Cultural tour of Bhutan
Price
£2749To£2849 excluding flights
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More info
Price is from £2749 for our 9 day Tour (from £3325 for 11 days) , subject to season and availability, including accommodation based on 2 people in double rooms, with your own guide and vehicle and including visas.
Description of Cultural tour of Bhutan
Price information
£2749To£2849 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Price is from £2749 for our 9 day Tour (from £3325 for 11 days) , subject to season and availability, including accommodation based on 2 people in double rooms, with your own guide and vehicle and including visas.
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Since opening its doors to tourists in 1974, this formerly isolated country has had a clear strategy about how to manage tourism and preserve the trad...
Asia is massive: a whopping great sprawl of a continent with some 4.5 billion people living across it – that’s more than the population of every other...
Holiday information
Cultural tour:
These tours are unique in that they bring you into contact with some of the world’s most fascinating cultures in iconic locations, where those people actually deliver the experience or are central to your trip. You will see a destination through the eyes of the local people and you will stay with them for part of the trip in traditional and comfortable accommodation to get to know them and to learn about their ways and beliefs. Itineraries are pre-planned and they may vary slightly according to various things, but they will always give you the best experience possible. The mix of genuine contact with a culture, exciting and traditional activities, iconic locations and traditional and contemporary accommodation will leave you refreshed, inspired and informed –with some beautiful memories and maybe some new contacts too!
Indigenous communities:
This holiday contributes to Drukpa communities by visiting government-run handicraft emporiums, ensuring the preservation of traditional crafts. Tourists support local economies through homestays and employing local guides, fostering cultural exchange and sustainable tourism practices. Additionally, visitors pay for food at a 100-year-old farmhouse owned by the grandparents of their partner in Bhutan, directly benefiting local families and preserving Bhutanese heritage.
Reviews
2 Reviews of Cultural tour of Bhutan
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 02 May 2016 by Seema Hope
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I can't choose one particular highlight, just being in Bhutan was a truly
unforgettable experience. Starting with the flight from Kathmandu to Paro with
breathtaking views of the Himalayas,the amazing landing at Paro and then the adventure actually started. A warm welcome from the local agents, our guide and driver quickly became friends. The trek to Taktsang Palphug Monastery (Tiger's Nest) was a definite highlight as was visiting a local village festival in Dhomkar and a larger festival in Ura, Bumthang. Everyday was a highlight full of adventure and new experiences.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Enjoy every second! Might sound like a cliche but Bhutan is unique, soak it in, speak to the locals and embrace it all.
Get a seat on the left if flying into Paro or vice versa on the way out for great
views of the Himalayas.
Bhutan is once in a lifetime, if you decide to go, coincide with a festival (recommend Bumthang) and go as far east as time and money can afford. Some degree of fitness would help but the pace of life is such that you can really take things at a relaxed pace, these treks aren't meant to be rushed!
Try to stay in locally owned hotels, the staff are great and you are benefiting the
local economy.
If you visit a festival, take a small cup and try Arra (rice / wheat wine), get stuck
in like the locals!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so, I felt the trips helped the local people and I was very pleased to find that we stayed at locally owned hotels rather than international branded hotels. We opted for a hot stone bath with a local farming family in Paro (rather than a hotel) which was fantastic, especially after a day of trekking. We were invited to have dinner with the family afterwards which was a great experience - the food was great using fresh ingredients grown on the farm.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Absolutely fantastic, without a doubt, this was the best holiday I've been on! The
people, culture, breath taking scenery and philosophy of Bhutan exceeded my already high expectations. I met so many warm, smiley people, it became infectious. I am still smiling now, weeks after my trip which is no mean feat for a Londoner!
Reviewed on 27 Jul 2016 by Michael Cooke
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
What a unique experience. A country with no smoking, anywhere. No traffic lights. No McDonalds. No Starbucks. No large tour buses. Only hardworking and
seemingly contented people. Although the area available to most tourists is quite small, the relatively few 'sights' are very impressive and memorable. I normally have no interest in religious sites but the Buddhist sites visited were actively used by the monks etc and the atmosphere and fervour experienced were impressive. How some temples were built on the top of inaccessible mountains defies common sense.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We were not warned that July is the rainy season. Heavy rain has fallen virtually everyday for the last 3 weeks. Even the local travel company does not recommend visiting Bhutan in July. We did benefit, however, in that there were very very few tourists around, even at the famous sites.The weather
information given by the operator, including expected temperatures, was insufficient.There was also no advice given regarding local tipping levels.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The guides and local operators were obviously nature lovers and very sensitive to local feelings. I am not able to say if the holiday benefitted local people. I am
aware that part of the costs were donated to environmental and local causes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had a wonderful week's experience in a unique location. The beauty of the country and the peaceful demeanour of the people will stay with us for a long
time.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet and people
CommunityWe give a proportion of every individual tour payment as a part of a project to sponsor monks from economically disadvantaged families, awaiting formal enrolment in Monastic Schools. Under this project many monks will be enrolled and will receive proper monastic education.
This is being done in close collaboration with the Youth Development Fund founded by Her Majesty Azhi Tshering Pem Wangchuck to build funds for the youth of Bhutan. Our partner in Bhutan is the only Travel Company involved in such projects and is based upon the owner's belief in "giving back to the community from which he received such support whilst growing up and through adulthood".
Commitment to the communities we visit:
- Observe local customs and respect traditional cultures of local people.
- Support local economies by employing local guides and patronizing local restaurants and shops.
- Patronize craftsmen, artisans, and artists in order to promote traditional and contemporary arts.
- Contribute to organizations that promote and preserve traditional cultures.
- Abide by all laws and regulations in the areas in which we travel.
Commitment to our travellers:
- Provide opportunities to interact with Bhutanese people from different walks of life.
- Offer insightful background and interpretation of what we encounter on our trips.
- Design flexible programs that meet individual traveler interests over a broad range of cultural, environmental, and social areas.
- Ensure that your safety and health is our top priority in all phases of planning and carrying out a trip.
- Guarantee excellence in logistics arrangement and smoothness in execution, no matter group size or complexity of itinerary.
Environment
We reduce, reuse, and recycle-in our office and on our trips. We uphold travel practices to keep our impact light on the environments through which we pass and support institutions that protect the natural environment.
We create a working atmosphere that encourages personal development and provide training in low-impact travel, responsible tourism. We have created a working environment fostering mutual respect, integrity, harmony, learning and job satisfaction.
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