“Absolutely fantastic firm with excellent people. Let’s face it. If you are going to Bhutan you are pursuing a very unique, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime (although I think I will go back) experience. You want everything to not only go “right”, but to go most excellent. Bhutan Pelyab made this a reality for me.
First, a bit of background. I was a solo traveler to Bhutan in October seeking a Himalaya-foscused trek of approximately one week and another ten days or so of cultural and general hiking experience. I went through my usual practice of contacting a number of Bhutan and internationally-based Bhutan guiding services to help determine which one held the greatest potential to help me exceed my high expectations. And, to make a long story short, because of Ugyen Wangdi’s (the primary contact at the firm) timeliness and thoughtfulness in our communications about what the trip might look like, I ended up choosing Bhutan Pelyab
Because Ugyen “listened” (i.e. read me emails carefully and thoughtfully). He put together a wonderful itinerary. He also chose a guide and driver who were very well matched to: my interest in a lot of hiking outside of the trek; to someone who would gladly embrace my interest in meeting and substantively interacting with locals; who had lots of energy; and was flexible in our day-to-day approach.
First, with my guide Ugyen Choda, Tobgay the driver and I spent a couple of days in the Thimphu area undertaking hikes to various monasteries and temples to get acclimated to the area and altitude.
Then it was off to start my Jhomolhari – Bonte La (also known as the Soi Yaksa) trek. The trek was 7 days and 6 nights. The first three days mirror the start of the Snowman trek and then veer off toward Bonte La. Here was another area where the firm excelled. The subcontractor they chose to provide the chef, horseman and helper provided excellent service. The cook was fantastic (I am a bit of a foodie and even at 4,200+ meters he put forth meals that would match any sold in the major cities of the world)! Everyone on the team was engaging and they deferred (sometimes under their mild, pleasant protest) to my interest in being actively engaged with the operations of the camp (rather than me being a guest that had everything done for them). Finally, the length of each days’ hike – relative to my interest in soaking in scenery and not getting through as quickly as possible, and thanks to the team’s on-the-fly adjustments – were spot on.
I could write many pages of superlatives when describing the hike, the scenery, and interactions with the local environment. Suffice to say, the people and services provided under the Bhutan Pelyab umbrella were fantastic.
After the trek Ugyen, Tobgay and I went to Punakha for a couple of days of hiking to various monasteries, then Bumthang for a similar duration and experience. We went to four of the major pilgrimage temples which allowed me to “feel” the karma of the ancient and holy sites. Again, simply a superlative set of experiences.
I would like to give great credit to Ugyen and Tobgay for being excellent travel companions and providers of Bhutanese insights. One of my practices is to provide the guiding service with a “profile” of my interests and preferences when traveling. To make another long story short, these guys excelled at not only meeting but surpassing my preferences.
On the cultural side, Ugyen was excellent at describing the local Buddhist history and practices, and the temples and the Buddhas therein. He was also great at describing and helping me understand the local culture and orientation. During the trek he facilitated me drinking tea with a yak herder in their mountain hut. And, when in the local area helped me connect with Bhutanese people.
Simply put, utilize this firm and you will have a fantastic Bhutan trek and/or cultural experience”.
