Run, do not walk, to go in the next tour by Rainbow, before Bhutan is swept away by the hurricane of modernization that has been released upon its people. For current photos that show what it is really like, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/21659898@N07/ for example. The only reason I withheld one start from the overall rating is that some of the roads... More

Randy Ormston's critique of this tour (below) really sums it up! My wife and I were on the same trip, and we too, found it magical! Randy has done a beautiful job of enumerating how special this trip is. If anything he has understated it! The tour is truly a fantastic experience! Neither my wife or myself are serious photographers.... More

I actually went in April 2010, but the dropdown didn't allow that. I want to quote a couple of paragraphs I placed on Robin's website and then add some more comments I have been on many tours and after each I always said, “I wish that I could stop the bus whenever I see something to shoot.’” When I saw... More

Robin’s trip was truly fabulous. I have wanted to go with him ever since I stumbled on his website in 2007. Everything that all of the participants have said is true and correct plus more. I cannot think of enough superlatives to tell you how beautiful the country is and how generous and kind the people are. The private festivals... More

Robin Smilie's concept of a travel tour is original and rewarding on many levels. We've travelled a lot and always created our own itinerary and hired our own local guides so we could see what we wanted at the pace we chose and with the personal care our own guide. The idea of 20 to 40 people on a minibus... More

I make a living from travel photo-journalism and have covered over 55 countries. I am always wary of 'tours' and normally steers away. But this one was different. It is not a tour, but a more of a guided journey through was must be the most amazing and spiritual country on earth. When someone asks me which is your most... More

You don't have to be a photographer to join this cross country "tour", any one is welcome. I put "tour" in quotes because it's far from the normal concept of a tour. We each had our own immaculate SUV with a Bhutanese English speaking guide, and a driver. We could stop the car wherever we wanted to take a picture,... More