Bhutan Festival Tour

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Hugh

Hi Anand,

We had a great trip with Tsering and Yamraj. The ceremony in the temple at Gangtey was special and certainly a highlight. The festivals with mask dancing were fantastic. And, of course, the whole day at Tiger’s Nest was wonderful. Thanks to Yamraj for helping encourage Deborah to make it all the way and for carrying her pack for her. We also very much enjoyed the evening at the farm house.

Our favorite accommodation was the Meri Phuensum, and the Druk Hotel was very nice as well. We did have problems at Zhingkham Resort getting water pressure and hot water for the shower.

We want to thank you for the book. Thanks for a great tour of Bhutan!

Hugh  

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Charles L McMurray

Dear Anand, First, I would like to thank you and the entire staff of Wind Horse for the effort spent to set up our tours. We greatly appreciate the way that we were kept informed from the initial booking through our final departure. Your ground staff, both guides and drivers, were always well informed. In general both tours were very special as they took us to places that are hard to navigate and we were always visiting sites that we had only dreamed of seeing. Suggestions would be: 1. Try to do long drives every other day … not two consecutive days. On Day 2 we spent most of the day driving From Paro to Punakha. Very enjoyable with interesting stops along the way. Day 3 we were told that the drive to Gangtey would be rough (which we knew in advance) and that it would take 4 hours each way (not 3 as in the tour outline) which was going to leave almost no free time.  The three of us discussed this and quickly decided that it was too much for one day and cancelled that part of the tour. I strongly suggest that if this is definitely something that should be included in the tour that it be done over two days (one day over and the second day back).

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Ruth Bloland

Dear Anand — I am sorry that I am so slow in giving you a report on the trip to Bhutan that my son, Peter, daughter-in-law, Martha and I made to Bhutan the first of April.  We did the cultural tour of Bhutan first and then Peter and Martha stayed on to do the Jomolhari trek.  Our guides were Pema, Tshering, and wonderful driver, Guddu.  Thank you to all of you for a wonderful trip.  I will let Peter and Martha speak for themselves but I enjoyed the trip thoroughly.  Pema was so well informed and obviously so dedicated to his country, his culture, and Buddhism.  We saw wonderful dzongs, outstanding architecture, beautiful countryside and mountains and very interesting craft studios in Thimpu.  The two mornings we spent at the festivals — one local one, and the first morning of the Paro Festival were wonderful.  I feel so lucky to have seen them.

I especially want to thank Tshering for taking such good care of me — I am 88 and very fit but he was my extra support system whenever I needed one and such a wonderful young man.  Guddu was outstanding as a driver — taking us through some very rough, under construction roads and making us feel that we really would survive after all.

You have a beautiful country and warm and friendly people — please keep it that way.  All my best to you and to our guides and driver and to continued success of Wind Horse Tours. Ruth Bloland

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Tatyana

I have traveled with Windhorse Tours in April 2017 for Bhutan Festivals tour and was very happy with the quality of the services the company provided. The booking process was very smooth and Ugen was always very responsive to answer any questions I had. The tour itself was very well organized and run. The quality of the transportation provided was great; both our guides, Pema and Tchering, and our driver, Guddu, were superb and took a great care of the group throughout our tour. The accommodations provided were very good and comfortable and service at the hotels was very good.

One thing that could have been improved is meals (especially in Punakha and Paro) - it could have been nice to have more variety but was good enough for 9 days of the tour. Overall, I would highly recommend the Windhorse for all of your travels in Bhutan, which is an excellent and trustworthy company. I would book other tours with them without any hesitation! Thank you, the Windhorse team for the superb trip!

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Terry D C

Hi all, I hope that your travels went well! I echo MJ and Charlie, it was a great Bhutan trip, I'm very appreciative of the efforts by everyone at Windhorse!

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Mary J.C

Bhutan Festival Tour with Wangdi and Thimphu Festival, 2015 Hello to all - Charlie and I had a fantastic time in Bhutan.  One of our best trips ever!!  We had wonderful fellow travelers and great guides and driver.  Sonam, Tashi, and Barleyman made our trip very special.Hope everyone made it home safely - or hope you are enjoying continued travels.

If you have some special pictures that came out extra good - please send them along to us at ......... Also - would love to hear about upcoming travel plans as travel is always of great interest to us.

Again - it was wonderful meeting everyone.   It was a wonderful holiday. Tashi was a wonderful guide on our private tour of tigers nest.  I believe he took some pictures that day and it would be wonderful if he could forward those to us from his iPhone.

