Bhutan - What's the actual Truth ?

Beena450 · Oct 15th, 2009, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The forbidding tariffs which you mentioned are meant to keep away backpacking tourists from Bhutan and ensure that only well-heeled foreigners visit the country.

I have driven into Bhutan twice and had a great time.

Yes I too read an article about this 200 dollar fee when I was looking into going. The Bhutanese guy giving the interveiw said and I quote "we do not want Bhutan turning into another India". The reason given was they didn't want to be overrun by backpackers and their country destroyed by inconsiderate people trampling all over the place and leaving rubbish.

Now correct me if I am wrong but after spending 1 year backpacking around India I totally disagree with that statement. I find domestic tourists in India are a lot worse then ones coming into the country. They think nothing of spitting or throwing rubbish wherever they might be standing. One girl while walking in the mountains of Kashmir thought nothing of throwing her empty bottle of water down the side of a mountian and when I went down picked it up and returned it to her her first reaction was it wasn't me and when I told her that I saw her her reply was but other people do it and yes she was correct other people do do it (there was a disposble nappy thrown close by as well). The point that just because other people do it does not make it right did not make any sense to her and let me tell you these people were "well-heeled" tourists compared to me and my backpack. As were most of the people I encountered doing the same thing all over India and I have travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, from Bhuj to Kolkata.

The question "why are you shitting on your own door step?" was lost on these people and it's not a lost in translation thing as I can speak Hindi perfectly well and can make myself understood.

Dimitrz · Oct 16th, 2009, 00:09

Well said Beena

To be honest its the backpackers which ever country they hail from who are more concerned about retaining the natural beauty of a place and because of this they tend to take more precaution and care.

No offense meant to any one but based on my experience Its the family tourists who end up spoiling the place followed by other forms of domestic tourist.

This does not mean that all domestic tourist are bad -- but sadly majority is on the Dark side

How many times have we seen a seemly well cultured family throwing garbage without any care or heed at a tourist place.

Its more to do with our Indian mentaity - for everything we have culture but end of the day we dont even have the basic culture to keep our country clean ( no its not because of the pathetic municipality - its because we are used to living in garbage )

---------------------

Coming to Bhutan - thankfully/ hopefully their people still respect their natural heritage. and as long as they can prevent it from becoming another Rohtang Pass then good for them

MonkeyBoy4u · Oct 16th, 2009, 00:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimitrz

Well said Beena

To be honest its the backpackers which ever country they hail from who are more concerned about retaining the natural beauty of a place and because of this they tend to take more precaution and care.

No offense meant to any one but based on my experience Its the family tourists who end up spoiling the place followed by other forms of domestic tourist.

This does not mean that all domestic tourist are bad -- but sadly majority is on the Dark side

How many times have we seen a seemly well cultured family throwing garbage without any care or heed at a tourist place.

Its more to do with our Indian mentaity - for everything we have culture but end of the day we dont even have the basic culture to keep our country clean ( no its not because of the pathetic municipality - its because we are used to living in garbage )

---------------------

Coming to Bhutan - thankfully/ hopefully their people still respect their natural heritage. and as long as they can prevent it from becoming another Rohtang Pass then good for them

very well said

jaibharatma · Oct 18th, 2009, 18:12

www.lhayul.com is another great site to check out.

fuliautomatix · Nov 3rd, 2009, 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by santos_g15

Well can you wait for a bit more .as you might have already known i travelling to bhutan this december.i have read your thread and know your questions.i will ask the bhutanese (mainly my guide and driver) and let you know.The norm(i got quote from atleast 15 agencies) is they charge around 5000 per day for indians incl all food,transport,hotel.I think you can arrange it on your own.I am going by a guide as i got a good bargain and i am doing couple of treks and abt to test my legs with mountain biking.

Hi Santos,
Can you tell us more about the bargain you got and from whom? I am planning to go Dec end and I am also getting rates of around Rs 5000 per day and would be interested to know if someone is offering better prices.
Thanks,
Himanshu

santos_g15 · Nov 3rd, 2009, 21:56

Hi ,
I got a good bargain from Bhutan Wilderness.i got it for less than 5000 for single person(i am the only one travelling).But i am on a very long tour 22 days,that may be the cause that they gave me agood deal.They are very good guys .I havent paid a single penny and they have booked air ticket for me from kolkatta to paro as we are good friends now.honest guys.I dont know about thier service but i guess it will be great.i am yet to go.i am travelling this december .i have asked them a million questions and they have answered it prompty.Its owner is kesang Tshering whose gmail id is bhutanwilderness@gmail.com . their site is http://www.bhutanwilderness.com .

theyyamdancer · Nov 3rd, 2009, 21:58

Do they also organize trips for foreigners?

Santos, please write about it when you get back.

santos_g15 · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by theyyamdancer

Do they also organize trips for foreigners?

Santos, please write about it when you get back.

Yes they do.But You wont have hassle of bargaining.Ask any tour operator, he will give same rate $200 per day.It s a rule in bhutan that foreigners except indians(Hurray) are charged $200 per day per person including everything.But yes the quality of service may differ.

