Not all Bhutan tour operators are created equal!
Bhutan has been known as the Fairyland Kingdom, the Land between Heaven and Earth, but above all as the Shangri La. Those are enticing descriptions. For the most part they are meant to convey the sense of the pristine, remote and preserved. The ancient culture has been well contained along the country’s historic roots, right down to a dress code the citizens must follow namely when visiting the government offices. For a tourist the descriptions evokes mystery and connote sense of the picturesque, to say the least. The monk dances at the monasteries lure the most visitors as they are colorful and mysterious in the stories they tell, which for the most part are tales of a conflict between the forces of good and evil.
While the unspoiled culture and pristine nature has kept tourists coming, many of them before deciding to book a tour to Bhutan also wonder about the quality of Bhutan hotels and type of food they will eat while on a tour. In a way many tourists seem to lay too much stress on the quality of lodging and expressing too many concerns over Bhutan’s food which many report is much the shame day after day. Frankly if you want Shangri La take it as it comes and deal with it. If the lodging will be all along the style of our western chains and there will be varieties of restaurants where you can choose between dishes of any notion on earth, will Bhutan then still be Shangri La?
In any case, some Bhutan tour operators may be able to accommodate your preferences, including hotels and meals, some won’t. So to choose the right tour operator is the key. Seemingly at the all-inclusive mandatory Bhutan government rate of $250 per day, one would guess you can always get what is the norm and which the Bhutan tourism department so tightly regulates, including a minimum standard of lodging, meals and sightseeing, all the while needing to be accompanied by your guide, and with your car and driver always ready to take you to the next attraction.
But one needs to realize that while the uniformity and quality is seemingly assured by the system as it operates, with 200 some licensed Bhutan tour operators there are bound to be some differences between them. Needless to say you can find them all listed on a Bhutan tourism website. What you will not find is details how long these companies have been in business and their track record. Do not necessarily focus on the quality of the operator’s website although it too is some indication of the operator’s prowess. Most operators will provide testimonials at their websites so read those to start. You can also ask the operator if you could speak with some of their clients whose words are posted; many of their past clients will indeed be happy to chat with you and answer all your questions.
Another issue surrounding the tour operator’s standard is whether the operator cooperates with a partner company in Europe, US, Canada or Down Under. Fact is that not all Bhutan’s operators will have a working relationship with a western operator. What could this tell you? Those Bhutan’s operators that have been established and proved themselves have likely an active working partnership with a specific western counterpart. Western operators require that local providers will carry out tours for their clients in a manner that meets the standard they promote and have become known for assuring. If a Bhutan’s operator does not partner with an overseas agency chances are it has not delivered the quality desired by western operators yet. That can be due to, for example, not having skilled enough guides, whether possessing actual knowledge of Bhutan culture or speaking sufficient English, not to mention having received any actual training.
Despite the Shangri La image, Bhutan is changing, hence visit the country at the earliest as nothing remains same forever.