening to have diner somewhere else.

For sure we will recommend Windhorse with our friends here in Chennai or back home in the Netherlands. And if we will make an other trip in the future we will sure think of Windhorse.

Posted on Dec. 29, 14

Bhutan Intro & Myanmar Intro Oct 17 – Nov 3, 2013

We enjoyed our time in Bhutan greatly. The roads obviously need a lot of fixing. Unless you are sure that the center in Punakha is open, I would revise plans. The drive was spectacular, but we simply turned around to go back over the same bad roads. The flight from Paro to Bangkok was a disaster, although it was not Wind Horse’s fault. 12 hours to take a 4hour flight was really too much. Is there another airline other that Druk? We would recommend your company at any time. Everything was well organized.

Rita.

TID 680 Dr Rupinder Bhutan Tour (29.10.13 – 06.11.13)
Dear Anand, We are finally getting settled after the amazing time we had at Bhutan. KT and Baliman were great for taking us to all the wonderful places and getting us back safely. Overall, the trip was well organized, except for a few minor glitches. We were not crazy about the hotel in Punakha. My wife did fine, but I would have liked a little more diverse food. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we are defiantly coming back, and when we do, I’ll like you folks to make all our arrangements including having KT and Baliman work with us.

Thanks for making our trip a huge success.
All the best.

TID 720 Nithya & group tour to Bhutan and Nepal (6.10.13-21.10.13)

Thank you for your email. We had a great time in both locations (although all of us felt that 8 days in Bhutan was beyond what was necessary- perhaps 4 or 5 days was closer to what we needed). The tour was well organized and our guides and drivers were all great! High Asia Tours in Nepal had mentioned that we were going to ‘settle the money ‘issue re: flight from KTM to Pokhara (which we did not take b/c of closure of the Pokhara airport). I believe we are owed some money since we used a driver and car vs. flying. We did not hear from them and I forgot to follow up with them as we were leaving. Do you have any news about that? When organizing people to travel in Bhutan, I would recommend inquiring about tendency for motion sickness. The roads in Bhutan were worse than I imagined.

While I expected windy roads because of mountainous territory, I did not expect extreme bumpiness for extended periods of time. This affected the health of my mother even though she took Gravol to prevent nauseousness. People with back problems would also find the driving difficult and even painful. In the event a group (or a few people in the group) are sensitive to these issues, I would modify the trip to include as much flying as possible and include a warning about long stretches of bumpy roads. We thought Paro, Thimpu and the Do Cha La Pass were well worth seeing, but could have skipped Trongsa and Wangde. We also liked the festival in Bhumtang. This would have minimized the driving. Additionally, I would warn travelers about heating in hotels.

I had asked Ugen about heating in all the hotel rooms before we left and he assured me there was heat in all hotels. While this was technically true, I think it’s important to let travelers know that some hotels have wood stove heat only requiring hourly refueling even in the night. I would advise travelers to ask the front desk for heaters that are electric (not all have enough for the number of people staying in the hotel). If you could provide feedback to the hotels, I would ask them to purchase more heaters for rooms. Nepal was fabulous and our guide was amazing! Highly recommend Vishnu for all travelers. The drivers were also very good here. We enjoyed all the places we stayed and visited. Thank you again for your followup questions and I look forward to hearing from you re: our flight refund for Nepal (KTM to Pokhara).

TID 695:Introduction to Bhutan Tour from 4-11 Sept 2013
Dear Jambay,We arrived back in Paris there was two days ago.The weather is not so good, but that is the weather of Paris.We will to thank you, for the management of our tour in Bhutan,All was good and we have enjoyed your country.Sonam the guide, and Sonam the driver are very kind and performant and found always the good solution.
All the best,

Introduction to Bhutan Tour TID 690(Jun.22-30,2013)
Dear Ugen:Andrew and I are in Punakha with Yeshi and Dorgi. Right now, Yeshi and I are in the open-air lobby of the Hotel Meriphuensum. Everybody else seems to have gone to bed early so he and I are sharing our thoughts about life.We’re having a great time and I want to send you special thanks for arranging for Yeshi to be our guide and for Dorgi to be the driver. Yeshi is a wonderful guy. He’s charming and intelligent, has a highly-developed sense of humor, and he possesses a special sensitivity that is rare. Windhorse Travel is lucky to have him as an employee. As for Dorgi, we couldn’t have had a more proficient and careful chauffeur.We’re enjoying our time in your beautiful country. The weather is very good, with only occasional rain, mostly at night. The time is, of course, passing quickly and we’ll be sad to leave Bhutan on Sunday.As you know, we’ll be back in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon, July 2. I’ll telephone you sometime during that week and will also email several photographs.

