Nepal & Bhutan Travel Review: Kathmandu, Bumthang, Trekking, Private Guided Tours

Having found Zicasso online initially took me awhile to decide if I should even try to contact the agents offered for the trip we are planning. Compared to other Luxury Travel Companies, Zicasso is relatively new and I had questions about the authenticity of their agents as all of them seem to be getting more than 4 star ratings which seem odd.  I proceeded to contact the Zicasso and the CEO Brian contacted me with a phone call shortly explaining how everything works over their end and I was satisfied with this level of service.  

From there, Zicasso paired me up with 2 private tour operators for my upcoming trip to Nepal and Bhutan.  One of them from the U.S and one from India, both with equally strong backgrounds and knowledge of the 2 countries I will be taking my family of 5 to.  With all things equal,  after careful deliberation, we decided to proceed our booking with one of the travel agents, after speaking with her on the phone. I found her really warm and personable and I like that she handles all the questions and crafts everything out herself n always took the time to take my calls.  As I had always planned my own private travels for the family, I was abit of a control freak, not only was the travel agent patient, she was always accommodating and reassuring me that I was not  bothering her excessively with multiple questions and scenarios of what could go wrong on the trip.  I have a 5 year old with me and he was my main concern on a trip like this.  After finalizing all the details, we promptly paid our tour price in full and was eager to be on our way, all along hoping I had made the right decision for our family.  

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, we were met by one of the travel company's representatives and his colleague immediately way before we were at immigration (we paid for the extra service), the visas were already processed (also paid for in advance for the special service) and hence did not have to stand in line after 36 hours of flying from Canada, escorted swiftly to our waiting car after they collected our bags. The first impression was already to our expectation, we were impressed given the fact that we are in a third world country, things were still managed very very well. 

From that point on, our guides and porters at every point were nothing short of professsional, courteous and accommodating.  Our teens and 5 year olds loved every single one of them and wished they could stay longer and all vowed to return to Nepal and Bhutan, even my very fussy husband. Our travel agent was also in constant contact with us throughout our trip via emails which was very comforting. 

The crucial part came when my teen daughter and I took ill in Bhutan (from a virus) and the agents in Bhutan were so caring to constantly follow up with telephone calls and checking in on us to check if we needed any medical attention, even offering to take us to the local hospital. We were also fortunate enough to be staying at the AMAN KORA at that time and the entire hospitality department must have known about our predicament for I swear, every single staff asked my husband and sons if we girls were ok in the room. Unable to hold any food in, they sent up specially made rice porridge for our meals every few hours so that we would at least have food in us to strengthen our weak bodies. 

Overall, I cant ask for a more satisfying trip and am REALLY glad I took a leap of faith with Zicasso!  Look no further, they are legit!