From: Singapore, Singapore
Visited in October 2018

I went on the Bhutan Yoga retreat and the Druk Path Trek with Bhutan Tours and Travels (BTT) in Oct 2018. It was the perfect itinerary of culture, spirituality, yoga, meditation and trekking. The combination of the (twice) daily practice of yoga and meditation with a wonderfully curated itinerary in between, allowed us to fully experience Bhutan’s spiritual culture, rich history, its enlightened people and its pristine mountains; whilst feeling beautifully stretched, mindfully grounded and with clean mountain air deep in our lungs! Taking the memories of all that we had been exposed to in our first 10 days, into the humbling and majestic mountains of Bhutan over the next 4 days, provided the perfect opportunity to be introspective, appreciate the harmony of nature and to open up to a profound sense of gratitude for all things. It was a transformative experience that spoke deeply to ones spiritual soul.

I came with an open mind not knowing what Bhutan would offer. Simply put – everything exceeded my expectations. Numerous other reviews on-line share similar enthusiasm about travel to Bhutan with their respective tour guides. What I can say about BTT though, apart from anticipating all our needs and working hard to ensure that individually and collectively as a group, we were able to experience the confluence of the Bhutan experiences described above, they went above and beyond, opening up their home, sharing their extended family with us, and nourishing us with a generosity of spirit that challenges the idea of hospitality anywhere else in the world. At the end, leaving Bhutan felt like I was leaving part of an essential limb behind.

BTT is a small but well established family run business. They make up a compelling combination of contributors, each helped provide a different perspective to our experience – the good natured and reliably supportive Sangdrup, our excellent driver, grateful for someone with his skill to navigate these treacherous mountain roads; the authentic and light-hearted guide in Dangsa with his many stories and good humour, and a profound knowledge of just about everything there is to know about Bhutan, his Buddhist faith and knowledge added great value to our experience; Pasa our organizer and guide, a native Bhutanese too, but with an international outlook from his years abroad in Canada and Austria – representative of a contemporary generation with values that are still intrinsically deep rooted in Bhutan’s ways – nothing we asked was too much trouble for him. He also served as a bridge on many levels, least to some of the more Buddhist esoteric concepts that were harder to understand; his sister, CEO Thinley who initiated the conversation to join this trip, is also involved with documentary film-making and developing social impact projects between Bhutan and the rest of the world; combined together with their innate wisdom and spiritual presence, they brought a rich and multi-layered quality to our experience. The hotels that were chosen for us were clean and comfortable, the food varied and delicious, with some wonderfully charming surprises like dining by a river or at the edge of a forest. Added to this, the excellent selection of Dzong’s, monastic schools, Buddhist temples, museums, markets, short hikes, breathtaking views, all overlaid with laughter and kindness… helped facilitate the great camaraderie that was quickly established between our group.
Bhutan and BTT make a potent formula. You’ll wish you had journeyed to Bhutan earlier in your life. Those who do, will come and go a transformed person, thanks to BTT’s unconditional efforts!

– Bernice Franck