I hope all is well with you and your family.

My wife, daughter and I visited for nine days in Bhutan in October, 2012 with Wind Horse Tours and had an absolutely wonderful time. Our guide, Kinley Tenzin, was great. His knowledge of the culture and customs of the Bhutanese people was suburb. He constantly went out of his way to show and explain things to us. The hotels we stayed in and the food we ate satisfied us completely. Although the mountain roads we travelled were narrow and winding, we felt safe with our driver and the van we rode in. I highly recommend Wind Horse Tours.

Introduction to Bhutan Marisa X2 (Jan,24-Jan,31,2012)

Dear Jambay,
We would like to thank you for the tour you organized us. Everything was perfect!
Leki is an excellent guide and Dawa a very good driver.

We have nothing to complain. We had a very nice experience in Bhutan and hope to come back soon.

Kind regards.

Bhutan Tour for James X2 (17th – 25th December 2011)

To Whom it May Concern,

My wife and I have just returned from 8 fantastic days in Bhutan “the land of the Thunder Dragon.” We were fortunate to have chosen to work with “WIND HORSE TOURS, TREKS & EXPEDTIONS” @ www.windhorsetours.com for this fascinating trip. You might say that is was the “luck of the draw” since I reviewed a variety of groups on the Internet and selected them. Many thanks to Ugen for answering my many emails prior to our departure. Over the years we have traveled to more than 50 countries “on our own” never with a guide (with the exception of our Sherpa who accompanied us on the Everest trek years ago) and I was not looking forward to hanging out with a “driver & guide” for 8 days. WOW – was I wrong! Our guide (Numgay) & driver (Dawa) were excellent traveling companions. There are 1,000 photos to be taken along the way and they were very patient when I would ask them to stop & turn the car around for that “special photo” we just passed! The roads in Bhutan are very curvy, narrow and steep – they absolutely require a skilled driver to be able to avoid the occasional cow or yak, deep potholes and speeding supply trucks. From the moment they picked us up at the airport until they dropped back at the airport, 8 days later, they were 100% attentive to our every request. Namgay was particularly well informed with regard to Bhutan’s history and the deep meaning associated with the various deities we encountered in each monastery or temple. Get in shape for your hike to “Tiger’s Nest.” It is well worth the 3 hour plus climb.

The tea break on the way down was much appreciated. If you are seeking a getaway with lots of surprises Bhutan is the place for you since the people and scenery were great. If you are looking for relaxing, sunny days at the beach, in 5 star hotels head to Mexico or Greece. A great cultural adventure and friendly people, in a pristine mountainous environment, await you in Bhutan. This was quality trip at a reasonable price – do not pass it up because of the cost. Bhutan’s government keeps the number of tourists low on purpose but strives to make your experience “high value!” No – I was paid to write these comments – this the 1st time I have ever submitted write up like this for any trip.

Stein & Mason Introduction to Bhutan & India Tour (Nov. 17- Dec. 03 2011)

Dear Ugen ,Jambay and team,
I’m not a big fan of public forums but did want to give you some feedback re our trip. We had a great time and were looked after very well in India and Bhutan. Transfers went smoothly, our guides and drivers were terrific and the content was all that we could ask for. We have some wonderful memories and would definitely recommend Windhorse Tours as a “go-to” company.

I would, however, like to comment on a few of our hotel experiences.The lack of hot water was a problem at Ashok Country Resort, Delhi (our second stay) and Tenzinling Resort, Paro. Otherwise, staff were very nice.
Alsisar Haveli, Jaipur was lovely but our hair-dryer caught fire on the first night. Our request for another one was ignored (we had called Reception twice) and we only got a replacement after personally going down to Reception. This all took more than 3 hours. This sounds a bit petty but is of utmost importance when you are hanging around with wet hair! On the plus side, the restaurant staff were very attentive.