Again - we loved the trip and will recommend Windhorse.  Still hope to some day return to Bhutan.

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Sophie R

Dear Sir, This small word to tell you that we are very very happy to have come to Bouthan. It was a dream for a long time and we realized. You have a wonderfull country. We adored everything : landscape, dzong, your culture, hotels and food ................... Everything was brilliant!! We are very satisfied with your services (we shall return to Bouthan). Our guide, Yeshi Penjor, and our driver, Yam Raj, were great, very in the listening. Perfect! We thank them for the kindness. We also thank you for having made the formalities "boarding pass" in Delhi. There was no problem during the transit. Thanks for all. Best Wishes Sophie R

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Pam B

I enjoyed my trip with Wind horse Travel immensely. The guide & driver were excellent. I am still amazed at how Rajeem(sp.) was able to provide safe & secure travel in spite of bumpy roads, traffic, construction delays, animals on the road, people on the road, etc. Penjour was outstanding as a guide. Whenever there was the smallest problem he seemed to appear out of nowhere to resolve it. My favorite memories are of the interactions with the Bhutanese people - we stopped on the road to visit with schoolchildren, we met a young woman weaving at the Takin Sanctuary, watching the students work at the Art School, & watching the monks 'bless' your offices. This was unexpected & felt as if we had just 'stepped' into a part of your day. My favorite hotel was the Tashi Namgay Resort. It had the best location, the best food & an excellent staff. I had a soothing hot stone bath here that I recommend to anyone. The National Museum, Paro festival & the Tatshang walk were highlights. Penjour was very helpful in guiding us through these experiences. If I were to visit again, I would add a small trek in the beginning to see a little more of the countryside.

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Elisabeth and Ricky Vazquez

TID-621 (Bhutan Festival Tour (Talo & Paro Tsechu) 20th -28th March 2013 We just came back from Bhutan. We were there for the Paro Festival, March 20-28, 2013. We had a great great time. Wind Horse Tour is reliable, well organized. We felt well taken care of, we felt save. We loved everything and we will travel again with Wind Horse Tour, anytime.

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Elisabeth and Ricky Vazquez

TID 621 Bhutan Festival Tour Dear wind Horse team, we just came back from Bhutan's Festivals trip, March 20-28th, 2013. We used Wind Horse Tours. And that was such a good idea!! Our guide first was more than charming, more than kind, more than knowledgeable:he was our best friend and companion for the all trip. Tashi was fantastic and we had so much fun because of him. He took us out every night when other tour guides would drop off their group to the hotel by 5pm, and still was on time every early morning. Poor guy ! He hardly slept with us!! We enjoyed every minute of our trip because of him. We loved Bhutan, its people, its culture, its landscapes, its monasteries and festivals, all incredible and unique in their own ways. We felt safe and welcome. Just a wonderful country to go to ..with Wind Horse Tours of course !!

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Karen P

Amanda & Group Jambay Lhakhang Drup 2012 (Oct. 23-Nov 5th 2012) Dear Ugen and Jambay I would like to thank you and the team at Windhorse Tours for the fantastic experience that we had in Bhutan. The attention to detail from our guide and driver was exemplary. The tour was superb, more than meeting all my expectations. I have returned to England loving Bhutan as a country and the Bhutanese people. I do hope to return again, and soon. I would thoroughly recommend Windhorse and am happy to endorse both the professionalism of the organisation and the competence of its staff. Of most importance was the the fun and enjoyment we had exploring Bhutan in the company of our guides. It made the tour an exceptional experience. I wish all the team at Windhorse well. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

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Karen E & Anthony H

Bhutan Festival tour for Karen & Anthony (25th Oct-04 Nov 2012) Hi Ugen and Jambay, We are on our final night in Bhutan and just wanted to thank you for a fantastic trip that you organised. The trip went like clockwork and our driver Tensin was very good as well as Jamtscho our tour guide who was exemplarary. We will treasure the many memories we have gained here, Kind regards

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Gail G

Bhutan Festival Tour with Paro Tshechu Festival 2012 (March 31-April 8, 2012) Our trip to Bhutan was interesting, informative, and fun. The sights were spectacular as were the 2 festivals we attended. We all got a good insight into one of the last Himalayan kingdoms. Great weather, spring blossoms, beautiful decorative arts and much more.

