Chimi Rinzin

Just a short note from the departure lounge of Paro airport.
We had the most memorable time in Bhutan and we are glad we chose this beautiful country for our silver jubilee.
Both Yonten and Chimi were wonderful hosts; caring, thoughtful and cheerful; they are a credit to your organisation.
For sure, we shall be recommending Windhorse to all our friends and family.
Best regards,
Sreenath and Swarna.

A handwritten note by the Lisa, who travelled with us from Oct 12- 16, 2016. A gesture she felt necesaary to put it in words before the moments becomes inexplicable. It was 5 days tour, but the moments she landed in Paro, she instantly felt connected with place, people and pristine nature. Largely, one aspects that stand out was the stellar role played by Yonten (Guide). The most amazing moments for her was walking down the Rinpung Dzong with perfect natural setting will linger forever in her memory. Lisa came as a guest and departed as a family. Even for us, it can’t get any better than this, Can it?

I felt it would be shame not to published this beautifully hand written note. And on this further nice note all of us here at Wind Horse expresses gratitude and we surely hope someday our path crosses again.

TID – 8663 – Bhutan Walking Tour

We booked a walking tour with Wind Horse Tours. We were met at the airport by our guide, Leki, and driver, Chimi. It was a private tour, so we spent 2 weeks with just the two of them. They were both incredible ambassadors of Wind Horse and Bhutan. They made us feel like family instead of tourists.

Our walking tour of Bhutan was breathtaking. The land is beautiful and the Bhutanese are the warmest and friendliest people we have ever met. We absolutely loved our experiences in Bhutan, and a great deal of the credit goes to Leki and Chimi. I would not hesitate to recommend Wind Horse Tours and these two gentlemen to any future visitors. Thank you so much Leki and Chimi!!!

TID 8628 (March 31- April 14,2015) The guide – Dechen Duba
Hello Anand,

It is now more than a month since we finished our trip with Wind Horse.  It was truly the best trip we’ve had in a very long time and one we’ve been hoping to take since the mid-80s.  I know the places we visited are places that many tourists see; however, Duba, our guide, introduced the places in an understandable and relevant way.  Chimmie, our driver, kept us safe on the roads and managed the blocks so as to minimize the time we had to spend waiting for road openings.  Our accommodations were all fine and ranged from OK to amazing.  We loved the Lechuna Heritage Hotel in the Haa valley, the Khang Residency in Thimpu and the Hotel Dewachen in Gangtey.

We enjoyed having a break from driving, monastaries and towns with our almost-daily hikes.  There was a good balance within our cultural, physical and urban shopping activities.

One suggestion is that hotels have better fire detection equipment.  I know this is not an area where you are likely to have much influence, but maybe you can raise the issue whenever it is appropriate.  Many hotels use a lot of wood in the construction and with wood-heat a feature in many hotels, sprinklers and fire extinguishers should be installed.

As far as the tour itself, we had full, interesting days.  We only wish we had more time to explore the eastern part of Bhutan and do a trek.

Thank you for planning this trip for us.  I would recommend your company to anyone who is interested in visiting Bhutan.

Sincerely,

Deirdre H

TID – 8736 (April 19-24,2015) Guide – Pema 

Our guide, Pema, and our driver Chimmi were both very good. They were both professional, helpful and pleasant. I very much enjoyed the entire trip. The Tiger’s Nest was definitely the highlight of the trip. My one criticism would be of the food. It wasn’t bad, but it was always basically the same buffet. More opportunities to experience some different variety outside of a hotel restaurant buffet would have been nice.

TID – 772 (Oct 21 – Nov 07, 2014) Guide – Dorji Tshering

Dear Anand, Apologies for such a delayed reply.
The Merak and Sakten trip was incredible, I daydream about my time in Bhutan all the time now when I should be working!

