Village Tour of Western Bhutan

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Lucie

Village tour of Western Bhutan My husband was not sure about the Haa valley part before the trip but after we did it, we was happy to have been there as myself. For me this was among my highlights. I wished I could have seen more of this beautiful country, the Eastern part and Southern part also, but for the time we had, we are happy of what we’ve seen. As I said to our guide Sonam, some of the visits listed in the itinerary (village visits, enjoy a tea with local people – mainly in Punakha surroundings), haven’t been done and it was a deception for me because the choice of this tour was in part because of the interactions we would have had with local people. As I told him before Haa valley, he followed the itinerary planned for this part. ;o) Also, instead of visiting the Textile Academy & Museum he brought us to a small place where we could see persons weaving. It was interesting but as we have asked a lot about different fabrics, we would have preferred visiting Textile Academy & Museum. We thought we could visit it before leaving Thimphu, but it was closed that day. Sonam told us that the reason for this choice was that we could not see people weaving at the Textile Academy & Museum. We thought it was an Academy and tourists we met on the road, told us they saw some. Anyway. Just to make sure that when something is suggested in replacement of a visit, all the information is given to the customer. After sharing many meals with Kunmar in Nepal, on this trip, it was the opposite.  It would have been great if Sonam and Tenzing/Sonam could have joined us during meals, at least in some occasions. As for the lodge in Haa valley, it was awesome! Really! And the cook is quite a good chef. Keep this place on your list, it is such a good experience. We also liked all the hikes we did in different areas.   Jean-Sebastien realized with this trip (2 tours) that he would have liked to hike more in the mountains in order to see more mountain tops. The ones we saw were breathtaking. Finally, we also have a another comment to make because we felt not at ease of the situation and think it have given a different taste to the rest of our trip in Bhutan. When arriving at the hotel in Punakha, our guide informed us that our driver (Sonam #2 for us because the guide was also Sonam) had to leave us in order to drive a group arriving the day after and another driver (Tenzing) would replace him for the rest of our trip. While Tenzing was a good driver, very nice and helpful during the rest of our trip, we found it strange to change drivers so quickly. Also, as we didn’t know in advance, we did not have enough money to tip him on the spot and during the evening, we decided to wait at the of the trip to give him, through Sonam (guide) his tip just to sort the tipping once at the end. It seems that this situation also affected Sonam (our guide) because for the rest of the trip, he was not the smiling person and talking a lot from the beginning. Even though I’ve asked him if we have done something that could have offended him, he said no, nothing. But still, I imagine he wouldn’t say : well, yes, you didn’t give tip to Sonam (driver)… So, in the future, we would recommend, if it is possible, to avoid this kind of switch for this reason. Sonam has been good for us and gave us information regarding all our technical questions. We didn’t know Windhorse before booking and we were a bit worried to pay the amount of money without being sure that the company really existed (many scam companies exist on the Web), but the pre-trip discussions with especially Ugen and Jambay reassured us. You have a good customer service. ;o) Thank you all for the trips you provided to us, it has been a marvelous experience. Take care Jean-Sebastien and Lucie

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Maureen Allyn

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Flora & Norman S

Dear Anand - Our trip to Bhutan was FABULOUS. We can't stop talking about it with all of our family and friends.  Bhutan is a magical country. All of our living arrangements were marvellous (especially in Thimbu).

We absolutely LOVED our guide, Penjor and our driver, Arum.  We have traveled extensively all over the world, but we have never had a more helpful, sweet guide as Penjor, or a better, safer driver than Arum.  They were truly wonderful.

We have absolutely no suggestions to better the trip.  It was all wonderful.  Please give our warmest regards to both. 

We congratulate and thank you for your great service. - Sincerely Flora & Norm. TID 8701: March 23 to April 02 with Guide Penjor Lhendup

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Rachel Tang G.

TID-8731, Village Tours of Western Bhutan, March 30 -April 08, Guide Sonam Palden. [caption id="attachment_10564" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Rachael & Family with local family in one of the village[/caption]

Wind horse Tours has made our trip to Bhutan truly unforgettable. From my first correspondence with Mr. Jambay via email to our arrival in Bhutan, everything was absolutely outstanding in terms of organisation and professionalism. The response Mr. Jambay gave was immediate and positive and Windhorse Tours managed our expectations exceedingly well. From the accommodation to the itinerary, to the hotels and meals, Wind horse Tours was considerate and extremely proactive in thinking ahead and being immaculately organised.

[caption id="attachment_10565" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Racheal & Family[/caption]

As we were travelling with two children with allergies, Wind horse asked for information prior to the trip well ahead of time so the meals could be organised without any glitches. The most amazing thing about Windhorse was their guide, Mr. Sonam Pelden and driver Mr. Yamraj Chhetri. These two individuals embody the true Bhutanese spirit of generosity, compassion, patience and kindness. Mr. Yamraj was conservative and safe on the winding Bhutanese roads which are not easy to drive through at times and Mr. Sonam was funny and legendary. He was full of stories and good humor and is exceptionally awesome with children and family groups. These ambassadors of Bhutan are truly inspirational. The experience was so transformative and special which made going home extremely difficult. After Mr. Sonam and Mr. Yamraj dropped us off at the airport on our last day, Mr. Sonam, our guide told us that he would be waiting until the plane takes off in the unlikely event of a delay. That is once again, true professionalism. Windhorse is without a doubt the BEST tour company specialising in Bhutan which everyone should be using.

[caption id="attachment_10566" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Racheal & Family with local traditional dancer[/caption]

 

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Susan Thomas

Village Tour of Bhutan for Ms. Susan Thomas & Son TID 8626: Dec. 21 - 29, 2014 I just returned a few days ago.  Bhutan was part of a 2 month trip.  I do plan to write a review on Trip Advisor. Both Tashi and Sonam were terrific. I have hired guides and drivers around the world and they rate with the best.  We loved the entire trip, especially the Haa Valley.  Lechuna Heritage Hotel is a gem. The only problem we encountered was with Tashi Namgay Resort.  We stayed there our first night in a new room with radiant heating in the floor.  It was a lovely room so we were really looking forward to spending our last 2 nights there.  Unfortunately we had a terrible room on our return.  It was very large which would have been nice but it was below zero (fahrenheit) and they had one pathetic heater that you could put your hand on when it was “working.” Tashi immediately ordered us another heater which was much better.  Unfortunately, the electrical system couldn’t handle two heaters so it blew a fuse during the night.  Not knowing a fuse had blown, I spent the last half of the night shivering.  Tashi got us another room for the last night which was better as it had electrical blankets.  The fault was entirely the hotel’s. I will post my review in the next few days.  My name on Trip Advisor is Engphile.