Kimkim Trip Reviews for Bhutan

I have traveled a lot--around 130 countries--and I almost never use an organized tour. I thought I didn't like them. But this trip changed my mind. Mr. Pema, my guide, was impeccable, as was my driver, Mr. Ugee. They anticipated my every need, were beautifully friendly and polite and quite interesting people. I felt like I was traveling with friends. Mr. Pema was very skillful and knowledgeable as a guide to both the sites and the culture, and we had philosophical as well as historical conversations of some depth. Windhorse made all the arrangements painless, kept in touch just enough, and everything, top to bottom, was perfectly done. The wifi in hotel rooms, as it is in many countries with a similar economic base, left something to be desired, but that was outside their control, and I'm sure it will continue to improve as the tourist infrastructure continues to grow. My only wish was that I had been able to stay longer and go further into the country.

Great. Tek was an amazing guide out in the mountains and in the cultural tour too.

All was great-both the driver (Nema) and the guild(Lobzang) did as I asked. I like to see the real world so I tend to travel to places off the beaten path. They showed me the back places of your lovely country. Plan to return. The only mess up was the amount charged per day but Vishal explained the situation and all was straighten out. Well done to all that welcomed be to Bhutan.

Our journey in the mountains of Bhutan was richly rewarding. A gift not wrapped in paper but bound instead in the thread of discovery and the characters we were blessed to encounter along the way. A journey of reflection and life in focus - so generously mentored by the welcoming will and inspiring talents of the Bhutanese people, Like our fabulous guides Yonten and Pema, who helped us climb higher..beyond....as each new step took our breath further away. Thank you!

And also thank you to all our amazing crew and the nine ponies ... especially camera pony!
Everyone we encountered helped make our expedition an experience that will long be remembered as an outstanding example of living in the moment..

Thanks to Bas at Kimkim for making the arrangements so easy and to Wind Horse for organising everything on the ground. Thoroughly enjoyed this Bhut-Camp!

Trip was better than we could have ever expected. The entire process from the first messages with Bas till the fairwell hugs with tashi and Jigme at the airport and everything in between was beyond words! Tashi as a guide is phenomenal, can’t fault him. And Jigme was his perfect side kick. Nothing was too hard for the boys. Thank you for a wonderful trip!

My 6 days in Bhutan were amazing . My guide Sonam was so wonderful , full of knowledge and patience. I loved talking to him and I learned so much about the country , the people and the culture . My hike up to Tiger’s Nest was the biggest highlight of the trip. I didn’t think I could hike all that way , but Sonam had confidence in me and I did it! I am so proud . Thank you for a trip of a lifetime!

Our guide Sangay went out of his way to provide us with the additional activities that we requested. This included visiting the Faculty of Traditional Medicine in Thiumpu, walking accross a suspension bridge, purchasing certain meditation items and some of Bhutan’s products (honey). This he managed despite our very full and busy schedule. The flight times were out of the control of the tour operators. The time of our booking was late due to a previous tour falling through and this restricted the available flights at the optimal times. The flight times to and from Bhutan restricted the time and activities possible on the first and last day. This was disappointing because the other days were full of interesting and enjoyable activities and left us longing for more time.

Mads managed to put together a tour which packed in a lot despite the late notice. He was very responsive to requests and extremely prompt and thorough with communication and information.
Mads choice of accommodation suited us perfectly. He also organised, at very short notice, to swap a vesper for a Royal Enfield motorcycle when one of our group expressed a desire to ride one! I would not hesitate to use Mads again for a trip/holiday or to recommend him to others (which I have already done)

The first thing is that I had never done an organised tour before. Of course with the regulations in Bhutan it is the only way to see the country that I had wanted to visit for so long.  In my early exchanges with Vishal he made me extremely comfortable that a tour did not mean bus rides with many people; controlled timings on visits to places; and having to ensure we experienced the country at the pace of the slowest person in the group. Vishal carefully asked me what it was I wanted to see in Bhutan, which Places drew me to the county, and what kind of experience I wanted to take away.  He built an itinerary that combined my need to experience the history, the landmarks, the culture and the trekking, suggesting timeframes that would encompass all of these things without needing to rush, and giving me options throughout the itinerary that gave complete flexibility for us to enjoy. The planning became an exciting part of the trip (as it should be) and was an excellent experience.