Three Himalayan Kingdoms

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Karen E Mudd

Dear Ugen, Jambay, and all Windhorse staff,

Thank you so much for everything you did to make our tour the trip of a lifetime!  The only thing that I would have changed would have been to arrive a week later, as we did not know that the first week of October is National Holiday in China’s-the crowds were insane and we were unable to exchange money as all banks were closed. All of the accommodations were lovely, food was good, and the guides and drivers were simply amazing. We were so glad we chose to fly into Chengdu, instead of Beijing, to see the pandas-it was definitely worth it. Our guide in Chengdu, Tenzin, was polite, punctual, kind, and knowledgeable.

Being in Tibet surrounded by beauty, history, and powerful spirituality was life changing. Tashi(guide) and Dorje(driver) made Tibet come alive for us. Jokhang Temple, Barkhor square, Potala Palace, and the Yamdrok Tso Lake took my breath away.

We were met in Kathmandu by Bizaya(guide) and Shyam(driver) for a whirlwind day and 1/2 tour. After the peace in Tibet, the crowds, traffic, and sights of Kathmandu woke us up! We arrived during the the Dashain festival. Our first night Mahendra(with Sixth Sense tours) accompanied us to the Delights of Nepali Cuisine where we had the most fabulous tradition meal while enjoying music and dances from the 4 regions of Nepal. Highlights of day two were the Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple(we were privileged to witness several cremations on the bank of the Bagmati river).

The next morning we flew over the Himalayas for the second time-no words can describe their grandeur and arrived in  Bhutan. Stepping off the plane I felt a sense of ease and peace. We me met by the most amazing, fabulous, guide and driver: SONAM and DAWA!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me just say they both deserve big raises for going above and beyond on a daily basis. Quit simple our trip to Bhutan would not have been the same without them. Each day in Bhutan was better than the day before. The scenery, history, people, sites-just everything, was beyond my wildest dreams. After climbing to Tiger’s Nest, I ended my last day with a hot stone bath and the best massage of my life. Thank you again Windhorse for making our dreams come true!

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John

TID 9203

These guys are the experts to turn to if you what to go to Bhutan. They choose the best guides, drivers and hotels for the price point, which is very reasonable given the quality delivered across the board. Expect local hotels with good character. By example, we had individual chalets built for the coronation of the king of Bhutan in the 70s. We did the Three Himalayan Kingdom tour.

It was physically demanding to some extent as there is a lot packed into your trip....and lots of steps on the temples at high altitudes to take. :) The guide will work with you to adjust to your desires. If you want seamless travel without all the hassles of logistics orchestrated by people who know the land go with Windhorse......you won't do better.

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Mary Pisaturo McGlynn

Dear Anand, Jambay and Ugen,

I have been meaning to send a note, but life gets in the way when you return from extensive travel.

Thank you all for putting together a very professional and well organized program.  The guides were a thoughtful group of individuals and their flexibility and good humor was a real asset to the

program.  Each country brought a new inspiration and the group, for the most part, respected each other's  personal goals along the way, to make it a very memorable experience.

 My special regards to Jigme and Penjore and thank you for reaching out.

All best,

Mary McGlynn

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Shelly Lou Merriam

Anand Just a note to let you know that our trip with Wind Horse Travel and your incredible guides on the Himalayan Tour 9/22-10-7 2017, was just spectacular in every way. We are still digesting it all, the history, traditions, people, sights, smells, sounds...and going through 1774 photos. We want to reply  with kudos for each of the three locations and our guides, who were teachers, scholars and friends. Give us a bit more time to do so. Until then, we are voraciously continuing our learning about the wonderful cultures we were introduced to on your expertly planned experience for our small group for 5 to Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. We enthusiastically recommend the Himalayan Tour of all three, for one country cannot be truly appreciated without knowing the deep traditions and kind people of the others.

Our Best,

Shelly and  Jay

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Jennifer

We planned a trip with Wind Horse for Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan, traveling for approximately 2.5 weeks, with a local guide and driver in each of the three destinations. We opted for the Three Kingdoms Tour. Wind Horse has many different pre-packaged tours to choose from, from challenging, lengthy treks, to horseback riding adventures, to culture tours with mostly easy walks. They can also customize the trip for you depending on your preferences.

We planned this trip from the comfort of our homes in the U.S. Communications/email was fast and easy during the entire planning process. They helped us book flights to/from Bhutan and helped us obtain Bhutan visas and Tibet permits. (The Nepal visa you can get at the Kathmandu airport on your own.) They also provided us in advance with a detailed and comprehensive itinerary, along with descriptions of each region and attraction.

I will focus this review on the Bhutan portion of the trip (we love Bhutan!):

In Bhutan, we had the pleasure of having Sonam Loday as our guide and Dawa as our driver. Both are very experienced in what they do. Big thank you to Dawa as he got us everywhere safely, despite the often very narrow and bumpy roads. Also big thanks to Sonam for providing rich and detailed descriptions at every attraction so we could learn the history, custom, and culture of Bhutan. Sonam was a great pleasure to be around, personable, very funny, outgoing, and a tremendous help when we hiked Tiger's Nest (he had to help me descend and carry our bag).

We upgraded to the 4-star hotels in all regions which was well-worth it, if that's your cup of tea. Sonam also made sure that we got the best rooms possible.

Wind Horse is also great because even though we opted for the cultural tour of Bhutan, Wind Horse planned a few easy/moderate hikes for us so we got to see lots of nature and unbeatable sceneries (in addition to lots of temples, stupas, and monasteries).

They also provide tours in central Bhutan and eastern Bhutan, if you'd like to see the villages and more rural ways of living. This requires more trekking.

The other big plus is that they take credit cards (with an extra charge), PayPal, or you can also mail checks to their office in Minneapolis when you need to pay your fees. We thought this was safer than wiring money to some strangers overseas.

We could not have asked for a greater vacation/tour in Bhutan and I'd highly recommend Wind Horse should you decide to visit Bhutan, Tibet, or Nepal (or India).

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Dr Bradford Davey

We recently had the pleasure of traveling through Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan with Wind Horse Tours. They offer a number of different options and have expert guides in each country. They worked very hard to develop an itinerary that worked for everyone in the group (6 of us total) and made adjustments on the fly as necessary. This is a fairly difficult part of the world to navigate and they really did do a nice job.

The accommodations throughout the trip were good to excellent and our guides did a nice job of calling in advance to see that things were tailored to our needs (2 veg and 2 no spice). This was particularly true in Bhutan and we felt that we were treated extremely well. I would recommend Wind Horse without any reservations.

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Nisantha M.B.

Hi Ugen and Jambay,

We reached home yesterday , with no problems.

The trip was very memorable. Except for the minor mishaps which gave us a scare of our lives everything worked out fine in the end. Tibet , and Bhutan were both fantastic. The guides , drivers were very good. The sight seeing that were organized were very good. Thank you very much for making the arrangements.

Can you please send me Brad and Hillary's e mail. I have misplaced them. We all got on famously. We were all compatible and enjoyed the trip like one family.

All the best.

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Sean

[caption id="attachment_12140" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Paro Weekend Market[/caption]

Review of Bhutan Trip Hey Everyone, I recently returned from a 6 day tour in Bhutan with Windhorse Tours. This was actually part of a larger itinerary that included Nepal, Beijing, and Tibet as well, but since this is the Bhutan forum I guess I'm only supposed to write about Bhutan. To start, I found it hard to choose a tour company since there are so many reviews here, but decided to make an inquiry with Windhorse as I've seen their name mentioned on here multiple times with positive experiences. Nobody asked me to write this review, nor was I compensated for it (I only mention this because I have seen some negative backlash by other people commenting to those who have posted reviews in the past). Anyways, after my initial e-mail I was called by Ugen to talk about the type of trip that I wanted and he offered suggestions about where to go and what to do. After some e-mails back and forth I decided on an itinerary that featured Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. Communication was great all the way through, I'd only usually have to wait a day or two before hearing back from either Ugen or Jambay. Whenever you send anyone a large sum of money and you don't hear back for a week that's always a little worrisome to me, so I appreciated their prompt responses very much. Any questions I had along the way were answered to my satisfaction, all supplemental materials were sent to me as promised, and I was left with confidence that I had made a good decision in choosing them to help plan my trip. It really is the little things that add up when you're traveling, and I have to say that I very much appreciated that Jambay was kind enough to meet me in person in Thimphu where he gave me a hard cover 150+ page book about Bhutan.

[caption id="attachment_12141" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Butterfly on Hiking Trail[/caption]

Anyways, as for the actual trip itself, the entire journey was excellent from start to finish (including Nepal and especially Tibet). I'm sure most people will have a good experience going to Bhutan with whoever they choose to book with, I don't see how you could have a bad time there to be honest. This is something that seemed evident while talking to other people who were there with other guides, either sitting next to others on a plane or simply chatting up other travelers at any of the main sights in Bhutan. And because I had these conversations with other travelers about how their trips were going, I can say with confidence that I believe my trip was just that much more enjoyable than the people I met along the way. Not to say anyone I met was having a bad time, everyone was very happy, but I was lucky to have an amazing guide who always went above and beyond what I expected during the entire stay in Bhutan. My guide's name was Tashi, and he really did do a fantastic job. My driver's name was Loday, and he too was great (especially navigating the bumpy and muddy roads of Dochula Pass).

I saw all of the locations I wanted to see, something that I'm sure every other traveler sees as well, but what really set my experience apart was the friendship I had with Tashi and all of the other activities he offered me to experience while he was under no obligation to do so. This is in addition to the fact that he was a great guide from a technical standpoint; for example, he spoke good English, was very personable, was extremely knowledgeable about each location we visited while also conveying that knowledge to me in a way that was engaging, and also made an effort to get to know me as a person, not just a customer. I could write a lot about every location I saw but I'm sure that information is redundant on this forum, and I really wanted to focus this review on the services of Windhorse. I will say one quick thing though, the Tiger's Nest lives up to the hype, and it is a must see if you go to Bhutan.

[caption id="attachment_12143" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Archery Match in Action[/caption]

Back to the actual review: like I mentioned earlier in my post, I'm sure almost everyone who goes to Bhutan probably has a great experience, but what I want to praise Tashi for is all of the extra things we did. We stopped at an archery field during the day to watch a match that was in progress, which was pretty cool, and when I asked him if it were possible to try it out if there was time, without hesitation he said: "Of course, I'll schedule it when we get back to Paro" (and we did, and it was awesome). Every night he offered for me to come hang out with his friends after the daily planned activities were finished; and of course I jumped at the opportunity. Bhutan was a great place to visit, and the hospitality and unwavering generosity of his friends only added to my experience. When we were in Paro, he invited me to his home and small farm where I got to meet his sister, niece, and mother where I was again treated with great hospitality and good conversation. When we were in Thimphu (during the Thimphu Tsechu festival) he met me at my hotel at night to go walk around amongst everyone camped out in their tents for the festival, saying hi to people he knew, and offering me a number of local food choices to sample. The day of the Tiger's Nest hike I asked him if we could leave extra early in the morning so we could be the first people up that day, and of course he was happy to do so. And even though he's not a drinker, he was more than happy to take me to some local bars so I could enjoy some of the local beers. It definitely helped that we are both in our early 30's, but I believe he would be great for anyone looking for a tour of Bhutan.

[caption id="attachment_12144" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Unvieling of Paro Taksang Monastery at cliff through the wisp of cloud.[/caption]

So whether it was taking a detour from one of our hikes to meet a family at a local village to eat fresh vegetables, stopping to eat at a roadside corn stand, introducing me to his friend who is a teacher along with her students, visiting the farmers market where his mom sells her fresh produce, giving me some money when I foolishly left my wallet at the check in station at Tiger's Nest so I could donate while I was inside, and probably some other things I forgot ... I just can't say enough about this guy. If you're ever planning to go to Bhutan, don't hesitate to request Tashi Gyeltshen as your guide.

Thanks for reading.

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Pamela J

Three Himalayan Kingdom - Aug 13 - 26, 2015 

Anand -We have been very,  very busy catching up and have been unable to respond.

We enjoyed the trip very much,  including Nepal.    The quality of the guides and drivers was very high.   In particular,  we liked the Yak & Yedi and Osel Hotel/Resorts.   The food was also was particularly good at those two locations.

Dawa in Tibet is particularly experienced as guide.    All guides were informed and competent, as mentioned.    The driver and guide in Bhutan took good care of Ed when he could not walk to Tiger's Nest.   He had his best local meal then at local restaurant.

We did have a near disaster in the beginning.   I have been meaning to write Ugen about this.   It is around the Tibet permit.    Please also inform Ugen.   First, it took Margo & Laurie a long time to locate it at the CITIC Hotel.    They might mention that.    Second, the 4 of us went to the BJ Airport and checked in together.    We showed the permit.    We got very separated going through security.    I told Margo and Laurie to go ahead as we were walking more slowly.    They had the permit.    Security did not ask them for the permit.    Security did ask us and we did not have it.    Immigration held us back, flight was delayed.   Finally Immigration assigned someone to go through security with us and see permit at plane.   When we got to gate, plane was all boarded and delayed.   Then Immigration guy said he was not authorized to board plane.    No one was allowed off.    We really thought we were going to miss the tour.   Finally,  after much discussion between gate agent and immigration,  we were allowed to board.   Immigration did not see permit.     Laurie suspected something was wrong and I think our names were called.   Laurie showed permit to staff on plane.

Immigration is inconsistent in their practice.   Group hss to stay together through security.    Please include that in instructions.

We are glad we also visited Nepal.

Hope this helps.   Margo & Laurie were good travel companions too.

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Laurie S. J

Three Himalayan Kingdom (Aug 13 -26,2015) Namgay (Bhutan Portion) Dawa (Tibet Portion)

Lhasa (Tibet) Dawa was an outstanding tour guide.  He encouraged questions and was always happy to answer.  Liked that we stayed at a Tibetan owned and operated hotel near the center of old Lhasa.  We found Lhasa fascinating.  Loved Yamdrok Lake and the drive to and from.

Nepal Great hotel, Yak n Yeti, great tour guide.  Enjoyed seeing the sights in Katmandu...unfortunate that there was so much damage to the historical sights, but there was still a lot to see. Went to the 1st night of the reopening of the dinner/cultural show venue.....several of us got really bad diarrhea from the meal we ate there.  Was not impressed with the cultural show. Great shopping in Katmandu.  Terrible traffic.

Bhutan Awesome tour guide Namgay.  He encouraged questions and was always eager to answer. Hotel Osel in Thimphu was outstanding and the dinners there were superb. Hotel in Punaka was just so-so......and the food there was not very good. Hotel in Paro was nice.  food there a little better, but still not very good. Fortunately, Windhorse had previously advised us that the food in Bhutan was not tasty, so we were prepared for that. Used the laundry services at the hotels.  It was very expensive at the Yak n Yeti. More reasonably priced at the Punaka and Paro hotels. Did not buy anything in Bhutan....most things were expensive.  That's ok. All of the drivers were excellent.  It is nice that there is drinking water available in the van. Ran out of water the 2nd day in the Tibet van so my daughter and I were scrambling to buy water as we were taking Diamox for the altitude and it is very important to drink a lot of water. So a suggestion would be to make sure that there is ample water on all of the vans for the entire length of the tour (especially in Tibet).

Let me know if you have any questions.

