| May Lok, Canberra, Australia |
 “I had been longing to go to the last Shangri-la, Bhutan for over a decade ever since I heard about their “Gross National Happiness”, environmentally conscious approach and democratic policy.
To start with I only intended to go on a few days trek in Bhutan. But over 2 months discussing itinerary with Karma I felt that the best way for me to appreciate Bhutan culturally and in terms of landscape was an 18 day west to east trip. He mapped out this tailored itinerary with my interest on day treks. He then assured me that those daily activities were optional and I could ‘do whatever I felt like and discuss it with the guide’. I did just that! I was hesitant to exit from Samdrup Jongkhar to the Indian border of Guwahati on my own in a taxi. Karma contacted his cousin in S/J to meet me the night before. The cousin turned up the next morning again to have a word with the driver to ensure that I had a safe journey. What more can one ask from a travel agent? Karma’s handling of his traveling business with a personal touch is second to none. I felt more like a guest/friend than a mere client to him. Yes, indeed Karma’s thorough and thoughtful work guarantees a wonderful time for me in Bhutan. His team of staff was always helpful and friendly to get along with. I found the whole journey to Bhutan surreal. It was good I saw a lot with my wholesome 18 days trip. Landscape in the East was indeed more beautiful if you could endure the many winding roads. It was not only the landscape that I was attracted to, it was the whole package – people, culture and Buddhism that captivated me. Returned from Bhutan less than a month, I’m already contemplating a camping trek sometime in the near future – using Bhutan Dragon Adventures absolutely.” |
| Tony |
 “Our trip to Bhutan is remarkable, now we know why it is called The Last Shangri-la, a place to get away for a peace of mind. I do recommend anyone to go with Bhutan Dragon Adventures, like the other testimonials suggested. I’ve been traveling to quite a few places, but never been welcomed and accompanied the way Karma and his team did. Apart from their excellent knowledge, they did treat us like their family. Thank you Karma, and wish you success.” |
| Adrienne Malley, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| “We only had four days to spend in Bhutan and Karma made the most of all our time from the first greeting to the last farewell. It’s a wonderful and fascinating country. Our short taste of it made us anxious to return for more. When we return you can be sure we will book our trip through Dragon Adventures and have Karma for our guide!” |
| Siew-Quen, Hong Kong |
| “Karma Gyeltshen was our ever helpful, ever smiling guide when my husband and I visited Bhutan in 2003. Not only did he accommodate requests from us that are out of his way (like visiting schools, stopping by the river to collect pebbles, cooking special food), Karma entertained us with many lovely stories of his own guide experience. Our favourite story is that of his “Snowman Trek” which involves trekking through thick snow with yaks as your best friends and taking showers in the cold. Karma has made us feel at home in a strange new world with his reassuring smile and friendliness. I would recommend first time visitors to go with Karma and his team, to have an experience of a lifetime. And if you are second or more times visitors, perhaps you should take up his offer on the “Snowman Trek.” |
| Doug McCarthy, Mandurah Western Australia |
| “In April 2005 I had the good fortune to tour Bhutan with my partner for two weeks. Karma Gyeltshen was our guide for our tour of this amazing country. In a land of friendly helpful people Karma was a class above the rest. Nothing was too much trouble for him. When a festival date was changed Karma altered our schedule to match the changes. This was no small feat in organization which he handled with a minimum of fuss. Other tourists with other tour companies missed the festival. Always happy and always helpful, Karma ensured we had a fantastic holiday we will never forget. I wish him every success in his business. He is hard working and reliable and I whole heartedly recommend him to you.” |
| Vivian Gunnerengen and Lea Haratani, Santa Cruz, California, USA |
| “We traveled with Karma as my guide in 2004 during a 14 day trip to Bhutan. We had a most memorable trip, first of all because of my guide Karma. His excellent English and customer service oriented personality made this the best trip I have ever had! He took care of everything promptly, was always on time ready to go at the car and took care of some service related issues right away. I highly recommend Karma and his company to anyone traveling in Bhutan. You will be well taken care of. Please feel free to contact me at: vivian@vivian.net if you have any questions.” |
| Cheryl & David Schwartz, Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| “Our experience in Bhutan with Karma exceeded our expectations! His professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm made this the trip of a lifetime. He was sensitive to our needs and open to suggestions along the way. The hike to the Tiger’s Nest was awesome. In five short days, we were treated to an intimate view of the people and environs of Bhutan. We highly recommend visiting Bhutan with Karma and Dragon Adventures.” |
| Virginia O’Leary, Auburn Alabama |
| “Karma’s enthusiasm for his homeland, his energy, and his winning smile made our brief but action-packed visit to Bhutan a delight. Karma is quick, efficient, knowledgeable, accommodating and charming. The ideal combination! Where I to return to Bhutan I would insist on his services and his alone as Karma was the foundation of a great mountain adventure.” |
| Regards Hugh |
| “Dear Karma, We did indeed enjoy our holiday in Bhutan. We were so pleased that you where able to put the trip together for us at such short notice, it is difficult to believe that it was all arranged in just 3 weeks and at no time did we feel that there was going to be any problem. I am sure that you had to work very hard in the back ground to get everything sorted out. Can you thank both Jigme and Kezang for making the trip go as well as it did. Jigme has a vast knowledge of Bhutan and was able to answer all of our questions and although he said he did not know any birds this was not the case. Kezang was a wonderful driver and we always felt safe even when travelling on the roads over the various passes, and both Linda and I appreciated the calm and patient way he stopped to allow us to look at birds and take photographs as we travelled along. It was as if nothing was too much trouble. Your kind donation of the bird book of Bhutan made all the difference to our bird watching and we hope to be able to find time to come to Bhutan again to visit the East of the country and concentrate on a little more Bird watching. Thank you once again for a very enjoyable Holiday.” |
| Dr. Paul L. Jokiel, Ph.D. University of Hawaii Kaneohe, HI 96744 USA |
| “Karma Gyeltshen is a remarkable person with a strong background in all aspects of the culture, religion, history, art and natural resources of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Moreover, he is extremely knowledgeable about the travel regulations and potential pitfalls of touring this country. Last November, Karma saved my travel group from a difficult situation with another tour company. We had already sent the money to this company for our Druk Airline tickets. We did not receive the tickets or our visas and were asked to pay for the rest of the trip, which included excessive surcharges and an extra day of billing for the day of departure that amounted to a total overcharge of several thousand dollars for our group. There was great potential for a disaster as the company would not give us our tickets or a refund. Karma was able to intervene. He obtained our tickets and visas and immediately mailed them to us. He went on to lead our tour of Bhutan.
