Window to Bhutan

Dear Anand,

We greatly enjoyed our trip. Please find our review below:

Dear Anand,
I just wanted to let you know my clients are now home from their travels.
They had a wonderful time in Bhutan and thought the services you provided were excellent.
They even managed to climb the whole way up to Tiger’s Nest and they were not sure if they would be able to.
Thank you for making it a holiday of a life time for them!

We had a wonderful time in Bhutan, and thank you to you and all the Windhorse team for making our holiday so enjoyable. Sonam was a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable and great fun. Please pass on our special thanks to him as I was quite tired throughout the holiday and had a couple of dizzy spells and Sonam was very kind. Just before leaving the UK we found out we were expecting a baby in April next year, which was wonderful news but I was just starting to experience the sickness and fatigue that often accompanies early pregnancy. Sonam was great and was very relaxed about the schedule which allowed me to have some extra time at the hotels to rest. We have promised him that we will visit Bhutan again with our children so he can take us horse riding! We have been talking to our friends and family about how wonderful Bhutan was, and recommending the great service we received from Windhorse.

The mountains, rivers, forests and rice fields are beautiful and all considered to be alive and intelligent in Bhutan culture. The monasteries, Dzongs and markets are fascinating. But is the kindness and generous hearts of the Bhutanese people that made my trip so pleasant. In particular, the patience and kindness of Yeshi and Chimi, my guide and driver, that make the experience more wonderful than I could expect from any tour company.

Hi Anand,

Thank you for reaching out.  My daughter and I would like you to know that we had an absolutely fantastic time in Bhutan.  The country is beautiful, the people are friendly, and there were many truly amazing sites to see.  Our guide Yentin and driver, Mister Jetney, were both wonderful and very accommodating.  We enjoyed our time with them, and were sorry to say goodbye at the end of the trip.  The high point for us was of course the hike to Tiger’s Nest.  What an awesome experience.  We have no low points on this trip.

Thank you again for being so well organized and taking such good care of us.  We will definitely recommend Wind Horse Tours.

Thank you for your email and apologies for the late reply. I am traveling and I am not checking my emails very often.

The trip was very interesting. Buthan is a beautiful country. My guide was very knowledgeable and also a nice person to talk to. Also the driver was really good. I was surprised that I was not feeling bad even once, considering how curvy roads are.

I must admit though that I was a bit disappointed and at times frustrated with the program. I think that 0.5 day in Thimphu and 1 day in Paro would be enough (I spent there 1.5 and 2 days respectively). The remaining time could have been spent on visiting another site.

Apart from the above, I was very happy with the tour.

Steve and I really enjoyed our trip to Bhutan.
Highlights for us was visiting the art school, textile museum and paper making factory in Thimphu. The hotel was lovely but the downside was not being able to sleep because of the many dogs barking in the square.
The fort at Punakha was amazing. The four of us were all surprised when Pema explained that we would have a 6 hour car drive the following day to the Ha Valley – as it was stated in the itinerary it was 3 hours. However, Pema did explain that was the distance from the temple at the pass. We decided to give this a miss as we didn’t want to extend our travel time any extra longer.
We really enjoyed the Ha Valley experience – of particular note was the lovely lunch we had in a private home. I also enjoyed the walk with school children up the village path to our lovely Hotel / Home Stay. An upsetting incident happened as we were about to depart the Ha Hotel – Delna was bitten by dog and we had to go immediately to the local hospital. The doctors told us they had treated 2 Australian tourists the day before and it seems quite a common event. Some travel warning about this would have been appreciated.
The four of us all made it to the Tiger’s Nest !

First of all I apologise for the delay in my review. I got back to Australia a few days ago.

I am very pleased with my trip to Bhutan.

First of all your reactiveness was great, every time I had a request or a question you would reply to me in a few hours, it was great tot know that you were onto it.

I did find it a bit difficult to use the kimkim platform, maybe because I only had phone. I did not receive the attachments you send on kimkim and I was unable to upload documents (I had to get my partner to do it for me from Australia).

The flights were good. Landing in Paro I was struck by how fresh and crips the air was (compared to polluted Kathmandu!), it was the best feeling.

My guide Tashi was very nice, knowledgeable, and friendly. I learned a lot, about Bhutan and Buddhism. Every request I had he would try his best to fulfil it. He organised a Hot Stone bath at his family’s house. It was great to meet his family and enjoy a traditional Hot Stone Bath, especially after hiking the Tiger’s nest that morning.

The first day did feel a little rushed, but the rest of the time the schedule was well paced. I wish I had time to go a bit further than Punakha. It was very convenient to have the car and drive (I am sorry I forgot his name), to stop where ever I wanted to, giving us flexibility.

The accommodation was great. The Bhutan Suites in Thimphu was very comfortable and helpful staff.

