9 Days Authentic Bhutan Tour by Local Experts

From start to finish, my experience with Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel was wonderful. All of the pre-departure communication was clear, fast, and professional. As a solo female traveler, the agency assigned a female guide and female driver which I appreciated. Now that my trip to Bhutan is complete, I recognize that this team of sisters was the key to the positive experience. Kezang, the guide, has an incredible knowledge of the history and culture of the nation. Plus, she enjoys hiking as much as I do so our daily outings in the pristine mountain forests was always a joy. Tashi, the driver, maneuvered the narrow winding roads with precision letting me know that I was always safe as we traveled from village to village. During my eight night visit, I stayed in five different accommodations and each was comfortable, in good locations (some with amazing views!), and full of welcoming staff. There was so much delicious food! Every meal provided a variety of dishes that included both local fare and western-influenced options. . . I am a budget traveler so this trip was a big splurge, but it was worth every single penny since nine days of feeling awe, being immersed in natural beauty, and being surrounded by kind and respectful people is priceless.

We had an amazing 8 nights in Bhutan with Bhutan Acorn. Everything was perfect. Bhutan is simply unforgettable. Bhutan Acorn attended to our needs thoughtfully and responded super swiftly to our enquiries and requests. Every booking and confirmation were made at ease. Karma from Bhutan Acorn brought us a gorgeous pair of Gho and Kira and we were so glad and wore them for the entire trip. Knowing that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, Karma amazingly arranged a tasty cake and a bottle of Bhutanese wine during our stay in Thimphu. Our guide and driver, Tashi and Sonam, made a perfect quartet with us. Tashi is super fun, knowledgeable and attends to our change of plans swiftly and thoughtfully. Sonam is a reliable driver. We asked loads of questions in understanding Buddhism, Bhutan and the secret of their Gross National Happiness. We were mind-blown by the beauty of Bhutan, not just by the clean air, pristine scenery and gorgeous, exquisitely decorated and historic temples and dzongs, but most importantly, the beautiful and genuine people in Bhutan. We love everything in Bhutan. Thanks Bhutan Acorn!

This was the TRIP OF A LIFETIME 🙌 Bhutan was such an unknown country to me before I decided to visit, and I am so glad I took the leap of faith!! From the moment I reached out to Bhutan Acorn, Karma Phuntsho was extremely responsive and thorough on guiding me through the tour itinerary, accommodations, and visa requirements. Feel free to be direct with Karma in telling you EXACTLY what you want from your tour and he will customize a tour JUST FOR YOU 😃. I was originally going to go for 7 days and extended my trip an additional day (before I got my visa) and he made these additions to the itinerary just for me!! Now, on to the tour itself…. Karma told me later on that he tries to make his tours private whenever possible. This was unknown to me before booking, so I was extremely surprised and happy to find my 8 day tour would be just me and my tour guide and driver. (SHOUTOUT TO NIDUP & NORBU - the best in the game! 🙌🙌) BHUTAN IS A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY 🇧🇹 As the only carbon negative country in the world, the air is the purest out there. You will also be surrounded by breathtaking mountain ranges and rare wildlife (birds, monkeys, etc.) I felt extremely taken care of and can now call Nidup and Norbu great friends of mine 😃 As for the driver… Nidup was such a funny and outgoing guy. He really knows how to turn up the energy on some of these long road trips (hint: he loves rock music 🎸). He is also completely willing to speak his mind and put your best interests at heart (—he will make sure you get fair deals at stores) As for the tour guide… Norbu is a young and bright guy. He knew sooooo much about Bhutan and Buddhism. I could ask him anything and he knew it right away. He is also a very fast hiker (so if you want to save some time, he is your guide) Norbu is also an amazing photographer!! He happily offered to take professional photos of me on one of the days and edit them himself!! The photos attached to this review are from him. All in all, Bhutan was no mistake. It is a complete blessing. And it is a place I will most definitely come back to many times over (….But Nidup and Norbu must visit me in the USA too!!) To whoever is reading this, enjoy your travels!! ✈️ 🇧🇹 ❤️

Karma P, the owner was so quick to respond to all our questions and that really helped us to choose the company as our travel guide to Bhutan and we were more than happy with our choice. The guide, Thinley S, and our driver,Sonam D, were the epitome of graciousness, kindness, knowledge, and gave us a true sense of the Bhutanese hospitality. As some of us had palates that were sensitive to highly spicy foods, Thinley made sure that the dishes were cooked to our liking. They adjusted the hikes to our abilities and overall, they were very accommodating. Definitely go with them !

I traveled with my adult son through Bhutan for 8 days, with all arrangements made by Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel in consultation with us to meet our personal requests. We are grateful to Karma for creating a wonderful experience through Bhutan for us, both before and during our trip. Karma answered all of my (many) email questions before the trip always promptly and clearly. He also honored my request, which I didn't really expect him to be able to do, to give us bright, quiet rooms with a view in every lodging. Every one of our rooms had spectacular views, which really enhanced our experience. He tailored our itinerary to meet every one of our requests, right down to wanting to attend the Paro festival twice, and adding certain local restaurants we wanted to try, all included in the price we had already paid. When our guide wasn't a good match for us, Karma provided a new guide the same day we made the request -- and this guide, Pema, was incredible, telling us all about the culture, festivals, history, and meaning of everything we saw, and taking us to as many extra places as we wanted to go along the way. Our driver, Namgay, was also incredible -- he was an excellent, skilled driver and became like family by the end of the trip. Overall, Karma made sure that everything was exactly as we wanted -- addressing our personal requests in a way that we are sure a larger company would not have done. Thank you Karma, Pema, and Namgay! We highly recommend Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel, and will definitely use them again if we return to that part of the world.

The tour was both enjoyable and comprehensive. Acorn's Karma was very responsive to my special interests and with my input tailored a perfect program. My guide, Tashi Dorji was very knowledgeable, dedicated friendly and communicative. I learned a lot from him as he was conducting this tour and interpreting if for me at the same time. My driver Kencho Dorji was also very dedicated, skilled and communicative. I enjoyed the company of both trough out the trip. And above all Bhutan - a pristine gorgeous legend.

Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel created an intimate Tour & Travel experience for 10-days to West-Central Bhutan. When I booked the trip the interaction was professional, responded promptly, informative of the process, and personal. Booking a trip to a rare country to visit that seems expensive per day rate but its actually very reasonable considering: hotel stay arranged, tour guide, driver with car, gas and bottled water, parking fees, temples and parks fees, and three meals a day are all inclusive. No out of pocket expenses is required unless you want a beer, soda, shopping or provide a tip. An average bhutanese citizen makes less than a dollar a day so the gesture of a tip can be life changing. I was fortunate to have Bhutan Acorn. Traveling alone, I was lucky to be the only one on the tour where other tours had a groups. My experience was a cultural immersion through culture, history and even attire, men's traditional gho. The itinerary is well planned and a jammed packed experience from visiting 8th century Temples, The Infamous Tigers Nest Temple in the Mountains, breathtaking landscapes, to enjoying a European beer and cuisine at the Swiss Guesthouse. I was lucky to attend the Tschechu Festival, an Annual Festival in Punakha where I got the chance to see the 5th King and Former Prime Minister, sightings of the Rare Black Necked Crane, a picture with a Buddhist Grand Master Teacher, and the experience of a 2-day homestay in Phobjikha. My tour guide, Millan Rai, is highly educated, spoke perfect English and provided a professional as well as personal experience that was life changing for me. The culture and religion in Bhutan is so rich and traditional for centuries that it helped me put life into perspective from the influences of fast-paced modern society and overwhelming technology. Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel will be my only company I choose for my next trip to Bhutan. I highly recommend this company as the highest level of standard in Professionalism, Service and Life-changing Experience. Enjoy the Journey.