Far Fung Places LLC: Connoisseur Bhutan Trips

Trip Advisor® 5 Star Rated.

FAR FUNG PLACES goes beyond the minimum "three star package" to elevate the service and quality of your travel experience. For over 30 years Far Fung Places––Bhutan Pioneers––has marketed its own fully researched programs to Bhutan offering travelers four and five star accommodations, distinguished Bhutanese guides, lecturers, and 'stand out' experiences made possible through our long-standing friends and contacts in the Kingdom.

Enjoy Kathleen Fung's personal website "ArtsinTravel".Arts in Travel showcases the arts and crafts I’ve collected or admired throughout my 40 years of exploring the world, initially as a tour manager, and since 1991, as owner of my own travel company Far Fung Places. 

What you can expect on our journeys:

• Comfort and ease: Deluxe and luxury hotels: the Zhiwaling in Paro and the Le Meridien in Thimphu; elsewhere, excellent local Bhutanese hotels, many of them four-star. We include imported wines with some dinners and gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff. Enjoy our Western to Eastern Bhutan video

Bhutanese "guides of distinction":

• Our Bhutanese guides are considered distinguished in the field. Karchung, our Field Manager in Bhutan and Tour Leader of many of our exclusive travel programs, has been working with us for well over 25 years.
• We pay our guides more than the standard guide fees because we appreciate and value their excellent service.
  

In-depth experiences:

• Distinguished guest lecturers in Bhutan, all personal friends of the principals of Far Fung Places, offer insights into their areas of expertise which could be: Mahayana Buddhism for the western mind: The geology of Bhutan; The social history of women in Bhutanese society: Gross National Happiness; The architecture and art of Bhutan; The meaning of the dances and the costumes they wear.
• A private musical performance with traditional instruments with a renowned musicologist if he is in residence.

Unique amenities throughout the journey:

• Deluxe four-star and five-star hotels, including the Le Meridien in Thimphu, the Zhiwaling in Paro, the Kunzhangzhing in Punakha, and the Jakar Village Lodge in Bumthang. Most of these hotels are Bhutanese owned and managed so we support the local community. (We use three-star accommodations in Trongsa, where deluxe hotels are less available).
• Wines with many meals in Bhutan.
• Gratuities to the hotels, restaurants, and porters excluding the driver and the guide.
• Comfortable vehicles: a coach for groups of six or more; a van for three to five people, and a car for two people.
• It is also possible to arrange a home stay at our field manager's farm in Trongsa (limited to two people).

Far Fung Places handles everything:

• Deposits and final payments (optional credit card services).
• Pre-trip information to prepare you for the journey
• Lists of what to take and what to leave at home
• Shopping suggestions.
• Guidelines for etiquette in a Buddhist country.
• We also provide financial protection: All deposits and payments go into an escrow account at Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco, California so your money is protected.

Land Price: $6999 per person sharing, single supplement: $1500. 13 nights (14 days) Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Trongsa, Tang Valley, Bumthang, Gantey. 

Shorter group and individual programs (3 to 8 days are available). Please inquire.

* All our trip prices include: Bhutan visa $40 USD per person and *government tourist tax––*Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) $100 USD per person, per day. Traveling with Karchung, acclaimed Bhutanese guide and cultural expert on Bhutan, and the inclusions below.

* 4, 5 star Hotels: Zhiwaling Hotel in Paro, Le Meridien in Thimphu, Kunzangzhing in Punakha, Ogyen Choling in Tang valley, and Jakar lodge in Bumthang. Elsewhere 3, 4 star hotels are confirmed in Trongsa and Gangtey,

Not included: Druk Airlines Bangkok to Paro to Bangkok. $1000 per person in economy.

• 4 or 5 star Bhutanese hotels.
• All meals and wine included with some dinners.
• Bhutanese lecturers.
• Festival (tshechu)
• Private Bhutanese musical performance with a renowned musicologist.
• Distinguished senior guide.
• Driver and a comfortable coach.
• Taxes (SDF).
• Visa and processing for Bhutan.
• Pre-trip information and assistance.
• Airfares to and from Bhutan are extra and typically average $1000 roundtrip from Bangkok.

Custom designed Bhutan programs: