We are considering a cultural trip to Bhutan. Do we need to go with a US tour company or are there local tour companies who can do the same thing for us for less? Any and all Bhutan travel tips would be greatly appreicated.

Whether you go with a US tour comppany or make arrangements directly with a Bhutanese company, all arrangements ultimately go through a Bhutanese company. A full listing is available at www.kingdomofbhutan.com

oops - I posted too soon.

There have been a couple of reports posted here on Bhutan in the last couple of years. See if the search function is working,

You can book through either. I used Jachung Travel out of San Fran. They have a relationship with Eagle Tours in Thimpu Bhutan. I cannot say enough good things about my experience with these companies.

You might first want to check out guidebooks for Bhutan. You asked a very basic question, so I'm guessing you haven't done a lot of research yet. You can get Lonely Planet Bhutan and Footprint Bhutan.

It's true that however you book your trip, you'll eventually go through a local Bhutanese company. If you get help from a U.S. travel agent, you'll pay a significant mark up but some people like the ease of doing it this way. I used a local company, Rainbow Travel and Tours, based in Bhutan. They were great and it was easy to make all arrangements directly with them. You'll find a complete list of recommended travel agents, both in the U.S. and in Bhutan, in the two books I mentioned.

I did not pay a markup for booking through Jachung. Some companies do charge wire/mailing fees -- you might ask about that. Also -- most will not take credit cards, or if they do, you may have to pay a couple of percent extra.