Surely i will post a trip log.

theyyamdancer · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:08

Yes, that was a trick question. Look forward to hearing all about it. By the way, did you ever make it to Arunachal Pradesh?

santos_g15 · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by theyyamdancer

Yes, that was a trick question. Look forward to hearing all about it. By the way, did you ever make it to Arunachal Pradesh?

Nobody joined me.I had to ditch that plan.But bhutan somehow convinced me to spend a fortune.lol.I guess i will make save more money after afreeeka (hurray.next aug) it will be north east.i will visi all the seven sisters.

theyyamdancer · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:14

I hope to go soon to Manipur. Do you think it is a difficult place to visit? Sorry, this is off topic. We know someone in Imphal and he says that the reports of it being too dangerous to visit are exaggerated. And yet it is very often in the news.

santos_g15 · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by theyyamdancer

I hope to go soon to Manipur. Do you think it is a difficult place to visit? Sorry, this is off topic. We know someone in Imphal and he says that the reports of it being too dangerous to visit are exaggerated. And yet it is very often in the news.

The fact is rest of india is cut off from North east unless anything major happens there.Manipur hasnt been in news.but there are agitations going on for repelling the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.This is an interesting blog.i like this poet very much for her resilience.http://manipurfreedom.org/ .Except that ts quite peaceful.NO BODO activity as in assam.

theyyamdancer · Nov 3rd, 2009, 22:27

Thank you. I have bookmarked that.

Dimitrz · Nov 4th, 2009, 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by santos_g15

Well can you wait for a bit more .as you might have already known i travelling to bhutan this december.i have read your thread and know your questions.i will ask the bhutanese (mainly my guide and driver) and let you know.The norm(i got quote from atleast 15 agencies) is they charge around 5000 per day for indians incl all food,transport,hotel.I think you can arrange it on your own.I am going by a guide as i got a good bargain and i am doing couple of treks and abt to test my legs with mountain biking.

Hi buddy ..... I missed a lot of post here strangely never saw your post till now..... let me know how your trip went and the trek possibilities .... Rs 5000 seems to be a bit steep

Dimitrz · Nov 4th, 2009, 11:20

Thanks everyone for your contributions and links

Regarding Manipur well Santhosh is right like Srinagar and similar places even a small incident is exaggerated - best source of news is from the locals themselves - make use of your contacts

Usually tourists are not the primary targets unless offcourse you happen to be American

Back to Bhutan Santhos your package is above whooping 1 lakh ... dont you think it would have been better to enter the country and then bargain

Oct 16th, 2009, 00:09	#17
Dimitrz Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: India Posts: 400	Well said Beena To be honest its the backpackers which ever country they hail from who are more concerned about retaining the natural beauty of a place and because of this they tend to take more precaution and care. No offense meant to any one but based on my experience Its the family tourists who end up spoiling the place followed by other forms of domestic tourist. This does not mean that all domestic tourist are bad -- but sadly majority is on the Dark side How many times have we seen a seemly well cultured family throwing garbage without any care or heed at a tourist place. Its more to do with our Indian mentaity - for everything we have culture but end of the day we dont even have the basic culture to keep our country clean ( no its not because of the pathetic municipality - its because we are used to living in garbage ) --------------------- Coming to Bhutan - thankfully/ hopefully their people still respect their natural heritage. and as long as they can prevent it from becoming another Rohtang Pass then good for them __________________ Preserve the Beauty of the places you visit by not Littering. Leave it Beautiful; so that someone else can also enjoy the beauty

Nov 3rd, 2009, 21:56	#21
santos_g15 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: chennai Posts: 738	Bhutan Wilderness Hi , I got a good bargain from Bhutan Wilderness.i got it for less than 5000 for single person(i am the only one travelling).But i am on a very long tour 22 days,that may be the cause that they gave me agood deal.They are very good guys .I havent paid a single penny and they have booked air ticket for me from kolkatta to paro as we are good friends now.honest guys.I dont know about thier service but i guess it will be great.i am yet to go.i am travelling this december .i have asked them a million questions and they have answered it prompty.Its owner is kesang Tshering whose gmail id is bhutanwilderness@gmail.com . their site is http://www.bhutanwilderness.com .

Nov 3rd, 2009, 21:58	#22
theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	Do they also organize trips for foreigners? Santos, please write about it when you get back. __________________ "Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

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Oct 18th, 2009, 18:12	#19
jaibharatma Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: In the middle of the sea. Posts: 150	www.lhayul.com is another great site to check out.

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theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	Yes, that was a trick question. Look forward to hearing all about it. By the way, did you ever make it to Arunachal Pradesh?

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theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	I hope to go soon to Manipur. Do you think it is a difficult place to visit? Sorry, this is off topic. We know someone in Imphal and he says that the reports of it being too dangerous to visit are exaggerated. And yet it is very often in the news.

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theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	Thank you. I have bookmarked that.

Nov 4th, 2009, 11:20	#30
Dimitrz Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: India Posts: 400	Thanks everyone for your contributions and links Regarding Manipur well Santhosh is right like Srinagar and similar places even a small incident is exaggerated - best source of news is from the locals themselves - make use of your contacts Usually tourists are not the primary targets unless offcourse you happen to be American Back to Bhutan Santhos your package is above whooping 1 lakh ... dont you think it would have been better to enter the country and then bargain