I want to start this review with Highly Recommend!! Raven Tours customized our tour to fit the amount of time we had to spend in Bhutan. Day One: Dawa (our guide) and Jiwan (our driver) were waiting for us at the airport. They were very professional the entire visit. We were very well taken care of. Our tour began with a visit to the capital city of Thimphu with a few stops on the way to learn about the history and culture of Bhutan. One of the highlights of Thimphu is the large Sitting Buddha, over 50 meters in height on the hill overlooking Thimphu. Our next stop was lunch at a restored 300 old building which showed how people lived in the past. Lunch was delicious. Traditional Bhutan food. In the afternoon we visited:  The largest temple in Thimphu which is 3 stories tall and pretty spectacular  The Nature Preserve where we saw native animals to Bhutan (takin included)  The Postal Museum which was very interesting, and we had postal stamps made with our photograph  Open markets with fruits, vegetables and fish  The Fortress (palace/government operations)  An Archery field where locals were practicing Our hotel in Thimphu was in the center of town and very spacious. Dinner and breakfast were included in the stay. Day Two: Dawa and Jiwan were always prompt and were there to greet us and take us to Paro for our second day. We traveled to The Tiger’s Nest Monastery. This is an amazing site. The hike is long. They do offer horses to ride to halfway point if you cannot make the climb. At the halfway location, there is a cafe, small shop, restrooms, and amazing viewpoints. We happened to be there on a day that the Queen Mother was also traveling up to the Tiger’s Nest; and the Lama was traveling down after a 5 day stay. I was lucky enough to get a blessing from the Llama. The entire experience was about 6 hours, and we were exhausted, but it was definitely worth the challenge. Tiger nest sits at 3,120 meters. (The Je Khenpo is the spiritual leader and head of the state religion of Bhutan, Vajrayana Buddhism.) Our hotel in Paro was at the Khangkhu resort. Again, the room was very spacious and had an amazing view of the city from the hillside. Dinner was included. After dinner, Dawa took us for a Stone Bath. It was really relaxing and a fun experience. They had an old farmhouse that was renovated with small rooms in two rows. The rooms are private with 2 wooden tubs. The hot stones were placed in the water behind a grate and kept the water hot. We then returned to the hotel to relax before our departure the following morning. Dawa was an amazing guide, and Jiwan did an excellent job getting us where we needed to be. I would definitely book with Raven Tours again if we return to Bhutan; and highly recommend them.

We did a short but great visit to Bhutan organized by Raven. All super smooth and good flexibility for us that were traveling with a 4 and 1 year olds. Extra kudos to the guide and driver who helped us take the small one up to Tigers Nest up in their shoulders! Totally recommended

An amazing experience with excellent food, hiking, cultural sites, and nature. The trip organizer, Deepak, was always very responsive and our guides/driver team was happy to answer our questions and share their culture with us. The whole team worked hard to ensure a trip of a lifetime for us and were totally adaptive to our preferences. Would highly recommend booking through Raven.

So many great things - I don't even know where to start! I contacted two tour operators and I liked the way Deepak responded quickly and how organized he was in presenting his Itinerary based on what we wanted to do. He responded quickly to all my questions and kept us informed every step. When we got to Bhutan, we met our tour guide (Kwenza) and driver (Bhim). They were both so wonderful. Kwenza made sure we were comfortable with everything we were doing, educated us on Bhutanese culture while Bhim made sure we got to various places safely. My husband got severe motion sickness one day and they made sure that he was ok. Kwenza contacted the hotel so that they had soup ready for him and he could go to bed right away. We wanted to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary at a monastery and Kwenza made sure everything went smoothly. We felt lucky to have Kwenza coordinating everything for us so that we can have a memorable celebration. The staff at all the hotels we stayed in were courteous and attentive too. Highly recommended!! We definitely loved Bhutan.

Truly incredible trip to Bhutan with Raven Tours and Treks! Leading up to the trip the communication with Deepak was excellent. He helped create an itinerary for the trip as well as assisted with visa acquisition and trip planning/logistics in the months prior to departure. This process was overall very easy. Bhutan has been top of my list of countries to visit and was fortunate to do a 13-day trip east to west from Bumthang to Paro with Raven. From the moment I landed in Paro I felt well taken care of by my guide and driver. My guide, Kencho, had excellent knowledge of Buddhist culture and philosophy and made every visit to a temple or dzhong very interesting. He was well-versed in the history and culture of different regions we visited as well as nature in places visited on the trip. I did not do any long mountain treks but instead did two separate 2 day/1 overnight mini treks (Bumdra and Dodeydrak Monastery) where he was my trail guide and I felt well-looked after. My driver, Tshering, was very professional and kept us safe and comfortable as he navigated Bhutan's windy mountain roads, which are of much better quality then roads I experienced in Nepal. Car was well-stocked with water which was a must in the high-altitude areas or after a longer hike or trek. You can get dehydrated quick. Both were attentive to guest needs and flexible to make changes to the itinerary. Hotel/stays selected by Raven were overall really good, most seemingly family-run with friendly and caring staff and equipped with modern amenities. I did a Farm Stay run by a delightful woman, Leki, which was comfortable and a wonderful glimpse into life at a Bhutanese farm household. The location had incredible views of the valley below. Food was overall delicious and healthy but be mindful Bhutan does not have an extensive variety of foods that many may be accustomed to in other countries. Bhutan is beautiful and to put simply the most peaceful country I have been fortunate enough to visit. I highly recommend if you have the time to make it out east to Bumthang Province to visit the Tang Valley and Ogyen Choling in order to get an authentic dive into a world caught in a different time. I think I saw only 5 other tourists when in that region. If you have an opportunity to hike and stay overnight at the Dodeydrak Monastery...do it! It's a must. Unforgettable experience staying with and visiting with the monks and learning from the students about their lives and Buddhist philosophy. I would highly recommend visiting Bhutan and if you do, go with Raven! Thank you again Deepak as well as Kencho and Tshering on the ground for making this trip happen!

My mum and I just came back from a 10 day tour with Raven Tours and Treks. It was a truely wonderful trip, a real cultural emersion into this wonderful country! I would highly recommend Raven Tours to arrange your Bhutan trip. Deepak, the RavenTours organiser, was very professional in his organisation of the trip. He responded very promptly to all Whatsapp messages and emails, both during the organising stage of the trip, and afterwards. The promptness of his replies is one of the reasons I leaned towards RavenTours since I received answers to my questions very quickly. Deepak also quickly solved any problems we had (such as an airline ticket date mix up we had) and kept in contact throughout the trip to make sure things were going well. Our guide Leela was brilliant. She was very welcoming from the start, was knowledgable about Bhutan, all aspects of Buddism, and was able to get us into various Bhuddist cermonies and events that we would never have been able to witness without her knowledge. She has a lovely sense of humour and we got on very well throughout the trip with so much laughter! She was also caring of my mum (74yr) making sure she was doing OK on the hikes. We were also able to adjust the itinerary during the trip depending on tiredness, or personal preference. Our driver Coleen was also great- an excellent driver that we felt safe with on the small roads, he always had water prepared for us in the car, and always arrived on time to pick us up every day. He also had a great sense of humour and we really enjoyed laughing during the car trips!

I had a great ten day tour in Bhutan with Raven Tours. My guide Ms Leela and my driver Mr Chorten were very helpful and informative. I particularly appreciated their flexibility around the itinerary details. As we went along, we skipped a few things I wasn’t really interested in and added in some others instead. Guides aren't always willing to make changes, so this flexibility was very welcome! For me the various Dzongs were a major highlight. I also really enjoyed visiting Changangkha Lhakhang and Chimi Lhakhang, which weren’t on my original itinerary. I’d definitely recommend both Bhutan and Raven Tours!

A 9 day tour starting with the Paro Festival & ending with a memorable Tigers nest hike will be something to always look back on. Mr.Keshab, our guide, & Mr Bhim, driver took very good care of us. Mr. Keshab listened to our requests, and tweaked our itinerary so we feel we made the most of our short time in this beautiful country. Also a thank you to Deepak who accommodated us on short notice, and set up a wonderful itinerary. We will fondly remember our stay, and hope to return to check on that kiwi tree we planted during our monestery stay.

Our experience in Bhutan exceeded our expectations! Raven Tours did an amazing job in planning the itinerary and our guide Kencho and driver Jiwan did their best to make our journey the most enjoyable, adjusting the schedule to adverse weather conditions, teaching us the local costumes and recommending the best spots for the right pictures! Thank you Raven Tours team!

Bhutan is a lovely country with breathtaking views and an enchanting culture. Our window into all that Bhutan has to offer was our guide Pema and driver MB. Throughout our visit, the insight, knowledge, and humour of Pema and MB was key - unlocking the many facets of Bhutan and its people. One of my favourite moments was actually completely off-itinerary, when Pema was able to organise a visit to a green tea cooperative in Samcholing. This was a visit that I would recommend to any green tea lovers, and hopefully they are able to grow and offer more to visitors in the future. A special call-out is required I think for MBs boundless energy - he is often found hours before we are due to depart preparing the mini-bus. His concentration and his skill behind the wheel are both legendary, and with Pema to help organise, he was able to quickly drive us back across Bhutan at record pace through terrible conditions after we were failed twice by the weather at a domestic airport in the east. I can heavily recommend both Bhutan as a lovely place to visit and Raven Tours as the people to make it happen.

I didn't know much about Bhutan other than what I read. We have been wanting and planning this trip for a long time. When our team greeted us with a smile and accompanied us to our hotel, we did not yet know what kind of adventure we had embarked on. Our driver was careful, had full command of the routes and rules. The vehicle was clean and reasonably comfortable. Our guide Mohan was certainly very well-informed and competent But as the trip unfolded, he proved to be much more than that. He was our sherpa to Bhutanese culture and the deep, thought-provoking intricacies of Buddhism. He was diligent in answering our incessant questions, answered them patiently and made sure he researched any detail at night if he didn’t know the answer to tell us the next day. He is very serious about his job and combines true professionalism with an authentic Bhutanese, human touch. We started the trip with a professiınal guide and ended the adventure having gained a humourous, cheerful, sincere friend.

We had a great trip to Bhutan with Raven Tours and Treks. We had a private tour for 9 days. During this time we visited Thimphu, Punakha, Gangety, Gasa and Paro. Our guide and driver were superb. They were extremely knowledgeable, charismatic and great to travel with; the stars of the trip! The logistics supported by the Raven team made our travel around Bhutan easy. The visa process was simple and straightforward, and they helped with all accommodation and restaurant bookings. All of our accommodation was comfortable and characterful. The Raven team organised incredibly authentic experiences. Our farm stays left amazing memories. Being able to cook and socialise with the host families was an unmatched, authentic pleasure. Raven also suggested and organised a hike to a remote monastery where we spent the afternoon attending prayer sessions, had dinner with the principal of the monastery, then slept over in the monastery's guesthouse. We had a few hiccups along the way, including illness and car trouble, but this is where Raven's strength in logistics really came in handy. When one of us fell ill, they helped bring us back to health with traditional Bhutanese herbal medication. When there was a car problem, they had another driver quickly step in to help while the car issues were sorted out.

My trip to Bhutan was absolutely amazing. Bhutan is such a beautiful country with so so nice and caring people. Doing it with Raven tour was the better desition to take. Deepak is son responsable and detailed oriented, he really did his best to make me feel comfortable all the time! Kencho, my guide, was always taking care of everything and he also knows a lot about Bhutanese culture, history and even the different religions of the Himalayan region. Chorken, was such a calm and responsable driver. Always with good vibes giving his best and even teaching me a little bit of archery. I spent one night at Aum Leki’s farmhouse and it was a really really nice experience. Thank you so much Deepak, Chorken and Kencho for your hospitality in Bhutan! I would definitely love to come back!

Our family had a great experience with Raven tours. The trip planning was smooth, and all our questions were responded to quickly. They were able to tailor the tour to the interest of our family. We felt very safe with our driver, and the guide was very informative and took care of us well. We were very pleased with all the hotels we stayed at, and the meals throughout the trip were delicious. Our guide and the owner checked in regularly to see that we were happy with everything. The guide was flexible when we wanted to make some minor changes while on site. Our family would recommend Raven Tours. We had a memorable experience in Bhutan.

I promised the Raven team that I would leave a review following the great trip I had in September 2023, as their work truly deserves to be promoted - so there we finally go. First of all, contact-wise, not many people can beat Deepak’s responsiveness (if any). My enquiry was followed by a WhatsApp message on the same day, announcing a detailed email very shortly – and very shortly it was indeed, again on the same day. It was then super easy to discuss with Deepak via WhatsApp and email, and tailor a 15-day itinerary (excluding international travel days) around my wishes and interests. This all happening in a limited amount of time, since I decided for Bhutan less than 1.5 month before departure. In fact, I wonder if Deepak gets any sleep at all, in addition to being a workaholic! Furthermore, the price offered by Deepak remained reasonable (considering both Bhutan’s tourism policy which is quite pricey, as well as the fact that I was traveling alone and therefore bearing all the fixed costs). Deepak was also very transparent, and he passed on the favorable changes in the tourist tax rate that were implemented for the dates of my stay. So, given the contacts with Deepak, it was an evidence to go with Raven Tours – not only was the price satisfactory, but this did not in any way entail a reduced service, on the contrary. As key words with Raven are: client service, adaptability, honesty, organization – and passion. My itinerary involved discovering parts of parts of the country less known to visitors, so after 2 days in Paro and the Haa valley (with Mohan as a guide and Prem as a driver), I flew to Trashigang, in the Eastern part of Bhutan, where I was met by the driver and guide who would be my companions for two weeks. From Trashigang, we went to Merak, then back and to Drametse, Mongar, Bumthang, Trongsa, Gangtey/Phobjikha, Punhaka, Wangdue and Thimphu. Going to Eastern Bhutan proved fantastic, providing an off the beaten track experience (quite devoid of tourists…). For instance, I will cherish the day in Merak, the road was fun and gorgeous, and we arrived just the day of a ritual in the house, so that was very interesting too. The spontaneous stop in the Ura valley to the sound of an archery competition, experiencing the Bhutanese hospitality, was also fantastic, and so was the destination this day, Ogyen Choling. I could have spent more time in those places that were enchanting. I also attended the Wangdue festival, as well as the Thimphu festival. This being quite fascinating and extremely photogenic, I asked to spend a lot of time at the festivals (even more time than the photography groups I crossed path with it appeared). My driver, Sangay Dawa, was very punctual, calm, and discreet. He displayed excellent driving, allowing me to take in the wonderful views. I should mention his patience with the multiple photo stops too… My guide, Nim Dem, is simply an extraordinary young woman in many aspects. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to discover Bhutan with her. Always positive with a constant and contagious smile, she was very attentive to my wishes and interests as an avid traveler, and she endeavored to provide me with as many experiences as possible (being culinary, oenological, cultural… or else). In relation to accommodations, without detailing all the places I stayed at, I can indicate that, whilst I had chosen the “non-luxury options”, I was provided with very good rooms. I oftentimes had wonderful views, and the systematic instantly hot water surprised me (being used to the gamble of South American showers!). Sangay and Nim Dem made a great team, so you will be lucky to have them both. And Deepak kept in contact during the whole trip, ensuring that everything was going well. As a conclusion, dear reader in search of information for your upcoming trip, fear not and doubt not: you will be in good hands with Raven Tours! Enjoy your stay in Bhutan, which is very much to be discovered, along with its shy, but heartfelt welcome from the people. N.B: I am adding "a few" pictures after a quick and random selection - believe me, there were many, many, many more!