I really enjoyed the homestay at Chimi Lhakhang. My hosts were very friendly, they spoke perfect english, let me cook with them. I felt welcome and it gave me a deeper understanding of the culture. I am glad I stayed there two nights. Gangtey Palace in Paro was amazing. The building is quite impressive, beautiful views on the Dzong and mountains, the room big and comfortable. The only disappointing part was the weak wifi connection from my room (but hey, that’s ok). I was lucky though, as on my last night there, they hosted a special event and I could see traditional dancing (which I wouldn’t have seen otherwise).

The food was tasty and fresh, especially at the homestay as I got to cook with my hosts and witness how meals are shared. After the second day, lunches were disappointing as I realised it was always the same buffet (veggie noodles, rice, veggies, spinach…). I wish I could have ordered different options.

In a way it was good to be one on one with the guide but I do wish the tour included other people. It is always nice to discover new places with people to share your impressions with and I was a bit lonely in the evening as the tour finishes quite early in the day (4/5pm).

I enjoyed the hikes and visiting temples (even though it did feel like a lot of temples by the end of the week). I am glad I got to see the archery competition. The Hot Stone bath and the Tiger’s nest hike (great to do early in the morning) as well as the home stay were the highlights of my trip. I feel like Bhutan is a country like no other. I am delighted I got to experience it. The tour was great. I understand and appreciate the bhutanese approach to tourism. I had a great time. Than you very much for your help and organising it all for me. I would love to go back one day and visit the East, I will let you know when 😉

Our group of 4 just returned from a 7 day tour of Bhutan. From the beginning of my contact with Bas, to touring the amazing countryside of Bhutan with Sonam and Tawa (guides from Bhutan). My experience was phenomenal, two thumbs up for the curtosy, kindness and professionalism of all the staff.

I had mixed emotions about this trip.  I was excited to see this picturesque country but terrified about the trek to Tiger’s Nest.  Thanks to our wonderful guide, Kinley, and our quiet driver, Yamraj, (Raj, as we called him), they put my mind at ease.  Kinley, who was very knowledgeable and attentive, kept us entertained with his antics and rendition of ‘Desposito’.  Raj, on the other hand, managed the winding roads of Bhutan like a pro and always made us feel safe as we drove from one site to the next.

The highlight of the trip, the trek to Tiger’s Nest, had me on pins and needles but with Raj’s help (I now call him ‘my Savior’),  I made it!  He patiently helped me maneuver the uphill climb and those 800 steep steps.  This trip was definitely a very memorable one, not only because Bhutan is such a beautiful country…Kinley & my Savior, Raj, played a big part, as well.

I highly recommend Wind Horse and the Kinley/Raj team.

We highly recommend Windhorse, our wonderful guide Tshering and our driver Subba.

We spent a week in Bhutan and it was absolutely wonderful. We visited the cultural highlights of Paro, Thimphu and Punakha. Tshering was very considerate about making the trip a special holiday for us. He tailored the trip to our wishes, even showed us his home. At the end of the trip, they even organized a surprise dinner for our 10 year anniversary! During the trip we had a lot of fun, both Tshering and Subba have a great sense of humor. Thank you for making this an unforgettable holiday.

The quality of transportation provided was great. My driver Guddu was awesome!

Unfortunately, I suffered an accident coming down of Tiger’s Nest. I twisted my ankle and one of your tour guides Tashis carried me on his back all the way to the bottom of the hike.

We traveled to several different festivals in numerous cities, mixed with a few short hikes in between. A once in a lifetime experience. We loved the dances, the colourful costumes, and the journey through Bhutan. Thanks to our marvellous guide Tshering with the support of driver Kencho, the visits to all the monasteries and castles were a great cultural inspiration. Teaching us Dzongkha expressions and songs made the long drives through the impressive mountains a very entertaining trip. We would highly recommend it. Thank you!

Hi there!
Celia and I had taken part in the “Window to Bhutan Tour” from 8/30 – 9/5 and we would like to share some positive feedback with you regarding our tour guide (Kinley) and driver (Jigme). Both have taken care of us so well during our trip. Kinley was knowledgeable, attentive and definitely had a great sense of humour. Jigme was also friendly, conversational and attentive. More importantly, he was such a great driver that he transported us from point A to point B safely, despite some treacherous road conditions in your country! Both individuals have given us such a wonderful experience on our trip. We will definitely hire them as well as Wind horse again if we ever decide to return to your magical kingdom for a second visit. They have no doubt represented your company well.

