| Travel in Bhutan is an incredible experience. You will be with your guide throughout the trip, so your experience will be highly influenced by him. Our guide was amazing and therefore our trip was amazing. Jigme’s ability to customize our trip to our interests and desires was really nice; while traveling, we got the impression that not all tour operators work that way. The quick responses to email before we arrived helped assure us that everything was being arranged in a professional manner and that our needs would be met. We traveled for 8 days and each new town we visited had interesting things to see and our guide was incredibly well informed and could answer a wide variety of questions. We attended several festivals and it seemed as though we were constantly in the right place at the right time to have the best experience- we avoided large groups of tourists and had great views. Our driver navigated the crazy roads with an ease which helped us not be on edge for some of the longer car rides. We would not hesitate to recommend Jigme and his company to anyone going to Bhutan. It is clear he cares very much about ensuring that his clients have the best experience possible. He enjoys his work, is very knowledgeable, and has a lot of really valuable experience and it shows. |
| David and Marie |
| Boston, USA |
| upstairsdave@gmail.com |
| Hi Jigme, Alan and I had a good holiday in Bhutan with you this April 2011. You were very prompt and spontaneous when we wanted a bigger vehicle and you acted very swiftly. We enjoyed all the food at the different locations you brought us and introduced us to the Green Chilli with Cheese, which we ended up loving it very much. You also taught us how to make it by telling us the recipe. The best part is when I was very apprehensive if I can make the climb to Tiger's Nest and had so many concerns and discussed with you. You and your driver were the reasons that I managed to be up there at Tiger's Nest and I am so glad that I made it there. During the journey up and down Tiger's Nest, the service provided by you was excellent, holding me, looking after my back and helping me, even to carry the bottle of water for my hydration. At that 3000 meter altitude, it was not easy for me as I made all the frequent stops to reach my destination up and down. I want to thank you for making our holiday so experiential for both of us and doing all the small things with good details that matter to us so much. I hope that many will travel with you and I will certainly, recommend my friends to you if you are heading to Bhutan. Thank You. |
| Alan and Mary |
| Singapore |
| mary.chan@seager.com.sg |
| We want to sing the praises of Jigme Tshering and his company, Bhutan Travel Adventures. He and his excellent staff of cooks, wranglers, drivers, and guides led our 9-person group of 60-somethings on an amazing trek and cultural visit during October 2010. The 7-day trek took us to Gasa-Koina-Laya and back, and the 8 days of cultural touring included the highlights of Paro, Thimpu, Punakha, Wangdi, Trongsa, and Bumthang. Jigme took meticulous care of every detail and was supremely attentive to all of our needs and wishes. He obtained our travel visas, arranged complicated transportation, and made all hotel and restaurant reservations. He also accommodated the people who wanted to do more hiking, and those who wanted to see more museums. He was patient and flexible at every point, making a detour to the Phobjhika Valley so that we could see the black-necked cranes before they flew back over the Himalayas to Tibet, and working some magic that got us into the brand new royal museum at Trongsa even though it was closed for a national holiday! It is clear that Bhutan Travel Adventures – and Jigme himself -- are highly respected by other members of the country’s tourism industry. We feel lucky that he joined us and we learned more than we would have ever imagined possible about his amazing country and its cultural traditions. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any more information. |
| Rikki and Norton Grubb |
| Berkeley California, USA |
| wngrubb@yahoo.com |
| With the help of JIGME and his great concern of our goals, we organised last september/october, a wonderful trip in BHUTAN. We stayed 12 days, mixing sightseeing and two short treks (Bumthang and Druk path) in the western and the central part of the country. The professionalism and kindness of our guide Yeashey and all the team will be engraved on our memories for a long time. We hope we will have the opportunity to come back and do a longer trek in the future. Best wishes to you, and send our best to Yeshey and Leki too. |
| Marc Coueignas and Jean Louis |
| Nice and Paris, FRANCE. |
| marc.coueignas@gmail.com, jlhauck@club.fr |
| Hey Jigme, How are you getting on and how is your tour business doing during this 'swine flu' season! As for me, I am busy at work as well as preparing for coming trip in early July. Life is memorable and interesting if we are happy at work and more happy to take leave to enjoy our hobby/ interest. Bhutan is one of the countries which I was dreaming to visit many years ago but due to certain restrictions, I only managed to visit this year. After this visit I would like to put some remarks upon my 3 days cultural tour and 8 days trekking from Paro to JBC to Thimphu. I am really blessed to be able to trek in Bhutan, a very beautiful country in terms of people, scenery and food. What more to ask for from a remote landlocked country! Jigme, very thankful to you to organise a group of wonderful nice people to fulfill my dream to trek in Bhutan. These wonderful people I would sincerely express my thanks to