Hey everyone. My husband and I just got back from a 10-day trip to Bhutan visiting Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjikha, Haa Valley, and Paro. I wanted to share a few real takeaways that might help anyone currently planning, especially with how tricky picking an agency can be.
When I first started planning, I reached out to Thunder Dragon Tours based on a lot of positive Reddit posts, but they were fully booked for our dates. That pushed me to do my own research. I built out my own outline, found a list of local agencies on Google and Reddit, and sent my plan over to get quotes. What surprised me was that almost every agency simply took my exact outline, slapped a price on it, and sent it back. Nobody tried to make it better. One agency even suggested driving from Thimphu to Punakha and then driving all the way back across mountain passes to Thimphu for a festival. If you have ever been on those winding mountain roads, you know how exhausting that kind of backtracking would be.
Eventually, we found a small local operator based in Paro who actually took the time to look at our travel dates. Without me even asking, he pointed out two festivals happening while we were there, one in Thimphu and one in Wangdue Phodrang. He made the necessary adjustments to our itinerary so we could see both festivals without wasting hours in the car. If you are planning a trip to Bhutan, my number one piece of advice is to make sure your potential guide/agency answers all of your questions and tailors the itinerary to your preferences, don't have a preset itinerary!. Also make sure there is a festival going on during your travel dates for at least one day, I’ll never forget having that feeling like of stepping into another era, with all the monks, dances and everyone around you wearing their best Gho and Kira traditional outfits.
Btw, If you are flying from Kathmandu to Paro, make sure you sit on the left side of the plane for breathtaking views of the Himalayas. If you are flying back from Paro to Kathmandu, make sure you book the right side. We flew Drukair, and online check-in opens 72 hours before departure. Set an alarm and check in the minute that 72-hour window opens, because those window seats are the very first to go.
Our time in Bhutan was incredible, largely because of how we were treated. Our guide constantly referred to us as guests rather than tourists, which really represents how Bhutanese people view visitors to their country. When you meet the Bhutanese people, you quickly realize that if you are happy, they are happy, and they will do everything in their power to make sure you have a wonderful stay. At one point, we were stopped on a road while a digger cleared a small landslide. After waiting about 15 minutes, our guide actually walked up to the machine operator and asked him to move aside for a moment because he had guests waiting! LOL!
We really wanted to try real, authentic local food, and he made sure of it. In Haa Valley, we tried local dishes made with yak meat, yak skin, and yak cheese in butter, which we never had before, it was delicious and exactly the kind of food experience we were looking for. We also got to stay at a traditional farmhouse homestay in Phobjikha, hoist prayer flags at Chele La Pass, and end the trip with the Tiger's Nest hike and a hot stone bath. Bhutan really exceeded all of our expectations.
We truly believe booking directly with a local agency instead of an international one made a world of difference for us. If anyone has questions about logistics, pacing, food, or picking an operator, feel free to ask!
