Thimpu Tour Packages

Hotels provided were okay but all the Hotels were given at remote areas, away from the main town. Cab & Driver were okay but we had to pass through very anxious moments to get their details in time (especially for our pick up from Bagdogra). Further, we were brought from Thimpu to Phuentsholing in a Wagon R, while as per agreement, the Cab should have been either a Creta or Tucson in Bhutan. The services of Travel Agent were far below from expectations. Travel Triangle representative Ishveer Kaur was just unapproachable over mail or phone (emails to her returned undelivered and phone remain unanswered). The WhatsApp group created by Himavat Destination was highly irresponsive as all our queries in the group remained unanswered. Even we had to face immence anxiety and hardships in getting Permit at Phuentsholing since the representative of Himavat Destination looked ineffective and helpless. Had we not taken that much of trouble ourselves on 7th of October, 2019, our entire trip of Bhutan might be in doldrums since next three days the Immigration office at Bhutanwas closed on account of Festival. The only silverlining we found in Ms RINA THAPA, our Tour Coordinator from Himavat Destination stationed in Siliguri, who inspite of being on Medical leave, came for our rescue whenever we landed into problem and as & when things came to her knowledge. I can very well say that we could complete our Bhutan only due to her. Our best memories of the Trip were on a day in Paro, when we visited Chelela Pass and a day in Thimpu, when we visited Buddha Point, Hindu Temple and Tashichhoedzong (the seat of Government which houses Secretariat).

Please find below the review of our trip(my wife and myself) to Bhutan from 1st Oct to 8th Oct. Day 1: Went as expected. Day 2: As per our itinerary, we were supposed to cover Kharbandi Monastery as well as Crocodile breeding center in Phuentsholing. Even though our travel permits were ready by 10 am,the permit for our cab took too long. We were told that our journey to Thimphu would start by 12 pm. However, we continued to wait till 3 pm local time. Worse, we had to vacate our room by 1 pm as per the hotel policy and hence, we continued to wait in the lobby. If permit was to take this long, Himavat should have arranged a room for us or better still, they should have arranged for a local sightseeing in Phuentsholing itself while the cab permit was in the works. While we were waiting at the lobby, we were constantly being stared at by the staff and it was clearly evident that they wanted us to leave the premises at the earliest. They asked us at least a couple of times as to why our cab had not arrived.It turned out to be such a frustrating and disappointing experience for us as our precious time was wasted for no fault of ours. Our good mood was spoiled and a great holiday spirit was killed. In the end, we could cover only Kharbandi monastery. As per the cab driver, Mr Milan, he let us visit the monastery only because he was waiting for his permit papers(as if he was doing us a favor). He also refused to let us visit Crocodile breeding center because as per him, it was getting very late. We covered the journey in very risky conditions as it was raining heavily and there was no light on the roads. This was because our trip started way too late. Please note that as per the itinerary, we were supposed to reach Thimpu by evening time and cover a few destinations like craft bazaar, handicraft emporium etc. However, we could cover none as we reached Thimpu very late and simply retired to our room. Day 3: Although most of the Thimpu sightseeing spots were covered, our driver, Mr Milan, showed reluctance in covering a few spots(like local craft bazaar) which were clearly mentioned in our itinerary. He did not have a copy of the itinerary and it appeared as if we was showing around the spots at his whim and fancy without caring for the itinerary. When we objected, he plainly told us that it is easy for tour operator to add all the destinations but for us, drivers it is not feasible to cover each and every spot. If that is the case, then what is the point of having the itinerary in the first place? Eventually, a few spots were not covered as the driver was simply waiting for the 'deadline' of 5 pm to call it a day without caring for whether we had covered what was mentioned in the itinerary. This experience left a bitter taste in our mouth. Day 4: Though it went as planned and all the places were covered, our driver again showed a little reluctance to cover one of the places, Chime Lakhang in Punakha. He asked us whether my wife and I were having trouble in conceiving as the temple is only visited by those who are not able to bear children. We found it to be very offensive and something which was trespassing on our private zone. However, knowing that we were in a foreign land without much support, we decided to ignore the comment. Eventually, we had to persist hard to get him to take us to the place. I was not aware that by opting to travel via Travel Triangle/Himavat Destinations, one also has to provide response to such 'private' questions. Day 5: We covered Tiger Nest, Paro and it was a wonderful experience. However, in the evening, when we requested our driver to take us to the main market area, which was again part of our itinerary, he once again showed reluctance and was least inclined to take us there but somehow relented when we requested him repeatedly. We had to literally beg him to take us to the market area. Moreover, the hotel was also very substandard and very far from main market area which further added to our woes. While we were on our way to the market, our driver 'informed' us that the local sightseeing spots to be covered the next day(Punakah Dzong and National Museum) were not open and provided a lame reason for closure that which we did not buy. He instead try to make a deal with us by offering us to drive us to Chelala pass for an additional amount of INR 3000. We had our suspicions and hence we checked with some local shopkeepers as well as a beat cop and we got the confirmation from them that the places were not closed as mentioned by the driver. It is a clear case of the driver cheating us and trying to rob us of our travel experience just to earn some quick extra bucks. This was very unprofessional and did not go down with us at all. Once we knew the truth, we refused his 'offer' and insisted on still going as per the itinerary. Day 6: Both the tourist spots mentioned above were open and our driver's lies were nailed. But we decided not to confront him there due to the same reason as above i.e. we were in a foreign land with no support. hence, we pretended that we just wanted to click some pictures outside the museum even though it was closed but 'accidentally' stumbled upon the ticket counter and realized that it was open. However, as mentioned earlier, it did not go down well with us at all. Day 7: The same driver picked us up from our Phuentsholing hotel to drop us at Bagdogra airport. On the way, it was hot and humid and we requested the driver to turn on the ac. However, to our utter surprise, the driver told us that he would turn on the ac only if we pay him INR 500 extra. He did not even consider the fact that throughout the tour we cooperated a lot with him and despite his lies and lack of professionalism, we did not utter a single word during the trip. We found his 'offer' to be insulting and refused. We also requested him to make a stop a t a shop where we could buy the local tea leaves. Even though he initially promised, later on he made a lame excuse and did not make the stop and again disappointed us as if to snub us for not accepting his 'offer'. To sum it up, except for the hotel in Thimphu, the other hotels, especially the one in Paro, were quite sub standard. Throughout the trip, our driver made a mockery of the itinerary due to which we could not cover many listed spots. we got the impression as if we were at his mercy and if he was in a good mood, only then we could cover the places. This is not the experience that I was expecting when I booked the package from Himavat. I would clearly not recommend them to any of my friends or relatives.