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Eve & Alan Lowson

Three Himalayan  Kingdom Tracy Cooke & Group. TID 8523 Dear Anand, Thank you for your request of a review for our tour with Wind horse that Tracy put together with you for us.First up the tour leaders were wonderful.  Special thanks to Neyma in who took care of us in Tibet. He took me and another friend to Lhasa hospital the day after we arrived and organized a consultation with a Doctor as we were so ill.  My husband came too and helped us, we were so grateful to Neyma for this.  (We had bad flu and altitude sickness). We were very grateful for the treatment we received and how Neyma went out of his way to help us. We were surprised with so many of us being affected by altitude sickness as we had been in many areas in Peru  with no ill effects.Then Neyma cared for us so well all the way through to Nepal, yet he took us to many monasteries, stupas palaces and places of interest as well.Our accommodation was fine and the food was good. Especially as a lot of the time we weren’t hungry.  The lunch stops with soups were especially good. It was good to talk to Neyma as he had much knowledge, we found him very interesting.And we loved that he was a Tibetan Opera singer, as well as a monk, making our visit even more interesting! Our bus driver there was very good too. Our Nepalese guide did very well to inform us so much about Nepal in a very short time.He managed the difficult walk across the landslide as best he could. We found it fascinating that out of the chaotic traffic people really can get to where they want to go! We were glad to be in the bus with a good driver! I enjoyed doing some shopping for pashminas there and would have liked more time.I enjoyed the artists making the mandalas, fascinating work and so exact.The Yak and Yeti hotel we voted the best! Our guide Yonten in Bhutan was very good, and we really admire the driver (?Mr Gotyre) and Yonten for their handling of the traffic hold ups by the road workers, they managed the situation very well.  Our driver there was excellent. Again, Yonten got everyone to see most things, although some of us stayed back towards the end as we couldn’t have walked and kept up.I found the artist’s school, the sculpture school and the weaving schools really interesting. I was amazed by the women weaving at another center for the Queen, their work was perfect each time the shuttle passed through, never a mistake anywhere in their work.  The patterns so complicated, especially as they were working with silk.  I really enjoyed watching them.I would have liked some shopping time to buy some woven products!The visit to the Hospital museum was very interesting.The archery caught everyone’s attention! Our accommodation was very good and we were looked after by the staff with food and being able to stay back.We were really well looked after. I think the only comment Alan and I had was that perhaps there was too much emphasis on Bhuddism as it became confusing when going from one monastery to another, each with different aspects of Buddhism. Perhaps we could have visited the main monasteries or stupas every second day, interspersed with visits to other areas.Some ideas have been mentioned below. We would have liked an afternoon to just walk around in the main shopping area (of Lhasa or Thimpu) and meet up later. Perhaps we could have had contact with a farmer and his yaks and cows, to get a closer look at them.Or even to watch the process of making incense, using the different herbs. However, overall we feel very lucky to have had the guides and drivers we did on our journey and the people in the hotels, as they all really helped and informed us as well as taking us to many places we could never have known about. They were very thoughtful, especially with illness.  We enjoyed our journey very much.

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Ms Dianne S

Three Himalayas Kingdom, TID 780, Sept 25 – Oct 08, 2014 We had wonderful guides who went out of their way to see to our every need.One thing that I would really have appreciated would have been the Festival information that we discovered on your website when we returned.  This information listed all of the dances included in the Festival and explained their meaning. It would have been so helpful to our understanding of the beautiful spectacle, if we had had a printout available to us when we were in attendance. I especially appreciated the opportunity to have a meal with a Bhutanese family.  They were so warm and hospitable. It was a very special occasion.Thanks to all at Wind Horse for making this a trip of a lifetime. Sincerely,

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Ellen V

Three Himalayan Kingdom TID 780 Sept 25 – Oct08, 2014 Thanks to Wind Horse for arranging such an incredible trip!  We had a great group of people and wonderful guides and drivers who went out of their way to accommodate our needs.  I enjoyed everything...the hotels, the food, the people, and the unique character of each country we visited.  We were very lucky to have had beautiful weather.  As Dianne mentioned, it would have been nice to have had a copy of your Thimphu Festival Description paper as we were a bit lost at the event.  I appreciated the school visit and the home meal that allowed us to interact with local people.  Bhutan in particular is a beautiful country to which I would like to return in the future. Cheer

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Tracy C

TID 8523 (Three Himalayas Kingdom) - 18 Sept - 05 Oct, 2014 Good morning! Sorry to take so long to write a review for you. I am just starting to get well again and back to normal.I hope some of the others in the group have written also.Well what a journey we had with Wind horse tours and their amazing tour guides in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.Throughout the trip different members came down with illness but with the help, v Guide and support of each other and our beautiful guides we soldiered on J.In Tibet with Neymah we were well taken care of and helped to see as much of this beautiful country as possible .We feel blessed to have had him with us on this journey especially with his vast knowledge of Buddhism and his love for this amazing country. Our driver was excellent and helpful as well. The Potala palace was amazing and the monasteries & Stupas were all a bit different and interesting. The overland trip to Nepal was beautiful scenery, a few rough roads but base camp Everest was just wow. The few days in Nepal were tough with the recent Landslide and walk over it and just a limited time but we were well taken care of again and treated to some local foods and singing at a local restaurant. The art studio was amazing. Bhutan is such a special country with beautiful people and surrounds. Once again the group was well looked after whether the few who were sick or the rest who wanted to see the sights. The hotels were all great and once again we were looked after very well. Thank you Yanten for looking after us all and our wonderful driver in keeping us safe with all the road works. While I was not well and missed some of the sights of this amazing place, I must say I still enjoyed the feel of this wonderful country and its amazing friendly helpful people. I recommend Wind horse and their amazing guides for each of these locations. The main office people are amazing as well in answering so many emails. They were in constant contact with our guides to make sure we were looked after and if any extra assistance was needed. My only suggestion is a bit more "down" time or shopping time as it was a very busy trip. Thank you for such an amazing journey

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Ellen V

Three Himalayan Kingdom TID 780 Sept 25 – Oct08, 2014 Thanks to Wind Horse for arranging such an incredible trip! We had a great group of people and wonderful guides and drivers who went out of their way to accommodate our needs. I enjoyed everything...the hotels, the food, the people, and the unique character of each country we visited. We were very lucky to have had beautiful weather. As Dianne mentioned, it would have been nice to have had a copy of your Thimphu Festival Description paper as we were a bit lost at the event. I appreciated the school visit and the home meal that allowed us to interact with local people. Bhutan in particular is a beautiful country to which I would like to return in the future. Cheer