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Giorgio Farao

Last week I came back from a trip to Bhutan. But this story starts quite long ago ... In 2001 I visited Nepal where I met an Italian couple. They told me that while they were going to Kathmandu they had a problem with the plane and had to land in Bhutan. They were not allowed to exit the hotel where they were hosted but I remember them saying: “We want to visit Bhutan one day" I asked myself how Bhutan could be if they wanted to go back just because they enjoyed it from the window of the hotel room. It was then when I decided to visit Bhutan myself one day. During these years, I tried three of four times to book a trip but for a reason or another I never made it. Ten years later, I got in touch with Ugen and Jambay, from Wind Horse Tours. In a very short time (very few weeks), they sent me the itinerary, the quote, made all the bookings and arranged my visa. They were effective, prompt in replying, professional and precise. A week prior my leaving Italy I had everything I needed to start a dream of a whole decade. I travelled Bhutan through 8-19 May 2011 with my guide Tenzin Rabgay and driver Hem. I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Once the program of the day was done, we took time to talk, laugh, tell stories, drink a beer, have dinner together, hike, walk and meet with other buthanese people. I never felt unsafe or neglected. My guide and driver were always punctual and I never had to wait for them, even when I appeared suddenly because I wanted to leave a place or I woke up earlier that morning and had breakfast before scheduled time. They were simply there. With only one exception, accomodations were clean and comfortable, while the staff was helpful and polite. Sometimes even to polite that I felt embarassed because I am not used to such a kind of treatment. I took the Country as it is. For a western traveller, not everything can meet every single expectation. Even if it could be hard to believe, I have nothing to complain with. I just enjoyed the trip, even the bumpy roads, but especially Domkhar and Ura festivals I had the chance to attend. Punakha and Bumthang were absolutely a wonderful place to stay. The hike to the Tiger’s Nest very charming. And the walk I took in Gangtey after a heavy rainfall was really fun, especially when we got into the mud till our ankles! I travelled a few other countries in Asia, which is a place I always love to go back to. Bhutan is unique and Wind Horse made it special. Many thanks first to Jambay, who did a great job, Ugen who is the first I got in touch with and all the staff who worked backstage. Finally my gratitude goes to Rabgay and Hem, my two Guardian Angels. Hope to meet you again in Bhutan. Tashi delek !

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Rosa Fichna

für windhorse wir, 3 Berliner freunde, stießen duch zufall auf die website von windhorse für unsere geplante reise nach buthan Die schriftliche kommunikation klappte sofort sehr effektiv und überaus freundlich.Jambay erwies sich als sehr verläßlich, alle vorbereitungen verliefen reibungslos : daten, visum usw Empfangen wurden wir von einem führer benjeh und einem fahrer, die ebenfalls sehr freundlich und zuvorkommend waren und sich unserer annahmen Während der ganzen reise waren sie offen für unsere ideen und vorschläge. Auf unsere 1000 fragen wußte benjeh immer eine antwort...Ich würde jederzeit mit wieder mit windhorse verreisen - sie natürlich auch weiterempfehlen liebe ostergrüße rosa

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Mark Farrell

Farrell & Su Bhutan Paro Festival Tour from 30 Mar-09 apr Dear Ugen We just wanted to send an email to say that we had a great time in Bhutan. We both found the country fascinating and the places we visited excellent. We had a superb guide in Mr Tashi and he gave us much insight into Bhutan and explained with great enthusiasm the places we visited, the customs and traditions we observed. He always had time for us and we were able to go at the pace that we wished and were able to spend as much or as little time as we wanted in our sightseeing. Mr Tashi was always very accommodating, extremely punctual and a very good ambassador for the country. I always think that good service should be rewarded, which is the reason I mention this. We hope to be able to return to Bhutan and would certainly use the services of Mr Tashi and would recommend both him and your agency to any friends that may consider a trip.The only issue I would mention relates to some of the hotels, which were not so good. Kind regards Mark

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Jeff & Gloria S

TID196: Bhutan Tour from 15-21 Nov, 2008 Hello Ugen, Wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful journey to Bhutan. We were given a great tour by Jambay and Kinga and his associate took us for a delicious meal in Thimphu. If you like I can send you a website to see pictures from the trip. Take care of yourself. It was a terrific experience. Sincerely, Gloria S.