We requested a tour on the spiritual aspects of their culture and we were not disappointed. Karma arranged permission for many special visits to temples and holy places and provided much insight and information on the practice of Buddhism in Bhutan. Karma had obtained special permission for us to visit the sacred areas of Tiger’s Nest, which was very important to me. Karma was sensitive to our needs as vegetarians and made special arrangements for us. As senior citizens with extensive travel experience in India and Nepal we were astounded at the high standard of accommodations, food, transportation and service provided in Bhutan by Karma. My experience in Bhutan was totally wonderful and positive. I highly recommend Karma Gyeltshen as a travel guide with high integrity and am looking forward to my next trip with him in the Kingdom of Bhutan.” |
| Aditya Rao & Sirisha Rao, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India |
| “On the onset we feel that our Bhutan trip was definitely a “Dream come true,” a big thanks to Bhutan Dragon Adventures and Karma and his team for making our trip the most impressive. We visited Bhutan in May ’07 for our honeymoon. All the planning started way back in January ’07 when I touched base with Karma. Karma was lightening fast in responding to our queries, which really helped us mutually build a flawless schedule. Being Indians, we were a little apprehensive initially to register with a travel agent since we could not find any agency tailored to meet the needs of Indian tourists. But Karma was quick enough to come up with a great plan for us and we immediately decided on traveling with Bhutan Dragon Adventures.
Karma also ensured that we got one of his best guides – Sonam – who had a vast experience of nine years and he ensured that our experience scaled to greater heights. We were really fortunate to have Sonam as our guide. Karma also ensured that we were given one of the best drivers (Sonam – coincidently), adept with the Bhutanese terrain. We were provided with a comfortable Toyota car. Being vegetarians we were also a little anxious about getting quality vegetarian food, but Sonam and Karma ensured that we were provided with either Indian or Bhutanese vegetarian dishes. Karma and Sonam also ensured that we get permits to visit restricted places like Tiger’s Nest, Phunaka Dzong and the Haa Valley. We were also accommodated a value locations which made our stay very comfortable. We were so impressed with the hospitality and the stay that we cancelled our onward trip to Darjeeling and decided to stay in Bhutan for an additional day. We will not hesitate to mention that the trip was “a great value for the money’ and we will treasure the moments we spent in Bhutan for our entire lives – thanks to Karma, Sonam and their team. We strongly recommend Bhutan Dragon Adventures for Indians and other national alike.” |
| Julia Tan & Emma Tan, Burwood, Victoria, Australia |
| “My trip to Bhutan was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It exceeded all my expectations and was made even more amazing by having a great guide and a great driver to take us through such a wonderful experience. Not only is the country simply beautiful, but the people are warm and kind, making this place extremely special.
Organizing trips over the Internet can be difficult, however I have never dealt with any one as efficient, friendly and trustworthy as Karma. I was suprised how easy it could be as I had never had this level of service from any other tour operator anywhere. He was accommodating, flexible, efficient and always so kind – which made organizing this trip unbelievably easy! Bhutan is the most beautiful country I have ever seen and it’s amazing how different and developed it is compared to neighboring countries like India and Nepal. It truly is one of the most “pure” countries in the world and I am grateful that a place like this still exists. I look forward to returning to Bhutan and will not hesitate to use Karma again.” “I can totally recommend travelling with Bhutan Dragon Adventures. The tour was reasonably priced and well organized. The itinerary was comprehensive and balanced with enough flexibility for one’s own activities or rest and adjusted to meet different levels of fitness. Our guide showed an excellent knowledge base and had an impressive command of English. Puctuality and good people skills, but most importantly honesty and integrity, further added to the professionalism of Bhutan Dragon Adventures. Congratulations and a thank you to Karma, plus a big thumbs up to Bhutan Dragon Adventures.!” |
