Our grading system explained
The end of an era – Michael Rutland retires from tour leading in Bhutan

After 16 years of leading cultural tours in Bhutan for Mountain Kingdoms, we are sad to say that Michael Rutland is finally taking a well-earned rest and retiring from the role.
Recently granted the National Order of Merit of Bhutan for his distinguished service to the country, Michael is also the UK’s Honorary Consul to Bhutan and was the former tutor of the fourth King of Bhutan. The immense knowledge and insight he was able to bring to the Definitive Cultural Tours of Bhutan he led for us meant that Michael’s groups always left the country feeling an extra special connection with the Thunder Dragon Kingdom.
We’ll undoubtedly stay in touch with our old friend and you never know, if you’re travelling with us to Bhutan, you may find yourself sharing tea and tales with Michael one afternoon at his home in Thimphu.
In the meantime everyone at Mountain Kingdoms would like to say a huge thank you to Michael and to send him best wishes for a very happy and fulfilling retirement. Tashidelek!
Related News

Morocco Earthquake
We were deeply saddened to hear about the earthquake in Morocco which has caused such devastation and loss of life. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected. We were relieved to hear that our partners and friends in Morocco are all safe, and fortunately none of our clients were in country at the time.
We have made a donation to help support local relief efforts, and we will also be reviewing our upcoming trips in conjunction with our Moroccan partners.

Autumn getaways
With such a soggy summer at home, you may feel in extra need of blue skies and dry trails before the gloomy winter months draw in. Thankfully, we’ve still got availability on some of our autumn adventures. Find the details in our latest enews and start planning your autumn getaway.
Sign up here to receive our next enews and be kept up to date with all the latest new and destination information. We promise not to bombard you and we will never share your details.

Take it easy or take a hike
What kind of traveller are you? Do you enjoy easy-paced gentle exploration with a comfortable bed, or remote mountain circuits and ticking off big peaks? In our latest enews we give you the choice of taking it easy or taking a hike, with ideas from Nepal to Patagonia and Africa to Japan.
Sign up here to receive our next enews and be kept up to date with all the latest new and destination information. We promise not to bombard you and we will never share your details.