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Ms Dianne S

Three Himalayas Kingdom, TID 780, Sept 25 – Oct 08, 2014 We had wonderful guides who went out of their way to see to our every need.One thing that I would really have appreciated would have been the Festival information that we discovered on your website when we returned. This information listed all of the dances included in the Festival and explained their meaning. It would have been so helpful to our understanding of the beautiful spectacle, if we had had a printout available to us when we were in attendance. I especially appreciated the opportunity to have a meal with a Bhutanese family. They were so warm and hospitable. It was a very special occasion.Thanks to all at Wind Horse for making this a trip of a lifetime. Sincerely,

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Ms Jennifer M V

Three Himalayan Kingdom TID 780, (Sept 25 to Oct 08,2014) Dear Anand, - It was a pleasure to provide initial comments on our tour by phone and I am happy to expand upon them in writing. I found the Three Himalayan Kingdom tour to be a truly fascinating experience. Visiting Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan on the same trip highlighted the cultural and religious similarities as well as the distinct differences between these regional neighbors. For me the real highlight of the trip was Bhutan and I quickly realized after we arrived from Nepal that the Bhutan portion of the trip was going to be too short for me (though I know that some in our group found it to be the right of time for them). It was a bit of a trade-off for adding Tibet and Nepal to the trip; in retrospect, I would have added some days to the Bhutan portion so that I could see more of the country. In such an enchanting country, where every view could be a postcard and the people are so kind and generous, it is difficult to single out particular experiences as highlights of the trip. There are the obvious ones, such as the Thimpu Tsechu and the hike to Taktsang Monastery, but the moments that stand out for me are the interactions with local people, like the lovely housekeeping girls at the Druk Hotel who made sure that I had tied my kira correctly, the funny conversations with the owner of the guesthouse in Punakha (which ended with me in the kitchen teaching him how to make guacamole with his outstanding avocados), the visit to the primary school near Paro where we distributed some supplies to the students, and our farewell dinner at the home of a welcoming family. Not only was the farmhouse meal the best that we had in Bhutan, but upon learning of my fondness for Bhutanese chilies and particularly for ema datshi, they generously gave me a big bag of dried chilies as well as seeds so I can try to grow them at home. And it was great fun reviving my origami skills and playing with the charming children of the house after dinner. Of course we could not have had these experiences or appreciated the beautiful dzongs, festivals, and temples without an excellent guide. Kuenzang was exceedingly patient, accommodating, and informative. His knowledge of the religious and cultural traditions was essential for our understanding of the places and people that we visited. Most importantly, I believe we all enjoyed spending time with him. He has an engaging personality that is a perfect fit for the guide profession. I also cannot praise enough our wonderful driver. Not only did he expertly navigate the tricky roads with seeming ease, particularly the construction on the Thimpu-Punakha route, but he kept the cleanest bus around and was always there with a helping hand and a smile. Finally, I cannot fail to thank Jambay, Ugen, and all of the Windhorse staff for their efforts to organize the trip itself. Their excellent planning, timely updates, and helpful pre-trip information ensured that we were well prepared for the trip and that tour itself was problem-free. In short, I cannot properly express in words how much I enjoyed my introduction to Bhutan. I call it an introduction because I am already planning to return so that I can see more of the country and learn more about the culture and the people. Kind regards,

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Eve & Alan Lowson

Dear Anand, Thank you for your request of a review for our tour with Wind horse that Tracy put together with you for us.First up the tour leaders were wonderful. Special thanks to Neyma in who took care of us in Tibet. He took me and another friend to Lhasa hospital the day after we arrived and organized a consultation with a Doctor as we were so ill. My husband came too and helped us, we were so grateful to Neyma for this. (We had bad flu and altitude sickness). We were very grateful for the treatment we received and how Neyma went out of his way to help us. We were surprised with so many of us being affected by altitude sickness as we had been in many areas in Peru with no ill effects.Then Neyma cared for us so well all the way through to Nepal, yet he took us to many monasteries, stupas palaces and places of interest as well.Our accommodation was fine and the food was good. Especially as a lot of the time we weren’t hungry. The lunch stops with soups were especially good. It was good to talk to Neyma as he had much knowledge, we found him very interesting.And we loved that he was a Tibetan Opera singer, as well as a monk, making our visit even more interesting! Our bus driver there was very good too. Our Nepalese guide did very well to inform us so much about Nepal in a very short time.He managed the difficult walk across the landslide as best he could. We found it fascinating that out of the chaotic traffic people really can get to where they want to go! We were glad to be in the bus with a good driver! I enjoyed doing some shopping for pashminas there and would have liked more time.I enjoyed the artists making the mandalas, fascinating work and so exact.The Yak and Yeti hotel we voted the best! Our guide Yonten in Bhutan was very good, and we really admire the driver (?Mr Gotyre) and Yonten for their handling of the traffic hold ups by the road workers, they managed the situation very well. Our driver there was excellent. Again, Yonten got everyone to see most things, although some of us stayed back towards the end as we couldn’t have walked and kept up.I found the artist’s school, the sculpture school and the weaving schools really interesting. I was amazed by the women weaving at another center for the Queen, their work was perfect each time the shuttle passed through, never a mistake anywhere in their work. The patterns so complicated, especially as they were working with silk. I really enjoyed watching them.I would have liked some shopping time to buy some woven products!The visit to the Hospital museum was very interesting.The archery caught everyone’s attention! Our accommodation was very good and we were looked after by the staff with food and being able to stay back.We were really well looked after. I think the only comment Alan and I had was that perhaps there was too much emphasis on Bhuddism as it became confusing when going from one monastery to another, each with different aspects of Buddhism. Perhaps we could have visited the main monasteries or stupas every second day, interspersed with visits to other areas.Some ideas have been mentioned below. We would have liked an afternoon to just walk around in the main shopping area (of Lhasa or Thimpu) and meet up later. Perhaps we could have had contact with a farmer and his yaks and cows, to get a closer look at them.Or even to watch the process of making incense, using the different herbs. However, overall we feel very lucky to have had the guides and drivers we did on our journey and the people in the hotels, as they all really helped and informed us as well as taking us to many places we could never have known about. They were very thoughtful, especially with illness. We enjoyed our journey very much.

