Wind Horse Tours

We had a fabulous trip to Bhutan - their traditional life practices are being carefully preserved as they work to modernize the country. Our guide, Tashi, was so knowledgeable about the culture, as well as the geography - taking us on some great off-road adventures (on bike and by foot)! Our drivers were adept at maneuvering the mountain switchbacks, and providing support as we pedaled our way across the passes. When the clouds lifted and we took in the spectacular mountain vistas, it was clear why the Bhutanese are so happy.

Had a fabulous time at the Paro Festival, Tiger's Nest, Punakha, and Thimpu.

Thank you Mieke for planning my trip to Bhutan. There was a good mix of culture, nature. hiking and lots of wonderful photo opportunities. The highlight was the hike to the tiger’s nest and the hike and overnight stay at the Dodeydrak monastery. The guides and driver from WindHorse tours were excellent especially Namgyel & Taschi - punctual, professional & helpful. I fell in love with Bhutan and its people. I would definitely go back!

Overall, the trip exceeded our high expectations. Mieke was great and responsive and flexible.

Our guide Yonten and our driver Dawa were superb, five stars! They could not have been better in any way.

We could have used more explanation beforehand from Kim Kim about the home stay, to have a better appreciation of the simplicity of the lodgings and the economic benefit it brings to rural Bhutan.

Our guide Tashi was just spectacular! He quickly figured out what our interests are when we travel and made modifications to the itinerary accordingly. We experienced Bhutan by talking to locals (who wanted to practice their Hindi) at the festival in Tsonga, being quizzed by a 7 year old on Buddhist dieties, chatting with a 15-year old who loves TikTok and basketball. None of these authentic interactions would have possible without Tashi's curation of urban and rural hikes. Our driver Ponshu (quite sure I misspelled his name) was phenomenal. Since my husband was recovering from a leg injury and had to slow down on the hikes, he decided to accompany us.
The Dochula Pass, and the Paro Takstang hike were fabulous experiences. The food and accommodation at Dhumra in Punakha was definitely our #1.

Pema, our guide, was as knowledgeable, flexible, helpful and keen to cycle&hike as any guide we've ever had. He also gets five stars.
The routes were all scenic and reasonably challenging.
All of our drivers were really good.

Hotel Reviews

Bhutan Suites

Thimphu

really friendly and helpful staff

Dewachen Hotel

Phobjikha

nice place

Yangkhil Resort

Trongsa

really nice place. We would have enjoyed an extra night here

Chumey Nature Resort

Chumey

nice place but worst breakfast of the trip (everything was cold including the instant coffee)

Ura Homestay

Ura

interesting experience, great breakfast. It would have been better if they could have conversed with us

Trogon Villa

Yonkola

Took a few tries to get a room with hot water, but otherwise was a reasonable place

Wangchuck Hotel

Mongar

Beautiful hotel and location, Great, helpful staff.

Red Fox Hotel

New Delhi

Decent place, really good breakfast

Mountain resort

Jakar

Beautiful hotel

Lingkhar Lodge

Trashigang

Beautiful place, large unit. helpful staff, nice to have a bath in the unit

Soednam Zingkha Heritage Lodge

Ha

Room was not well sealed and was therefore cold, but staff was very accommodating and even put in an electric mattress heater which helped a lot! I believe that we actually stayed in a place nearby with a similar name

Tashi Namgay Resort

Paro

beautiful place

Wangdue Eco Lodge

Wangdue Phodang

nice place but I don't agree that no wifi in our room is eco-friendly as they suggest

Activity Reviews

Thimphu City Walk (Thimphu)

Thimphu

It was good to have a look around. Best done on foot

From Thimphu to Wangdue Phodrang by bicycle

Thimphu

Dochu La pass was a good one to start with

From Wangdue Phodrang to Phobjikha by car and bicycle

Wangdue Phodrang

Lawa La pass is a tough climb. It gets steeper near the top. Need to be careful going into the blind corners as sometimes oncoming vehicles are trying to pass... The road down into the valley is mostly paved.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cycling in Phobjikha Valley

Phobjikha

We walked instead of cycling. Nice to see the cranes

From Jakar to Ura Valley (cycling)

Jakar

Another nice ride

From Ura to Yonkola (cycling)

Ura

Another nice ride with an amazing descent into warm weather

Visit Trashigang Dzong

Trashigang

Another well built and scenic dzong

From Mongar to Trashigang (cycling)

Mongar

The descent in the middle portion of the ride was surprisingly chilly, but otherwse it was yet another great cycle route. Nice to see monkeys along the route.

