Bill: Through the Lens of Buddhism
Bill is a well traveled and incredibly intelligent client that we so enjoyed working with. He reached out to us after getting our name from an old Above the Clouds alum. Bill explained to us that he was interested in traveling through much of the subcontinent to explore the ways of Buddhism - both in terms of its historic roots but also how it is practiced, experienced and lived today.
His original wish list of places was long, but through carefully discussing the goals of his trip in combination with his time line and what each of the potential locations had to offer - we were able to come together to create a unique itinerary that would allow Bill to follow Buddhism through three different countries, histories and paths.
Having a theme that ties places together is a wonderful way to explore a new part of the world and it's a great way to begin the process of crafting a custom itinerary. Bill was able to access the places he visited through his interest in Buddhism, but that same connection can be made through art, music or food even. One of the best parts of a custom itinerary is to allow who you are to shape the way in which you're explore the world, which is exactly what Bill did.
““Most of us have seen disclaimers on videos of daring activities that warn us not to ‘try this at home,’ meaning not to try this yourself, alone, without prior experience or supervision. Having just spent two weeks traveling by air and overland in Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet on a trip beautifully arranged by ATC, I would proffer the same advice to those who think it may be romantic to travel without an itinerary, or ‘spontaneously,’ through these countries. Don’t try it. What you need are those with expert skills and extensive personal experience in these destinations. For planning travel in the Himalayan countries and kingdoms, ATC is the outfit you need, because that is precisely what they provide.””
Itinerary Overview:
Day 1: Met at the Kolkata airport and transfer to the hotel for overnight | Day 2: Met at the hotel, transfer to airport & fly to Paro, Bhutan. Met again and transfer to Thimphu. Afternoon exploring the capital | Day 3: Full day exploring the capital, late afternoon transfer to Paro | Day 4: Hike Tigers Nest, afternoon at leisure. Farewell dinner | Day 5: Transfer to the airport for flight to Kathmandu. Met upon arrival and transfer to hotel | Day 6: Full day exploring the city | Day 7:Transfer to the airport & fly Lhasa. Met upon arrival, afternoon at leisure to acclimatize | Day 8 & 9: Two full days to explore Lhasa | Day 10: Head to Gyangtse | Day 11: Drive Shigatse | Day 12: Drive Shegar | Day 13: Drive to and explore Everest Base Camp | Day 14: Head Zhangmu | Day 15: Drive Kathmandu | Day 16: Explore the many monasteries & temples of Kathmandu | Day 17:Transfer to the airport for onward flights home.