Bhutan festivals small group vacation
Highlights
Kathmandu | Paro | Punakha | Punakha Dzong | Thimpu | Tiger's Nest Monastery
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travelers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
Have big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your vacation time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
If you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your vacation.
Solo travelers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those traveling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travelers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travelers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travelers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
This incredible trip explores Bhutan – a small Himalayan Kingdom that not only works to maintain its traditions, but has pledged to be carbon neutral for all time. A lofty ideal, but one that it is currently surpassed by being carbon negative – and the most carbon negative country in the world! The country has achieved this by a mixture of sustainable policies including promoting electric cars that now comprise over 10% of all cars in the country and a reliance on hydroelectric power that significantly reduces its carbon emission in energy production.
On the trip we support this achievement by traveling in small groups of 10-14 people in a bus. We also walk as much as possible in each destination to allow the opportunity to really experience the scenery and to reduce driving time. The food in Bhutan is generally locally grown and the meals that we provide on the trip are predominantly vegetarian, using the best of local produce.
Our trips are led by local Bhutanese guides chosen for their excellent indigenous knowledge of the area and training. Their understanding of the country's flora, fauna and local culture will guarantee an accurate insight to traditional Bhutanese life.
One of the festivals that is celebrated on some of our trips to Bhutan is the Black Neck Crane Festival, which is an essential way to learn about and to contribute to the survival of this endangered species.
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
The Impacts of this Trip
All travelers to Bhutan contribute (through the cost of their trip) to a compulsory Royalty levy part of which goes into education and health projects. All of the services we use in Bhutan such as hotels, restaurants, guides and transport are provided by locally owned and operated businesses, thus ensuring the financial impact of our visit is a direct (and much needed) contribution to the economy.
The endearing qualities of Bhutan are exemplified in its ranking as first in economic freedom and peace and the least corrupt country in South Asia. It is however still a very undeveloped country and the few tourists that visit contribute significantly to its development and to hopefully maintaining the equilibrium that it has nurtured. Our own trip allows you to contribute but also to benefit from this way of life.
All of the accommodation that we use is locally managed and a great example is the Pedling hotel in Thimphu which is owned by a Buddhist Institute and all proceeds from the hotel go to meeting the expenses of the 400 monks that it supports.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our UK Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
This incredible trip explores Bhutan – a small Himalayan Kingdom that not only works to maintain its traditions, but has pledged to be carbon neutral for all time. A lofty ideal, but one that it is currently surpassed by being carbon negative – and the most carbon negative country in the world! The country has achieved this by a mixture of sustainable policies including promoting electric cars that now comprise over 10% of all cars in the country and a reliance on hydroelectric power that significantly reduces its carbon emission in energy production.
On the trip we support this achievement by traveling in small groups of 10-14 people in a bus. We also walk as much as possible in each destination to allow the opportunity to really experience the scenery and to reduce driving time. The food in Bhutan is generally locally grown and the meals that we provide on the trip are predominantly vegetarian, using the best of local produce.
Our trips are led by local Bhutanese guides chosen for their excellent indigenous knowledge of the area and training. Their understanding of the country's flora, fauna and local culture will guarantee an accurate insight to traditional Bhutanese life.
One of the festivals that is celebrated on some of our trips to Bhutan is the Black Neck Crane Festival, which is an essential way to learn about and to contribute to the survival of this endangered species.
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
The Impacts of this Trip
All travelers to Bhutan contribute (through the cost of their trip) to a compulsory Royalty levy part of which goes into education and health projects. All of the services we use in Bhutan such as hotels, restaurants, guides and transport are provided by locally owned and operated businesses, thus ensuring the financial impact of our visit is a direct (and much needed) contribution to the economy.
The endearing qualities of Bhutan are exemplified in its ranking as first in economic freedom and peace and the least corrupt country in South Asia. It is however still a very undeveloped country and the few tourists that visit contribute significantly to its development and to hopefully maintaining the equilibrium that it has nurtured. Our own trip allows you to contribute but also to benefit from this way of life.
All of the accommodation that we use is locally managed and a great example is the Pedling hotel in Thimphu which is owned by a Buddhist Institute and all proceeds from the hotel go to meeting the expenses of the 400 monks that it supports.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our UK Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
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