Bhutan Budget Historic Sightseeing Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely amazing two week trip to Mexico. Phoebe was very knowledgeable and helped us plan a fabulous itinerary. The hotels she'd recommended were perfect and in excellent locations. Our guides were helpful, friendly and spoke excellent English and when we contacted the Mexico office to squeeze in another excursion, they were responsive and immediately organised everything. All round brilliant customer service and Mexico was the most interesting and beautiful place to visit! Thank you!"

What travelers are saying

"Our 8th OU tour was to Switzerland. We visited many sites in Switzerland, Austria and also a quick stop in Germany. O.U. takes all the stress away by using outstanding Tour Directors who handle everything. Our T. D. Kiara was fantastic! She worked flawlessly throughout the tour, even when we were stuck in Zermatt after a flood. I highly recommend O.U."

What travelers are saying

"I did Cho Oyu and Vinson Massif with them was ok. Came to New Zealand and attempted Mount Tasman. My guide stupidly forgot his crampons in car so had to wait. Six others with went ahead and were hit by avalanche and four killed. Stupidity saved my life but AC unwilling to train me more that week so wasted trip. Attempted Everest with them lead guide infamous Luis Benitez who slept with clients wife. His partner from UK was team doctor and completely incompetent. She refused to treat other team members and they turned to me as I am a physician. I took them to Everest base camp doctor who treated them but her and Benitez were angry and no longer spoke to me. So when I developed high altitude cerebral edema Benitez kicked me off the team and his partner would not evaluate me. I had to find an HRA doctor who diagnosed me and I was immediately flown to Kathmandu. And CEO Guy Cotter was a complete jerk. Don't use this company!!"

What travelers are saying

"We have done the 8 days Lhasa - Shigatze - Mt Everest tour, and added a couple of days of private tour at the end. Our contact person, Beatrice, was wonderful. She helped us at every step, including a last minute hotel change. (I recommend staying at the Shang Bala hotel in Lhasa. We "upgraded" to the 4 -Point Sheraton first. Big mistake. The Shang Bala is nicer, more interesting, and at a much better location. Cheaper too.) Our guide was Dhargye. He took care of us during our trip, explained Tibet and its history, culture, and in general made the trip very enjoyable. Thank you, Dhargye!"

What travelers are saying

"Me tocó llegar Justo cuando exploto todo el tema del coronavirus! Fui la última extranjera que esta agencia recibió ya que cerraron fronteras en la India!... la verdad es que súper bien todo, me ayudaron muchísimo y resolvieron problemas que fueron saliendo durante el trayecto como el cierre de puntos de interés, museos, restaurantes, etc! Los guías que tuve increíble, hablaban muy bien español e inglés... Mohsin, el conductor que tuve por mayor tiempo manejaba muy bien y fue muy amable! De verdad les agradezco muchísimo todo lo que hicieron por mi, tuve una experiencia increíble Gracias a Sabi y todo el equipo Contes Asia. I had to arrive just when the whole coronavirus thing exploded! I was the last foreigner this agency received as they closed borders in India!... the truth is that super good everything, they helped me a lot and solved problems that were leaving during the journey such as closing points of interest, museums, restaurants, Etc! The guides I had amazing, spoke very well Spanish and English... Mohsin, the driver I had for the longest time drove very well and was very friendly! I really thank you so much for everything you did for me, I had an amazing experience Thanks to Sabi and the whole team Contes Asia."

What travelers are saying

"Me tocó llegar Justo cuando exploto todo el tema del coronavirus! Fui la última extranjera que esta agencia recibió ya que cerraron fronteras en la India!... la verdad es que súper bien todo, me ayudaron muchísimo y resolvieron problemas que fueron saliendo durante el trayecto como el cierre de puntos de interés, museos, restaurantes, etc! Los guías que tuve increíble, hablaban muy bien español e inglés... Mohsin, el conductor que tuve por mayor tiempo manejaba muy bien y fue muy amable! De verdad les agradezco muchísimo todo lo que hicieron por mi, tuve una experiencia increíble Gracias a Sabi y todo el equipo Contes Asia. I had to arrive just when the whole coronavirus thing exploded! I was the last foreigner this agency received as they closed borders in India!... the truth is that super good everything, they helped me a lot and solved problems that were leaving during the journey such as closing points of interest, museums, restaurants, Etc! The guides I had amazing, spoke very well Spanish and English... Mohsin, the driver I had for the longest time drove very well and was very friendly! I really thank you so much for everything you did for me, I had an amazing experience Thanks to Sabi and the whole team Contes Asia."

What travelers are saying

"Just got back from an incredible adventure. Bhutan was more than I could have ever expected. There was an abundance of good travel karma throughout the trip. The guide, Bhim, was great, very accommodating, and personalized the trip in many amazing ways, and though him I got to know the people and the culture close up and personal. The whole thing went off without a hitch. Bhutan was the most amazing place I have ever been."

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."