Tipping in Bhutan, Tipping Guides/Drivers/Trekking Crews/Hotels in Bhutan

5.0

Based on 122 reviews

Jigme Tshering

2020-03-16T01:54:33+0000

"Service to god to service to mankind. HeavenlyBhutantravels give unwavering service to their customers.. Join us... @heavenlybhutantravelsread more

Heavenly Bhutan Travels

4.9

Based on 84 reviews

Jou Chau

06:05 14 Feb 20

My wife and I were looking at various honeymoon destinations off the beaten path and Bhutan fit the bill! Our next... biggest decision was to choose the right tour group since there were so many to choose from. We decided to choose Heavenly Bhutan Travels because of the great reviews. Mr. Shiva, the General Manager, and Mr. Raju, the CEO, were our points of contact throughout registration/planning process. They were very responsive to our emails and worked with us on creating the perfect itinerary for our 6-night trip. Once we arrived, the baton was handed over to our tour guide, Mr. Sangjay, and driver/land pilot, Mr. Ram. The transition was seamless and we couldn't have asked for a better pairing. They were very courteous and had a wealth of knowledge on the various sites we visited. They definitely went above and beyond for us and we couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. I highly recommend visiting Bhutan sooner rather later, before it gets modernized by western culture. I also highly recommend Heavenly Bhutan Travels without reservation, and definitely ask for Mr. Sangjay and Mr. Ram to be your guide and pilot, respectively!read more

Sachindri Rana

14:40 01 Jan 20

I just had an amazing trip of Bhutan that was in partnership of my Travel agency PickYourTrail with Heavenly Bhutan... Travels in Bhutan. I must say, I had an amazing trip! I am very thankful to the whole HBT team especially to my awesome Tourist Guide (Mr. Kelzang) and the Car Driver (Mr.Nima) who helped in the great execution of the whole trip itinerary. Mr. Kelzang also helped me with the Immigration formalities and a Bhutanese mobile SIM card :) From the beginning of my trip till the last day, I was often contacted by other staffs of HBT (Raju and Menuka) to know if I was having a good trip. Everyday the trip began at the scheduled time. The car that I was travelling in (Hyundai Creta - Red) :) was always kept tidy. The car drive was very safe in the mountains and amidst of fog! The trip was well planned in terms of the logistics and I always had ample time to look around various places, eat Bhutanese food and rest. The car travel was always fun as Mr. Nima and Mr. Kelzang often sang Bhutanese songs and cracked jokes and also shared the culture and traditions of Bhutan. At many instances I felt the pride that my Mr. Kelzang and Mr. Nima had, to be a Bhutanese. They were very proud of Bhutan, their culture, traditions, their King and the Queen and of course Heavenly Bhutan Travels! :) This was something that I felt very good about. They often suggested the best way I could enjoy the day’s itinerary too. Mr. Kelzang often answered all my curious questions that I often had regarding the culture of Bhutan. To make the tourists feel the vibes of the New Year 2020, there was a well-thought celebration by HBT at Paro on the New Year’s Eve with tourists, HBT staff, Bhutanese cultural programme, bonfire, cake-cutting ceremony, lots of drinks and food. It was a night spent well with Mr. Kelzang and few others singing us Karaoke songs. I felt like a Bhutanese here! :) The whole trip was very safe and definitely had warmth and a personal touch to it. I was travelling solo, but never felt so. All thanks to Mr. Kelzang and Mr. Nima who are extremely good companions to the visitors. And as we know, of the companion is right, everything seems great! :) I wish them a very Good Luck for their future, especially to Mr. Kelzang whom I can definitely foresee to be one of the best Tourist Guides in the country! I would love to travel with HBT again and would highly recommend them! Cheers!read more

M. VST

17:52 30 Dec 19

Thank you for the amazing Bhutan Experience! Shiva, your responsiveness and itinerary suggestions were superb! Sangay I... am grateful for your early morning planning for the tiger’s nest, which made it magical and Tashi you have been an amazing driver and both of you have been great company!read more

Sristi Murarka

07:17 23 Dec 19

It is very rightly said: Bhutan: "Happiness is a place". The country and it's people both are amazing. A heartfelt... thanks to our guide, Mr.Ram and land pilot, Mr. Nima, without whom this journey would have been incomplete. Thanks a lot.read more

madhavi kher

03:30 19 Dec 19

Our trip to Bhutan in Dec 2019 was very pleasant, thanks to great planning and execution by Heavenly Bhutan Travels!... The choice of hotels, travel and food arrangements were great. Ms Menuka at their travel office answered my several pre-trip/planning questions and helped me come up with an itinerary per our group’s interests and preferences. I had some last minute changes to my travel plans due to a family emergency and she worked with me on accommodating the changes, all the while communicating promptly and professionally. Mr Ram and Mr Passang, our guide and driver made our trip memorable. Mr Ram is very knowledgeable and loves to share his knowledge enthusiastically. He’s got a great sense of humor too! He quickly learned our interests and kept our itinerary flexible to accommodate them. I traveled with my 67 year old mother and he took care of us like family. Everyday he made sure he provided us with our daily itinerary and offered alternatives wherever possible to further suit our interests and fitness levels, so we could enjoy more. In one of the hotels we stayed at, the kitchen staff had some confusion over our meal request (they prepared Asian vegetarian instead of our Indian vegetarian meal request). Mr Ram went over and beyond his duty by actually assisting the kitchen staff to prepare our meal for us!! He's also a talented photographer and captured some great memories for us to take back home :). It was evident that he genuinely and passionately loves to serve his guests. And thanks to Mr Passang’s expert driving on the narrow, bending mountain roads, we could relax and enjoy the scenic views outside. Heartfelt thanks to the three of you, especially Mr Ram, for making our trip so comfortable and fun. You are great ambassadors for your country. Highly recommend Heavenly Bhutan Travels to anyone planning a visit!!read more

Amit Darekar

13:47 18 Dec 19

We had a great experience in Bhutan with Mr. Tenzin our tour guide. He showed us many places and explained the Bhutan... culture etc; very well. We Bhutan style food and liked it. Hope to visit again with Mr. Tenzin..read more

Swati Tyagi

07:38 14 Dec 19

Best trip ....Bhutan is beautiful... it has eternal peace every were...and my trip was made more awesome because of... our guide RINCHEN (WE CALL HIM TIM TIM) our driver TEK....I really recommend them if you are coming with family or friends or alone... RINCHEN our guide was amazingly patient and he had good knowledge abt his own country....he use to reply all queries with smile....he was always ready to reply...on trip always smiling and ready to help..it needs lots of patience to handle 18 girls together on trip... RINCHEN did awesome job...and best driver I have ever met was TEK... He never over speed...no worng side...no over taking on montains or plain... I was so comfortable with his driving that my phobia of not sleeping when on montains went away and I genuinely slept in bus when he was driving. Thank you so much RINCHEN did TEK fir making my trip memorable.read more

Yen-Ling Tan

04:49 12 Dec 19

The tour of Bhutan was amazing. My husband and I did a one week trip in December. Correspondence with Shiva was easy... and we received clear instructions before our trip. Although the itinerary for a one week trip in Bhutan was pretty standard, Heavenly Bhutan catered it to our preference and some were even customized on the fly. (We asked for an introduction to Bhutan and to include daily hikes). The farmstay they chose for us at Pobjikha was great, authentic and with a very nice family. We got the opportunity to see how they really live and tasted good home cooking. Even though it was -10C that evening, our hosts and our guides made sure we were comfortable. Our guide - Dhana - was very friendly and helpful. We wanted to try more local food and he tried his best to ensure the hotel restaurants accommodated our requests. He also brought us to a nice authentic local restaurant for momos for lunch once. Dhana also seems to know many good viewing spots.. occasionally we would get to a popular picture taking spot full of other tourists but Dhana would guide us to another section with just as good a view but with less crowd. Nima our driver was friendly, sympathetic and was just simply a very nice person. He knew I could get car sick and drove very carefully along the long windy mountain roads and not once did I feel uncomfortable. Whenever Nima spotted wild animals along the way, he would point them out to us and stopped for us to take pictures. All-in-all, it was wonderful experience, and we would definitely recommend using Heavenly Bhutan, and / or with Dhana as the guide and Nima as the driver.read more

Tanu Gersappa

14:50 11 Dec 19

Our Bhutan holiday was a long pending one. This year, in November, we flew past the magnificent Himalayan mountain... range and landed in the Land of the Thunder Dragon. At Paro, we were greeted and welcomed by our ever smiling, friendly guide Tenzin and driver Nima. Tenzin had the information and he quoted anecdotes regarding all the places we visited. He had answers to our queries regarding all the monuments we visited.. in Paro, Thimpu and Punakha. He was so passionate about his country and enthusiastic to tell us all about their customs and beliefs. Nima our driver, NEVER broke any traffic rules. He has been one of the safest drivers we have ever had in all our travels. Tenzin definitely made the trek up to Tigers Nest less tiring with his motivational skills. This holiday of ours was very memorable and Tenzin and Nima from Heavenly Bhutan Tours have been very much a part of it.read more

Ramya Madhyastha

05:31 28 Nov 19

Bhutan trip November 2019 Visited Bhutan a week back via WOW club and tour operator from Bhutan were Heavenly Bhutan... Travels. I must says it was one of the memorable trip. All credits of this amazing trip to our guide RinChen and driver Tik. They both were very well organised and had immense knowledge of all the places we visited. RinChen was courteous to answer all questions that was asked by entire group and never let us complain about anything. He engaged the entire group member throughout the trip and made all our treks and sight seeing beautiful memory to cherish for lifetime. Tik is such calm. And composed driver. His driving skills are excellent. Never felt any jerks or rash driving through out the 7 days trip. A silent listener of all the fun we had in bus. I was amazed to know the skill set and training the tourism driver should undergo at Bhutan. A big thank you to both RinChen and Tik for making trip memorable and being super awesome hosts.read more

Shriyansh Raj Gupta

05:12 14 Nov 19

Flawless and Praiseworthy Led a group of 26 guests (13 couples) in Bhutan. It was a 7N itinerary which was excellently... executed by very professional team of Heavenly Bhutan. The pre-tour coordination was highly precise and accurate, and so was their on tour deliverance. Specially the Guide were outstanding. They were quick to adapt with my guests tastes n preferences and Gelled well. Specially guide KARMA was brilliant to engage clients with his subtle jokes, knowledge sharing, and also leading them to try local Bhutanese activities and experiences. Not to forget very professional drivers who too remained punctual and very courteous.read more

Neha Parnami

12:45 21 Oct 19

Travelled solo in May, and this turned out to be the most exotic and memorable trip. Dechan our guide is such a sorted... well spoken woman, her company alone makes one feel calm. As the youngest in the group, at first I was the only one who wanted to go to Tiger’s Nest.. and she assured me that she will accompany even if no one else turns up. And she actually did accompany me on my slow climb to the top.. and the view!! ❤️ This is the best tour group one could get, highly recommended. So friendly and super sweet. And you will definately love Dechan 😍read more

Bharat Aggarwal

08:39 03 Oct 19

Extremely good personnel. Guide was excellent never giving no for an answer and going out of his way to please us.... Driver was also pleasant and outstanding in handling of the vehicle. Tried to accommodate all items in our itinerary without any complaints. Highly recommended travel agencyread more

Arpan Banny

15:32 02 Oct 19

Just returned from a trip to Bhutan(Sept 2019) with Heavenly Bhutan Travels. It was a memorable trip and wonderful... arrangements were made by Heavenly Bhutan. Their guide (Jigme) was very courteous and enthusiastic and ensured all our needs were taken care of. Heavenly Bhutan was very prompt to respond to all my e-mails and solve all my queries regarding the tour. Their arrangements were all top-class and also very budget friendly. Thanks to them, and will again go with them if ever I decide to go to Bhutan in future.read more

Manish Sarraf

13:15 02 Oct 19

Loved the way Ram and Nima looked after our every need. Ever smiling and joking, felt we are one family unit for that... week. Found the people overall to be very friendly and happy and Ram and Nima were two excellent examples. Enjoyed our trip thoroughly.read more

Manoj Aggarwal

14:10 06 Jul 19

" Heavenly Bhutan " A professionally managed tour ocompany based in Bhutan is truely synonymous with it's name which ... made our stay and tour fantabulous and splendid.......I am going to remember this experience whole of my life....... Our guide Bishnu and driver Ram & Neema made us feel like King and Queen . They we're so helpful and caring and fulfilled all our wishes and demands at one go. They pampered us like anything...... I am floored by the natural beauty of Bhutan and the way they have preserved it's Flora and Fauna. I am thankful to Raju ji ,M.D. Heavenly Bhutan for his courtsey and family like treatment. Couple Hot Stone Bath and Organic Farm house lunch in rice fields setting we're amazing . Bhutanese Dress couple photos and Archery sessions we're complementary. Bhutan is genuinely a Great Kingdom because of it's people who are so humble and simple and nature full of surprises and beauty. My Resorts especially Zhiwaling Resort , Paro was amazing and an experience beyond words.Thanks Raju ji for your personal touch and care in desiging my itinerary. I would like to visit Bhutan again in my life time but with H"Bhutan" only....read more

Bharat Balegere

01:43 29 Jun 19

We decided to go to Bhutan for our honeymoon. Guide Ram was fantastic and one of the best guides I have ever met. He... ensured we had a comfortable and pleasant stay on Bhutan. He selected the rooms with best views and ensured that they were decorated for us. He spent a lot of time giving detailed explanation about each and every place we visited. We also had Driver Ram and Driver Sonam who drove very well. Overall the entire trip was very good. My wife and I enjoyed it very much.read more

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Tipping in Bhutan

Tipping in Bhutan
Tipping in Bhutan is not compulsory but practiced by all visitors. Heavenly Bhutan pays handsome salaries and daily allowances to all our staffs. Gratitude or tipping to guides, tipping to drivers, tipping to hotels and restaurants staffs, and tipping to trekking crews are totally based on your personal interest and understanding.

Well, tipping has become an important part of earning for most of the tourism service providers in Bhutan especially guides, drivers, and trekking crews. Tipping helps them to meet their end expenses. Unlike hotels and restaurants, they don’t get a 10% service charge included in the bills. Since tipping is X amount of money (not fixed), most of the service providers are excited to guess how much they might get just like us trying to find the answer of X in mathematics without defined calculating methods.

Tipping Guides in Bhutan
All our guides in Bhutan have mutual agreed price to be paid to them based on the groups they receive from Heavenly Bhutan Travels on monthly basis and if same to be calculated on average earning of the guides they earn at par with the general civil servant in the government sector.

As mentioned tipping is not compulsory but expected and tourism in Bhutan is categorized into two, regional tourists and international tourists, the fair amount of tipping also categorized into two as mentioned below.

International Tourist: Citizens from all the countries, except from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives. You may tip your guide between USD 10 to USD 15 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = USD 15 x 10 Days = USD 150 shared by 5 persons = USD 30 per head

Regional Tourist: Citizen from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives only. You may tip your guide between INR 200 to INR 500 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = INR 500 x 10 Days = INR 5000 shared by 5 persons = INR 1000 per head

Tipping Drivers in Bhutan
All our drivers in Bhutan have mutual agreed price to be paid to them based on the groups they receive from Heavenly Bhutan Travels on monthly basis and if same to be calculated on average earning of the drivers they earn at par with general drivers in the government sector. Remember tipping is not compulsory but expected.

International Tourist: Citizens from all the countries, except from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives. You may tip your guide between USD 05 to USD 10 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = USD 10 x 10 Days = USD 100 shared by 5 persons = USD 20 per head

Regional Tourist: Citizen from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives only. You may tip your guide between INR 150 to INR 300 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = INR 300 x 10 Days = INR 3000 shared by 5 persons = INR 600 per head

Tipping Hotel Staffs in Bhutan
Hotels in Bhutan include a 10% service charge from the total bill amount which is shared among all the staffs in the hotels. Therefore it is not expected to separate tipping from the customers however if you wish to tip them separately in person, you can do so any amount you want to anybody you may feel that you should tip them.