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Sandy L

Three Himalayan Kingdoms, TID 8513 ( 12.0614 to 25.06.14) Trip was wonderful. All hotels had shampoo and soap so it would be better weight wise not to advise people to take their own. Food at Thimphu hotel was not good. Moldy bread etc. The hotel it's self was nice. All of our guides and drivers were very good. Only one day in Bhutan at the furtherest city we had nothing to do from 1:30 in the afternoon. So that was too much down time. The culture of both counties was amazing. We are hoping many of our friends will travel with Windhorse.

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Ngai So Chu

Three Himalayan Kingdom TID:663 (Oct 07-20 2013) Hi Anand, We would like to make a few comments. The room we stayed at Kyichu Hotel in Lhasa, China was the worst in the trip. Maybe we were just unlucky. The bathroom was dirty with molds. The water temperature of the shower was hard to control and unstable that one could easily get scalded. The room had no AC. When we complained the room was cold, the hotel staff put a portable heater with humidifier in the room, which was good and much appreciated. Still it was hard to get the right room temperature from the heater, either the room was not warm enough or too hot for a good night’s sleep. Potala Palace is huge and has many steps to climb. Will it be less taxing if the visit is scheduled a day later, after having more time to become acclimatized to the altitude, though everyone is anxious to visit Potala Palace the first thing in Lhasa? We did a few day hikes to see the natural beauty of Bhutan. Some members in the group are fast hikers while others slow hikers. To keep the group together for safety reasons, should the guide lead with the slowest hiker to set the pace? In case fast hikers do not want to keep their pace with the slowest hikers and hike ahead, should the guide stay at the rear of the group? That’s our opinion we could be wrong. Theguide (sorry we forgot the names of all guides) we had in Lhasa is very knowledgeable about Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. He is a passionate and enthusiastic person. We greatly appreciated his service which was informative, friendly and accommodating. His only weakness is his English. We understand as we have been fore-warned about the language skills of Tibetan guides. All in the entire trip was a pleasant, memorable experience that we really enjoyed. Ken and Ngai So Chu

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Nancy R

Three Himalayan Kingdom TID 663:Oct. 07-20,2013 I RECENTLY RETURNED HOME FROM A TRIP I TOOK WITH YOUR COMPANY TO TIBET, NEPAL, AND BHUTAN WHICH LEFT ON OCTOBER 5, 2013. IT WAS A MARVELOUS ADVENTURE. OUR GROUP OF 8 WERE TRAVELERS FROM CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES - 5 AND 3 RESPECTIVELY. WE WERE VERY COMPATIBLE AND HAD SUCH FUN TOGETHER ON OUR JOURNEY. AT THIS TIME,I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLIMENT YOU UPON YOUR SELECTION OF OUR GUIDES. OUR GUIDE FROM TIBET, NIMA, WAS EXCELLENT. HE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT HIS COUNTRY, CULTURE, AND CUSTOMS AND SHARED MANY INTERESTING DETAILS WITH US. BUT MOST OF ALL, I WANT YOU TO BE AWARE OF HIS WARM, CARING COMPASSION. I WAS ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THE HIGH ALTITUDES BUT WAS DETERMINED NOT TO MISS THE HIGHLIGHTS OF TIBET. HE KNEW MY DESIRE TO PERSEVERE AND WAS MOST HELPFUL TO "MAKE IT HAPPEN!!" OUR GUIDE FROM BHUTAN,GRUGIYL,WAS ALSO WONDERFUL.HE INTRODUCED HIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY TO US WITH MUCH ENTHUSIASM AND KNOWLEDGE AND MADE OUR TRIP THOUGH BHUTAN ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE.IT WAS A GORGEOUS COUNTRY WITH THE LOVELIEST CITIZENS I HAVE EVER MET IN MY MANY TRAVELS. THEY WERE TO THE PERSON, DELIGHTFUL, CHARMING, POLITE, AND HELPFUL - AS WAS GRUGIYL!I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE MENTION OF OUR OUTSTANDING DRIVER, UGEN. HE WAS A LOVELY GENTLEMAN AND AN EXCEPTIONAL DRIVER. THEY WERE A PERFECT PAIR TO GUIDE US THROUGH BHUTAN.THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND CONSIDERATION IN THIS ASSESSMENT.

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Olga k & Mikhail P

TID 663 Three Himalayan Kingdom Our general view is that our trip was great and exceeded our expectations in terms of sightseeing and accommodation. The trip was also flexible enough, and the guides were trying to do their best in showing us their respective countries and organizing our daily activities. There was also a lot of personal attention from local tour operators, and all our requests were promptly addressed and answered. Thank you very much!These are the weak spots which need improvement:Tibet - the local guide's (first name Nima) command of English needs to be improved. He had a good knowledge, however, it was difficult fro him to explain certain things in English.Bhutan (Druguel) - it would be nice if both historical and cultural aspects of the tour would be covered more comprehensively (at least at the level of the Lonely Planet guide book, and ideally - better).We would definitely recommend your agency to other people, and would like very much to travel with you again. Thank you and kind regards,

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Eve W.