The driver, Chimi, and guide, Dorji, were friendly and welcoming and extremely hardworking – I feel very grateful to have met them. Our trek team were brilliant and so friendly. and The communities of Merak and Sakten were so special – I will never forget my time there. I am very interested in plants and birds so East Bhutan is the best place I have ever been to see so many different and rare species.

My only worry is that, because of Bhutan’s organisation that you pay the same amount per day if you stay in a 5* hotel or a homestay that nobody stays in smaller guesthouses or with families. Our group were all quite young, but many people we met on holiday in Bhutan were quite old! I really like to stay in homestays and in more simple accommodation – but I know lots of older people like luxury. But I worry that the big hotels are not very environmentally friendly and you do not get to know the people who work there. Maybe people who like nature might like to stay in homestays and simple accommodation – so this might be an option for people who choose to go on the Merak and Sakten trip.

I hope this helps, please ask if there are any specific questions I can answer.
Thank-you very much to everyone at Windhorse for organising our journey.

Best wishes,

Concise Druk Path Trek 

During our short stay in Bhutan, the people of this amazing country opened their hearts to us and instilled in us a love for their country.  When we arrived in Paro, Mr. Kinga was there for us with bright Wind Horse sashes and a smile as big as the country. From that moment on, we were not only safe and well cared for , but pampered beyond anything we could have imagined.  The next day we set out with our incredible Wind Horse guide, Pema, and our wondrous driver, Chimi, to begin a trip across Bhutan that we will soon not forget. Pema took care of each and every detail, he is truly a professional. He is an outstanding, clear communicator of Bhutanese history.  He sprinkled his knowledge with patience and a remarkable sense of humor. Chimi is without a doubt the very best driver that has ever been behind the wheel. He navigated each and every hairpin turn with care and grace.  We felt so safe in his hands that we would travel anywhere with him.

We took two three day treks with Wind Horse as part of our adventure. Our Wind Horse trekking crew was remarkable on each of these treks.  The food was outstanding, our camp site, perfect each night.  We went home with amazing memories and a thirst for more.

We are grateful to Wind Horse, Mr. Kinga, and especially Pema and Chimi for making our trip to Bhutan one of a lifetime!  Wind Horse is terrific!

Grand Cultural Tour for Lemonick TID: 786 (March 16 – 26,2014)
The trip was amazing–ideal in every way. We’re planning to post very positive reviews everywhere we can think of, but I wanted to locate the paper where I wrote down Namgay and Chimi’s names so I can mention them personally. The itinerary was great, the country and culture and people were every bit as welcoming and fascinating and beautiful as we’d hoped, and our guide and driver were simply outstanding.

TID – 687, Dec 09-20,2013 Grand Cultural Tour
We are so grateful and inspirted by our trip to the amazing country of Bhutan.. Our Windhorse guide, Jambay was so knowledgeable, and took extra good care of us all. Chimmey such a kind presence and capable driver , we felt so safe on the rough and winding roads through the beatiful, mountains, passes and valleys.

Jambay included special experiences for us to experience , like a home visits and rituals as well as helping us deal with my husband’s health crisis. Kinga and Deschen we Thankyou so much as well. for supporting us. ( We wanted to let you all know,he is well and healthy..) We directly experienced the compassion of Bhutanese people and values for caring for others, based on Buddhism. We highly recommend Windhorse travel and team . They ‘go the extra mile’ offerring their excellent skills and experience with guiding tours, well trained teams and welcome.

with Gratitude, Merra Y.. Minneapolis, MN. USA

&nbsp

TID 687 Grand Cultural Tour (Dec 09th to Dec 20th) 2013

Well, Patrice and I have been back from Bhutan for about 10 days now. What a marvelous trip!
Chimi and Jambay provided extraordinary service, flexibility, and good humor in accommodating our little group’s challenges. Chimi’s ready smile was always a pleasure and his driving skill exemplary. Jambay made numerous extra efforts for us, was always successful in providing us unique experiences. He also showed total patience and resourcefulness in helping us through William (and Merra’s) medical crisis.