Dear Mr. Sirs, I really want to thank you again for the most wonderful trip I have made in your beautiful country last April 17th. Asspecially our wonderful guide Duba and driver Dawa. Duba is so kind, attent, helpful, well informed about everything. As I arrange guided nature tours in my country we bought Duba books about birds and flowers which he want himself to improve his knowledge. Even when I arrived at Delhi airport my driver and agent were waiting for me and dropped me off at the guide who showed me Delhi and dropped me at my hotel everything was well arranged. When you talk/call Duba pls. say hello to him from me. kind regards

Dear Anand and Ugyen,
Dear Laki,
What a phenomenal holiday! You have a lovely country and very nice fellow citizens.
Though there was a 6 hours delay at the day of arrival – rain in Paro obstructed the sight – we were still able to see a bit of the town. Mr. Yonten took us to a temple and gave a good first impression. As for the itinerary, the trip was and adventure in itself with all the road works. The flight to Bumthang was perfect, but 2 nights in the village might just seem a bit too long. We could have condensed it a bit more at that stage. Also, the hotel in Bumthang was not exactly the best value for money I believe. Though the rooms were brand new, they were not finished and had some child diseases. The food at the hotel can be improved.
As for the rest, great trip, great views, nice people… Bumthang, Trongsan and Punakha were very nice experiences. The last-day climb to the Tiger’s nest unbelievable! By the way the hotels in Punakha, Timphu and Paro were very good. The trip has given us the real feeling of Bhutan, I believe. We enjoyed very much the company of our travel guide – who turned out to be an expert carpenter as well. Just ask Leki about Bhutanese windows – he has turned into an expert after our trip J And although we were faced with 2 car accidents – both not the driver’s fault! – we took the situation at “zen”. Our driver was responsible and had perfect grip on those narrow winding high-altitude mountain trails…
So all in all very positive and I thank you again for the assistance. Worth a strong recommendation!
All the best
TID 8753 Guide Lheki

The main reason that I was in Bhutan was to bring some of my uncle’s ashes to the country, as I am trying to take a small part of him to all the countries that he did not visit before he died. Sonam organised having his ashes made in to a Tsa Tsa stupa at a nun’s monastery, and then he hiked with me for 8 hours above the Tigers Nest, so we could put the stupa as close to God as possible at the top of the mountain. He climbed trees to hang prayer flags and generally worked as hard as he could to make my wish a reality. All during the trip he was happy to change direction when I saw something that took my eye, and without him and the great team at Windhorse our Bhutan experience would not have been such a life changing one.
When I was refused exit from India, the Windhorse team passed messages on to my parents, and also helped me with information at very unfriendly hours of the night so that I could make another plan and as a result I only missed one day of the trip. It could have been a lot worse, and it was great to know that my parents were in such capable hands. Hemrag was a very safe driver, who kept his vehicle immaculate at all times. Never once did we feel unsafe in his hands. Best wishes.

TID – 8724 Window to Bhutan (Customised) 9 March to 15 March, 2015. Sonam Loday – guide.

Dear Windhorse Travel.
I wrote this on behalf of my family Jummi Tandung Raya :
“Your service is very nice and kind. Your tour provide me any equipment and tools needed, including instant noodle, drink and some medicine when I am sick. They also want me to speak with the owner, Mr.Tsering but because my english is not very good so I refuse it. haha
We will see you soon in our travel to Bhutan.”
Thank you sir

TID – 8708 ( 06.02.15 – 12.02.15) Window to Bhutan (Guide – Kezang Norbu)
Dear Anand,
Sorry for the delayed reply.
Overall, we had a fabulous time!  Our guide Kezang and driver Chimi provided lots of insight, guidance, and knowledge to us (and kept us safe on the roads in Bhutan).  And we really appreciated the photo stops!

Our guide Kezang is one amazing individual.  We are very happy to have met him and his knowledge of the area and specific sites are phenomenal.  (His devotion to Buddhism is very beneficial for tourism in Bhutan.)  This was especially evidenced to us when another guide (from a different group) was asking questions in the temple that Kezang easily provided answers.  In addition, Kezang and Chimi brought us around with a smile and left us with a truly positive lasting impression of the people of Bhutan – one that we believe to be wholeheartedly embracing the concept of happiness.

We will be more than happy to provide more information if you need!  In addition, I haven’t yet had a chance to go through my photos for color correction, but will likely be sending some over (if you still wanted some…)

Kind regards,

Hi Jambay

Hope you are well.We just wanted to touch base to say how delighted we were with our tour of Bhutan through Windhorse.Sonam was the ultimate professional: well organised, a great communicator, flexible, very knowledgeable. And most importantly to us, fun! We have traveled extensively over the years, and he was by far, the most impressiveGuide we have ever had the pleasure of touring with. Sanger was also to be commended for his excellent driving skills. His car was always neat and tidy and both Sonam and Sangar were always well presented.

We were sad to leave magical Bhutan – an amazing country with wonderful people. Thanks for all of your help organising the initial stages of our trip.We will certainly be recommending Windhorse to all of our friends and family.