Three Himalayan Kingdom for Eve & Tooby Nov 16 – Nov 30 2011 Hello Ugen! Sorry I haven't had a chance to write a review yet of our experience with Wind Horse, but we had a wonderful time. Bhutan was amazing and our guide (Ugyen) was also wonderful...very fun and full of knowledge. Since we were not with a group it was all the more wonderful that we had a great guide and driver. I am still traveling so will submit my comment when I have a moment of quite. Thank you again,

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Pamela P

Kuzuzangpo Ugen, Your message of April 24th was waiting when we returned home to Vancouver; I did not have my computer with me so did not get your email en route. I want to thank you for all the fine arrangements you made for us at every step of the way. All went smoothly, and as you had advised us about "bare minimum" hotels after Shigatse, we were prepared with sleeping bags, etc. Thought you might enjoy seeing a few images of the adventure, including some faces that might be familiar to you. Again, thank you so much for a job well done. Warm regards, Pamela Pamela & Kenneth Tour of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan & India from April 17 - May 10, 2011.

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Jutta Levin

Himalayan Kingdoms for Desmond & Levin Private : Oct 04 2010 to Oct 18 2010 Dear Ugen, We just got back from our wonderful trip. Your organization was perfect - everything went well, as we expected. Our guides were all very good; knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive to our wishes. Our favorite by far was Dawa in Tibet; he was just outstanding in his desire to educate us about his country and to make our stay there as pleasant and interesting as possible. Above all, he is a wonderful human being whom we were proud to call our friend after just a few days with him.I also want to commend the drivers whose excellent driving skills made us feel safe on the winding roads. The hotels were fine; we especially liked the Dhood Gu Hotel in Lhasa because of its great location in the old city. If anyone asks you for a recommendation, please feel free to give them my e-mail address. I'll be happy to talk to anyone about our great trip - I have lots of good memories. Thank you for organizing a most interesting and enjoyable experience. Tashi Delek.

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Michele A

Ugen, This is just a quick email to thank you one more time for the great support and wonderful itinerary you had put together for us. Maximo and I had an amazing time and we shall remember throughout our life!! Best Regards, Michele - Tibet, Nepal & Bhutan Private trip Sept 2010.

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Sid Esp

Thank you, Wind Horse Tours ! My trip through Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan was exactly what I had hoped for. The guides were top-notch and I was thrilled that, since I was traveling alone, they tailored the entire trip in light of my priorities, like photography. We spent hours chatting with monks and locals, ate incredible food, traveled through spectacular landscapes, stayed away from the tourist traps, and frankly, really experienced all three cultures. Feel free to use this email as a testimonial. I would recommend Wind Horse without hesitation. Keep up the good work." Sid ( TID 344; Tibet Everest Base Camp tour with Nepal & Bhutan Tour - Aug 15 till Sep 01, 2010)

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Barbara D and Bobby A

Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan Oct 2007

Hi Postak

We were very pleased at your agents' prompt response to our plight -- especially being picked up and taken care of for our overnight in Chengdu. Actually had a wonderful dinner at the Thai restaurant next to the Traffic Hotel.

All and all we enjoyed the trip very much and would certainly recommend Windhorse Tours to our friends. All of the guides and drivers were excellent. Only disappointments were a few of the hotels. The Capital Hotel first night in Beijing was a little sparse (although understandable to be close to flight) and the last hotel in Paro was also lacking in amenities (no internet, no TV). Did not mind being far afield such as in the Punaka hotel with great views and no town to speak of, but there was little to recommend that Paro hotel--except for the nice people who were working there.

Oh yes. In Tibet, the vehicle chosen was really too small for all of the time spent traveling. Our poor guide had to sit in lotus position in the back amid the luggage. The driver did not want to use the air conditioner

It was obvious that it was in need of repair, which we found out as we wended throught the desert on our way to Gyantse when it blew long accumulated dust into the vehicle. One thing that would help in future -- please give clients some idea of appropriate tipping for drivers and guides. If we have undertipped (especially in Tibet) we want to send something to Darma (spelling?) for her great service. Thus, please tell us: what would have been an appropriate range for guide/driver per day for our four-person tour in Tibet?

Re altitude: With the exception of Ken who was rather ill with headache for several days, none of us had problems with altitude sickness. Don't know if it was because we took the prescription or just luck.

FYI: Heard from several people in the hotel in Lhasa and in Bhutan who took the new train to Lhasa. They absolutely hated it. Too slow. Stuck in cabins all day by unsmiling soldiers. Train went through the best scenery at night.

Oh and yes. We loved Bhutan -- our favorite part of the trip. We opted to march (slowly) up to the Tiger's nest in Paro rather than visit fortresses etc. Thankfully, our very able guide (Soonam - spelling?) wisely got us started on our journey there at 7:30 a.m. so that we could complete the climb before the heat of the day would have made it even tougher.

Respectfully and thankfully yours,

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Beverly L

Three Himalayan Kingdoms (Sep 10-23, 2007) Dear Postak and Ugen: i want to thank you both for a wonderful trip. It was awesome for both my husband and i, and i could see all your hard work in arranging such a complicated venture! The food was great, the guides were superb - i loved them! - and the hotels, for the most part were fine. My only complaint about this is the hotel we stayed in at the beijing airport was not very nice. my recommendation to you is, in the future, if people such as myself are not really sure what's going on, they may need more advice from you. the rest of the group really liked their hotel in Beijing. had i known they were all there and that the hotel was much nicer, i may have chosen to stay there.

aside from this, it was an amazing journey. i would highly recommend wind horse holidays to anyone! please keep me in touch with your upcoming trips....

thank you again...

