When traveling to Bhutan, one must make arrangements through a Bhutanese travel agency approved by their government. I embrace this concept because not only do I, the traveler, receive the most for my money, including a private guide and driver, but it also preserves and protects the beautiful nature of this amazing country. One can make arrangements through a state-side travel agency, or through another international travel agency, but that agency must still make the travel arrangements through a Bhutanese agency. When making my trip, I weighed my options and decided to contact and work with an agency in Bhutan directly. This made more sense to me as I was then working directly with the persons planning my holiday, rather than working with a middleman or agency.
Among my friends, I sometimes have the nickname Research Deb for my propensity to research ad nauseam. And so it was with selecting a travel agency in Bhutan. My research led me to the highly regarded Bhutan Travel Bureau which had both longevity and much experience. https://www.bhutantravelbureau.com
Pranita responded to my initial inquiry. She was quick to respond, professional, and patient in answering my endless questions. She guided me to plan the holiday that I wanted most for my family, both adding suggestions to my itinerary based on my family's passions and kindly advising me when I was trying to pack too much in.
Upon our arrival, we met our guide and driver, Tilly and Taewong, gosh I hope those names are close to being correct. They were both exceptional and it was a true pleasure spending time with them. This agency screens and selects only the best guides and drivers which is another win for the traveler.
Taewong was wonderful in sharing the beauty of his home with us. We had fun hiking and taking photographs together and yes, he is bearing the weight of my husband's backpack.
Even our most challenging requests were met with surety. As always, my son wished to find bookstores with Bhutanese literature in English. I was impressed with how well Tilly handled that request, and yes, Ethan happily brought home some books from Bhutan.
Tilly timed his hike with my son to the summit of Paro Taktsang so that they made it to the monastery just in time for the monks' photo op.
This is simply a shout out to Bhutan Travel Agency, and to Pranita, Tilly and Taewong. If you should see this, I hope each of you and your families are doing well. You are all wonderful and I am so happy our paths crossed.
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