Bhutan Travel Specialist, Druk Air Representative (Royal Bhutan Airlines)
Dear Sonam, Sorry for the delay in providing feedback but it has been very busy since my return. Thank you for making all the arrangements. Everything went generally according to schedule aside from couple of external factors beyond Druk Asia's control. The guide & driver were very punctual to assist in adhering to the timetable. The Druk Air flights were a welcome surprise. The planes were new comfortable jet air buses rather than old turbo props such as I had flown in for flights in Nepal. Wondered why I had to go business class to Paro when most of the seats were empty in that class & there seemed to be empty seats in economy class. Nevertheless the flights were very nice particularly returning to KTM when the weather was perfect for viewing the Himalayas & Mt Everest in particular. The scenery is indeed spectacular in Bhutan including the wonderful mountains, valleys & streams, etc but also the magnificent buildings often built on mountain tops. It still is an engineering marvel to me how so few people built such grand structures in such difficult locations with the tools & machinery which existed at the time of construction. Likewise the homes are very ornate & testament to the cooperative effort of community & neighbors to build them. The vehicle was quite satisfactory being Hyundai SUV similar to one I own in Australia. The driver Tshering was highly competent & very safety conscious & courteous. Additionally, even after long hard day of driving he still maintained a good sense of humor & patience. The guide Pema was very knowledgeable with an excellent command of English. He was always punctual & thinking ahead of problems & potential solutions so as to maintain the set timetable or adjust as required. Pema is certainly very fit & at times a bit too fast up steep hills for someone my age. I look 40 yo but am nearing 70 yo. All in all Pema was highly capable guide. The hotels & meals were generally good quality. As for the issue of tips. The practice is not common in Australia as you would find in a country such as USA. Furthermore when Druk Asia provides guidelines this difference between countries must be borne in mind. Beyond that, from the time when I booked the trip with Druk Asia until the conclusion of the trip, the Australian dollar had plummeted some 30% in value vs US dollar. Given that your guidelines were in U.S. Dollars, one cannot expect same level of tips. I have close friends who are interested in doing the Bhutan trip but they do not believe in tipping at all. As I mentioned such cultural differences between countries must be kept in mind. Lastly, whilst I did enjoy the entire trip, I feel the 6 day might be sufficient given that on the 10 day trip there is lot of backtracking. Another German couple mentioned that had they known that one could fly back to a Paro they might have chosen that option. In conclusion, the trip to Bhutan was fascinating & very enjoyable. I appreciate all of your efforts in planning the trip & the excellent effort of the knowledgeable guide & the competent & courteous driver. I have no hesitation in recommending Druk Asia to arrange a tour of beautiful Bhutan. Thanks to all the Druk Asia & Druk Air team!! Season's greetings to all & happy calendar new year! Kindest regards Tom Cass
From Australia
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