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Punakha Festival
Let me first say, I’m not
tourist… I jokingly tell my guides in all my
trips that I am allergic to tourists and want to
see how the real people live. That is what
attracted me to Tomas and Footloose was their
ability to understand my desire to see how the
people of the country I am visiting live, so
when I read about here
situation/government/voting I have a real
feeling about what they are facing.
Not into dramatics but let
me say that our trip to Bhutan was beyond
expectations as my desires/questions/requests
were so honestly met by our guide Numgay that
compared to my experience in China and other
trips, this was a breath of fresh air. You are
getting the real thing with Footloose travels
with no pomp and circumstance…. We visited the
festivals treks and if I saw 50 tourists in 2
weeks that was a lot and exactly what I wanted…
my interaction with locals from buying basic
super glue to repair my camera lens to
handicrafts were authentic and honest. If I
wanted to eat locally and not at the hotel
restaurant, it was accommodated… very special
occasions for us.
So, bottom line, Tomas will
with his contacts allow you to dictate what you
want to see; no pre- programmed no deviation
programs and to me that is so so special….
I can honestly say that my
experience in Bhutan was so personally
fulfilling that I can’t imagine a better
experience as my guide had two ears and one
mouth. His recommendations were fantastic and
my desire to visit local schools and out of the
way monasteries were honored… how great is that!
Great job Tomas in
networking with great people and I cannot say
enough about allowing us to enjoy a trip that
was dynamic and so fulfilling that my 3500 pics
hardly due it justice.
Invest in people.. and
Tomas has done his homework and it was a home
run.
Thanks
Jack
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Bike and
Hike Western Bhutan
"In September of 2011 a group of 10 of our friends
completed a most magical, epic and memorable mountain
biking trip through Bhutan, arranged by the most
efficient, helpful and knowledgeable crew of Footloose
Bhutan. Bhutan is a magical place. It is breathtakingly
beautiful, quiet, serene, clean, well-organized and
unspoilt. What a privilege to experience it on bicycles!
We had a back-up truck and a 20 seater bus, with a
wonderful on-the-bike guide called YuuDee. YuuDee was
passionate and really cared about every single one of
us. The drivers were a hoot. Stopping to run behind us
and push us physically up the hills! And always at hand
with packing bikes, doing maintenance, or just in
general anything that needs to get done. I think the
care that was taken by each person we dealt with added
so much to our experience of the trip. We recommend
Footloose Bhutan highly and unreservedly. From pre-trip
arrangements and support, to the actual trip itself.
Every member of the team was an absolute delight to deal
with (Tomas, Tashi and Yuudee). You cannot go wrong. In
fact, you can hardly go more right."
Roger Grobler Flickr Bhutan cycling photostream
Elca Grobler (group of 10 from Australia & South Africa)
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Tomas, we had
an amazing trip! Everything was perfect. Thank you so
much for the wonderful job in putting things together.
We will definitely be recommending Footloose Tours to
others!
Pictures from our Druk Path trek
Cynthia & Ben Wigren
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Cycling
Bhutan West to East, Paro to
Samdrup Jongkhar &
Guwahati,
Assam
 The bike trip
was amazing. I couldn't imagine spending all that time
in a car and missing out on so much of the Bhutan
experience. Being on a bike lets you stop whenever you
want, see things a lot closer up, and talk to all the
people as you ride by. That being said, the country is
primarily mountains, meaning it is all climbing or
descending. I hardly remember any flat spots. But the
grades were mostly gradual (5-6% on average??), and all
climbs were equally rewarded with thrilling descents,
especially the day that was a 56-mile descent into the
subtropics.
Sometimes we climbed for 2 hours or more without a
descent. So you need to be physically prepared for that.
It's not a leisurely ride through the park unless you
quit and get in the truck before reaching the top.
We had two guides with us at all times - one
who rode also, and one who drove the support truck. They
took very good care of us and did whatever they could to
make sure we were comfortable, happy, and were treated
well at all the hotels. And we never had to carry our
bags or load our bikes. If it was too cold in the
morning, we
 would leave late or tour around town for a
while. They were always open to doing whatever we wanted
to do. All-in-all, it was the bike trip of a lifetime
and I wouldn't want to do it any other way.
Thanks for all your help. You have great customer
service!!
