From the time we were warmly greeted at the Paro Airport by Tshetem Norbu, owner/guide of Sacred Himalaya Travel, until we sadly said our goodbyes many days later, we fell in love with this amazing country and its people.

Our time with Tshetem was a perfect blend of varied activities from the Paro Festival, to cultural tours, to a farm house stay and, finally, a very well equipped trek. Throughout the trip all details were well thought out by Tshetem and his wonderful staff. We were always treated with respect, kindness, good humor and flexibility, but always with the steadiness of Tshetem's gentle guiding hand and warm smile. He was able to answer all of our questions with an obvious thorough knowledge of the history of his country and the Buddhist religion and culture, as well as a wealth of information about some of the world's rarest birds, wildlife, flowers and fauna.

Truly Bhutan and SHT's wonderful staff won a place in our hearts. So much so, that two years later, I joined a small group on a newly added Dharma/Botany tour. This trip was different from the first, but equally wonderful. A six day trek took us to remote villages in Eastern Bhutan just opened to tourists. Through Tshetem's contacts, many doors were opened to us and we were treated as honored guests, giving us experiences of a lifetime.

We will never forget the warmth of the Bhutanese people, their colorful dress and the beauty of this magical country. We are so grateful to Tshetem and SHT who made it all possible. We are forever changed, and count the staff at Sacred Himalaya travel as our friends. We will return, and would never consider another trip with any group but SHT.

Bettie Earle Herman
Kennewick, Washington USA