My husband and I visited Bhutan for 9 days in April 2006. The trip was part of a 7-month honeymoon around the world. Of all the places we visited on our world tour, Bhutan was our favorite. It is an absolutely magical place and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it.
Our trip itinerary took in the main sites in Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha, as well as the Paro Tsechu. I loved learning so much about Bhutanese culture and enjoying the excellent Bhutanese hospitality. We are already looking forward to planning another trip to Bhutan to do some trekking and rafting.
We are forever grateful to our guide, Namgay Dorji, and our driver, Dorji Wangchuk for making our trip so wonderful. I worked with Namgay over the course of a few months to put together an itinerary that covered everything we wanted to see. Namgay set up a great itinerary and arranged accommodations in excellent hotels. We are used to being independent travelers, so we were a bit concerned that a trip with a guide might seem too planned and stilted. What I liked best about Namgay was that he was extremely flexible and open to changing the itinerary to suit our interests. Some of our best moments on the trip came from spontaneous changes to the itinerary — a pick-up soccer game with kids, a visit to a local school, disco night in Thimphu.
Namgay is extremely knowledgeable about Bhutanese culture and history. He clearly loves Bhutan and works very hard to provide his clients with the very best experience possible. His extensive contacts around the country make it possible for him to arrange unique experiences for his clients. His English and understanding of Western culture is excellent. Most importantly, he’s friendly, personable, and has a great sense of humor. We came to think of Namgay and Dorji as our good friends rather than our guides. We hope to get another opportunity to spend time with them in Bhutan.
Marina Vishnevetsky & Matthew Grayson
Texas, US