Melanie and John |
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Complete Bhutan
Traverse, Paro to Samdrup Jongkhar &
Guwahati,
Assam
What a memorable trip to Bhutan we had, thanks to Tomas
and Footloose. Tomas was knowledgeable, patient and
always responsive to our requests and questions. Emails
went back and forth for almost a year to plan a month’s
trip from west to east Bhutan. Dealing with four
independent-minded women and getting them to pull
together on the planning was a challenge that he met.
Our guide, Pema, arranged for us to visit schools, see
an archery contest and take a hot stone bath. He also
gave us a glimpse into the life of the people by sharing
his own experiences. Budah, our attentive driver,
enabled us to to relax and enjoy the mountain scenery as
we drove on narrow, winding roads. He was a great
photographer, too.
The lodgings varied from charming, spacious cottages to
private homes where we were kept warm by a pot bellied
wood burning stove. We were welcomed by Tashi’s family
and shared in their meals. We had lots of laughs
playing volleyball with a pink balloon and their 9 year
old.
The Bhutanese people were friendly. Children gathered
round us wanting to have their picture taken. The
monks, too, wanted to have their photos taken and now I
have penpals. The Saga-la trek was an unforgettable
experience. Four New York City senior citizens with
little experience, spent three nights camping, at a high
altitude! We were able to enjoy the serenity of the
wilderness and did not have to carry more than a day
pack. When the trail became too challenging for us we
had ponies to transport us up the steeps. Thank
goodness that they were sure footed. The cook prepared
some of the best meals we had and even surprised us with
a cake. The crew sang some haunting songs and we
responded with some oldies from the States.
I am looking forward to having Tomas plan our next
adventure while we are still “young”. Thank you so
much, Tomas.
Chezna
 The month we spent in Bhutan was amazing. Every day was
a new adventure. The planning took about a year. First
we had to find you on the Internet. We spoke to a number
of other agents. None of them seemed right. Then we got
to you. after one conversation we knew that this was a
match. We knew basically what we wanted to experience.
We ran each past you and eventually about 95% of what we
wanted was possible.
Our three day Saga La trek, sleeping and hiking at very
high altitudes (8,000' to 13,000'), riding pack horses
and eating unimaginably wonderful food prepared in a
tent by what should have been a 4 star chef, made 4
women from New York put their collective fists in the
air and say, 'YES.'
The extended family we met during our farm house stay
have left a lasting impression on us. Our visits with
Urgen and Tashi's family enabled us to get to talk to
people we would have otherwise never had a chance to
meet. The monks, nuns and children we met in
monasteries, nunneries and schools gave us added incite
into the culture. The journey to the East was exciting.
None of this could have been possible without our guide
Pema who was with us every inch of the way explaining
philosophy, religion and local customs to us. Our
driver, Budah was made us feel totally safe. His skill
on the narrow, curving mountain roads was remarkable.
What a trip. Again, my thanks to Pema, Budah and to you
Tomas. Without the three of you it would not have been
possible.
Miki
It's been a few weeks since my return and want to let
you know what a great and adventurous trip this was to
Bhutan.
You arranged a fantastic trip for us. It covered all
our interests, from trekking to getting our walking in
most days, to mingling with the people, seeing their way
of life, staying at the farm house and lodge. You were
always at the other end of the phone when we had
questions.
Our guide and driver were always interested in our well
being first and foremost. Our driver, Budah was the
best driver we could have had. And also, incidentally,
a great photographer. Pema, our guide was very well
versed in his culture and had a lot of western
experience so really understood our needs. We met the
Tashi of the tour company on the night of our first trek
at the campsite. We visited the owner of the company
Ugen who invited us for dinner with his family, and
lunch at his father's house. These experiences made us
feel their interest in our good time and a glimpse into
the life of the Bhutanese. All the hotels and lodges
were clean and charming. The service people so willing
to help.
The food was plentiful and very varied. Each meal had a
large selection of very well prepared food. Although I
am not a vegetarian I didn't at all mind eating mostly
vegetables since they were so varied and tastefully
cooked. Some of our best meals were on the Saga-La
Trek. We were astonished at the great food that could
be prepared on a camping stove.
The highlights for me was the Saga-La Trek, and the stay
at the Swan Temple Lodge - the meal they prepared for
us, with most of the family cooking some part of the
meal. The cooking of the meal was like a symphony with
all instruments well-tuned and harmonious. I also love
staying at the Ugyencholing Lodge. It was so charming
and visiting the village in the morning while all were
doing their chores was a high point of the trip. I
enjoyed experiencing the Ura Festival. Another high
point was visiting a small temple that was in the midst
of a service to bring the rains. We were the only
outsiders and it was just thrilling to be there at that
time.
The people were always so open to us wanting to talk to
us and include us. They are so open and warm. On our
trek, we saw some women who were carrying huge
quantities of wood on their backs to their homes, had
put down their load to rest. Yet when one of the women
saw me struggling through a muddy, rocky slippery area
in the path she gave me her hand to help me through this
area.
Experiencing the valleys of the west and the villages
high in the mountains of the east because the mountains
start at the river's edge was great to see.
One comment I would make about the mules on the trek is
that they come only with Bhutanese-style saddles, not
proper saddles, with only one or two carpets and just
thinly padded. Ouch!
Dolores |
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Central
Bhutan
Craig Headman with the
Minister of Agriculture,
Dr. Pema Jyamtsho.
The trip was
great!! I was quite happy with your local partner
company. They gave me the best quality hotels, good
meals, an excellent vehicle and driver, and a guide who
seemingly knows everyone in Bhutan. My itinerary
coincided with some important local events and, with the
guide's contacts and persistence, I was admitted to some
VIP places. I met the King, Prime Minister, and other
ministers, and was impressed with their friendliness and
hospitality.
Thanks!!
Craig |
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Eastern Bhutan,
Thimphu Tsechu, Tangbi Mani and Bhumthang Cultural Trek
We already
knew Footloose from our trip to Ladakh two years ago and
can only confirm that Tomas is the best of all the
travel agents we have ever contacted – his knowledge of
the countries his company offers is enormous, his quick
answers will satisfy even the most impatient of client,
and his effort to understand each clients needs and
wishes makes Footloose unique. Thank you Tomas !!
Our vacation in magical Bhutan was one if not the most
memorable one we have experienced in 25 years of
traveling all over the world. It was all we had hoped
for, and the arrangements all ran very smoothly, thanks
also to our excellent “team”. Our lively senior guide
Pema did everything to meet our wishes and was perfect
in dealing with the hotels and restaurants. He was very
knowledgeable about his country including its history,
religion, culture, geography and he was good company
too. Our driver, Tsering, who speaks English quite well,
was always friendly and very helpful and the car kept in
excellent conditions. He drove very carefully and seemed
to know each bump of the road by heart. During the long
drive on very narrow roads to the very east of the
country we never for one moment felt in danger. We could
just sit back and enjoy the stunning nature and
beautiful landscape.
We also very much appreciated the presence of your
Bhutanese partner Tashi while camping in Gangtey – he
and his staff made our tent-evening/night in marvelous
Phobjikha valley an unforgettable one. We even had a
bottle of Beaujolais with our dinner and lots of fun
together with Footloose-booked tourists Christine and
Ron. Lovely people with whom we became friends during
this holiday.
The choice of hotels was perfect and we were positively
surprised by the good and extremely kind service and the
effort the local owners and employees made to make us
feel happy in their establishments. We also were very
lucky with the weather and can recommend October for
traveling in Bhutan, but in a certain way we regret not
to have chosen April, when the rhododendrons are
blooming. As for the food, there is not much fantasy in
tourist food in Bhutan, but one cannot expect culinary
highlights in a country were the population eats big
heaps of rice and chili in cheese-sauce and some
vegetable most of the time. People who need luxurious
hotels and high-class cuisine, simply should not visit
Bhutan.
Concerning the religious festivals, we think that one
should/can avoid the major ones in Paro and Thimpu,
because crowded with tourists , but should definitely
include a minor one – what an unforgettable experience.
We enjoyed every moment of our holiday and think that
Bhutan is THE trip of a life time – an amazing journey
we will never forget.
Thanks again Tomas and Tashi for the perfect
organization, who made all this possible.
Warm regards – Christine and Paolo (Strada in Chianti,
Italy)
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Eastern Bhutan
Dear Tomas,
I thought you might like an evaluation from our trip so
I wrote up the following paragraphs. We thank you for
helping us organize this trip of a lifetime!! We just
loved our guide, driver and Tashi - wonderful people!
October 5th
We flew Druk Air to Paro, Bhutan. Our whole trip to
Bhutan including this flight and the one from Guwahati
back to Delhi was arranged by Tomas at Footloose
travels. He was extremely easy to work with and very
knowledgeable. He encouraged us to spend the time to
drive all the way east which turned out to be a very
good experience.
