7 independent reviews for Western Bhutan walking holiday
Reviews for Western Bhutan walking holiday
Helen Veitch review 8 Apr 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Our most memorable day stated with us watching women playing darts on their village green then hiking to a temple cut out of the cliff-face that no other 'tourists' were visiting. But we also enjoyed having a discussion with a local family while we cooked dinner together and we won't forget being 'blessed' by a monk in the family's house the next day!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Try to fit in a festival as you can get a little 'templed' out...we weren't able to change the dates of our trip (as it was connected to a work trip) but would have loved to experience one of the festivals. If you go in March as we did, bring thermals/base layer and warm socks for cold temple floors.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes we were very pleased that the operator is a Bhutanese (family-run) company and that we could contribute to the local economy through our holiday.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic, our guide, Tharchen, was great at accommodating any requests we had to change the itinerary and gave us some wonderful insights into the culture of Bhutan. We focused on experiencing the culture of Bhutan as we weren't fit enough to do long hikes - although we managed the 6.5 hour hike to the Tiger's Nest Temple - with Tharchen's coaching and encouragement!Jenny Smith review 7 Apr 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole trip to Bhutan was absolutely amazing and every single moment will be remembered for ever.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It isn't the cheapest place in the world to visit but if anyone has any doubts, don't. Just go, I promise you won't be disappointed!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, I hope so. The tourism is obviously very important to Bhutan's economy and every effort was made to minimise any environmental impact our trip may have had.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Absolutely first rate.Laurel Bradley review 28 Nov 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Our entire 18-day trip organized by this operator was superb; we will remember this as "the trip of a lifetime." Temple visits and lessons on Buddhism organized most walks, through farmlands, forests, mountains and pilgrimage paths. Our guide orchestrated encounters with lamas, and home cooking sessions. Every night was spent in a comfortable, unique guesthouse, village home, or hotel. I concluded the trip with the 3-day Sagala Trek; my husband spent three days at the Choki Craft School learning bow-making and traditional relief carving.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
They can customize a trip beautifully; communicate your interests and Dorji will craft a unique and deeply meaningful itinerary. Our holiday extended beyond the Western part of Bhutan; in fact, we spent almost half our time in the spiritual center of the country around Bumthang.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We stayed in smaller family owned guesthouses and hotels, ate local food, and traveled beyond standard tourist sites -- thereby spreading our tourist dollars to more remote areas of Bhutan4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Stellar! Thank you Responsible Travel for suggesting this local company.Catherine Morgan review 24 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting Paro Taktsang (“Tiger’s Nest”), a beautiful monastery in an incredible location2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
I really can’t think of anything I wished I’d known beforehand - everything was made very easy and comfortable for us by our excellent guide and the staff at the various places we stayed on the trip.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We felt that local people were very welcoming of tourists, and I hope they would consider visitors such as ourselves to be contributing to the local economy.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We really enjoyed our holiday - we did some great hiking, visited a succession of amazing sites (and a festival) and found the accommodation and food to be of a high standard throughout.Jake Hewitt review 22 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Experiencing a completely new culture, one that has seemed closed off from the rest of the world or just so distant. Bhutan is a beautiful country with beautiful people.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Breathe, don’t stress. Everything is laid out for you. If you plan on hiking up to Tiger’s Nest (which is an absolute must), be prepared for a long trip with lots of stairs. Train as much as you can prior.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we stayed in eco-friendly places as well as supporting locals. We also did lots of walking.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Our time in Bhutan was great! I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone and everyone!!Susan McKenzie review 24 Nov 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Bhutan in general. It is a fascinating & beautiful country2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for all kinds of weather, but it turned out lovely & warm-could have gone the other way though!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. The $250 fee per day goes in part towards healthcare & education.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
WONDERFUL. The operator & our guide, Tharchen were great.Cindy Fung review 30 Mar 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were so many memorable parts. First, the scenery is as amazing as everyone said it would be. There's just something so peaceful and serene in the valleys, mountains, rivers and farmlands of Paro, Thimphu and Punakha. The hike up to the Paro Taktsang was incredible. Beautiful views all around. In fact, all our hikes had amazing views. I liked one of the hikes where we ended up overlooking all of Thimphu, and also the hike up to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten where we were greeted with a sweeping view of Punakha. Secondly, the temple designs are very intricate and they are all unique in their own way. Even though we visited a lot of temples during this trip, we didn't get tired of them at all, they were all so interesting! We also appreciated our guide's in-depth explanations about buddhism (we are not religious), the various buddhas and the meanings behind the common items we come across (the holy water, the 7 bowls of water, the prayer wheels and prayer flags etc). Lastly, we really liked the food there. The pink rice, the cheese and potatoes (kewa datsi), the cauliflower and cheese, some mysterious pork dish that was to die for etc - so simple yet so healthy and delicious. We also greatly enjoyed their amazing ginger tea and milk tea. I loved chewing doma (Bhutanese nut with lime paste and bitter leaf) too!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do plan at least 3 months in advance since flights and hotel rooms are limited and you need to allow time for the wire transfer and visa clearance as well. On this note I would like to express my huge thanks to Kinley who graciously and patiently dealt with my change of dates (at least twice!) as well as my difficulties with the wire transfer. We visited in mid-March and the weather was quite excellent for hiking. Also caught the Paro Tsechu (one of the popular festivals) during our stay and it was pretty fun to witness. The tour operator was great in giving advice on the different offerings of Bhutan during different months. Definitely bring a good pair of hiking shoes/boots, hats, and sunscreen!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. We were connected directly to a local tour agency, had a local guide and driver, stayed at locally-owned (versus chain-owned) hotels plus a homestay and had all our lunches at local restaurants which all offered healthy, natural and locally-grown food. Since Bhutan adopts a "high value low impact" tourism policy to conserve their culture and protect their natural environment from mass tourism, and a part of our visa fees goes towards their government for free healthcare and education, I believe that in a small way our trip supported their government's tourism policy (which should be adopted by more countries).4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Loved it, it was a great experience and we were a bit sad to leave this wonderful country. For those who like hiking, this is a really nice hiking trip, not too strenuous and the trip was well-paced, we hiked every other day and had lots of time to relax in between. The itinerary itself is very flexible so we got to see a lot of things but it did not feel rushed at any point. Accommodations were comfortable and the staff were friendly and helpful. Our tour guide and driver were very nice too, it was a pleasure meeting them. Would love to visit again!Holiday Reviews
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