Anyone use these local tour companies?

We are planning to visit Bhutan and would like to know if anyone used 1. Bhutan Majestic Travel 2.Jachung Travel.

Would appreciate the feedback on their sevices etc.

Thanks.

Anyone use these local tour companies?

I have been researching this topic too and we are planning to go there in Dec 2008. Majestic is the agent we%26#39;re planning to use. If anyone has used them, please post your comments here. Thanks.

Anyone use these local tour companies?

We are going in March - 6 weeks from now. We are using Blue Poppy. I will post a detailed review/report when we%26#39;re back.

We just got back from Bhutan and traveled with Bhutan Majestic Travel. Our guide was Kenchu and driver was Tandin. We were quite satisfied and enjoyed our stay. A couple of pointers. Our Visa Letter with our numbers arrived just before our departure - they are only good for 15 days so they are not issued early. We went to London and Delhi prior to Bhutan. Plane to Bhutan was good and we got a meal on a 2 1/2 hour flight. Guide met us outside of arrival bluding - holding name card.

Many hotels had very hard beds - not up to American standard - wish we had had blow up air mattress. But hotels were always clean with private bath. Last hotel in Paro (only open 2 weeks)had new big American style beds. What a blessing.

You eat what they grow - rice, potatoes, string beans, carrots, spinanch, some chicken or meat. All served buffet style for lunch and dinner. Breakfast; always had toast and maybe eggs or cereal. Most meals looked the same. We never went hungrey but then we never gained any weight. Always had bottled water. Carried our own liquior with us.

The country is amazing and well worth the visit. Tandin was an excellent driver, which is needed as the roads are narrow and curvey. If you get car sick, be sure to bring meds.

Dress is casual. Morning was cooler than afternoon so we layered. Would check weather temperatures for the time of year you are going. Hotel rooms come with a heater but not central heat and no air conditioner - even the brand new hotel.

Recommend taking one of their planned tours. They know what to show you. We saw it all. The trek to Tiger%26#39;s Nest is a must - but do it at the end of the trip as we did. My legs were screaming at me the next day. I did not make it the whole way - I chickened out on the last 15 minutes of the walk.

We enjoyed our guide and driver and would recommend them and also Bhutan Majestic Travel. You%26#39;ll love the country. If you have any questions, let me know.

Enjoy!!!

PS We rested from our plane ride in Delhi for a couple of days so we would be rested for our travels in Bhutan. If you decide to do that, stay at the Radisson just 10 minutes from the airport. Very good hotel, good restaurants, but best of all close to the airport. You can take city tour right from the hotel.

Soulren, thanks for the tip. We also booked with Bhutan Majestic Travel and will be travelling next March. I have two silly questions:

How%26#39;s the tipping culture in Bhutan and if so would it be ok 拢5/person/day each to the guide and slightly less for the driver/horseman etc?

Given the restriction on foreign travellers to the country, would we be ';guided'; by the guide all the times? As we enjoy some freedom to have private walks around the hotels during the evenings.

Thank you

Sorry 拢5 approx equals to US$7.5. There will be four of us on the holiday.

I don%26#39;t believe there are any restrictions regarding tourist walking around. We walked around Thimpu by ourselves and went to and from dinner by ourselves. You do need a driver and guide however to get around the country. It is required, but you wouldn%26#39;t want to do it on your own anyway. It takes an expert to drive the roads and a guide to get you into dzongs.

We tipped the guide and driver the same.

We used Bhutan Majestic Travel and were quite happy.

Thank you for the advice.

moon1965,

We went to Bhutan from 24 Nov till 28 Nov but we did not use BMT. Am sure that BMT is also a good and reliable tour company.

Our tour was arranged by a local Malaysian company and they used International Tours and Treks Bhutan. We are very satisfied with the ITT guide, Chundu. He made our trip very memorable.

We stayed 2 nights in Kichu Resort Paro, 1 night in Hotel Riverview Thimphu and 1 night in Kichu Resort Wangdue. These hotel are clean and comfortable.

You can have a nice view of Thimphu city from Hotel Riverview. There is a balcony in each room, facing the city.