Bhutan & Beyond Travel

Fantastic experience: Just returned from an amazing nine day trip to Bhutan. Beautifully organised by the 'Bhutan and Beyond' team - Nicola's prompt responses, attention to detail and great advice made it all so easy. Our guide and driver were terrific, the selected hotels were wonderful and the itinerary was perfect. I cannot overstate how good this company is. We were constantly amazed by the spectacular scenery, the beautiful people we met and the almost complete absence of other tourists. It was also the unexpected surprises that helped make the trip so memorable. Stopping for a large troupe of Gray Langur monkeys on the side of the road, coming across locals in the forest (having an absolute hoot) playing darts and competing in archery, having the King of Bhutan drop into our hotel restaurant to say hello to everyone, and flying past Mt Everest after an unexpected detour when flying out of Bhutan. It really was a unique and unforgettable experience.

Fantastic experience: I am still glowing inside with the imprint of Bhutan. But the amazing care and attention we received from all the wonderful staff of Bhutan and Beyond is what stands out. I would recommend them unreservedly. The best tour I have ever experienced. Thank you for your good humour, excellent commentary, and looking after all our needs in advance.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful trip to Bhutan. James was excellent in helping sort through a range of issues caused by my last minute travel changes. The guides in Bhutan were wonderful.

Fantastic experience: What an amazing trip! Excellent support and communication along the way as well as a fantastic guide and driver, accommodations and unique experiences beyond our dreams!!!! THANK YOU!

Fantastic experience: Bhutan is a truly magical place. My visit was a remarkable experience. The private tour was exceptional and exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: My first trip to India was sensational! James was outstanding in setting me up and organising my itinerary and all arrangements. I appreciated his experience, friendly manner, attention to detail and responsiveness. I was pleased to share my travels with such a wonderful guide and driver. The accommodation was great - I particularly loved staying at Ranthambore and Ramathra. The list of highlights – people, colour, culture, architecture and design, safaris, food and refreshments, nature, gardens, innovations, traditions, unique observations and much more. Every day and every experience were different. The app is fab. This was my third trip with Bhutan and Beyond, having visited Bhutan twice – all brilliant. As a solo traveller, I find it to be the perfect way to travel – action-packed, but relaxing. I highly recommend Bhutan and Beyond and hope to return for more travel. Thank you, James and Nicole!

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience. Nicola did a great job and the trip went as planned and was very smooth. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: Hi James Just settling in back home after our fabulous holiday in India and Bhutan. We have done the Himalayas several times but Bhutan was another level. Thank-you for such a well organised trip with the options of moving things to suit our requirements. Our guide Bhim, was very knowledgeable and nothing was a problem. Even the weather couldn't have been better. An experience not to be forgotten. Thanks again Bill Sydney

Fantastic experience: James was amazing - took care of everything - even aspects of our trip that were not related to Bhutan itself. James is hugely knowledgeable about Bhutan, and a very nice chap to boot. All we had to do was show up! Highly recommended+++

Fantastic experience: I have recently returned from a two week trip to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra organised by James Irving of Bhutan & Beyond over a period of several years due to Covid cancellations. We were a group of ten friends. James's organisational skills and attention to detail are superb. Hotels were of a very high standard and our local agency and guide, Bharat, went the extra mile to ensure the smooth running of the trip. Our transport was a comfortable air-conditioned coach which allowed us plenty of room to spread out. The driver and porter were both great. Activities included several early morning hikes to local temples, a leopard safari (we saw one!), a cooking demonstration, camel riding, pottery demonstration, Hindu blessing ceremonies, weaving demonstration, jeep rides and an incredible stepwell dinner in Narlai. I have now travelled with Bhutan & Beyond on several occasions and cannot recommend them highly enough. If you're heading to India, Bhutan or Nepal - give James a call.

Fantastic experience: This was a trip of a lifetime. Nicola at Bhutan and beyond was amazing to deal with, every little question was answered promptly. This country is amazing, the people so generous and kind. What made this trip for me was the great rapport with my guide and driver. Nothing was too much trouble and their knowledge was inspiring. The hiking was fabulous and to see the Tigers Nest which has been on my bucket list for a long time was mind blowing. Bhutan and Beyond were fabulous organizing my trip and everything I wanted to do and see was catered for. Definitely recommend this company. Accommodation was unbelievable for 3 star and I loved the way this company used as much local Bhutanese hotels and restaurants. Would love to come back one day. Thanks again

Fantastic experience: Best organised trip of my life. Bhutan and Beyond App and support was outstanding. Guides, drivers and hotel staff very happy and helpful. Yoga classes gentle and nurturing. Happy to support Bhutan and pay the tourist surcharge. They are setting a fine example to the world of a sustainable way of living being carbon negative and focusing on Gross Domestic Happiness.