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Dr. Vivien Helen & Mark W

Dear Kinga, You have beaten me to the email. We returned from Cambodia 6 days ago and I was planning to write today and tell you that I posted a CD to you 2 days ago with just over a hundred pictures. I have included some portrait shots of you and of Tashi as well as some of LB and the camping crew. I would be grateful if you could show them the photos and arrange for them to have copies if they so wish. The rest of the photos are mostly scenery as you requested with a few of the people we met along the way which give an idea of the country as well. You are welcome to use any of my photos on your website or in your advertising material if you wish. I have sent 2 versions of the pictures, one as a slide show using Google's Picasa and one as individual pictures which I think will be technically easier to copy without getting tangled up in Picasa. I expect that the parcel will take 3-4 weeks to get to you as my postcards appear to have taken almost 3 weeks to get to Australia. If you do not receive the CDs please let me know and I can either resend them or send you some pictures via email. I have included a couple of you with this email and a photo of a head that I saw at the National Museum in Bangkok. I had a feeling that I had seen your face before and half way through Bhutan I remembered where!Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed trip to Bhutan, as did Mark. I found your country fascinating from many angles: the natural beauty, the people, the religion and history and not least your kings and your government's attempts to rule benevolently and wisely in a rapidly changing and dangerous world. I know that no society is perfect and that yours has challenges and problems but I am vastly impressed by your leaders' attempts to set a good and even handed example for your people. I was also impressed by your own palpable pride in your country and this reminded me of a trip we did in Botswana last year where our African guide was also hugely proud of his government which sets an almost lone example of good governance in the region. Botswana of course has also adopted the same successful policy that Bhutan has of low volume, high end, (attempted) low impact tourism to a very rural country. This sense of pride in the country could not have been more different to the next phase of our holiday after Bhutan, 8 fascinating days in Cambodia at Siam Reap. Here we saw many beautiful temples and fabulous stone artwork but our guides told us many stories of the corruption of the country's "elite". This of course permeates every level of the poorly paid bureaucracy and Mark and I had to pay a small "fine" or "tax" to get into the country because we had left our photos for our visas in the backpack. We weren't photographed, the tax went into an open briefcase on the counter in front of a bank of customs officials, the proper money into a drawer and the visas were eventually produced.Siem Reap has had an apparently uncontrolled increase of 35% per annum in visitors over the last few years and everywhere one looks new western style developments are going up, some 5 star hotels with price tags of $1200 per night while Mark and I had a $30 air-conditioned room in a clean well run guest house. A traumatised poor country with very few old people to be seen, chaotic roads, children drinking filthy river water, ox carts next to Hummers and someone (always with government or army connections) making a lot of money. Our tour guides or tuk-tuk drivers would explain that this or that new development used to be a government site until sold to developers and that the government services had been moved out of town. Interesting. Kinga thank you for your wonderful tour of your country. I thought that the tour was very well thought out and arranged and included a wide range of interesting things to see and do. I enjoyed the opportunities to walk. There was so much competing for my attention that I barely had time to look at the birds and I am pleased that I did not go on an exclusively bird watching tour as I would have been very frustrated wanting to see everything else. I thoroughly enjoyed your calm company and your teaching which I found fascinating. We were all very sorry to see you go and I had tears in my eyes. I hope that your explorations in the east were successful and I am pleased that I could be of some assistance to you in matters of your health. Tashi did a good job. He does not yet have the breadth of knowledge that you have but he is a kind hearted young man and I had some very interesting conversations with him about his childhood in the monastery. LB is a masterly driver and your camping crew were good. Under Tashi's leadership they danced and sang for us the last night in the HAA valley which we all enjoyed. I thought your cook managed to produce very good food under difficult circumstances. So all in all it was definitely worth travelling to Bhutan and we are finding widespread interest in your country amongst our friends and acquaintances. We have told friends about it at a meal last night and will be telling other friends about our trip and your country at meals tonight and tomorrow night. My parents have already booked me to give a 2 hour talk to over a hundred people at their "School for Seniors" next year. I don't think that there are any as fit as Nixie and Gwen so I don't think you'll get any customers from this group but I'll have fun talking to them and telling them about the integration of elderly people into Bhutanese society. My best wishes to you, your wife and family and every success to you and your partners. Vivien (and best wishes from Mark too who is gardening and who I am about to join)

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Catherine P.

Petchprapa Family Tour of 4 from US & Thailand April 2009 Dear Ugen, We had an absolutely wonderful trip. Your guide was very accommodating and made our trip very pleasant!

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Sharlene P

TID 140: Private Bhutan Tour (Oct 6-21,2008) Hello Ugen, Jacquie and I both agreed this trip to Bhutan was one of our all time favorites. We loved our guide, Tshewang Rinchen and our driver Rincen. Tshewang did everything he could to make our trip memorable. He will be a lifetime friend for us. We will gladly recommend your tours to our friends. Thank you for the all the new memories and experiences. We can't wait to get our photos developed and on c.d.'s. What a wonderful country you come from!!