Hike to Tigernest Monastery aka Taktshang Goemba (Paro)

Paro

Amazing place. We were well acclimatized for the hike after our 3 weeks in Bhutan. We hiked up to the next temple as well which was worth it for the views and additional photos

Trying out bicycles

Thimphu

It was good to ride a bit to see that the bikes were working fine

Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten & Punakha Dzong

Bhutan

Punakha Dzong was one of the nicest ones to see

From Phobjikha to Trongsa (partly cycling)

Phobjikha

A nice ride with a lovely descent into a warm valley

Paro valley hike to Dzong

Paro

Nice short hike to the museum and dzong which are both worth seeing.

Trongsa Dzong & Museum

Bhutan

The museum is interesting. We didn't have time to see the dzong. Would have enjoyed an extra day here.

From Yonkola to Mongar (cycling)

Yonkola

A good ride, with warm weather the whole distance. It felt good to walk into the great hotel and enjoy the views

Ha Valley hike

Ha

We did the hike up the ridge from Chele La, the panorama hike and the hike over the pass towards Paro during our few days in Ha Valley, The latter two were in mostly pine forests. We did see a sambar deer. The views from the ridge above Chele La were great - could see Jomohari quite clearly

From Chumey to Jakar (partly cycling)

Chumey

Another nice ride

From Trongsa to Chumey (partly cycling)

Trongsa

Another nice ride

Mieke was fantastic in organising our trip. She was always punctual in her replies, kind and very helpful.
Our guide, although novice, was very friendly and willing.
The thing that left us most speechless was the Taktshang Goemba. Absolutely fantastic.

Thank you for a fantastic holiday!

Hotel Reviews

Bhutan Suites

Thimphu

Very friendly staff, very spacious room and excellent food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zhingkham Resort

Punakha

Very good hotel but the food was always cold.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tashi Namgay Resort

Paro

Very nice room, but the food was always cold and the quality of the food was low.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike to Tigernest Monastery aka Taktshang Goemba (Paro)

Paro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buddha Dordenma (Thimphu)

Thimphu

Thimphu City Walk (Thimphu)

Thimphu

Memorial Chorten (Thimphu)

Thimphu

Simthoka Dzong (Thimphu)

Thimphu

Punakha Dzong (Punakha)

Bhutan

Prayer ceremony at local nunnery (Punakha)

Bhutan

Hike to Lungchutse Lhakhang from Dochu La pass

Bhutan

Kyichu Lhakhang (Paro)

Paro

Punakha - Chimi Lhakhang

Bhutan

Rinpung Dzong & Ta Dzong (Paro)

Paro

I'm a very spontaneous solo traveler. I'm not used to booking a guided trip with a planned itinerary but rather buying a plane ticket and figuring out the logistics when I land.

I reached out to several agencies with a two weeks prior to my trip and Mieke was the most prompt and accommodating to my travel needs. She planned out an itinerary and booked everything accordingly despite the short notice I gave her.

I arrived in Bhutan and had THE MOST TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE! My driver, Jigme, and my guide, Tshering, provided to with a very adaptable and professional experience. Jigme always kept the car clean and shiny that I felt like a diplomat or celebrity everywhere I went. However it was Tshering's breadth of knowledge in his culture from history, traditions, and Buddhist teachings brought me into Bhutan's culture. By the end of my time, I started to feel like I could fit in like any other local. This has made me rethink how I solo travel and considering hiring a guide in my future travels for a more in-depth cultural experience.

In summary, if you are looking for a good cultural tour through Bhutan you can put your trust in Mieke and Windhorse Tours.

Hotel Review

Homestay in Tang Valley

Tang Valley

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Activity Reviews

Hike to Tigernest Monastery aka Taktshang Goemba (Paro)

Paro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience a homestay in Bhutan

Bhutan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport