Miru AdventuresReviews of miruadventures.com

A very interesting tour of most-probably, the happiest place on earth. We had great support from our expedition leaders, Rich and Shirley. Our local guides, Ugyen and Kinlay and their team were extremely insightful, kind and helpful. As it was our first visit, the tour took in most of the important sights, a festival and the important temples and monasteries. The highlight was attending the Black neck Crane festival, which we attended dressed in local costume. Our guides, Ugyen and Kinlay were able to find local dresses for the ladies and organized for the men to obtain ghos, the typical male costume. We really enjoyed being with the local people, who appreciated that we were appropriately dressed. Our guides made just about every aspect of the tour special. From attending evening prayer sessions with the monks, to donating Ugyen and Kinlay made our visit a real success. It will be necessary to return and visit the country in more depth, to spend time hiking in the mountains and learn more about the Bhutanese approach to Buddhism.

The people were very supportive and knowledgeable. Made the trip memorable

Besides the country being beautiful, having fascinating history and culture, and amazing temples and fortresses, our guides were some of the best I have ever had. Rich Pagen and Shirley Campbell are extraordinary and just the right amount of talking versus letting us just enjoy a place in silence. The local guides (Uegen and Kinley)were also some of the best I have ever had- informative, passionate, but also the right balance of talking versus allowing just contemplative enjoyment of the places. The planning, helpfulness, humor and personalities of all the guides plus the sheer beauty of Bhutan made this an amazing trip. I also appreciated their insistence on certain early morning start times to avoid crowds and see sites obscured by later day weather (e.g. the Himalayas).

It was a small intimate group with a fantastic guide and Amber who did everything to look after us in the best way possible. We saw so much on our trip and stayed in wonderful diverse hotels full of charm and all unique in their own way! For me this trip was something I will never forget 😀

Brad, Rich and Murph made the trip incredible as always. The staff of the Spirit of Freedom were phenomenal and went above and beyond to make it a wonderful and memorable trip. They were all fabulous!

This trip was truly unique, a chance to visit rare forest elephants and other animals in the Central African Republic, gorillas in the mountains of Rwanda, and abundant safari wildlife in a luxurious setting in eastern Rwanda ... all led by Lex Hes, our absolute favorite guide.

The trip was comprised of a balance of culture and nature. We had a variety of experiences and learned a lot about Bolivia, the culture and its people. The short time in Chile was an added bonus. The only caveat is the altitude, which some may have trouble adjusting to.

For a first time tour by Miru/Inside Expeditions, Bolivia/Chile was a unique and exceptional trip. It was well planned and executed thanks to Rich Pagen. His inclusion of Ralph Eshelman with his knowledge of Bolivia and geology was an excellent choice for a lecturer. Condor Travel was superior for in-country logistics. Their experience showed in the quality of the guides, transport, hotels, and activities selected for this trip that were all important and seamless throughout the itinerary. Gonzalo, Wilber, and Yasu were each experts in the their jobs as lecturers, coordinators, and as helpful fellow travelers. The drivers were also top-notch. A long road trip avoiding delays or flat tires was evidence of their skill and knowledge. It was greatly appreciated the extra effort on Rich’s part to plan ahead and pre-order meals to save time. The highlight of the trip for us was really the entire cross-country route over the Altiplano from Sucre to Calama. It was special to be in Sucre for Independence Day festivities, to visit the Mint and mine in Potosi, and to experience Tarabuco on market day. Tarabuco was a good substitution as it has an authentic market as opposed to the touristy Calle de Bruhas in La Paz. It is a center of textiles and has a very good tourist restaurant as well. It might be good to have a textile lecturer or visit the textile museum in Sucre for a future trip. However, individually, it was the great Salar de Uyuni that was the major attraction that didn’t disappoint. The island and lunch on the salt flat was spectacular. The only minor disappointments were missing the Jaen Street museums in La Paz and the observatory in Chile. As a suggestion, the visit to Valley of the Moon might be moved before lunch or even eliminated. It was not an important site in learning about La Paz and Bolivia. I understand the use of ‘observatory’ in the itinerary was in error. However, along with the Salar, it had attracted us to this itinerary and we had looked forward in seeing one of the high altitude observatories in Chile. It may be better to drive out into the desert for a full view of the night sky rather than the visit to the local astronomer. While the concept was good, it was distracting within the town and difficult to understand the lecturer’s speech. It was pleasure to travel with such an intrepid group. While the trip was adventurous, it was not difficult. However, given the age and size of the group, there were some challenges. Rich and Ralph gave extra care so that everyone could participate and feel successful. It was a credit to the experience of the whole group that made this journey such a positive experience.