Join me in exploring the wonder-filled Kingdom of Bhutan with your heart, soul and camera. In a country where the happiness of the people is more important than the money being made, you'll find a culture rich in friendliness, a kind-hearted people.

Bhutan is a unique land, a place where Buddhism is the country's vital force and the people are deeply proud of their beliefs. A place that only opened to outsiders about 25 years ago and where today only about 30,000 people visit annually. The architecture of the houses and dzongs - monasteries - is simply breathtaking with all the ornate carving and painting. We will explore monasteries and temples and witness the daily life rituals of the Bhutanese people. Kind and friendly, they will allow us to experience and photograph them in their various activities. The countryside is unique, terraced with red rice, buckwheat and chilis, and dotted with villages and small towns that in some cases perch on steep hillsides or nestle into deep valleys. We'll visit those areas to capture the harvest, and the drying of chilis, and photograph daily life in the villages.

No trip to Bhutan would be worth it without visiting a few festivals, called teschus. They are the highlight of religious events for the people, and they attend wearing their finest clothing, and stunning jewelry, ready to pay respect  and celebrate with the dancing monks in their wildly colorful costumes and ornate masks. We've timed the tour to coincide with two or three teschus, in smaller towns and villages that are less crowded, giving you a better opportunity to capture the event. We'll also climb to the famed "Tiger's Nest", a spectacularly situated monastery percheds on cliffs high above the valley floor.

A PDF of the itinerary will be available soon. Meanwhile, highlights include:

Visit to monasteries, including Trongsa, Punakha, and other smaller ones and temples; the 'cities' of Paro and Thimphu; the villages of Punakha, Wangdue, Jakar, and Ura; the Bumthang Valley, known for it's beauty and rich farming tradition; the Wangdue teschu, the Tamshing Phala teschu in Bumthang, and possibly a smaller festival at Gangtey Gompa.

My goal as tour leader is to put you in the right places and explore along with you to find and photograph the essence of that place. I will be personally leading this tour. I aim to create the meaningful experiences that provide an opportunity for memorable photographs. And, we'll have great fun exploring and photographing and sharing the events of the day with fellow photographers/adventurers.


Price:  $4995 plus int'l airfare for 8-12 participants, $5206 for 6-7 participants, both based on double occupancy. Single occupancy an addtional $360. Fee includes all lodging, transportation, meals and driver/guide service while in Bhutan, and medical evac insurance while in country (this is not trip insurance). Tips to guide and driver, and personal incidentals are not included. Reservations are being taken. A deposit of $900 will hold your space on the tour. (Price is subject to change only if Druk Air announces a price increase beyond what was anticipated.) You will only be charged the small group surcharge if necessary and will be notified should that become needed.

To register, please fill out the application form (CLICK HERE) and when finished, make your payment option below. (Sorry, my template type website doesn't allow me to combine them on one page currently)

To register, you can send a check or money order to the address below, or simply click on the Paypal option below. Please note that there is a small surcharge to the whole trip cost using the Paypal option, to partially recover some of the fees that I'm charged to use Paypal. But this allows you all to use a credit card to rack up more reward miles!


Brenda Tharp's Awe & Wonder Tours
1017 Margaret Court
Novato, CA 94947

Phone: 415-382-6604

Bhutan Tour

Deposit $900.00Balance $4,170.00Payment in Full $5,070.00