merrickdb

I'm headed to Bhutan next week and staying at the Uma Paro. Has anyone stayed there recently? Any advice? I'm trying to decide whether to do their package activities, which, at >$1000/night, are rather pricey. Can one find a guide there and book activities on an ad hoc basis for less? Or is it possible to skip the guide entirely and hike to things like the Tiger Monastery alone? Do government taxes and fees on top of the regular room rates nearly total the package prices anyway? Has anyone done the Bumdra Camp at Uma Paro?

Communicating with the hotel has unfortunately been slow and painful, so any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

-m

erik123

Ask your questions at the thorntree forum on lonely planet.com - though for backpacker tourist it will have a great deal of info, as well as recommendations.

I think part of the interest of Bhutan is not to be completely isolated from the country (they do that well enough for themselves) - so spending a week at the Uma seems (to me) a bit of a waste. If already booked I would likely go with a local TA at a fraction of the cost. Unles Uma offers something extraordinary.

sarming

I'd opt for a guide to the Tigers Nest. It's a long drive from Uma Paro and then a longish uphill walk. If you have a guide you MAY be allowed to go inside and without a guide the final part of the walk along the cliffside may be a little too intimidating.

Uma is a long way from anywhere and there are no taxis waiting outside. The UKL 1000 rate for a tour package sounds much too high, but I'm sure the hotel can arrange a car, driver and guide for you once you arrive. The normal rate in Bhutan for Car, driver, guide PLUS all meals and accommodation is US$200/day. If Uma cannot give you a car and driver for that, then pick up the phone book and call some Bhutan travel agents and ask them to arrange it. Each group staying at the hotel has a local guide and you should be able to find one who will arrange to have their company do the needful.

No need to arrange things in advance - other than hotel and flights. Be sure to see the National Museum, Paro Dzong, Kyichu Lhakhang and Drukyul Dzong.

PM me if you want other recommendations.

Ozchinois

Unless they have changed the rules since I last visited the USD$200 per day is the minimum rate (not the normal rate) that is imposed. About 40% of that goes back to the government. Even for the 3 to 4 star places it can cost much more than that. From memory I don't think tourists are allowed to wander around the country without a guide. You have checked out the Aman property?

Bungus

I was at Uma earlier this year, and I would strongly recommend the full package.

The food is excellent, the hotel lovely (the pool is a godsend after a hard day's trek) and they organise all the trips for you.

The weather being a bit problematic and unpredictable at such altitudes, our guide changed things around to get the best out of our week long stay.

You get plenty of contact with the locals and very interesting information and explanations from the guide, making each day unforgettable.

Whatever option you go for, Bhutan is one of the most welcoming and inspiring countries I have visited.

It is not because you haven't roughed it, that your experience will be any less authentic. It's all about attitude. With the Uma package, you have a real authentic local Bhutanese person to show you around and give you in-depth information on life in Bhutan. Spending a week with the same person means you build some kind of relationship. In fact, by the end of our stay, we felt we knew the whole team at the hotel and it was very difficult to leave.

Overall an amazing experience, I'd love to go back and would go back to Uma without any hesitation (well worth the price). They have also opened a lodge allowing you to go deeper into the country; I will stay longer next time.

You do need to organise things before entering Bhutan, and you need a guide to travel around and visit temples museums etc...

Kagehitokiri

amankora has 5 lodges now. also >

NotHome

Tiger's Nest is about a 2 hour moderate hike if you are used to mountain hiking. Not a big deal hiking wise, but there always seems to be some somewhat odd regualtions in Bhutan that a guide can help out with. We traveld with Aman last year for a week and learned a lot more about Bhutan and Buddism than we would have by ourselves.

Whatever you do you should love Bhutan.

erik123

This is the minimum rate for a party of four minimum (less people requires a surcharge) - but it includes basic hotels, all food, a guide and car. I just question whether having Uma organize everything is worth a $700+ daily premium? (Though it may be if they provide extraordinary experiences).

NorthOrSouth

We stayed at Uma Paro but had a local guide from elsewhere (organsied through Blue Poppy in the UK). We enjoyed all the facilities of the Uma, but had a good local guide and driver just for the 2 of us (who moved things around as appropriate).

While I loved the hotel I didn't think that it was worth the extra for the Uma package. We got probably as much from the stay as we would have with everything organised by Uma.

While we usually travel independently it didn't seem possible to do that in Bhutan.