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Dr. James H

TID: 133: Hill X 3 - Bhutan Private Tour (Oct 9 - 21, 2008) Guide: Cencho Nidup & Driver: Passang 01.Were you provided adequate information about your trip prior departing for Bhutan ? What did you need to know more? The wind horse Agents in US was very helpful and always available to answer our questions. 02. Were you met at the point of arrival with the maximum efficiency and courtesy? YES!! The guide and driver were prompt and did a WONDERFUL job from the first minutes we met them. 03.Did the tour get off to a good start? Yes!! It was PERFECT from our arrival to tour last day. 04. Did your guide fulfill your itinerary? Yes, they more than fulfilled it. We had a wonderful time with Chencho who was very personable and knowledgable 05. Was the itinerary confusing with unnecessary details? No!! it was very helpful 06. Was the service of your tour guide and driver upto the mark? Absolutely…..they made our trip. They were PERFECT. T would recommend them highly to any person visiting Bhutan.. 07. Has there been any occasion where your guide and driver were not punctual? Never…..they were always punctual and helpful 08. Please comment on the food, accommodation and the services rendered by the hotels/trekking crew. Overall they were very good. Everyone was very caring and made our stay a pleasure. 09. Is this your first visit to Bhutan and do you wish to come back again? Yes it is our first time and I plan on coming back 10. On the whole, how do you rate your trip? a) Very Satisfying b) Satisfying c) Adequate d) Not enough e) Very dissatisfying 11. How would you like us to improve our services? It was perfect…..thanks for everything. Note: Chencho and Passang did an EXCELLENT job and should be rewarded. Also thanks for arranging the birthday celebration for June…. It was a very nice touch – Thanks for everything. Dr. James H

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Adam M & Natalie M

01. Were you provided adequate information about your trip prior to coming here ? What did you need to know more? Mostly except for the banking situation. I didn’t know I wouldn’t be able to get my funds once in the country. More importantly, I didn’t realize INR 500 notes were not able to be changed in Bhutan. Ugen knew we were arriving from India. This should have been made clear. As a result, I had to change more US Dollars (instead of the rupees to bought) and had less to tip the guide and spend on souvenirs. 02. Were you met at the point of arrival with the maximum efficiency and courtesy? YES!! 03. Did the tour get off to a good start? A VERY GOOD START!! 04. Did your guide fulfill your itinerary? YES! 05. Was the itinerary confusing with unnecessary details? NO!! 06. Was the service of your tour guide and driver upto the mark? BETTER THAN EXPECTED. Sonam was a wealth of knowledge and answered all of our questions about Bhutanese culture, traditions and Buddhism. He went above & beyond accommodating us. Dorji is a very safe & pleasant driver! 07. Has there been any occasion where your guide and driver were not punctual? No. Always on time! 08.Please comment on the food, accommodation and the services rendered by the hotels/trekking crew. One of my best food countries (this includes 100 countries) A wonderful surprise. Accommodations were fine & a good variety. Nice views, comfortable, clean. 09. Is this your first visit to Bhutan and do you wish to come back again YES & YES!! 10. On the whole, how do you rate your trip? a) Very Satisfying b) Satisfying c) Adequate d) Not enough e) Very dissatisfying 11. How would you like us to improve our services? SEE QUESTION 1 ANSWER. RESPOND FASTER TO PRE-DEPARTURE EMAILS

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Frimmel Smith

Kuzuzungpola!!!! Fabulous, superb, masterful!!! We had a marvellous journey! And after my third trip to the Royal Kingdom, Bhutan remains the best place on earth!Peldan and Guddu were true joys to travel with!With most of the Bhutanese running with high expectations for"2008," we'll look forward to returning with Windhorse then.

Best wishes,

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Nancy B

Bhutan Paro Festival Tour, Mar 2008 We are adjusting to the time difference and wanted to let you know that we had a great trip. I would reccommend not to schedule the Tiger's Nest hike the second day itself as most would prefer to have time to adjust to the altitude.

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Laura Wilkins

I found the trip wonderful, and hope to return in the Spring. I will fill in the form

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Maria Lucia Colecchia

Dear Ugen,
Dreams have been my reality during the past two weeks, the trip was excellent in every single detail, just like the professional skill of the people you chose for us, do send to everybody my sincere Kadriche and to Bhutan. Tashi delek: may its fortresses defend and preserve its roots, traditions and real beauty.