I’m 51, have travelled the world and this tour is one of the absolute best. It’s more than a tour, it’s a day of engagement and new experiences. Highlights include visiting a Tibetan doctor (amazingly interesting), a walk through a refugee camp, and a tasty lunch. What made this tour unforgettable was the opportunity to visit a monastery and spend an hour with a 35 year monk. We sat around talking and myself, and my three students, learrned so much. Some of the perspectives shared gave us some life insights we are still talking.

Worth a trip to Pokhara just for this tour! There is no other tour with this amount of personal interaction and first hand experiences. We learned so much throughout the day from geopolitics, spiritualism, philosophy, history, and culture. If you want an authentic experience from the only Tibetan tour guide in Pokhara take this tour. What a unique and amazing experience.

If you are looking for memories for a lifetime, look no further. Thupten gave us awareness and empathy to the plight of the Tibetan people and education and enlightenment on Tibetan Buddhism. Thupten is patient, knowledgeable and gracious with his hospitality. The experience of talking with a Tibetan monk and Tibetan doctor are the most memorable of our trip to Nepal. You cannot pass up this opportunity while in Nepal. We cannot recommend this tour more highly. Thank you Thupten for all you gave us. Namaste

Unmissable tour. A true immersion in Tibetan history and culture. I would like to highlight how much the Stuphen guide masters the subject and passes on knowledge in a clear and wise way. One of the best guides I've ever had. We were very happy to absorb so much knowledge in a short time but a little sad to know that Tibetan culture is threatened.

Well planned and educational. Thank you Thupten for the chance to learn Tibetan culture and religion in a nutshell in a day

This was a phenomenal eye opening experience. Our tour guide was truly passionate about sharing Tibetan culture and we learned so much. A highlight on our Pokhara trip!

It was an incredible experience! My guide Thupten was very warm and authentic. He took a lot of time to answer all my questions in detail and to familiarise me with Tibetan history and Buddhism. As well as visiting villages and monastery, I also had the opportunity to speak exclusively with a monk. The lunch was delicious and the final butter tea session rounded off the day trip perfectly.

It is difficult to express how much I learned and enjoyed this Tibetan experience with Thupten. He is a remarkable man, with a vast and deep knowledge of the subject matter he presents. This experience is fascinating, revealing, and well rounded, covering Tibetan Buddhism with visits to several monasteries and an opportunity to meet personally with a young monk, Tibetan medicine with a visit to the clinic and doctor at one of the refugee settlements, the art of handmade carpets, the history of Tibet and its assets, and of course the food that nourishes and sustains Tibetans. This was a most memorable experience, one that I will speak of frequently, sharing the knowledge that I gained with family and friends. I highly recommend this investment of your time.

We had a full day tour from 9 am to 5 pm with our guide, Mr. Thupten, visiting two Tibetan refugee communities, getting to know more about the history and culture of the Tibetan refugees, visiting numerous temples and handicraft shops, eating delicious food, drinking tea at a Tibetan home, and meeting and discussing with a Tibetan monk and a traditional doctor. Thupten was friendly, knowledgeable and clearly very passionate in sharing both the successes and the struggles of the community. Highly recommended.

We stayed two nights at lovely, comfy and clean Thupten’s house at Lakeside (a great position) and chose the full day tour, experiencing the living culture of Tibetan refugees in Pokhara, visiting two villages, a Tibetan Doctor and listening to their stories and difficulties. It is very important we know more about the situation Tibetan refugees have to face with since many decades. We must never forget! We also visited a Buddhist monastery and discussed with a monk, a special meeting. We recommend this tour, it is a touching and special way to experience Tibetan culture, history, religion, cuisine and life in depth. Thupten is a great guide, well prepared and of culture, reliable and helpful.

We spent a great day with Thupten discovering the living culture of Tibet in Nepal, during the full day tour. I really appreciate the brightness and critical vision of Thupten about the situation of Tibetan’s refiugees, the storytelling about the depopulation of tibetan refiugees villages, the crysis of the spirituality in Nepal and the thoughts of the Dalai Lama, indipendently from the religion you belive.

We had an incredible day with @tibetanencounter - a truly unique tour that taught us more about Tibet than we’d ever known. Our guide Thubten brought us to Tibetan refugee settlements in Pokhara, and we learned about the situation of Tibetans living in Nepal (like himself, who was born here to parents who had escaped), as well as the very challenging experience of Tibetans in China and around the diaspora. We also visited a Tibetan doctor to get a glimpse into their complex system of pulse checks and ancient herbal medicine, visited a monastery where Tibetan monks live and study since their childhoods and made friends with a young monk , ate delicious Tibetan food (similar to Nepali, with its own twists), were welcomed into a home to drink butter tea and learn more history, and had extensive conversation with Thubten about politics, Buddhism, and more. So grateful for the experience opening up more of our curiosity/empathy for this issue, which feels connected to justice causes/ cultural preservation/ anti-empirialist struggles around the world.

The cultural tour on the Tibetan Settlement of Pokhara has been a wonderful experience. Thupten is not just a guide but a truly expert on all the aspects of the tibetan culture, from religion to habits, from history to way of life and his carrying his long experience as a refugee. He has been a waterfall of informations during all the day. I got An amazing experience at the Buddhist monastery with the chanting monks and the same in the tibetan house where we had the breakfast… then we went to speak with a young Buddhist monk about his daily life and then to visit a Tibetan community making carpets… I strongly recommend this tour for everyone who want to have a look on the Tibetan settlements of refugees and their history… Thanks Thupten to have guided us into this truly amazing experience.

Great tour, best thing I did in Pokhara. it was fascinating to learn about the Tibetan culture, meet various people in the village from monks to children and even a doctor. The food was incredible, the original Momo, and fantastic soup! I highly recommend!

Everyone should do this tour. It’s very entertaining and educational. The guide is giving everything to tell you all about the life of a tibetan refugee and the tibetan culture. Worth every penny.

If you do one tour/experience in Pokhara (outside of trekking/relaxing), do this. The full day tour didn’t seem like long enough to absorb all of the rich culture of the tibetian people living in Nepal. You’ll leave with a new perspective on Buddhism, the geopolitics of the greater Himalayas, and visibility into how tibetian people live as refugees in Nepal. Thupten was an incredible guide and great to talk with throughout the tour - and his personal experience added to the rich experience. Pro tip - think of a couple questions you want to ask a tibetian monk, because you’ll get the opportunity to do just that!

Such a great experience! I would recommend it for anyone. It was so interesting and educational. The guide Thupten was so kind and helpful, and gave us so much insight in the Tibetan culture.

We had an amazing day with our wonderful guide Thupten. Everything was well planned. We learned a lot about Tibetan history and culture, visited monasteries, talked to a monk, met with children in primary school, had a delicious lunch, saw the showroom with beautiful Tibetan carpets, had a consultation with a traditional tibetan doctor, listened to an hour of chanting and had Tibetan butter tea and tsampa. We can highly recommend this tour.

I have read all the positive reviews, but still Thupten managed to surpass my expectations. He is so passionate and has wonderful communication skills in excellent English. I feel that I have learned SO much about Tibetan people and Tibetan culture during this authentic experience. A day which can expand your mind and enrich your knowledge.

Thupten was incredibly informative and provided honest answers to our curious questions about the daily life and challenges, of the Tibetan people. Don’t leave Nepal without spending a day really getting to know about the Tibetan people in Nepal. The trip to the local doctor and all the lovely food was fascinating and fun. Thank you so much!