It won’t be an exaggeration to state that Bhutan is quite untouched by excessive commercialized tourism that has been plaguing other parts of the Himalayas with negative environmental footprint. The policy-makers of the country have delimited the number of visitors at around 40,000 per year, whereas the neighboring Himalayan country of Nepal receives almost triple of this number. It is the mandate of the government that all treks in the country have to be arranged through a local agent who will be affiliated with environmentally ethical tour operation.
The top trekking companies in Bhutan which meet the benchmark are:
Access Bhutan Tours and Treks
This tour organizer has a Tourism Council of Bhutan accreditation and belongs in the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO). The coverage of this agency includes all the zonal divisions of tourist interests from Thimpu, Paro, Punkha, Wangduephodrang, Gangtey Phobjikha, Trongsa, Bumthang, and Trashigang.
Advance Bhutan Tours and Treks will let you tailor any number of days to suit your convenience for–
- Festival Watch: Diverse fairs, masked dances, ethnic arts and crafts collectibles, carnival, monastery cultural events– festivals in Bhutan are incredibly vibrant! Mark your travel calendar for the top 6 events– Thimphu Tshechu Festival, Jambay Lhakhang Drup Festival, Wangdue Phodrang Tshechu Festival, Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu Festival, Paro Tshechu, and HAA Summer Festival, with this tour organizer in Bhutan.
- Trekking Expeditions: Browse on foot the length and breadth of Bhutan with treks in the Eastern-Western and Central region of the country.
- Birding Scenes in the Himalayas: Gain unparalleled knowledge of key native avifauna habitats and learn the techniques of bird call identification.
- Biking in Bhutan: Speed off along some of the greatest mountain biking routes in the country, the agency will get you on the smoothest itineraries and fix you up with a group!
- Textile In-focus Tours: Discover intricate patterns and excellent skills of fine textile design of the ethnic Bhutanese dress– kira for women and gho for men, in Eastern Bhutan’s Khoma village and the famous Yathra style weaving in Bumthang.
Step 2 Bhutan
Tap into the rare and exotic resources of special-interests touring projects found in Bhutan with Step 2 Bhutan Tours and Treks. From ethnic festivals like Step 2 conducted HAA Summer Festival in Western Bhutan to a naturists’ ideal tour pick –the Rhododendron Festival conducted in Lamperi Botanical Park, 35 km from Thimphu, Step 2 really opens the floodgates of rare access into Bhutan’s cloistered cultures.
The Step 2 online trip-planner facility will help you make up your mind on which trips to take and when, laying out before enthusiasts a vast catalogue of itineraries, seasonal highlights, delights of historical and folk heritage, golden opportunities in photography and ethnological documentation, and immersive tours exploring typical local livelihoods going across all of Central Bhutan, Eastern Bhutan, and Western Bhutan.
Bhutan Keetsho Tours & Treks
Govt. affiliated and recognized for conducting ethical tourism in Bhutan, Bhutan Keetsho Tours & Treks boasts of trained group leaders, intelligent and friendly staff, and immaculate organization. Packages and open to customization and budget-friendly options and covers a variety of travel mottos– cultural tourism, food trails, Himalayan trekking, festival watch, and more.
The highlights:
- Dzongs of Bhutan: Dzong is an iconic style of Bhutanese architecture comprising towering exterior walls, a surrounding courtyard complex, temples, and monastic living quarters. Five notable Dzongs that you can tour with the agency around the country are– Trongsa Dzong, Lhuentse Dzong, Jakar Dzong, Paro Dzong, and Punakha Dzong.
- Food Tours: Food in-focus itineraries around Paro-Thimphu-Punakha-Phobjikha are explored on this tour to get you the real taste of Bhutan. Discover delicacies of yak meal, pork, and lamb, Emadatshi -a saucy ubiquity of Bhutanese vegetarian gourmet, momo, shakam eezay, khabzey, and various other dumplings and fritter types.
New Land Adventures
A Thimpu-based private tour and trekking operator New Land Adventures provide well-researched itineraries to suit the budget and particular interests of their clients and eco-friendly tourism is at the forefront of their travel goals.
Besides cultural tours and festival watches, Ne Land has a special wing of activities for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. The highlights are:
- Trekking Tour: Take spiritually profound hikes in the unspoiled highlands, on –Bumthang ancient temples trek, Jhomolhari Laya Gasa trek, the pastoral valley trek of Merak Sakteng, the ancient Salt trail trek from Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar, and the six-day Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek.
- Adventure: Fall in love with the massive and spellbinding great outdoors of Bhutan on– Horse Riding trips across four districts, and kayaking in the rivers of Bhutan– Wang Chhu, Sunkosh, Puna Tsang Chhu, Mangde Chhu, Kuri Chhu.