Hotel Marina Agra caters mainly to large groups and the individual traveller is virtually ignored. We could not be accommodated for dinner in the main dining area because of groups. It is also in a very inconvenient location so I would not recommend sending anyone there.

Reception at Hotel Phuntsho Pelri, Thimphu were extremely unfriendly but the restaurant staff were terrific.
Our room at Meri Phuensum Resort, Punakha was unsatisfactory so we did not unpack but immediately requested another one. We were instantly denied but things changed when I asked them to contact Tashi, our guide. Suddenly we were shown two other rooms, one of which was quite satisfactory. Other than that our stay was very pleasant.

None of these things spoiled our trip but I just wanted to mention the above since unsatisfactory accommodation can really upset some people. I also want to add that the staff at Palace Heights in Delhi were extremely helpful.
Oh, the only glitch was the proposed hike at Dochu La Pass. As it was virtually our second day in Bhutan, we had not yet acclimatized to the altitude so we only went half-way. Altitude was not a problem by the time we went to Tiger’s Nest which, of course, was one of the highlights.

Thanks again for your assistance in planning this trip.

With best regards,

Nancy & Richard Bhutan Introduction Tour 19 Apr-26 April 2011.

Dear Jambay and Ugan,
My husband and I are having the most amazing journey. I cannot even wait to get home to tell you how wonderful this trip is and how lucky we feel to have chosen Windhorse for our tour. The itinerary is filled with fascinating and magnificent sights and adventures. The hotels were wonderful. Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful. We feel so lucky and appreciative to have had the company, guidance and expert competence of our guide, Kinley Tenzin and our driver, Yam Raj.

Kinley is a thoughtful and perceptive guide. He went out of his way to see that we had everything we could want and experience everything that we were interested in doing to the fullest. He listened to every wish that we expressed and made them all come true. For example, when I expressed my interest in astrology, he located a monk who specialized in astrological readings. When the monk advised me to get statues of particular Buddhas, he patiently and determinately took me to place after place until I found the perfect ones. Then we went to monasteries to locate a Lama who would place prayers inside the statues! I am sure that there are not many people who would take the trouble to individualize our trip the way that he has done. He made so many gestures of generosity and compassion. He has protected us and looked after us with so much care. For example, when my husband did not feel well one night, he located some cold medicine and told us to call him anytime during the night in case My husband should need medical attention or any such thing. There are so many instances of ways that he extended himself. He interpreted conversations between monks and myself, requested food preferences at each restaurants, and the list of thoughtful acts goes on and on. Kinley’s depth of knowledge about the history of Bhutan and of Buddhism is amazing. I don’t know how so much information can be retained by one person. He has been able to answer every question we asked, and informed us of so much more than we could have imagined. This journey has been a great learning experience. We have a far better understanding of the culture, the history and the goodness of the Bhutanese people.

We have never seen anybody drive with such skill and professionalism as Yam Raj. Both my husband and I are typically nervous passengers, but we both felt totally safe and secure as Yam calmly and patiently drove upon challenging roads, around cliffs and steep inclines without incidence. He was so completely focused as he drove. What a great relief, especially coming from America, where people sometimes drive with one eye on their phone as they text or talk! He didn’t take his focus off of his responsibility for a second. And coming from New York, where people can be so selfish and angry as they drive, what a wonderful change it was to watch as he considerately slowed down for others to pass. He remained alert and precise as he drove for over five hours from one place to another. We are very lucky that his hands are the ones that our lives were placed in. Plus, he is an extremely sweet, lovely person. We totally enjoyed his company.

We are so happy that we chose Windhorse for this most amazing journey. We’ll keep these wonderful memories forever. Thank you!
Sincerely,

Bhutan was GREAT, Trip 7-14 August, 2010

We had a GREAT time in Bhutan. We love places, people and definitely our guide and driver. I have been to 44 countries and I can definitely say that this is one of my favorites. We would definitely go back again and will like to spend more time at Dechawan, especially around black neck crane season. We would also like to explore the east further to Bhumtang around the festival time.

