What we do

Here’s a list (by no means comprehensive) of ways that we can help you plan a tour of Bhutan. All of these are offered full-service as part of planning a tour package, but we also provide these services on an as-needed, a la carte basis with no additional service charge.

Our Promise to You: Integrity and Transparency

Illuminating Tours does its utmost to run our business with integrity and transparency. We do not engage in the practice of arranging a small festival or other cultural activity and then marketing it as a genuine public event. For guests who visit at a time when there are no festivals but are interested in traditional dances, we are happy to arrange a cultural show, but will never misrepresent it as a traditional festival. We encourage guests that wish to donate to a specific monastery, school, or other institution to give their donation to that entity directly when they visit. Should we be entrusted with donated items to give to certain individuals or entities when guests are no longer physically in Bhutan, we will honour that trust completely. We do not work with partner hotels, restaurants, or shops on a commission basis; above all, we seek quality for our guests.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche recently noted that certain unscrupulous travel agencies in Bhutan have made unauthorised use of his name and image to promote tours, falsely promising personal audiences with him as well as other activities, often charging an additional sum. Bhutan is a small place, so a serendipitous meeting with an important figure due to being in the right place at the right time is a possibility. But let us be upfront in saying that a formal audience with major religious figures or members of the royal family are rare, and completely up to those individuals to grant according to their schedules and goodwill. As such, we will never claim to be in the position to arrange such a meeting unless a special opportunity presents itself, nor will we ever charge for such an opportunity.