Rainbow Photo Tours of
"Even though the roads are rough, and a little hair-raising at times, the drivers are obviously well experienced professionals, safe, courteous and capable. "
—TripAdvisor Reviews of Rainbow Photo Tours
My camera body is a Sony alpha 77 with a back-up alpha 55. Most of my photos were shot with a Sony 28-50 lens after my Tamron 28-270 proved to not focus finely enough. I also took a Sigma 70-200 2.8, a Sigma 50 macro and a Tamron 10-24. Polarizing filters were taken but seldom used. My tripod is a Promaster carbon fiber with a Manfrotto pistol grip ball swivel.
Bhutan is one of the last great untouched destinations of the world and fortunately can be seen without the travel difficulties and discomfort necessary for some of the others. I tend to be an independent traveler but opted for Rainbow Photo Tours after extensively investigating online and discussing with people who had done other options. After doing it I cannot imagine doing Bhutan any other way. We experienced all of the good of an organized tour with none of the bad.
Having a personal car with driver and guide every day allowed me the freedom of destination and time at any site that I want. Being interested in photography, I do not want to see the shot of a lifetime go by a bus window and not be able to stop. The freedom was equally valuable for those in the group not as into photography, such as my wife.
Being with the tour allowed participation on a very close-up basis of dances and ceremonies on several occasions that would not be possible with independent travel. We went to areas where no other tours are going and had amazing experiences with the locals, being invited into homes and received in a very open way not found often traveling in this day and age. Robin and his Bhutanese partner have the connections and trust with local contacts that only occur with years of personal experience but also treating people with respect that allows continued interaction. We were welcomed into individual homes even when we were out walking without our guides because they knew we were with the group.
Another great aspect of the tour is rotation daily of the guides and divers with participants so we had time to get to know them and their personal stories better. You also don't feel slighted if one of them is your favorite and you were to never have them in your car.
The arrangement of the tour also means that you can have as much or little contact with fellow travelers as you wish. We were fortunate that all in our group were enjoyable individuals but there is always that chance that you can have someone whom you don't wish to spend a lot of time with.
We received the caveat about Bhutan not being a culinary destination but we found plenty of good and healthy food to be had and ended up using only a small fraction of the snack food we packed.
I was also concerned about what the quality of the sleeping accommodations would be but was pleasantly surprised at the majority. Several were extremely nice. Ugen Choling is a bit rustic but so worth it because of the opportunity to see this wonderful place, interact with the locals and experience the mini festival that is put on.
If you want to zip into Bhutan, see the Tiger's nest and a few Dzongs, and zip back out then feel free to take your chances on the hundreds of individual tour guides that are out there on the Internet. For a true cultural experience and to see all that Bhutan has to offer, I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.
Paul Neis, Mountain Home, AR, USA
My camera body is a Sony alpha 77 with a back-up alpha 55. Most of my photos were shot with a Sony 28-50 lens after my Tamron 28-270 proved to not focus finely enough. I also took a Sigma 70-200 2.8, a Sigma 50 macro and a Tamron 10-24. Polarizing filters were taken but seldom used. My tripod is a Promaster carbon fiber with a Manfrotto pistol grip ball swivel.