I have recommend Windhorse to quite a bit of people. You may have more customers soon.
Thank you very much again for your lovely memory and experience.
Photos of my trip can be found on http://picasaweb.google.com/kirkparnjai/Bhutan2010#

Regards,Parnjai –

Hi Kinga,
It’s been almost six weeks since I returned from Bhutan. I want to thank you again for making that brief visit so special! A journey is not completed when one arrives home, but rather, when one uses the experience as best one can. Not one day has passed during the last weeks that I haven’t thought of Bhutan. Specific experiences and images rise to the surface from my memories and field notes and photos; as well as lots of questions. As you said, our brief visit was “intense” and I’m grateful for that. You presented Bhutan so well with your knowledge of the country and people, of Buddhism and of the birds and natural features. And I think you tried to present as realistic a picture as you could on a quick trip. I really enjoyed being there in a way that is different from my enjoyment of other places I’ve visited. Leaving Bhutan with so many good memories and so many questions might be good for tourism there….I may have to return for another look!

Wishing you all the best! Kadriche!
–Steve

Wind Horse Dear Kinga, thank you for being such a wonderful guide. We are all absolutely delighted with our trip, and with the quality of your services. We appreciated your knowledge, your boundless energy, patience and unwavering smile. You went out of your way to make this trip as smooth, enjoyable and interesting as possible. Dorji was a star driver, we all felt very safe on these treacherous roads. Please accept this picture as a token of our appreciation.

Best, Pascaline,
July 7, 2009

Ugen, we arrived back safely from our trip this week. We loved Bhutan! We had beautiful weather every day. Our guide and driver were wonderful. The country was really magical. Thanks to you and Wind Horse – everything was perfect. I am attaching a picture for you. It is of my daughter Giovanna and the King’s brother-cousin. We had the pleasure of meeting him in Paro when we stopped to watch a group of men doing archery at a local club. It seems our guide knew him and he came over and offered us tea.

For us – it was like going to England and meeting a brother of Prince Charles – we Americans love royalty! Actually, he mentioned something about offering us three places in his official quota for returning to Bhutan at some discount!! Do you know what that means?

We had dinner one night in Thimphu with your partner Renzin, who was great company. All in all, the trip exceeded our expectations and I want to thank you for working with us to make it all possible. Hopefully we will be able to return again and see other parts of the country – my husband really wants to visit. Please feel free to use me as a reference in the future. Thanks- Chris

Introduction to Bhutan With Trongsa TID: (627 22 -29 April 2012)
Dear Jambay and Ugen
Thank you for helping us to organize our trip to Bhutan. Everything was perfect and I loved your country. I hope to come back again!

Cristina and Maurizio (Italy)

Hello Santosh, The group had a great holiday in Bhutan. What a special destination! The services by Windhorse were excellent in the opinion of the group. And I fully agree with them.

In Delhi I was happy to be received by Mr Gayul (???) who picked us up from the airport. I think he did an excellent job! Did you ever eat in Broadway? For me as a foreigner it is the best Indian food I ever tasted. I have eaten there many times with groups and the food is always great. Maybe for you as a local resident it is different, maybe you know a bunch of restaurants which are even better.

All the best and greetings,
Bas.

Bhutan Private Trip Oct 2008
Ugen & Rinzin, I returned to NYC on Sunday and have been a bit busy catching up on things here, but I wanted to let you both know what a wonderful time we had in Bhutan and to thank the Windhorse team for making this such a special trip. It far exceeded my expectations. Bhutan is an amazing country. I don’t think that any photographs that I have seen of the country can do justice to the physical beauty. We also found the people to be incredibly generous in spirit. I hope that as things continue to modernize that these very special qualities can be maintained.
Ugen — I want to thank you for all of your efforts in preparing us for the trip and making the arrangements. You made everything so easy and effortless for us.

Rinzin — it was nice meeting you and the other Windhorse staff in Bhutan. Thanks again for arranging the birthday celebration. It was very special and so nice of you to go to this effort.
I wanted to let you both know what a wonderful guide (Chencho Nidup) and driver (Passang) we had. They really made the trip for us. They were incredibly attentive and personable and we really enjoyed our time with them. I would recommend them highly to any of your other clients. Please tell them that we said hello.