From hectic and polluted Kathmandu, Paro was an amazing
contrast with clean air, clean everything. There were
many highlights to our trip and we will be doing a dvd
so I won't go into too much detail here – just some
highlights.
Our guide was Kinley Dorji and our driver's name was
Soonam. Kinley was 26 years old and an excellent guide
and very helpful person. Soonam didn't speak English but
was an excellent driver and seemed very pleasant. They
were both helpful beyond any expectations. We grew to
really love Kinley and would recommend him with no
hesitations. He was knowledgeable, kind, very helpful,
calm etc. We felt really lucky as we heard about other
guides who were not nearly as good and drivers and
guides arguing a lot. Kinley and Soonam seemed to get
along very well. We have already had a couple of emails
from Kinley and hope to keep in touch. Were we to travel
to Bhutan again we would want Kinley for our guide!
Tiger's Nest was spectacular. We took ponies part way
which turned out to be a very good idea because it was
really quite a long hike. The food half way back down
was the best we had in Bhutan (more about the food
later)
Even though our accommodations in Thimpu were at an A
rated hotel (Hotel Jumolhari), our experience with
service there was the worst. Plus the bathroom had a
terrible odor even after they cleaned it. And one night
at dinner they ran out of food. Thimpu was also crowded
and hectic and we didn't much like it there except for
the festival. A highlight in Thimpu, however, was being
invited to Kinley's family's home and having them dress
us in the traditional dress! They are wonderful people
and it was great to see how middle class people live
All in all, our time in Bhutan was really wonderful. The
accommodations were usually very nice though at times
quite basic (Ura was perhaps the most basic but it was
still nice and we really enjoyed being there and seeing
that small village). Two nights were spent camping and
we found it quite cold and the padding for bedding
extremely hard. That was in the Probjika valley which
was really gorgeous and our experience there was still
very enjoyable. Tashi took care of us there and he was
very nice and very accommodating. Even when it rained,
he was out there in the rain trenching around our tent
to divert the water. They provided a cute little shower
tent with equipment that we would use to spray weeds
that pumps up. They heated some water for us and had a
shower head on it and it worked very well.
We especially enjoyed the Punaka Dzong – an amazingly
gorgeous dzong. The Kyichu Resort was great and we had a
room right by the river – a wonderful spot.
Bumthang was perhaps our favorite spot. We really
enjoyed the Wangdicholing guest House with a large room,
king bed, sitting area, pot belly stove to keep us warm,
and a gorgeous view over the river.
Mongar was not particularly interesting except for the
fact that you could really start to see the changes
going from west to east – changes in architecture
especially since there were more sort of ordinary
looking apartment buildings and lots of apartment
buildings instead of individual houses.
We enjoyed the visit to Gom Kora and picnic by the river
that day. However, the hike up was a bit treacherous
with stones, mud, logs over streams etc. In general the
hiking paths in Bhutan presented challenges – especially
for Ron but Kinley helped him continually to navigate
any difficult areas. He was extremely attentive to those
needs.
The weaving school in Khaling was especially
interesting.
Samdrup Jongkar and the drive into that area was
interesting and you could really feel India so close.
The hotel there was fine and the drive to Guwahati went
well. The contrast between west and east in Bhutan and
between Bhutan and India was very interesting.
The countryside in Bhutan is spectacular and that is
what we enjoyed the most. The people we met were very
intriguing with their happy, simple life-styles. Some
things that surprised us were people smoking (though it
is banned), the use of plastic bags (though also
banned), lots of youth wearing jeans, the availability
of goods from India, the amount of dependence the
country has on India. The biggest disappointment and
source of some discomfort was the monotony of the food.
Every meal was a buffet and most of the time the same
thing for lunch and dinner and day after day. That
proved to be difficult for 17 days. Breakfast when there
were eggs helped but as we went east there were no eggs.
It would have been nice to order off a menu from time to
time.
Chris Saudek and Ron McKelvey
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We are just back from the Himalayan tour you
organized for us. On behalf of all of us, I write to
thank you for having organized the tour so
thoroughly and thoughtfully. Your staff in
Delhi, Darjeeling, and Bhutan were most helpful and
the guides you provided us were not only
courteous and accommodating but also knowledgeable on
local conditions and culture. The cars and drivers
were also very safe and cautious- a condition
absolutely indispensable for the roads there. As a
result we had a fully satisfactory and productive,
as well as memorable, tour of the regions we
visited. Thanks for the job well done!