Warmest regards

Hello Anand,

Yes, we did indeed complete our trip, the last part being a visit to Bhutan and what a trip is was, absolutely fabulous. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Paro and got greeted by our guide Kencho and our driver Pema the trip was wondrous. You have a beautiful country in Bhutan and both Kencho and Pema were excellent in their guidance of showing us a small part of it. Please tell them we arrived home safely after a very long journey, still full of memories of the beautiful site they showed us and guided us thru and still fighting jetlag,

Kadrinchey to you all for making this a trip of a lifetime

I think the trip exceeded my expectations, but it may have been more the case because of the beauty of Bhutan. Actually, Yeshi and the driver were great traveling companions and were able to accommodate my requests. I did not get a chance to go to Punakha as the road was blocked but we came up with a good alternative. The level of the hotels varied from 3 to 5 star. The Paro hotel Tamsay was of inferior quality compared to the others Druk and Zhiwa Ling. Probably more consistency in the hotel quality (excluding the premium hotels) would improve the experience. As a note, the food at Zhiwa Ling was way overpriced for the quality. Otherwise, I enjoyed the food elsewhere.

I had no issues with the trip and have no complaints and thoroughly enjoyed the trip and hope to return to Bhutan again.

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 612 Jones Family tour of Bhutan (19.04.13-25.04.13)
Wow! Thanks for an amazing trip. As a family we are still buzzing about it and are keen to come back to Bhutan for a longer stay! I’ve got to say that as a company, you have been fab from the start. You made it easy to book, put up with all my neurotic questions via email and gave us an amazing guide and driver whilst we were over there.

If anyone is looking at this page wondering whether to book or not, I can really recommend this company, Wind Horse Tour, especially if you are travelling with children as we did (5yo and 10yo). Yeshi, our guide was amazing with our son, as hopefully the photo shows

Dear Ugen,
I tried to enter my comments into your website but couldn’t figure out how to do so. So, I send you the following paragraph that you may quote.

“My husband and I visited Bhutan for a week in March 2012. I knew ahead of time that as a physically handicapped person I may have some problems climbing up and down the high steps that lead to the dzongs. What I didn’t expect was that we had to climb steps even up to the front door of hotels and up one or even two flights of stairs to restaurants. After seeing my difficulty on the day we arrived, our guide, Sonam, told me when he picked us up the next morning that he had thought of a “way” to carry me. He and our driver, Cham, gallantly picked up my entire wheelchair with me sitting in it and carried me everywhere we went. Fortunately, I weigh only 92 lbs. but since there were steps everywhere, Sonam and Cham had quite a workout every day. Certainly this was service above and beyond the call of duty. Without their willingness to do such heavy work, I definitely could not have seen the interiors of the beautiful dzongs and temples we visited. I love the architectural decorative styles that adorn almost all buildings. Bhutanese are very friendly people and made us feel most welcome.”

Ugen, thanks for arranging this wonderful trip! We were delighted we could meet you in person.

Hi Ugen and Jambay,
Thanks for the followup, and also for the very prompt and responsive manner in which you guys set up my tour at such short notice. My experience was very positive, and I would definitely recommend your services to others. I really had a great time during my weeklong exploration of Bhutan, and both the tour guide and driver were great the whole time. I remember writing on a trip advisor forum about various tour companies in Bhutan about the trip a while back, but will be happy to add more at the link you provided – I am not active in the other forums.

Dear Fellow Travelers,

I just came back from a five days tour through Bhutan, organised by Wind Horse Tours. It was one of the best experiences I’ve made in the past twenty years of traveling in Asia which I have mostly done alone without any organised tours or guides. I can only recommend Bhutan as a destination and Wind Horse Tours as operator. The company provided me a guide who was so well informed about virtually every instance in Bhutan’s history and each feature of Buddhism and at the same time well accustomed to the needs of Western travelers. Even the exhausting five hour hike to the Tiger’s Nest in Paro was always interesting and entertaining. For my taste less important aspects of the tour like accommodation and food were also perfect. The hotels were very comfortable and the three daily meals a delight.

Many travelers argue that Bhutan’s daily fees are too expensive for a visit. I think they are certainly a good instrument to keep the country protected from tourism as you find it for example in Bangkok’s Khao San Road. Bhutan is worth every penny.

Dear Anand, Marie and I greatly enjoyed our trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan, it was a special trip as the country was in transition from an ancient one to a modern one. We savoured the ancient Buddhist traditions and the most magnificent scenery plus the honesty of the people to their traditions. It was a cameo trip, a once of trip of special significance but as the Kingdom becomes western it may lose some of the attraction that we found so special. Time will tell. You and our able and safe driver were the epitome of care and service which we appreciated. We still play the tape we brought back with us and remember our trip to Bhutan with many fond memories.

Thank you for your kindness to me during my visit.