I was about to post a testimonial on your website and noted that you had our comments from your survey already there. I was glad to see them. If any of your prospective clients ever request to speak to someone who has travelled with you for a reference please feel free to give them my e-mail address as I would feel honored to recommend your company to anyone considering a trip to Bhutan. In a few days I am going to post a trip report about our experiences in Bhutan on Fodor’s website. I will mention the incredible experience we had with Windhorse and will send you a link to this once it is posted.

I have to run — Thanks again for everything !!!!

Dear Anand/Suraj: My trip planning started with meeting Anand who was wonderful in helping to plan my 8 day trip to Bhutan. He was very accomodating and completely organized everything for me. All I had to do is show up. Once I got to the Paro Airport, I was greeted by surely the best tour guide in all of Bhutan, Suraj and also the best driver, Mr. Nedup.

I was worried being a single female traveling alone in a strange country, but Suraj did everything in his power to make sure I enjoyed my trip to the fullest and never felt alone. He even ran through a fire with me so that we could receive 5 blessings. He taught me so much about his country and spoke with such pride about the culture and people that inhabit this small, but serene Land of the Thunder Dragon. I would so highly recommend visiting Bhutan and hope to be able to visit again someday.

Windhorse arranged my individual trip at an affordable price, at very short notice, when no other company was able to, which was fantastic. I was very happy with the trip, saw some wonderful things and stayed in great places. Thank you!

Bhutan & India Tour, Sept & Oct 2006
The trip was really great……there were two mess ups that occurred that were related to the Druk Air tickets……..otherwise things were awesome….and our guide, Sonam, was especially awesome……Wes and I made our flight connections into Bangkok without any problems, however, it was not clearly explained to us that we would have to present our hand written Drukair tickets to a special location for an actual boarding card to be created. Instead we went straight to the DrukAir departure gate (we had tons of time in BKK airport as we had a 6 hour layover) and at the time of boarding we were turned away while the rest of our group went on without us…….I am not familiar with “hand written” tickets as I have not seen them for many years……this was extremely frustrating that we did not have this instruction with our departure instruction as part of our tour! Thank heaven for China airlines allowing us to use their airport lounge where we were able to email DrukAir in Bhutan and they offered us the local phone number in Thailand of the DrukAir office manager (since the office in Bangkok had closed from the old airport and it was too early morning for anyone to be reached locally!). We called the local manager on his mobile phone and he informed us that there was a second flight scheduled for that very day, even though no such flight appeared on the Departure board in the airport or on DrukAir’s website…..in fact, the transfer desk at BKK informed us that there were NO FLIGHTS from BKK to PARO scheduled to depart later that day…..talk about confusing and upsetting…..after talking with the local manager for DrukAir and he confirmed that there was space available on the later flight and that there was, in fact, going to be a flight we were finally able to arrive PARO about 4 pm and we joined up with our group……everything else went awesome during our Bhutan trip until we got out of bed on the day of our departure from Paro and learned that the itinerary that you had provided to us did not match the times for flight departures to Delhi…the flight that was shown on our itinerary would only have traveled to Katmandu with no onward travel to Delhi….therefore we had to wait for several more hours, having risen from bed at 0400 to depart on the early flight only to have a 1130 actual departure……the plane finally departed from PARO behind schedule about 1 pm and it was supposed to be a PARO to DEL direct flight but because of the plane weight we ended out making an unscheduled refueling flight in KTM for a 20 minute in and out and then we made it to DEL about 4 pm, the captain did apologize for the delay that the refueling caused……this itinerary mix-up on departure times (730 a.m. vs. 1 p.m.) really ruined our day at AGRA because we had planned on evening photos at the Taj but instead we arrived well after dark at 930 p.m. and the lights were all out at the Taj…..therefore we only had the opportunity to have photos at sunrise and mid day at Agra……if these two airline problems had not occurred then we would have had a seamless experience in both Bhutan and India.

