Arijit Ghosh & family - 7 days in heavenly Bhutan - Heavenly Bhutan | Luxury Tour Operator & Best Travel Agency hbt-whatsapp
Heavenly Bhutan Travels
5.0
Based on 122 reviews
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Jigme Tshering
Jigme Tshering
2020-03-16T01:54:33+0000
"Service to god to service to mankind. HeavenlyBhutantravels give unwavering service to their customers.. Join us... @heavenlybhutantravelsread more
Heavenly Bhutan Travels
4.9
Based on 84 reviews
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Jou Chau
Jou Chau
06:05 14 Feb 20
My wife and I were looking at various honeymoon destinations off the beaten path and Bhutan fit the bill! Our next... biggest decision was to choose the right tour group since there were so many to choose from. We decided to choose Heavenly Bhutan Travels because of the great reviews. Mr. Shiva, the General Manager, and Mr. Raju, the CEO, were our points of contact throughout registration/planning process. They were very responsive to our emails and worked with us on creating the perfect itinerary for our 6-night trip. Once we arrived, the baton was handed over to our tour guide, Mr. Sangjay, and driver/land pilot, Mr. Ram. The transition was seamless and we couldn't have asked for a better pairing. They were very courteous and had a wealth of knowledge on the various sites we visited. They definitely went above and beyond for us and we couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. I highly recommend visiting Bhutan sooner rather later, before it gets modernized by western culture. I also highly recommend Heavenly Bhutan Travels without reservation, and definitely ask for Mr. Sangjay and Mr. Ram to be your guide and pilot, respectively!read more
Sachindri Rana
Sachindri Rana
14:40 01 Jan 20
I just had an amazing trip of Bhutan that was in partnership of my Travel agency PickYourTrail with Heavenly Bhutan... Travels in Bhutan. I must say, I had an amazing trip! I am very thankful to the whole HBT team especially to my awesome Tourist Guide (Mr. Kelzang) and the Car Driver (Mr.Nima) who helped in the great execution of the whole trip itinerary. Mr. Kelzang also helped me with the Immigration formalities and a Bhutanese mobile SIM card :) From the beginning of my trip till the last day, I was often contacted by other staffs of HBT (Raju and Menuka) to know if I was having a good trip. Everyday the trip began at the scheduled time. The car that I was travelling in (Hyundai Creta - Red) :) was always kept tidy. The car drive was very safe in the mountains and amidst of fog! The trip was well planned in terms of the logistics and I always had ample time to look around various places, eat Bhutanese food and rest. The car travel was always fun as Mr. Nima and Mr. Kelzang often sang Bhutanese songs and cracked jokes and also shared the culture and traditions of Bhutan. At many instances I felt the pride that my Mr. Kelzang and Mr. Nima had, to be a Bhutanese. They were very proud of Bhutan, their culture, traditions, their King and the Queen and of course Heavenly Bhutan Travels! :) This was something that I felt very good about. They often suggested the best way I could enjoy the day’s itinerary too. Mr. Kelzang often answered all my curious questions that I often had regarding the culture of Bhutan. To make the tourists feel the vibes of the New Year 2020, there was a well-thought celebration by HBT at Paro on the New Year’s Eve with tourists, HBT staff, Bhutanese cultural programme, bonfire, cake-cutting ceremony, lots of drinks and food. It was a night spent well with Mr. Kelzang and few others singing us Karaoke songs. I felt like a Bhutanese here! :) The whole trip was very safe and definitely had warmth and a personal touch to it. I was travelling solo, but never felt so. All thanks to Mr. Kelzang and Mr. Nima who are extremely good companions to the visitors. And as we know, of the companion is right, everything seems great! :) I wish them a very Good Luck for their future, especially to Mr. Kelzang whom I can definitely foresee to be one of the best Tourist Guides in the country! I would love to travel with HBT again and would highly recommend them! Cheers!read more
M. VST
M. VST
17:52 30 Dec 19
Thank you for the amazing Bhutan Experience! Shiva, your responsiveness and itinerary suggestions were superb! Sangay I... am grateful for your early morning planning for the tiger’s nest, which made it magical and Tashi you have been an amazing driver and both of you have been great company!read more
Sristi Murarka
Sristi Murarka
07:17 23 Dec 19
It is very rightly said: Bhutan: "Happiness is a place". The country and it's people both are amazing. A heartfelt... thanks to our guide, Mr.Ram and land pilot, Mr. Nima, without whom this journey would have been incomplete. Thanks a lot.read more
madhavi kher
madhavi kher
03:30 19 Dec 19