We had a wonderful time in Bhutan. All arrangements were done before hand. Thanks to "Way About Bhutan". All places in Bhutan are awesome and treat to the eyes. Improvements: 1) 1 or 2 entry fee should be borne by Vendor(Way about Bhutan), 2) Thimpu sightseeing could be more elaborate. We hardly saw Thimpu. We saw places of Thimpu only from a view point.

Hotel at Phuentsholing was very good whereas Thimphu and Paro were just average. The driver was very good. Suggested that the tourists be briefed that shopping at Phuentsholing would be cheaper than other places. Stay at Thimpu.

All hotels were great except Punakha residency. There were dusty floors and no water in washrooms. Staff had no answers as to when water supply would be restored. Had to shift rooms and use bathroom of a different room to get ready. Cabs were clean and driver was friendly and we'll informed. Travel agent Khina from Bhutan Inc was always helpful and available for any queries. Trip was very meticulously planned and executed. Trek to tigers nest was most memorable of all. Took quite an effort to reach the top, but view was worth it. Paro, thimpu and Punakha are all very beautiful and picturesque places. Must visit when in Bhutan

Special mention for akash. Very friendly nature and helpful too. Also the hotels provided were quite good. Only a bit disappointed with the hotel in thimpu.

The hotels were good as far as the service is concerned but Thimpu and Paro hotels were on the main road . The dog barking and the diesel Fumes made stay uncomfortable. It was wonderfully planned trip with great professional hospitality of Bhutanese people.

Hotels - Manthra and Tashi Namgay -Excellent Pemakarpo - rooms could be better but still very good. Cab & Driver -Excellent Overall very nice experience with KNG travels. Hotel Manthra in Thimpu and the Cab driver Mr.Parkeet.

We enjoyed the trip. Kajol organised the trip. Evrything was easily available we didn't do any work from our side. All the drivers had enough knowledge on the places so didn't waste time anywhere.. Overall good experience.. Budha point was amazing and the road trip from phuenstoling to thimpu was just awesome especially the climate just awesome travelling through cloud only..

The hotel rooms were not as good as expected. Rest of the things were great . The Thimpu stay was great with good service at Oro villa and good sight seeing guidance by driver/cab