Did the Tiger’s Nest today and on day 13 of the Journey. While I can’t speak for what Six Senses offers, here’s my experience with Amankora.

The whole experience has been beyond expectation. Our guide recommended that we leave the lodge at 6 am. He also suggested taking the horses up and having lunch at the hut (which was booked just a few days ago).

We asked about a packed breakfast to take with us but our guide and the wait staff reassured us that we can either dine in or get room service at anytime, even before six. We were given the full breakfast menu at the end of the dinner. I felt bad being so early, so I ordered something simple to be delivered at 5:30 am. And it arrived exactly at 5:30. The tea was still hot when it arrived, covered in the cute teapot glove. This allowed me to sleep in until 5:20 and still be on time meeting my guide at 6 am.

We got to the base around 6:20 and it seems like everything was already arranged so we were on the horses and on our way in no time. Both the guide and driver came along and they hiked alongside with us. If I had known, I would’ve felt guilty with taken the horses and not hiked with them.

Is taking the horses cheating? I think there are two ways to look at this. If your goal is to take a personal challenge to hike all the way up to Tiger’s Nest, then it does seem like a shortcut. If your main goal is to get to, visit, and learn about the temples, then I don’t think it takes away from the experiences at all. As a side note, I do feel a bit guilty about riding the horses though. They seem tired, so that’s something to consider.

The ride up on the horses was about 50 mins. And parts of it were quite steep. I think people say it’s about half way up, it seemed to me almost 2/3 the way up. The rest of the way up to Tiger’s Nest was relatively easy with great views. We were actually the first ones to get inside at 8:30 am as we passed a few people along the way.

It was quite nice to be inside the temples without anyone else. The guide took us to a few of the main chapels. It started getting warm when we finished and the sun was overhead. You started to see more people coming up as we were leaving. I’m not sure if people wanted to sleep in or if getting there by 630 was not an option for them. I’m just glad with our timing as suggested by our guide.

Of note, as the sun came up, you’ll be taking photos against the sun. The photo exposures were much better on our way up. Once the sun is on top of the Tiger’s Nest, you can only see your silhouette. You could wait until the sun is overhead but at that point it will probably be too hot.

We had a leisurely snack break just below the Tiger’s Nest as people were coming up. I noticed that a lot of guests were carrying their own backpacks and water. We didn’t have to carry any. And our guide/driver brought up fresh watermelon juices (which I like) along with other snacks. Quite a luxury.

The way down was much faster and took only about an hour. The hut was not exactly half way point as described earlier. It was basically at the base. When I first saw it, I was truly surprised. I won’t spoiled the surprises, but imagine an Aman lodge at the base of Tiger’s Nest waiting for you. I have photos in my Story in case you are curious. They have hot towels and a welcome drink waiting for you. You light the butter candles then have a 30 min foot massage while they cook lunch for you. The food was overall the best meal of my Journey and you have a perfect view of Tiger’s Nest during the lunch. When you are finished, the car was just outside to take you back to the lodge.

We were back at the lodge by 1 pm. We made sure to save room for the most delicious dessert, the passion fruit one, along some ice tea under the shade covered loungers. A truly memorable and spectacular day.

This was the kind of luxury that I imagine only Amankora could provide.