Fantastic experience: The beautiful Kingdom of Bhutan.. an amazing trip and so well organised

Fantastic experience: After a number of delays caused by COVID, 6 of us spent 12 days in Bhutan in November. It was a fantastic trip in every way-culturally, the walking , the people and countryside. We stayed in 5 lodges run by Amankora and they were superb- the architecture, locations, views, staff and food. James kept us so well informed and if you are going to Bhutan, I couldn’t recommend James more highly.

Fantastic experience: We recently returned from an amazing trip to Bhutan and India that James booked for us. He was so easy to work with. from start to finish. He is so knowledgeable about the area and put together a great itinerary for us. He responded very promptly to all our emails and queries. Even when we were in Bhutan he still messaged us to ensure all was well. We have travelled a lot, and James is easily the best travel agent we have ever used. Highly recommend him.

Fantastic experience: This is a wonderful country to visit! It requires detailed planning, great local knowledge and access to outstanding guides and drivers to bring it all together in the best possible way. Bhutan and Beyond Travel were all of that and more. Our wide ranging itinerary, standard of accommodations, brilliant guide and safe drivers were all top class. When the inevitable spanners get thrown into the works (flight delays, etc), they just stepped up and used their vast experience to apply passion, service and flexibility to make everything that was needed to happen occur smoothly and seamlessly. We originally booked this holiday pre-pandemic and despite several re-schedules, Nicola stayed in constant contact and made us feel this was worth waiting for. It was! Nicola's communication and customer service was simply fantastic. A first class holiday and we thoroughly and unreservedly recommend Nicola and her company to anyone thinking about travelling to Bhutan.

Fantastic experience: I had been travelling in Bhutan 9 years ago. This trip organized by James was like black and white. It was fantastic. I was looked after and cared for and as an older woman travelling along that is crucial to an incredible experience.

Fantastic experience: Best Travel Agent Ever!! James was patient with all our changes and fitting our trip to our schedule...nothing seemed too much trouble or a bother at any point in us dealing with him. James guided us to the best options for our India & Bhutan trip. He was in touch with us while we were away and ensured we were happy travellers through the 3 weeks we were away! The people he had on the ground for us were amazing. Such high quality services. He is very experienced and I would thoroughly recommend Bhutan & Beyond Travel! I hope to travel again with them, as I felt very well taken care of.

Fantastic experience: Kadrin Cheyla Bhutan & Beyond! Our 10 day tour was jam-packed in the most seamless and best possible way, with beautiful Yoga sessions lead by Sal bracketing each day's activities. The forewarning that our group of 9 would fall in love with highly experienced guide Tshering, came true. Our perspective on this remarkable country has been imprinted on the psyche and soul by his anecdotes, good deeds and good humour along with the humility, skill and kindness of our driver, Ugyen. Because words will never be enough to do justice to this adventure, I hope some of these pics will speak for themselves of the wholesomeness of the people, their philosophy and governance. I return home inspired and with a full heart.

Fantastic experience: Bhutan & Beyond Travel go well and truly beyond the effort any other travel agent I have ever used in 40 or so yrs of travelling the world !! Bhutan - wonderful country with so many welcome surprises

Fantastic experience: James at Bhutan & Beyond put together a fantastic trip for us in Bhutan, taking into account our preferences and date constraints. And he stayed in touch before and during our trip to make sure everything was in place before and that everything was going smoothly during. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: They organised an amazing family adventure for us. Tailored a package to deliver a authentic Bhutan experience for our family excellent communication throughout the process. We felt like we had the best guides in the country!

Fantastic experience: When my friend and I initially approached a number of travel agents about planning our trip to Bhutan, immediately James Irving from Bhutan & Beyond stood out as a highly knowledgable Bhutan specialist, we very quickly had complete confidence in him. His understanding of this incredible country is vast, and the level of service he provides is second to none. The entire journey - from the planning to the actual trip - has been unlike anything I have ever experienced. James was outstanding in tailoring the itinerary to our interests, with intuitive recommendations that you only get from someone who really knows Bhutan. In addition, our BTCL guide and driver we were allocated made every minute memorable. I believed this was a once in a lifetime destination, but I am already plotting my return and will absolutely use Bhutan & Beyond again, and would recommend them to anyone considering travelling to this extraordinary part of the world.

Fantastic experience: James at Bhutan and Beyond helped me enormously navigate a country and the travel requirements that I had no idea about. He was excellent communicating with me, fast and clear. I had many questions and nothing was too much for him. All permits and visa's were done by James and made the experience a breeze. I can highly recommend them. The guide and driver I was booked with were perfect for me and were always checking that everything was just right. I always felt James was there if I needed anything.

Fantastic experience: One of the best and happiest holidays we have ever had. The tour was well organised, and the guides were flexible enough to alter schedules to suit the weather and group requests. So many wonderful memories. As a keen amateur photographer I especially enjoyed the opportunity to capture many photogenic people and places.

Fantastic experience: We had a ball on our 6 day motorcycle tour across Bhutan. Amazing scenery, people and architecture. What a place! We will never forget it.

Fantastic experience: We can only give 5 stars for the fabulous service we get from Nicola at Bhutan & Beyond Travel. I have now traveled to Bhutan 3 times over 7 years on motorcycle tours organised by Nicola, and they have been the most amazing trips. Our motorcycle guide, Tashi, is the best; he has a deep understanding and knowledge of his culture the country and people and is also a damn good motorcyclist and bloody good company!. He has terrific knowledge of the road conditions and paces the trip to suit riders abilities. Accommodation has been also excellent, 3 star hotels but I would actually rate them 4 star and 10 stars for the views!

Fantastic experience: After much research we found Bhutan & Beyond and soon decided that they offered the best itineraries and generally more time in Bhutan than the many other companies we looked at. Any reservations we had about booking with an Australian company (as UK based travellers) disappeared as Nicola answered our many queries promptly and thoroughly and with every email we became more and more confident that this was the company for us. We booked a small group tour to take in one of the many festivals and cover as much of Bhutan as we could. The country and it's people are enchanting and we had a wonderful trip, despite a problem with a cancelled internal flight. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would recommend Bhutan & Beyond to anyone considering a visit to this fascinating country.

Fantastic experience: I have returned from the Bhutan tour ( January 2019), feeling that I have experienced something that is quite different and unique. Bhutan is a country known for it’s social measure of “gross national happiness”. It is trying to retain what many of us feel we are losing in our societies. Care for the people & culture ; care for the environment; care for good ethical governance & economic responsibility. I was given some insight into how they are doing this. Bhutan lived up to all my expectations and more. My experience was enabled by a tour that is well planned and very professional in its organisation but still has that component of care. It is found in the detail and attention to the needs of the individual traveller. There was great information from Trina at Enlightened Events; excellent travel arrangements provided by the very efficient James at Bhutan & Beyond ; Transport was comfortable and safe; Tshering the guide was wise and knowledgeable about his country and its spirituality; a variety of accommodation which was comfortable with a touch of luxury. Being a foodie I loved the farmhouse lunches !!! The yoga and meditation sessions were an excellent balance with daily trips to see the fascinating culture and way of life of this country. I think they also prepared me for the highlight which was the trek up to the Tigers Nest monastery. Sal Flynn facilitated this tour with kindness, humour and care. I am left feeling “grossly happy”, with a sense of hope & some new friends. Many thanks to all involved. I encourage others to make this adventure. Judy Berry

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend using Bhutan & Beyond Travel for travel to Bhutan. Nicola understood what we wanted and planned an incredible trip. From booking flights to and from Paro, to the amazing guide Tashi and driver Dophu. Providing an itinerary that blended cultural aspects with walking activities. It was a very stress free, enjoyable trip to Bhutan and would love to go again. Because Nicola and James have travelled to Bhutan on many occasions.They are able to answer all your questions and respond to these in a quick and efficient manner. Thank-you both.

Fantastic experience: If you book with Bhutan & Beyond you will have access to their decades of experience in travel to Bhutan, India and Nepal. They provide excellent customer service right from the moment you first contact them. They can assist you with up to the minute, detailed advice on Bhutan that you will find no where else! They truly care about ensuring all their customers have an awesome experience.

Fantastic experience: The level of service & attention to detail provided by James & Nicola is equal to their genuine passion for this extraordinary destination. I have travelled to Bhutan as both a private tourist & a tour leader & can’t speak highly enough about Bhutan & Beyond. Six trips & every one magical. Sal NSW 2019