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Tomas,
My trip to Bhutan was wonderful. All travel things went
smoothly, and my experiences in both Bangkok and Bhutan
really were memorable.
The trek was everything I had hoped for and more.
Some surprises, but all good ones. Eva, my
trekking partner, and I had much in common and got along
beautifully. All the personnel in
Bhutan were top notch. The camp crew
took very good care of us. The tents were nice and
tight, which was good as it rained virtually every
night.
The "cultural" tour part of the trip was certainly less
intense, and it took me a while to adjust being in a
car, guided all the time. But, whatever my frustration
at being somewhat sedentary and "guided" all the time, I
saw and learned a tremendous amount. I missed the
second festival in the Bumthang valley as the Monastery
changed the date, but in spite of the guide's offer to
find a hotel for another night, I'd been there long
enough and was ready to see a new location. It all
worked out. And, no Black Cranes, but I knew all along
that was a possibility. Still got some nice hiking
in. And, I worked it out with my guide to let me go for
extensive walks daily. He just felt a tremendous
responsibility for my care, I think. I had some
wonderful spontaneous encounters with local children. I
found the entire country fascinating and am still
processing things I think I learned. The landscape
makes me struggle for the vocabulary to describe it it
is so vast and remarkable. The joy and happiness the
people exude in spite of not having much income was also
something special to experience, and was quite thought
provoking. I heard singing, whistling and all forms of
musical expression everywhere. It really was a most
memorable and wonderful experience.
I hope that continued and increased tourism and contact
with the West doesn't dramatically change their
culture. It is in some ways odd to be shuffled around
with all the other tourists, eating the tourist food,
staying in the tourist hotels, but yet I can see where
perhaps it helps them protect their culture and private
lives. (And, I am a BIG fan of Chilies and Cheese!)
Going on my own, and getting some time to wander around
independently helped me to feel like I was getting at
least a glimpse of the "real" Bhutan, not just the
tourist version of Bhutan. The locals were very
generous in opening their homes to see how they live.
Thank you for your part in putting it all together. I could
not be happier with my trip and the Bhutan experience. You and Footloose did a commendable job setting up my
trip and itinerary. And, now that I've been home,
checked in with friends and family, had my diet Coke and
some Cheez-its, I'm ready to go back!!
Thank you again for making this amazing trip possible.
Ginny Grossman |
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"Great work,
Footloose! In the course of the tour preparation and prior to our
departure we must have exchanged some hundred messages
and we always had a prompt response - you just don't
find that dealing with other companies. Wonderful trip!
Thanks agan!"
Michael Denie
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"Bhutan
is truly different than any other Himalayan country.
Bhutan functions at its own pace and that's what makes for
an exciting trip – opened my mind to things in life I
never imagined! Thanks Tomas for the
opportunity to see my life differently! To all - do
visit Bhutan!"
Clair
Berry
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Hi Tomas,
I want to first say that the trip planning you did
for us was superb! Feel free to use us as a
reference. Everything went as planned except for the
flight from Delhi to Bagdogra. It was late in
arriving which caused us to make half of the drive
to Phuntsholing in the dark. Driving in India
is a stressful experience, especially after dark.
The driver was in a hurry to get back, which made it
worse. The driver was an Indian side supplied
driver, not your Bhutan driver we used after
crossing. The driver in Bhutan was with us
during "the ride through Hell" and he even said that
the trip was scary!
Other than getting ill and having to come back early
everything went well. I am still slowly recovering
from the respiratory infection. I hated to pull the
plug on the trip when I did but there was no way to
think of trekking. I couldn't even make it through
the day without a nap or two.
I want to say your associates in Bhutan did a good
job of getting me back from the far east end of
Bhutan during high season even though it took us a
week to do it. I understand the issues that came to
play. I have no complaint with them at all.
I will be sure to get in touch with you to discuss
my next travel plans. I don't know where or when it
will be other than say next year.
Thanks for everything.
Clarke Otten
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Tomas,
If any of your prospective
clients ever want proof of your arranging our wedding
ceremony at Tiger's Nest Monastery, have them contact
me. Any agent that can pull off an itinerary of Atlanta
to Paris to Delhi, then to Kathmandu, tour in Nepal,
then to Delhi, tour in India, then to that little border
airport in NE India, Bagdogra, then drive into Bhutan,
have a wedding ceremony in a remote monastery, then tour
the country, extensively, and then fly Paro,
Kathmandu, Delhi, Paris, and home to Atlanta, knows
something about being a professional tour agent.