Our trip to Bhutan in Dec 2019 was very pleasant, thanks to great planning and execution by Heavenly Bhutan Travels!... The choice of hotels, travel and food arrangements were great. Ms Menuka at their travel office answered my several pre-trip/planning questions and helped me come up with an itinerary per our group’s interests and preferences. I had some last minute changes to my travel plans due to a family emergency and she worked with me on accommodating the changes, all the while communicating promptly and professionally. Mr Ram and Mr Passang, our guide and driver made our trip memorable. Mr Ram is very knowledgeable and loves to share his knowledge enthusiastically. He’s got a great sense of humor too! He quickly learned our interests and kept our itinerary flexible to accommodate them. I traveled with my 67 year old mother and he took care of us like family. Everyday he made sure he provided us with our daily itinerary and offered alternatives wherever possible to further suit our interests and fitness levels, so we could enjoy more. In one of the hotels we stayed at, the kitchen staff had some confusion over our meal request (they prepared Asian vegetarian instead of our Indian vegetarian meal request). Mr Ram went over and beyond his duty by actually assisting the kitchen staff to prepare our meal for us!! He's also a talented photographer and captured some great memories for us to take back home :). It was evident that he genuinely and passionately loves to serve his guests. And thanks to Mr Passang’s expert driving on the narrow, bending mountain roads, we could relax and enjoy the scenic views outside. Heartfelt thanks to the three of you, especially Mr Ram, for making our trip so comfortable and fun. You are great ambassadors for your country. Highly recommend Heavenly Bhutan Travels to anyone planning a visit!!read more
Amit Darekar
Amit Darekar
13:47 18 Dec 19
We had a great experience in Bhutan with Mr. Tenzin our tour guide. He showed us many places and explained the Bhutan... culture etc; very well. We Bhutan style food and liked it. Hope to visit again with Mr. Tenzin..read more
Swati Tyagi
Swati Tyagi
07:38 14 Dec 19
Best trip ....Bhutan is beautiful... it has eternal peace every were...and my trip was made more awesome because of... our guide RINCHEN (WE CALL HIM TIM TIM) our driver TEK....I really recommend them if you are coming with family or friends or alone... RINCHEN our guide was amazingly patient and he had good knowledge abt his own country....he use to reply all queries with smile....he was always ready to reply...on trip always smiling and ready to help..it needs lots of patience to handle 18 girls together on trip... RINCHEN did awesome job...and best driver I have ever met was TEK... He never over speed...no worng side...no over taking on montains or plain... I was so comfortable with his driving that my phobia of not sleeping when on montains went away and I genuinely slept in bus when he was driving. Thank you so much RINCHEN did TEK fir making my trip memorable.read more
Yen-Ling Tan
Yen-Ling Tan
04:49 12 Dec 19
The tour of Bhutan was amazing. My husband and I did a one week trip in December. Correspondence with Shiva was easy... and we received clear instructions before our trip. Although the itinerary for a one week trip in Bhutan was pretty standard, Heavenly Bhutan catered it to our preference and some were even customized on the fly. (We asked for an introduction to Bhutan and to include daily hikes). The farmstay they chose for us at Pobjikha was great, authentic and with a very nice family. We got the opportunity to see how they really live and tasted good home cooking. Even though it was -10C that evening, our hosts and our guides made sure we were comfortable. Our guide - Dhana - was very friendly and helpful. We wanted to try more local food and he tried his best to ensure the hotel restaurants accommodated our requests. He also brought us to a nice authentic local restaurant for momos for lunch once. Dhana also seems to know many good viewing spots.. occasionally we would get to a popular picture taking spot full of other tourists but Dhana would guide us to another section with just as good a view but with less crowd. Nima our driver was friendly, sympathetic and was just simply a very nice person. He knew I could get car sick and drove very carefully along the long windy mountain roads and not once did I feel uncomfortable. Whenever Nima spotted wild animals along the way, he would point them out to us and stopped for us to take pictures. All-in-all, it was wonderful experience, and we would definitely recommend using Heavenly Bhutan, and / or with Dhana as the guide and Nima as the driver.read more
Tanu Gersappa
Tanu Gersappa
14:50 11 Dec 19
Our Bhutan holiday was a long pending one. This year, in November, we flew past the magnificent Himalayan mountain... range and landed in the Land of the Thunder Dragon. At Paro, we were greeted and welcomed by our ever smiling, friendly guide Tenzin and driver Nima. Tenzin had the information and he quoted anecdotes regarding all the places we visited. He had answers to our queries regarding all the monuments we visited.. in Paro, Thimpu and Punakha. He was so passionate about his country and enthusiastic to tell us all about their customs and beliefs. Nima our driver, NEVER broke any traffic rules. He has been one of the safest drivers we have ever had in all our travels. Tenzin definitely made the trek up to Tigers Nest less tiring with his motivational skills. This holiday of ours was very memorable and Tenzin and Nima from Heavenly Bhutan Tours have been very much a part of it.read more
Ramya Madhyastha
Ramya Madhyastha
05:31 28 Nov 19