Destiny Bhutan
Being in the organized trekking business in Bhutan from 2008, Destiny Bhutan claims well-informed, smart trekking tour plans. Some of the treks conducted by Destiny Bhutan are–
- Samtengang Trek- Fairly easy, this trek takes four days and covers a trail passing through picturesque villages. You will get to cross a long hanging footbridge on this one.
- Punakha Winter Trek- A 3-day joy hike, you will be on an old foot trail from Thimphu to Punakha passing several villages, forests, and green rice fields. Look out for page by Phajoding Monastery and the Sinchula Pass.
- Jumolhari Base Camp Trek- One meant for the more advanced mountain goer, the site of Jumolhari Base Camp is at 7,316 meters.
Get Into Bhutan Tours
Your search for govt-affiliated local Bhutan tour agency ends here. Get Into Bhutan Tours is a fully equipped tour provider to show you around the remote trekking trails and sites of special interests in Bhutan through customized packages tailored to suit your exclusive preferences.
Here are the best of GBT’s trekking, bird-watching, and nature tours in Bhutan:
- Jilli Dzong Trek: trek up to Jili Dzong to look at the magnificent large statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha.
- Druk Path Trek: A moderately difficult hike, spanning over 7 days, passing through forests of blue pines and firs, a lovely lakeside at Jimiling- home of gigantic trouts, and winsome views of Mt. Gangkar Puensum- an unscaled peak.
- Bumthang Owl Trek: Get a peek into the dense forests of birch, maple, spruce, juniper and, and tender bamboo, and rhododendrons in full bloom in the period between April to June, spot birds of different species, monasteries, and stunning snow peaks.
Lhachham Tours
Get to travel with industry’s leading tour guides having more than 15 years of experience with Lhachham. The luxury and cultural touring options with Lhachham include:
- 15 Days West to East Culture Tour
- 7 Days Beyond Western Bhutan Tour
- 13 Days Bhutan Farmhouse Experience
- 9 Days Into the Cultural Heartland Tour
Other adventurous indulgences with the Lhachham team include– bird-watching activities, river rafting, and mountain biking.
Rab-Zhe Tours Travels
Affiliated to the Tourism Council of Bhutan, this tour agency is run by a group of young entrepreneurial traveling enthusiasts with accurate cultural and historical knowledge of the heritage of this country. Rab-Zhe Tours Travels enjoys a top #7 ranking as travel agent in Paro, Bhutan on TripAdvisor, and offers some really incredible tour packages.
The ideal Thimphu-Punakha-Gangtey-Paro tour conducted by Rab-Zhe covers the following elements:
- Opportunity to try out the real tastes of Bhutan at select local eateries with spreads of gourmet Bhutanese cuisine.
- Tour of the simply Bhutan Living Museum
- Peaceful resort stays with smashing mountain views
- Trip to Buddha Point, Thimphu Memorial Stupa
- Visit to Takin (the national animal of Bhutan) Preserve in Motithang
- Thimphu Fortress visit
- Visit to Arts and Crafts and Folk Heritage museums
- Dochula Pass, Chimi Lhakhang
- Punakha Fortress and the adjoining high suspension bridge
- Khamsum Yulley Stups Hike
- Punakha Mochu River Rafting
- Gangtey Monastery
- Phobjikha Valley
- Tiger’s Nest Hike
- Drukgyal Dzong & Kichu Temple
Bhutan-Zion Adventure Travel
Embark on festivity watches around the country, detailed Central Bhutan, Eastern and Western Bhutan Trips, and trekking adventures with Bhutan Zion, a ministry of tourism affiliated body. The lesser-known but gems of trekking destinations Bhutan Zion organizes their trips to consist of:
- Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek
Take the Gynekha-Gur-Labatama-Panka-Talakha-chamgang trail on this moderately difficult 6-day trail to witness stunning snowpeak views, shimmering glacial lakes, and stopovers at restful villages. - Gangtey Trek
Springtime in the hills of Bhutan is vibrant as ever, rhododendrons and magnolias come in full bloom, heightening the picturesque quotient of the trails. Gangtey is such a trail, winter home to rare Tibetan black necked cranes, the glacial valley of Phobjikha, the remote villages of Gogona and Khotokha, and concluding finally at the Wangdue Valley.
Bhutan Thori Tours
Conducting tours in line with Bhutan’s ‘Gross National Happiness Philosophy’, Bhutan Thori Tours conducts a number of options in –cultural tours, trips to ornithological hotspots and nature, elaborate festival tours, photography trips, trekking, and luxury escapades.
Exclusive features by the agency include
- Meditation and Wellness Integrated Hiking Tour: The 10-day itinerary covers Paro-Thimphu-Punakha-Paro, with early morning meditative hikes to iconic monasteries in the region including the Chhokortshe Gompa, Punakha Dzong, DzongDrakha Monastery, and Tiger’s Nest.
Good luck on journeying with one of the top 10 trekking companies in Bhutan,
Tashi Delek!