The Travel Agent
Our travel agent is Jachung Travel, a Bhutanese-owned tour company based in the Bay Area of California in the United States. This is the same company that arranged the 2006 photo expedition to Bhutan.

A Note On Our Hotel Accommodations:
Tourist infrastructure in Bhutan is still in its infancy, and hotel accommodations are rustic. We shall be staying in small Bhutanese-owned hotel and guesthouses, and while these accommodations are generally comfortable and clean, the quality will be uneven from one hotel to the other. All rooms will have private bathrooms.

WAIVER OF LIABILITY
I assume no responsibility for accidents or injury to individuals participating in the Land of the Druk Yul Photo Expedition 2006. You will be requested to read, accept and sign an agreement which releases me from any responsibility of liability in the event of any of the situations mentioned below.

I also assume no responsibility if a traveler is refused entry into a country for any reason. It is the traveler's sole responsibility to ensure all travel documents are valid and effective. A passport, valid for six months after the intended date of return is required in many cases for travel overseas. Some countries may require visas for US or non-US citizens. Please check with the corresponding consulates prior to leaving. This is the traveler's responsibility.

I cannot assume any liability whatsoever for injury, sickness, damage, death, loss, accident or delay to person or property due to an act of negligence of or default of any travel agent, hotel, carrier, restaurant, company, airline, or person rendering any of the services included in Land of the Druk Yul Photo Expedition 2008, or by act of God, act of war or terrorism. Further, no responsibilities are accepted for any damage, changes or delays due to sickness, pilferage, labor disputes, machinery breakdown, quarantine, government restraints, weather or other causes beyond my personal control. No responsibility is accepted for any additional expense, omissions and schedule changes, forced stopovers, rerouting or acts of any governments or authority. I reserve the right to decline or accept any person as a member of any tour or to cancel or alter the tour without notice. It is also the responsibility of the traveler to keep informed on deposit and payment date requirements. It is highly recommended that all individuals obtain adequate travel insurance.

Bhutan, Land of the Druk Yul, is a land wrapped in myth and legend, hidden from the rest of the world by its mountains. Its legends swirl around supernatural beings, around ancient monastery fortresses and around its Tibetan Buddhist culture. Bhutan's festivals, or Tsechus, offer colorful mask dances and religious performances depicting the unparalleled cultural heritage of this enigmatic country.

Almost replicating our successful 2006 itinerary, we will travel to the valleys of Bumthang in central Bhutan; the holiest and most spectacular in the country. This time though, our principal destination is to attend and photograph the Tamshingphala Tsechu, and the Tangbi Mani festival in the valleys. Our route will take us from Paro in western Bhutan all the way to its heartland, and we will photograph its villages, ancient monasteries, temples and fortresses along our route.

Participants who are interested in multimedia will be helped to create such projects from their inventory of photographs, and learn how to control story length, intent, pace, use of music and ambient sound, narration, field recordings and interviews. An example of such multimedia projects is The Dancing Monks of Prakhar slideshow.

Important Notice: The Land of the Druk Yul photo-expedition is limited to 8 photographers on a "first registered first in" basis. (The 2006 photo expedition was sold out within days, so book early.)