8 Days Bhutan Cultural Tour with 2-Day Bumdrak Trek

We just completed an 8 day tour of western Bhutan, with a 3 day trek to the Sagala Pass and Chelela Pass. Bhutan is a beautiful country and exceeded all my expectations. Bhutan Acorn T&T were fantastic! In the planning stage they were very responsive and understanding of our several requests for change to the itinerary. They were very organised and efficient in arranging the visas, government fees and flights to Bhutan. Our guide (Norbu) and driver (Thinley) were also fantastic and went above and beyond in looking after us. They were both very kind and helpful and their knowledge of Bhutanese history, Buddhist practice and local flora and fauna were exceptional. I would not hesitate in using Bhutan Acorn T&T again.

From the moment I reached out to Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel to inquire about a potential trip to Bhutan, Mr. Karma was extremely responsive, accommodating, and helpful. We had all sorts of information we needed to ensure our trip was successful. Once we arrived in Bhutan, we were greeted by our personal guide (Mr. Tashi) and our driver (Mr. Nidup). Both gentlemen were with us, and only us, for the duration of our trip. Both are extremely personable and knowledgeable. We learned so much and laughed a lot. Mr. Tashi always ensured every restaurant or host accommodated my lactose intolerance. They both ensured we always had enough to eat and drink throughout our visit and made us as comfortable as possible throughout. When an unexpected rainstorm hit us on our first day, Mr. Tashi recommended we change to a different hike/monastery since it would be less steep and muddy, which resulted in us getting an unexpected blessing/ritual bath from the lama (head monk) of the monastery. We saw so many amazing views and learned a ton about Buddhism and Bhutanese history and culture. We ended up changing our itinerary on the fly to exclude the Bumdrak Trek and camping for health reasons, which Mr. Tashi accommodated without complaint. We chose instead to trek up to Tiger's Nest and had the chance to meditate in one of the temple rooms for 30 minutes undisturbed. It allowed us to reflect on life’s journey that ultimately lead us here, the culmination of years of healing and personal growth. I'd highly recommend starting the trek early. We started around 6am and were pretty much the only people on the entire trek up. It made the trek so much more spiritual and personal for us. Mr. Tashi and Mr. Nidup provided us with their own personal trekking poles to use. Some tips when visiting Bhutan: pack toilet paper with you as many of the public and/or rural restrooms do not have toilet paper, have hand sanitizer available as many also do not have soap, and get into hiking shape to truly enjoy the experience. Bottom line...we absolutely loved Bhutan and plan to return. We would definitely go with Bhutan Acorn Tours & Travel again and highly recommend you check them out too. Ask for Mr. Tashi and Mr. Nidup if possible!

Bumdra trek is one of the most beautiful place to go if you are in Bhutan, its 4 hrs climbing but we took around 3 hrs to reach on the base camp and the base camp was around 3800m above sea leavel. if you are not used to with the elevation its better to rest and accumulatise your body to go further up to see the sky burial but we did in a same day, we went further up till 4200m which is the 2nd sky burial point. On the way back we took path which take to Tiger Nest which is another 2 hrs hike to Tiger Nest. Overall its not a good idea to complete in a single day if you are not used to with elevation and fit yourself moreover chances of getting altitude sickness. last but not the least food was amazing but never expect food like hotel, we have to eat fast before it get cold. thank you!