them are Sonam (guide), Sonam Rabten (cook), Yeshi (asst cook), Dorji (young horseman) and Dorji's uncle (horseman). Without them, I think my trip would not be such memorable. Sonam is a good and knowledgeable guide eventhough he is not so well on plants or flowers but I can see he is learning more to update himself. Keep it up, Sonam. The only complaint I have for him is, he walked too fast ... without waiting the poor aunty at the back... haha.. Sonam Rabten is a very helpful and an excellent cook. His cooking is too good to resist which make me grown sideways instead of slimmer after the entire trek (I normally do in each of my trekking trip but this one just did me the opposite way... hahaha...) Yeshi, a young and very considerate guy who can be a good cook in future too. He made sure our meals were properly and nicely served everytime, everyday. Keep it up, Yeshi. Dorji & his uncle took good care of our transporter - 3 horses and 4 donkeys. Oh ya, need to thanks to these land transporter as well if they could read my email... haha... Dorji guided us to Twin lake for acclimatise and patiently waited for us to make a loop of both lakes. Eventhough he is not fluent in English, his smile has translated his words. Jigme, kindly take good care of these nice people and send my regards to Richen too. Also very thankful to our driver of 4 wheel car who has done a good job to drive with care and concern of others too. As for the hotels we stayed, I have nothing to comment since I think these are tourist class hotels with basic facilities and common served buffet meals. After this trip, I highly recommend my friends to visit Bhutan if possible because of its richness in culture and spectacular scenery.... and very compassionate wonderful people. I hope to visit again in future probably to the Eastern and Central part of Bhutan. Jigme, I sincerely wish you the very best of everything. Sylvia |
| Chong Kooi Ai |
| Malaysia |
| chongka@pd.jaring.my |
| Jigme Tshering was the guide for an extraordinary 16-day adventure in Bhutan taken by my husband and me and 7 of our friends last fall (2007). We spent 8 days on the Jhomolhari trek and 8 days sightseeing in Western Bhutan. Jigme was very knowledgeable, friendly and well-organized. On our trek, he did an excellent job of leading the crew who cooked, handled the pack animals, set up our tents and helped to make the trip go extremely smoothly. Each evening Jigme would tell us what to expect the next day, so we always felt well prepared. When something unexpected came up, he dealt with it quickly and effectively. (One day a herd of yaks were running towards us when we were on a steep trail; Jigme immediately made contact with the yak herder and together they managed to steer the yaks away from us.)When we were sightseeing, Jigme provided excellent commentary and information; for example, he provided a very illuminating lecture about the stages of Buddha's life when we were viewing a series of frescoes in a dzong. As important as his competence is that Jigme is a chamring man. All 9 of us who made the trip now regard Jigme as a friend, and we have encouraged others to use Jigme as a tour organizer and tour guide. If you do so,you will have a memorable trip. Diane and Harry Greenberg, Palo Alto, CA |
| Diane and Harry Greenberg |
| Palo Alto, CA |
| greendi@yahoo.com |
| I am so happy that Jigme has started a tour company! Jigme was the leader for our private small group trek to Jhomolhari and and subsequent touring in October-November 2007. It was a spectacular trip. Bhutan is a great destination. Equally important is that Jigme was an incredibly knowledgeable, organized and thoughtful guide. Unfortunately, largely because I decided to go on short notice and wasn't in great condition, I struggled during the trek, finishing well behind the group most days. Jigme quickly took note and assigned one of his staff who spoke English well to accompany me on the trail, which allowed me to finish and really enjoy the trip. I have previously gone on several treks in Nepal organized by well known high end U.S. companies, usually as the trip physician. Jigme certainly equaled them in knowledge and organization and surpassed them in his eagerness to interact with us and ensure we were having a good experience Our group, noting his skills and personality, actually encouraged him to start his own company. I'm sure that it is an outstanding one, and that he will ensure safe and memorable trips for those who join him. I'd be happy to communicate with anyone who wants more feedback. email: bmmassie@aol.com. |
| Barry Massie |
| San Francisco, CA |
| bmmassie@aol.com |
| Jigme, Thank you so much for providing our museum group with a wonderful experince in Bhutan. You have given us all memories of your beautiful country that we will cherish forever. Your knowledge and care in providing for our needs were perfect, and we will always remember the special experinces that you arranged for us. It was particularly delightful to enjoy the festivals with colorful dancers and friendly people gathered inside the dramatic dzong temple-fortresses. The land scape, the architecture, the traditional art, and above all, the charming people of Bhutan are truly admirable. We very much appreciate your expertise and graciousness in showing us Bhutan at its best. I have acted as Study Leader for several groups visiting bhutan, and above all, I found your guidance to be the best that I have experienced. I am looking forward to working with you and enjoying the beauties of Bhutan again before too long. |
| Doranne Jacobson,Ph.D |
| International Images, Springfield, Illinois, USA. |
| dorannejacobson@springnet1.com |
