Would appreciate any info about visiting Bhutan. I live in SoCal.

Do a google search. You'll come up with more info than you'll need. Another good site is Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree. Just find their search site and type in "Bhutan." Much advice given there by people who have visited that wonderful country! Bear in mind that Bhutan is expensive, and, I don't think the policy has changed, you will not be able to go there as an independent traveler. You'll need to sign up with a bonafide company.

Charles,<BR><BR>Just returned Friday from 2 weeks in Bhutan.<BR>Absolutely wonderful trip. <BR>Still largely undiscovered by western tourists. The Bhutan Tourist Bureau is very competent, people are very friendly and scenery is spectacular.<BR>Any specific quetions, just ask.<BR><BR>Pete

hi there,<BR>try to take a look at <BR>www.kuenselonline.com, the only english spoken newspaper there. Not a lot help for tourists, but interessting things for all that like this country. News from the tourist office: They will give YOu a discount in the low season (during summer). Not much, but I think it is 10 %. <BR>Have fun <BR>Gar

Pete,<BR><BR>i just took a trekking trip through tibet/ just wondering how Bhutan was for things like that?

http://www.lhayul.com/

sorry... here's another website <BR>http://www.travelnotes.org/Asia/bhutan.htm

Lots of info about Bhutan on the website of the Bhutan Society of the UK:<BR>www.bhutansociety.org

I'm not a treker. Would Bhutan still be worthwhile? And how high are the altitudes? I'm supposed to be careful in that score?

Thanks

IMO, Bhutan is very much “worth it” even if you are not a trekker. The culture is very interesting and not overly commercialized like many places in Asia. It is also very beautiful. As a non-trekker, you most likely would never go above 8,000-9,000 feet. Only you (or maybe your doctor) can decide if that would bother you. I live in Switzerland and do a lot of mountain hiking and don’t have any issues, but have noticed in general that most people are fine below 8,000 feet; and between 8,000 -10,000 they may have symptoms for an hour or so until they acclimatize, at worst it is dizziness. You might run a web search as well; a website with general altitude sickness info is the International Society for Mountain Medicine at http://www.ismmed.org/np_altitude_tutorial.htm.

By way of comparison, it might be helpful to know that the Mt Everest base camp in Nepal is at about 18,000 feet; that is when people need to really take their time to acclimatize. You will be well below that.

Really want to go to Bhutan. Which tour company would you recommend? Want to do touring, not treking.

How much the altitude will bother you is a very individual thing and depends partly on what the altitude is where you live. I live basically at sea level on the East Coast of the U.S. and my sister lives in Colorado. I'm in pretty good shape - do 40-50 minutes of aerobic exercise 4-5 times a week. Yet when I visit her, I usually have a headache the first day or two and am keenly aware of getting short of breath hiking uphill in the mountains (maybe 7,00-8,000 feet). After the first couple of days, the headache is gone, but I definitely notice the altitude when doing anything even slightly strenuous... so would suggest you check with your own doctor on altitude recommendations. Good luck (Bhutan's on my list, too!).

Hey all,

try visiting www.bhutancypress.com.bt. they are a tour operator, registered with the government in Bhutan.

Elaine:
We just booked a Bjutan trip, along with an India trip, with OAT. We depart Oct 30 for Bhutan, and go to India on November 8 from Bhutan. Oat has great tours, we have traveled with them. www.oattravel.com

I just wanted to second the motion to check out OAT. We just returned from a trip to India and Bhutan with them and were very pleased with everything. They limit their tours to 16 people maximum.