Clarke Otten |
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To say that Tomas is a reliable
travel planner would be an understatement. He is not
only diligent, a perfectionist type, a true professional
in what he does, but what separates him from most travel
agents is his experience having actually extensively
traveled all the destinations. He also possesses practically
academic knowledge on cultures and places. As far as I
am concerned there is no reason to look for another
agent or another agency,
Footloose has always delivered for me and I have
booked more than one trip with them. I recommend Tomas
and Footloose to anyone.
Regards,
John Niem
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Hi
Tomas,
Trip was great - thank you very much. I keep thinking of
doing up a trip report, but have been quite busy since
getting back. I have attached a number of photos - they
are all untouched so if you have a photoshop maybe
you can make them look better.
Thanks a lot and all the best,
Mike
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Tomas, I had some time in Thailand to
write and I did want to tell you how I felt about my
Bhutan experience. First of all, I thought the hike up
to Tiger's Nest monastery was phenomenal. It was the
highlight of my entire trip. The monastery was
spectacular, and worth the trek. I found the Bhutanese
people extremely humble and proud to show us their
country, plus they had wit and intelligence. I was not
so sad about missing the Traditional Medicine Hospital,
after all we saw that amazing Teschu. I am not a tour
type person so I did not have a lot of expectations.
Tomas, overall the trip was a success. I took some
colorful photos and met some nice people. I am now in
Thailand where it is sweltering hot and flooded, so my
memories of Bhutan are even sweeter. Thank you for all
your help with our tour. You were always quick to
respond and informative.
Best regards,
Andrea |
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"Bhutan, India and
Nepal are
three of many
countries Tomas knows extremely well from his personal
travels and so he can truly plan a private trip per
one's detailed request - I never understood the meaning
of tailor-made tours until now.
Thanks Tomas!
Mike Moon
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"Great
trip! This was our first
private tour and never again will my husband and I join
a group tour. Thanks for everything - we will be back."
Linda
McGrath
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Hi Tomas, My trip was
perfect, I went in all the places I wanted and I was
very happy about both the Sikkim driver and the
Bhutan guide.
Thank you for everything, I was very satisfied
about your services!
Best regards
Albertina
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Hi Tomas:
The trip was very good! There are some
things both of us would comment on. First of all,
the guide and driver were great I would use them
again anytime. The 2nd day in Bhutan we were
taken up to the Tiger's Nest. I would suggest doing
this after a few days in country in order to
acclimate to the altitude more. We went up halfway
by horse then I walked up the rest of the way and
both of us walked down - a very strenuous hike. But
I'm glad we went. We were pretty tired out for the
next 3 days from this.
The heating in many of the
hotels was less than adequate - no heat in the
bathrooms was pretty common. In the Phobjika Valley
the hotel had NO heat or Electricity and the cranes
weren't even there. We should have been told about
the lack of heat and given a choice and if the
cranes weren't there we should have been given the
choice of going elsewhere. The festivals were just great, glad we
went there, knowing what I know now we would have
liked doing more short walks or treks of 3-4 hours
or a day's duration. We did not need to see all the Dzongs in every town; but would have liked more
seeing small villages and more contact with local
people.
All in all it was a great trip.
Regards,
Jerry and Myra Schwartz
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"Bhutan
was absolutely the most interesting and enjoyable
vacation my wife and I have ever taken.
The people are wonderful, the monasteries fascinating,
but the landscape is stunning."
Judy and Grant D.
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"From
planning to the actual tour
all was extremely professional, all we dealt with
competent and reliable,
and
everything on the trip went perfectly. The
guide was
knowledgeable, cordial and went out of his way to make us
content. I recommend Footloose and their Bhutan crew to
anyone. "
Sarah & James Whitman
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"We made it back to Germany safe and sound after
an interesting and rewarding trip. Thanks for all your help in making the
arrangements. For the most part, things went pretty smoothly, though in Bhutan
Yuki did develop a fever for about 24 hours and I came down with intestinal
problems for about 5 days. The highlights of the trip were awesome and we took
many wonderful pictures.