Windhorse did an excellent job preparing us for the trip, and also in helping with William’s encounters with the medical facilities.

I have nothing but praise and gratitude for the service you’ve provided.

Thank you!

TID 707 Grand Cultural Tour of Bhutan (14.10.13 – 23.10.13)
Hello! Well we’re finally back into our routines and feel like we’re in the right time zone! We had a wonderful time during our tour thanks to the very capable Kinley and Chimmi our guide and driver. Each of them went out of their way to make us happy and comfortable. The hotels were always taken care of and so were our bags. I’m not sure whether it was purely Kinley’s idea but at one point he told us he was able to get us a “better hotel” in Punakha and that hotel ended up to be one of the highlights of the trip.Ugen was great as well.

It was a pleasure meeting him in Bhutan and sharing the ride from Bumthang to Thimpu one day. After chatting with him, we are now thinking of doing a hike in eastern Bhutan someday in the future.The only thing we can think of that may be helpful in the future is to have a first aid kit in the vehicle. At one point my husband cut himself (nothing major) and I got bit by something that made my arm swell up so having antiseptic or a band aid would have been helpful. You never know what will happen when you’re out in the middle of nowhere. We survived just fine but thought we might suggest that.We truly enjoyed ourselves and were pleasantly surprised how well everything went. We appreciate your concern with our trip as usually we never hear from the tour operator again after the trip is over.
Thanks again

Sonam Pelden, our guide, felt like a member of the family within the first couple of days. His nuanced English was invaluable in helping us understand the complexities of Bhutanese Buddhism and culture -we also laughed a lot! He gave us good suggestions and guidance. It was clear that he was respected by the hotel and restaurant personnel where we stayed. He was a delight.

Chimi Rinzin, our driver, had a smile that light up the car and our lives. He is a careful and experienced driver who actually made the rough Bhutanese roads seem less arduous. We felt completely safe with him at the wheel

TID 562/563-Bhutan Traverse From West to East & Extension Tour of Sikkim/Darjeeling
(11-29, Nov. 2012)

I just finished Wind Horse’s Bhutan Traverse, from Paro to Trashigang, during festival time, then a short week long excursion to Darjeeling and Sikkim. These two itineraries are EXACTLY what I wanted. I couldn’t be more pleased about the overall experiences gained on these two tours.The itineraries were GREAT! Bhutan’s beauty is simply magnificent; that makes up for the fact that the roads make for difficult travel at times, but Wind Horse certainly can’t do anything about that! The Guides were wonderful. Jambay’s follow-through and vast knowledge of Buddhism, and Tharchen’s accommodation and knowledge of mountaineering were astounding. These two could spin spellbinding lectures. We couldn’t have asked for better, nicer, more competent drivers than we had in Chimmi and Sangay. Chimmi’s tire change on a winding, narrow cliffside road, was not less impressive that a FORMULA ONE race car Pit Stop tire change. I felt absolutely safe and well cared for on these trips.

I didn’t think we needed to be warned about dull cuisine, or repetitive menus. I didn’t find it to be that bad! Always consider taking the Bhutan 562 segment BEFORE the Darjeeling/Sikkim 563 extension. The reason for this is, Bhutan is more physically demanding, and has more challenging walks/hikes/roads, higher elevations, and lesser hotels than India’s. While warning about the physical fitness required for Bhutan WAS present in the pre-tour reading, you should take these warnings seriously, especially if you’re older or out of physical condition. The Darjeeling/Sikkim section of our trip was positively EASY, which was good, for how tired we were on arrival. We had been traveling a long time, even before the Bhutan section….and how about those festivals?! I’ll have visions of amazing, twirling colors dancing in my head for the rest of my life.

I’m very grateful for the tremendous efforts, from the first email contact, onward, that the folks at Wind Horse made, to make this a trip I will cherish.