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Ramelle Glasscock

Bhutan & Tibet Sept & Oct 2006

I am so glad to have the opportunity to tell you how much Ann and I enjoyed our trip. Tibet: It was Nobu and the first was Dente (spellings all wrong probably). Norbu was particularly interesting and so smart. He has a farm outside the city, but lives in the city with his family. He goes to school during the winter. Our cute female guide in Chengdu also, went to school to learn more about the tourist industry.

Peldon, in Bhutan, was ideal. He was considerate and thoughtful of all of us and fun to be with. He certainly knew his history. We laughed because it all was so strange to us, but finally by the end of the tour we remembered most names and places and only because he repeated it over and over. Goodu, our driver, was unbelievable. As you know, those roads over there require all of the attention of the driver and he was able to deliver us in one piece!!! Such a nice young man and wants so much out of life.

Nepal: Our guide, BaaBoo (spelling) was so helpful, was really very, very good.

Thanks again for everything, I will certainly travel with Wind Horse again.

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Marc J

Dear Postak Shrestha,

Here with the feedback you requested about our trip. It reflects of course my personal opinion, but most probably it also translates to a large extent evaluation of the whole group of participants as we had sufficient opportunities to exchange opinions during the trip.

As a global statement we can say the trip was a success and provided us a rich and enjoyable experience, full of highlights. The organization was OK and the program captivating, up to breathtaking. More in detail:

Bhutan

Bhutanese nature is quite particular, mountains, forests, wild, and…still very virgin. Access is laborious, even main roads are narrow and sinuous, average speed with a good driver hardly exceeds 25 km/h (15 mph). Population density is low, so you have the feeling being close to the end of the world. Culturally speaking, the Dzongs are very impressive, still fully functioning today almost as it was for hundreds of years.The festivals (Timphu as well as Bhumtang) were very colorful and you feel they reflect very ancient customs and beliefs. Nevertheless, we were somewhat disappointed to see the festivals are (or became?) more or less a performance to show the public, not a feast celebrated by the local people at different places, in streets. Hiking to the Tiger’s nest was a great experience, physically demanding but unforgettable. The time we had in Bhutan was sufficient do appreciate what can be seen in the country. It is not a destination where you go more than once in your life but it remains unique. Organization was OK, accommodations corresponding to what is available, often charming. One negative point: our guide (named Karma) was kind with us and cared sufficiently about practical things, but communication was close to zero. When asking questions, we got kind answer, but if one word could do he would not spend a second one. Luckily we had excellent guide books with us to provide us essential information about sightseeing (like Dzongs) and the Bhutan way of life. In my personal opinion this was NOT GOOD ENOUGH. We heard occasionally other guides accompanying other groups, some where very good. Our driver in Bhutan was excellent.

Nepal

Despite the fact that my wife and myself already visited Nepal 9 years ago, it became again a great experience. Nepal gains in interest by seeing and learning more about it. It modernizes and develops quickly, but so much remains as before. Very colorful, plenty of life and activity. And so different, particular. We were again impressed, delighted. The program in Nepal was well elaborated, we liked the classical topics but also the small villages we visited. Visiting Nepal (mainly Kathmandu and environments) already justifies the journey. Accommodation was excellent (even if a bit far from city center), food very good (we selected restaurants ourselves from guide books, good choices!).Organisation in Nepal is not only very good, we experienced it is efficient; eager to help and… very kind. We appreciated particularly Mr Sanjeep Shrestha, who is sympathic, kind and efficient. The guide we had in Nepal was excellent, kind, good explanations. We were happy with him. Our driver was an expert.

Tibet

This is a unique experience. Particularly the first days after crossing the FriendshipBridge are unforgettable. Breathtaking scenes of this rough mountain zone, combining high mountains with desert aspects. People living there, small villages remote from any other civilization. Cold nights. Nice views, including Everest. People very different, other ethnic groups, hospitality not so high. Similarities about monasteries, but also large differences. Eventually we reached Lhassa, where the Potala was considered as a highlight. Acommodation in Tibet was according to what is available. Particularly the first night in Tibet the standard was very low, but that is part of the experience which will remain in our memories. Organization was relatively OK, even if hot controversies arose a couple of times. Not always obvious. Our guide in Tibet tried to do a good job, but it went not easy. Overall, it went not too bad, we got what we expected, I do not complain. But here too communication was poor and less kind. Cultural explanations where unsatisfactory and biased. Here too, guide books were more than useful. Our two 4-wheel drives were of excellent quality and our driver was kind and competent.

So, Mr Shrestha, that was my feedback in a nutshell. I tried to be honest.I think this trip will remain in our memories as one of the higher ranking experiences. For me we cannot complain if the only shadows are related to poor guiding performance.

Thanks for organizing this trip for us!

Best regards,

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Stuart Parkin

Ugen,

09/06/2005

We had a great trip and I wanted to thank you for your part in making it so!! Choki in Bhutan was excellent and Dawa in Tibet a really nice guy. My only comment however is that Dawa's English speaking ability was limited and this effected the quality of our experience.

Choki and Dawa were keen for us to provide comments - I don't have the forms any more but will happily complete them if you can email copies.

Thanks once again.

Sincerely,

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Chien Hwa Chao

Three Himalayan Kingdoms Bhutan was wonderful!! My guide was very knowledgeable and attentive. Plus, Bhutan was so much more beautiful and pleasant than Tibet and Nepal . In fact, I have been raving about Bhutan to all my friends as THE Buddhist country to visit. Nepal was okay and bit polluted. Our guide was very Knowledgeable. Thailand was wonderful as well, especially Bangkok !! I am so thankful that you recommended the extension there!! I only got to spend a day with my guide/handler in Bangkok , but she made a lasting impression