Bhutan vacations, tailor made

Planet

Having travelled extensively ourselves and witnessed first-hand how tourism can have either positive or negative effects on local communities; we vowed to always endeavour to leave a positive mark on all places we visit and send clients. Our clients’ requirements are of primary importance to us at all times, as we know that our growth and success depend on their continued support.

A biological biodiversity hotspot, Bhutan’s flora and fauna are diverse with new species of plants and animals still being discovered. The varied altitude, climate and forest cover means Bhutan is a natural home to some of the world’s wonderful plants and animals. The rich ecosystem houses more than 200 mammals, 612 species of birds and more than 5000 species of plants, including 600 species of orchids, 300 species of medicinal plants and 50 species of spectacular rhododendrons.

Owing to the government’s commitment to preserve forests and wildlife, vast areas throughout the country are designated as protected areas. There are four national parks, one nature reserve and four wildlife sanctuaries which constitute about 26% of the country, spreading over 10,758sq km. Most of these parks are also home to villagers who depend entirely on nature to provide their livelihood. It is a story of humans and animals co-existing in harmony.

Our service providers, all being registered operators, respect these governing principles and ensure that the tours our clients take part in are in line with these governing regulations.

As a company: We strive to operate as a paperless company as far as possible, and recycle wherever facilities are available. We use toxic-free fair trade products whenever we can.

While traveling: Many of the resorts and operators we work with offer our clients free drinking water refills to minimise wastage of plastic bottles through out the trips; and ask clients if they want items laundered before simply washing towels and linens unnecessarily, to conserve water. While in remote areas, we carry rubbish with us and ensure we do not disturb anything in the natural environment.

While we are there: We will visit protected conservation areas, such as the Takin Nature Preserve, and ensure that our clients are given the correct guidance to minimise impact on the environment and respect the natural wonders of the area. All these protected area and reserves use guides who are local to the area and have been trained, bettering their communities. These guides typically communicate all the do’s and don’ts while visiting these protected areas. Typically these areas also ask for a fee to appreciate the protected area. These fees go to conservation and infrastructure efforts directly supporting the reserve.

This trip has a strong focus on exploring natural wonders with the aim of fostering a love of and respect for the environment and subsequently conservation in the areas visited.

People

This tour has been designed to both operate in a way that minimises our impact on the environment that we visit and to maximise the benefit that our clients can have on the host community. We endeavour to follow responsible guidelines, as with all trips. Guests will be briefed on responsible tourism at the start of the trip, and encouraged to be mindful of the environment and respectful of local people and culture.

All the service providers we utilise are are registered with the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) and a member of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO). Government policy stipulates that all visitors to Bhutan come through a licensed tour operator. All the adventure activities, be it trekking, biking, kayaking and others, are led by local guides who know the areas, the routes and will ensure that all clients are aware of environmental and legal restrictions while in Bhutan.

While we are there: We encourage our clients to have a truly immersive experience as well as support the livelihood of the local community. We ensure guests have opportunities to purchase locally produced traditional crafts at the source, ensuring maximum financial benefit to producers and artisans. We travel in small groups to ensure our customers can interact with locals in a meaningful way and to ensure that any impact on local communities is minimised. While in Phobjika we encourage visiting the beautiful 17th Century Gangtey Monastery and the surrounding villages to meet and engage with local people.

For a cultural experience we recommend visiting The National Institute for Traditional Medicine and the Folk Heritage Museum, where you can learn about the rural Bhutanese life of the past century. Where possible we encourage you to enjoy authentic Bhutanese food at local restaurants in the villages. We recommend visiting the Jungshi Paper Factory to see traditional handmade paper making and to engage will local artisans. A visit the National Textile Museum where you can see local weavers at work is also a wonderful experience.

Where we stay: As a boutique travel company we recommend unique and authentic travel experiences. We prefer to use local suppliers who recommend accommodation that will add to the uniqueness and sense of adventure of the trip and we therefore encourage our clients to stay in privately owned accommodation where possible to support the local community. Where the hotel owners source staff, produce, products and other services from within the local community. This gives the local people an opportunity to gain financially from the increase in tourism in the area.

Typically with all our tailor-made trips to destinations we enjoy offering new routes and encourage travel to areas that are not on the main tourist trails and further support communities.