I would recommend that you include a customer communication that includes instructions on how to manage the DrukAir tickets through the transfer desk when directly transferring from one airline to Drukair. The rest of our group did not have a problem as they left the airport to a hotel and had to go through the airport ticket counter and had their boarding cards issued at the main ticketing terminal…

I do really appreciate what you did do to make things work out for a very memorable trip to a very magical country……amazing to say the least!

Thanks Ugen for asking for feedback….I thought that you wouldn’t want this on your website but instead directly to you……
Thanks again for the magical trip!

Bhutan & Myanmar with party of 6

This was the most excellent trip in many years. So many wonderful memories! so many wonderful people! Thank you very much.

Bhutan, Spring 2007.

Hi, we had a lovely trip. All arrangements went smoothly including our need to get on a plane one day early. I regretted that need to leave early because despite our guide’s efforts to get us back from the hike to Tiger’s Lair monastery in time to see some of the dancing at the Paro Festival, some of our members lingered so long that by the time we got to the festival it was done for the day.

I tried to put these remarks on the site you mentioned but I couldn’t figure out how to do it once I got to that site. Sincerely,

Bhutan – April 2006 (Guide was not so great )
Ugen, sorry we did not get a chance to meet you in Bhutan. The trip met expectations as we saw much about Buddhism. Our driver was very proficient at his job and got us where we needed to go safely. He was also helpful in other ways. Our guide, it seemed to me, needed to be more forthcoming about history and other things and events involving Bhutan. When we heard other guides around us, they often seemed better informed. Don’t get me wrong, the guide was very nice and helpful and I enjoyed his personality. The fact that the people of Bhutan live their religion is just wonderful–we never had to fear for our personal safety or about theft. You have a wonderful, beautiful country and I enjoyed being there. Thanks, Glenda

Ladakh & Bhutan
Dear Ugen and Postak,
I loved the trip to Bhutan and the extension to Ladakh that we experienced this past June/July 2006. I believe that the trip wouldn’t\’t have been as enjoyable had it not been for the excellent guide in Bhutan, Choki Dorji, and the excellent driver, Rapten.(I hope I spelled his name correctly). Driving through the mountains with their curvy, narrow roads having to watch out for cattle, other animals, the roadside workers, our driver was awesome and safe!

Even though other tour companies that I had contacted, did not have tours during the summer because of the monsoon season, you reassured me that the rain periods most likely would be at night, if any. You were so correct! I can only travel during the summer months because I am a teacher. How fortunate to have two other teachers from Colorado to make up our small group. The scenery was beautiful, people were very friendly, and we still were able to see two festivals with a minimum of any other tourists.

I wasn’t expecting so many \”hiking\” experiences, but Dorji was very patient, helpful and encouraging.
The accommodations were clean and had plenty of room.

I can relive my beautiful memories of Bhutan through my photos and definitely hope to travel there again. Thank you for your careful planning and expert guide and driver who made this one of my favorite trips!

I loved my time in Bhutan. You live in an amazing country. Your culture buildings and natural environment make you positively unique. The factor that made my stay so special however was the warm, friendly and welcoming nature of the people I met.

Thank you once again for organising such a memorable trip

“I was met on arrival in Paro by representatives of the Wind Horse Tours, who immediately made me feel at home. Throughout my stay in Bhutan nothing was too much trouble for them. Things did not always go to plan, eg the car broke down and the itinerary had to be revised to take account of the new situation. Choki, my expert guide worked hard, and successfully, to overcome this temporary disruption to our plans. And overcome we did. We simply re-arranged our itinerary to take account of this minor inconvenience, and got on with the trip. Whilst this may sound simple, it did require changing hotels reservations, cars, etc and the fact that this occurred without any negative impact on the holiday, (for I still saw and did everything I’d planned to) and this was only possible by good team working underpinned by a strong sense of corporate responsibility. Many people might view this type of occurrence negatively. But it had an upside. It allowed me an unexpected opportunity to visit an extra town and its Dzong, and to observe local people going about their temple business. A companies strength is its people. I spent nearly a week in Bhutan and my guide and driver, who were both absolutely first rate, thorough professionals, and extremely knowledgeable about their country, worked with genuine enthusiasm to ensure that I had the trip of a life time. I had a fabulous time”. Thank you Wind Horse for a wonderful time.