Overall, Bhutan was a very enjoyable,
educational, and interesting experience. The country is stunning and the people
are wonderful! Somehow, though, the "tourist" industry in Bhutan needs to make a
few minor improvements: The food was exactly the same 2X per
day every day. We ran into other tourists with the same
observation/complaint. Perhaps this is truly what the diet is there, but I
suspect that what we were getting is standard "tourist" faire which got pretty
old after about 7 days. And the hotels are generally
substandard... But don't get me wrong, we were not expecting 5-star luxury by any
stretch of the imagination.
Regarding the value for the
money.... I think it is great that much of the cost of the trip goes
into development in Bhutan. So, again, we weren't expecting 5 star
luxury, but just a bit better on a few things. But I understand
their position.... they already get more tourists than they really
want, so why make it better for the ones that do come?
I don't want to give you the wrong impression
with these complaints. Overall the trip was great. But I wanted to share these opinions
honestly.
We will keep you in mind for any
future travel plans."
Thanks again,
Drue
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"Bhutan is pure magic! Thank you,
Footloose!"
Rodger Wood |
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"Great work,
Footloose! In the course of the tour preparation and prior to our
departure we must have exchanged some hundred messages
and we always had a prompt response - you just don't
find that dealing with other companies. Wonderful trip!
Thanks agan!"
Michael Denie
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"Excellent
tour, prepared by extremely competent and knowledgeable
people. We highly recommend Footloose Tours if you plan
to tour in Bhutan and the Indian Subcontinent!"
Truman
Murray
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Hi
Tomas,
First.... Tiger's
Nest. When we got there, it had rained earlier and the
trail was muddy and slippery. I went only about 5
minutes when my pony slipped twice and I decided not to
go all the way. Steve decided to go to the cafeteria,
but before he got there, 3 ponies in front of his fell.
2 ponies fell directly on their sides and one pony
slipped, the rider fell off but still had one foot in
the saddle and then was dragged a distance before the
pony could be stopped. At that time, Steve had to walk
the rest of the way since it was too hard on the
ponies. Andrea and John walked all the way up and
thought it was a little hard but wonderful. Luckily
they had their permit you arranged to get into the
monastery. Other tourists of other operators we met who
walked up did not have it and were really disappointed.
Our hotels were fine, but at River View I had to ask for
an extra mattress because the bed was like a board.
They gave it to me willingly.
We all took turns sitting in the back of the van. When
we were on the mountain roads, the person in the back
got bounced around terribly. But we've managed nicely.
Mr. Dawa, our driver was
exceptionally good!
The food has been fine and plentiful.
On our way to Punakha valley your head of operations in
Bhutan asked to meet us in Timphu and bought us tea. We
enjoyed meeting him and were impressed that he wanted to
take the time to meet us!
Overall, everything has been great. The weather has
been mostly clear, everyone we met was friendly, and
everything we saw fascinating!
Tomas, we travel all the time. Of all the travel
companies, cruise operators, etc. that I’ve worked with,
you have been the best! Your quick response, your
knowledge, and your attention to detail can’t be
matched! I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed
planning this trip with you! I’m hoping to find another
trip you can plan for us next year!
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"My
husband does not care but I love travel brochures and
travel catalogues and Footloose did not offer one so I
was skeptical. So I called and almost gave up as it took
a three or four calls to get through. But once I started
talking with Tomas I noticed he had a rare and intimate
knowledge about that part of the world. Of course after
I had been dealing with him for some time I realized
that he was not only well traveled, and basically been
allover the world, but is also highly educated with a
professional and academic background working in SE Asia
and number of other countries. In short, I would never
deal with another agent in preparation of our trips.
Tomas is what makes Footloose Bhutan tick and they were
indeed a great
choice for planning our trip!
Bhutan is stunning, every inch of it. If you are
considering to visit and may be the kind that requires
fine hotels and quality food and dining experience
accounts for much of your travel expectations, then
Bhutan is not for you. Your Bhutan tour and the tariff
used can not be measured by the standard of your hotels
and meals, not in Bhutan and choice are not many !
All tourists pay the required high tariff, some
complain; we had to stay in a tent in Jakar as all
hotels were full, still paying the same daily rate as
those in best hotels ("best" does not really exist) we
did not complain as what we saw, the sites, the
experience was so enriching."
Kathleen and Harry Stadler |
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"To have our own guide,
driver and a very good car (with ample space for our
luggage) was, we thought a very good deal. Most of the
accommodations selected for us were excellent."
Bob H. |
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