The gathering, at altitude
Ecclesia is small by design and Bhutanese to its bones — named for the old Greek word for the gathering, the called-out few who set off together.
Born in Thimphu, made for the mountains
The name is older than any of us. Ecclesia is Greek for “the gathering” — the called-out few, a small group summoned to walk together toward something. That is exactly how we run a trip: not a crowd, but a company of travellers who set off as strangers and come down as friends.
Our founder, Karma Dorji, was born in Thimphu and made his first Jomolhari crossing at nineteen. He started Ecclesia to guide the way he had always wanted to be guided — unhurried, honest, and close to the people whose valleys we pass through.
So we keep it to eight to twelve travellers, never a coach of forty. Our guides are Bhutanese, and they know the families in the trail villages by name — whose kitchen makes the best ema datshi, which grandmother will wave you in for butter tea.
See our journeys
Four things we won’t compromise
Everything else about a journey can bend around you. These four are the ground we stand on, trip after trip, valley after valley.
Small or not at all
Eight to twelve travellers, never more. A group small enough that the mountain still feels like yours.
Bhutanese-led
Every guide was born in these valleys. You walk with the people who call the kingdom home, not visitors like you.
Tailor-made
No two travellers want the same days. We shape each route around your pace, your dates, and how high you’d like to stand.
Leave the valley fuller
Fair wages, village kitchens, local ponies and porters. We aim to leave each valley a little richer than we found it.
Ready to walk into the kingdom?
Tell us how much time you have and how high you’d like to stand. We’ll send back a tailored route — usually within two days.