Bhutan trip November 2019 Visited Bhutan a week back via WOW club and tour operator from Bhutan were Heavenly Bhutan... Travels. I must says it was one of the memorable trip. All credits of this amazing trip to our guide RinChen and driver Tik. They both were very well organised and had immense knowledge of all the places we visited. RinChen was courteous to answer all questions that was asked by entire group and never let us complain about anything. He engaged the entire group member throughout the trip and made all our treks and sight seeing beautiful memory to cherish for lifetime. Tik is such calm. And composed driver. His driving skills are excellent. Never felt any jerks or rash driving through out the 7 days trip. A silent listener of all the fun we had in bus. I was amazed to know the skill set and training the tourism driver should undergo at Bhutan. A big thank you to both RinChen and Tik for making trip memorable and being super awesome hosts.read more
Shriyansh Raj Gupta
Shriyansh Raj Gupta
05:12 14 Nov 19
Flawless and Praiseworthy Led a group of 26 guests (13 couples) in Bhutan. It was a 7N itinerary which was excellently... executed by very professional team of Heavenly Bhutan. The pre-tour coordination was highly precise and accurate, and so was their on tour deliverance. Specially the Guide were outstanding. They were quick to adapt with my guests tastes n preferences and Gelled well. Specially guide KARMA was brilliant to engage clients with his subtle jokes, knowledge sharing, and also leading them to try local Bhutanese activities and experiences. Not to forget very professional drivers who too remained punctual and very courteous.read more
Neha Parnami
Neha Parnami
12:45 21 Oct 19
Travelled solo in May, and this turned out to be the most exotic and memorable trip. Dechan our guide is such a sorted... well spoken woman, her company alone makes one feel calm. As the youngest in the group, at first I was the only one who wanted to go to Tiger’s Nest.. and she assured me that she will accompany even if no one else turns up. And she actually did accompany me on my slow climb to the top.. and the view!! ❤️ This is the best tour group one could get, highly recommended. So friendly and super sweet. And you will definately love Dechan 😍read more
Bharat Aggarwal
Bharat Aggarwal
08:39 03 Oct 19
Extremely good personnel. Guide was excellent never giving no for an answer and going out of his way to please us.... Driver was also pleasant and outstanding in handling of the vehicle. Tried to accommodate all items in our itinerary without any complaints. Highly recommended travel agencyread more
Arpan Banny
Arpan Banny
15:32 02 Oct 19
Just returned from a trip to Bhutan(Sept 2019) with Heavenly Bhutan Travels. It was a memorable trip and wonderful... arrangements were made by Heavenly Bhutan. Their guide (Jigme) was very courteous and enthusiastic and ensured all our needs were taken care of. Heavenly Bhutan was very prompt to respond to all my e-mails and solve all my queries regarding the tour. Their arrangements were all top-class and also very budget friendly. Thanks to them, and will again go with them if ever I decide to go to Bhutan in future.read more
Manish Sarraf
Manish Sarraf
13:15 02 Oct 19
Loved the way Ram and Nima looked after our every need. Ever smiling and joking, felt we are one family unit for that... week. Found the people overall to be very friendly and happy and Ram and Nima were two excellent examples. Enjoyed our trip thoroughly.read more
Manoj Aggarwal
Manoj Aggarwal
14:10 06 Jul 19
" Heavenly Bhutan " A professionally managed tour ocompany based in Bhutan is truely synonymous with it's name which ... made our stay and tour fantabulous and splendid.......I am going to remember this experience whole of my life....... Our guide Bishnu and driver Ram & Neema made us feel like King and Queen . They we're so helpful and caring and fulfilled all our wishes and demands at one go. They pampered us like anything...... I am floored by the natural beauty of Bhutan and the way they have preserved it's Flora and Fauna. I am thankful to Raju ji ,M.D. Heavenly Bhutan for his courtsey and family like treatment. Couple Hot Stone Bath and Organic Farm house lunch in rice fields setting we're amazing . Bhutanese Dress couple photos and Archery sessions we're complementary. Bhutan is genuinely a Great Kingdom because of it's people who are so humble and simple and nature full of surprises and beauty. My Resorts especially Zhiwaling Resort , Paro was amazing and an experience beyond words.Thanks Raju ji for your personal touch and care in desiging my itinerary. I would like to visit Bhutan again in my life time but with H"Bhutan" only....read more
Bharat Balegere
Bharat Balegere
01:43 29 Jun 19
We decided to go to Bhutan for our honeymoon. Guide Ram was fantastic and one of the best guides I have ever met. He... ensured we had a comfortable and pleasant stay on Bhutan. He selected the rooms with best views and ensured that they were decorated for us. He spent a lot of time giving detailed explanation about each and every place we visited. We also had Driver Ram and Driver Sonam who drove very well. Overall the entire trip was very good. My wife and I enjoyed it very much.read more
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TripAdvisor: 7 days in heavenly Bhutan
Four of us travelled to Bhutan and spent a week there (Nov 21 – 27, 2015). Some of us are senior citizens; a couple of us were from India and the other two from the US. We hadn’t heard much of this small Himalayan kingdom but were intrigued by whatever little we had read about it: the natural beauty of the country, its happy and calm people and storied history. In a way it’s a small mercy that Bhutan doesn’t suffer from a surfeit of ugly tourists with bulging shopping bags and loud mouths! This post is meant more for Indians wanting to visit Bhutan.