Tipping Restaurants in Bhutan
Restaurants in Bhutan include a 10% service charge from the total bill amount which is shared among all the staffs in the restaurants. Therefore it is not expected to separate tipping from the customers however if you wish to tip them separately in person, you can do so any amount you want to anybody you may feel that you should tip them.

Tipping Trekking Crews in Bhutan
All our trekking crews in Bhutan have mutual agreed price to be paid to them based on the treks they do from Heavenly Bhutan Travels however their monthly earning differs from season to season. Since trekking in Bhutan is seasonal, unlike guides and drivers, their works are not guaranteed. Therefore they expect tipping from the guests however even for them tipping is not compulsory.

International Tourist: Citizens from all the countries, except from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives. You may collect between USD 20 to USD 30 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = USD 30 x 10 Days = USD 300 shared by 5 persons = USD 60 per head. The percentage to be shared among trekking crews is as follows;
1-Trekking Chef: should get 45% of the tipping collected
2-Trekking Helper/Waiters: should get 30% of the tipping collected
3-Horsemen: should get 25% of the tipping collected.

Note: The best way of doing this is handing it over to them personally at the trekking endpoint, do not give it to one person, and ask them to share. Your guide will give you empty envelopes for your to share the tipping or you can hand over the open cash too.

Regional Tourist: Citizen from India, Bangladesh, and Maldives only. You may tip your trekking crews between INR 500 to INR 700 per day total from the entire group members for a group of 5 persons or less. For larger groups, they expect slightly more depending on your interest. If you do not wish to tip them, this is absolutely fine, please do not feel bad.

Example: 10 Days Bhutan Tour = INR 700 x 10 Days = INR 7000 shared by 5 persons = INR 1400 per head

The percentage to be shared among trekking crews is as follows;
1-Trekking Chef: should get 45% of the tipping collected
2-Trekking Helper/Waiters: should get 30% of the tipping collected
3-Horsemen: should get 25% of the tipping collected.

Note: The best way of doing this is handing it over to them personally at the trekking endpoint, do not give it to one person and ask them to share. Your guide will give you empty envelopes for your to share the tipping or you can hand over the open cash too.

Currency to tip in Bhutan
Tipping your guides, drivers, and trekking crews can be in any currency like USD, EURO, Pounds, AUD, and Indian Rupees. If they get foreign currencies, they save for future use but if they get in INR or in Ngultrum, they use it instantly.

Travel Checklist for Bhutan.
Documents to Carry for Bhutan. Documents to Receive from HBT. Dos and Don’t for Bhutan. Essential Trekking Items for Treks. Meeting HBT Guides in Bhutan. Packing List for Cultural Tours. Packing List for Trekking Tours.

Know more about Bhutan.
Travel Guide Foreign Tourist. Travel Guide Indian Tourist. Travel Guide Regional Guest. Tour Operators in Bhutan. Tour Booking Conditions. Bhutan Flights. Sightseeing Places of Bhutan. Day Hikes in Bhutan. Best Places to Visit. Tourist Information Center. Wellness Tourism in Bhutan. Helicopter Ride in Bhutan. Festivals in Bhutan. Get Your Bhutan Visa. Payments to Bhutan. Foods & Restaurants. Foreign Celebrities Bhutan. OMG My Bhutan. Tourism Council of Bhutan. Medias in Bhutan. NGOs in Bhutan. His Majesty Kings of Bhutan. Bhutan Land of Happiness. Travel Checklist for Bhutan. Heavenly Bhutan Travels. Travellers Book. Outdoor Activities. Awards.

How to plan your holidays in Bhutan? Booking Bhutan Tour with Heavenly Bhutan.
Find best hotels in Bhutan. Best car rental service in Bhutan. Enjoy village homestay in Bhutan. Book your flight tickets to Bhutan. Find best restaurants in Bhutan. Find Bhutan tour packages. Choose best Treks in Bhutan. Join small private group tours to Bhutan. Outdoor Activities in Bhutan. Reviews of Heavenly Bhutan Travels. HBT Awards & Recognition.