FESTIVALS OF BHUTAN

Our Clients’ Reviews

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  Eric Bradley

  FESTIVALS OF BHUTAN

  

  Written September 2010

  A fascinating place to visit - a really interesting "hidden" corner of the world that is well worth exploring. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  I think just landing at Paro airport was amazing.  Quite apart from the actual descent, zig-zagging through the valleys (rather close to some very large mountains), it's like a fairytale scene when you arrive: beautiful scenery, amazing buildings, and everyone in national costume.  Not all airports are like this!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our local guide (Kinley) in Bhutan was fantastic - he knew everything about his country and made sure we saw whatever we wanted.  The Exodus team in Kathmandu were all very friendly and well organised too. 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  The food in Nepal and Bhutan was all excellent, although you might be advised to stick to a mainly non-meat diet.  Bhutanese cuisine is renowned for its spiciness and the use of chillis as a main dish, not just as a flavouring.  There is no need to worry, though, if you don't like hot food as they don't serve this sort of thing to the tourists.  In fact, being a real spice fan myself, I had to plead with my guide to get local food!  Momos (dumplings) in Nepal are delicious, addictive and very cheap.  Also, the veggie curry I had for breakfast every day in the hotel in Kathmandu is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, even at 6am on my last day.  Note to non curry lovers - they have eggs, bacon, toast and muffins as well, if that's more your thing.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The only low point was the extension to Chitwan in Nepal.  We had hoped for a real wildlife adventure to round off our trip but instead found dingy, dirty accommodation and a handful of staff who couldn't really be bothered.   Maybe this was due to visiting out of season when the place was practically shut down: I wouldn't advise you to visit during the monsoon season unless you are a big fan of leeches.   It also took 8 hours each way to get there, so our actual time in Chitwan was rather more limited than we realised.  Even the frisson of a tiger loose in the village wasn't as exciting as it could have been.  Despite the whole village turning out to watch the government officers on elephants with their tranquiliser guns closing in on the tiger hidden in a rice field, we were shepherded back to our lodge.  I could go on but I gave much more specific feedback to Exodus on my feedback form, so I won't go on about it any more!

   
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  Corrin Davies

  FESTIVALS OF BHUTAN

  

  Written April 2008

  Fabulous! A once in a life time and a definite 'do before you die'. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Too many to adiquitely explain!

  The people were the highlight. This country is still largely un spoiled by tourism, i hope it stays that way. The children have no fear of strangers and love to see thier photos on the back of your digital camera. We were welcomed so warmly and seen as a novelty which was lovely. 

  The most powerful moment for me was being invited into a section of one of the monestaries which tourist arnt usually allowed into. It was beautifully decorated and we recieved a blessing from one of the monks before we left.

  The most peaceful moment was standing ontop of a mountain over looking the capital, Thimpu, surrounded by fluttering prayer flags.

  The most heart warming was being invited to our guides home to meet his daughter and see how Bhutanese people really live.

  Last but not least - arriving in Nepal to co-incide with Holi, one of the main Hindu festivals where people throw coloured paint at eachother.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  He was fantastic. He allowed our itineray to be flexible and managed to meet our varied expectation and aspirations. He really made the trip worthwhile.

   In nepal we didnt really have a guide but we had a local rep who explained to us about the local area and how to get to the places we might want to see. He also arranged for us to do an extra guided tour of Baktapur which we paid for out of our spending money.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take clothes for varied weather conditions - it was very warm while we were there (march depature) and i ended up having to wash most of my tops to wear them again. The temples and the festival require women to wear loose fitting clothes with arms covered to below the elbow. Skirts shouldnt be above the knee. Also do not wear hats at the festival or in temples as it causes offense.

   We were advised not to change travellers cheques at the airport which was a disaster. Most hotels dont hold enough funds to change travellers cheques of any size. This left several people in our group without spending money for most of the trip. My advise would be take US dollars which are widely accepted. Nepalese rupees are also accepted and change travellers cheques at PARO AIRPORT as you cant change them anywhere else easily. There was no problem with using travellers cheques in Nepal.

   In case of emergencies it is worth taking a first aid kit which has some steralised needles in it. That way if you need to go to hospital, for what ever reason, you dont need to worry about hygiene.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Some people may be put off by the cost of travelling on this trip - once you visit the country you can see the value of trying to keep the numbers of tourists down and although the trip is expensive it wouldnt be anywhere near as enjoyable if thier small population was overwhelmed. Its well worth the money!