The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) website is a good place to start – it provides valuable tips to tourists. Since it’s advisable to go to Bhutan with an accredited travel agency (Indians don’t really need to use the services of a tour guide but for other foreign nationals it is mandatory) we started our search for a good and reliable tour operator considering we had to pay the monies in advance; we didn’t want to be taken for a ride by some fly-by-night operator. There are thousands to choose from so we started scouring the internet for comments from previous travellers, including at tripadvisor. We zeroed in on a few and sent them a brief idea of what we wanted from our trip, our interests and the places we wanted to see. All of them responded promptly with standard packages and costs. We opted for Heavenly Bhutan Travels (HBT) not only because they had some very good reviews but were very reasonable in their quotes, and most important, flexible in considering our choices of places to visit and accommodation. After exchanging many emails with the ever-patient Ms Menuka we finally firmed up our travel itinerary; she responded to our queries and requests with such alacrity and civility that she won our hearts even before we got to meet her in person. HBT did all the planning, booking and travel arrangements to a tee including our air tickets, visas etc. All our headaches were taken care of efficiently.

This pretty kingdom proved to be an eye-opener in more ways than one.

On our flight into Bhutan (we flew Bhutan Airlines from Calcutta), we took the left side seats and thus had a grand view of the majestic snow-capped Himalayan range and the sprawling valleys below. The airplane (Airbus 320) navigates between mountains and lands in Paro valley.

The bracing air is the first thing we experienced as we stepped off at Paro accustomed as we are to polluted cities. The sky was a clear winter blue with a few idyllic cotton clouds and the sun shining through. In November the weather is crisp and cool – yes, we needed our woollies in the evenings.

At Paro airport with minimal fuss we went through immigration control and our passports were stamped with tourist visas. Non-Indians though need to have prior visa approval letters to board the aircraft; for us these were arranged well in advance by HBT. At the airport one can acquire a local SIM card to use a Bhutanese prepaid telecom service.

Outside the airport terminal we were greeted by Dhanapati from HBT who was to be the tour guide throughout our stay in Bhutan. We were whisked away in a Toyota van to Thimphu – about an hour’s ride. On the way we saw the Tamchoe Lhakhang (Buddhist Temple). At Thimphu we stopped for lunch and had our first taste of Bhutanese cuisine: rice is the staple diet; vegetable and meat dishes taste quite exotic, not as spicy as some Indian dishes but hot, so beware of hot chillies!

After a sumptuous lunch we did a lot of sightseeing: Memorial Chorten, Changangkha Lhakhang, Buddha Dordenma, National Textile and Folk Heritage Museums. The next day we spent seeing Trashi Chhoe Dzong (fortress) and the weekend market. The town is in a valley; some of the sights do call for a steep climb. The view of the Thimphu valley from Buddha Point is spectacular at sunset. We stayed at Osel Hotel, a modern hotel with spacious rooms and a splendid view, near the centre of Thimphu. The meals served were very good and the service exemplary.

In Bhutan, the streets are clean – a novelty for us Indians. Cars don’t honk ceaselessly so the quiet is surprisingly pleasant. People always have a ready smile; they speak softly and are very courteous. There is only one traffic police island in Thimphu, and in the entire country. Hard to believe Bhutan adjoins India! The influence of Tibetan culture and Buddhist sensibilities can be felt everywhere.

Though towns like Paro and Thimphu has modern multi-storied buildings they have a touch of distinct Bhutanese design: each is decorated and painted intricately with Bhutanese motifs and Buddhist symbols that are pleasing to the eye and of significance to Bhutanese way of life.

There are shops aplenty but thankfully no shopping malls. Entire Bhutan is a no smoking zone. Bhutanese liquor and beer are available everywhere. We tried the rice-based Ara and local vodka (Raven) – both were good and kept us warm and in good spirits in cold evenings. Hotels do stock imported wine, liquor and beer but they can be a bit pricey.

After two days in Thimphu we headed for Punakha valley. It took about 3 hours to cover 75 km, with a stop at Dochula Pass where we got a breathtaking view of the Bhutanese mountain range and saw the 108-Stupas. A haven for camera-clicking aficionados like me.

The hilly highways beyond Thimphu are all under various road widening projects. As a result in many places roads are treacherously narrow, often blocked by stones and mud and construction works; making progress on these twisting mountain roads can be painfully slow, the rides bumpy and precariously close to the edge. So say your prayers quietly!

Before entering Punakha we trekked through rice fields and up a hill to visit Chimi Lhakhang. On the way there are some shops selling superb Thangka paintings and other Bhutanese artefacts. Then we went to Punakha Dzong, built in the 17th century at the confluence of two rivers. This is arguably the most important Dzong in Bhutan, and had been the seat of power for centuries. Architecturally the fortress is majestic with colourful gardens all around. At Punakha we stayed at Meri Puensum – a resort with very spacious rooms with alcoves overlooking the valley. The view in the morning was dreamy with the entire landscape draped in mist.

From Punakha we travelled for four hours to reach Phobjikha – a distance of 100 km. Again the journey was slow because of bad roads. Our driver, Ram, kept us regaled with stories and his amazing knowledge of flora and fauna found on the way. At length we reached Gangteng Gonpa, a 17th century monastery with exquisite wood carving and painting. From the monastery we took the nature trail – a two hour walk through fields and pine woods – that culminates in the vast wetlands of Phobjikha valley where black-necked cranes congregate in winter after flying in from Tibet. We did spot a few of these cranes in valley basin. Tired, we reached Dewachen Hotel perched above the valley. The hotel built with wood in Bhutanese style is quite comfortable; the rooms are heated by a wood-fired stove.

In the morning we found mist rising from the wetland valley and everything covered in white with frost. After an early breakfast we started for Paro. Normally it ought to take no more than five hours but because of the road works it took us eight to cover a distance of 175 km. Paro is a beautifully spread out town on the bank of the river. The two must see places at Paro are the Rinpung Dzong and Taktsang Lhakang (Tiger Nest Monastry). We stayed at Gangtey Palace – a unique hotel which used to be a palace situated on a hillock overlooking the Paro valley. It’s almost like living in a dzong; though the place is old the rooms have modern amenities and are quite comfortable. The view from the sit-out and cafeteria in the front is to die for. Paro is practically a one street town lined with curio shops; we even found a café – Brioche Café – selling great pastries, croissants and coffee.

From Paro we took the return flight to Calcutta to resume our mundane existence amid din and fury of our daily lives. On the whole it was a memorable trip made more so by our guide Dhanapati and driver Ram. We would highly recommend HBT to anyone wanting a peaceful yet stimulating vacation in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

On return to Bangalore, to my amazement I found so many people ignorant about this little kingdom tucked away in the Himalayas, next to India; but many were curious and hence this post.