Full-Day Tibetan Cultural Tour to Tibetan Settlements Pokhara

We did the Full-Day Tibetan Cultural Tour with Thupten: it's a highly recommended experience, a must for anyone passing through Pokhara. Thupten gave us so much information and answered our thousand questions with passion and patience, even suggesting how to deepen our knowledge of Tibetan culture through books and culinary ideas we could look for even back in our own hometowns. He took us to the Tibetan settlements and told us the history of his people since the time of the diaspora. We learned how the Tibetan communities live here in Pokhara, and how the settlements are organized. We visited a Tibetan medicine doctor and were able to ask him a lot about the natural remedies he uses. We tasted typical dishes from Tibetan culinary tradition and also saw how carpets are made. What we enjoyed most out of all these experiences was delving into Buddhist philosophy, talking with the monks about their life in the monastery, and witnessing their prayers. Thupten was a passionate and knowledgeable guide, always ready to explain everything and a very good storyteller. He has a deep knowledge of Tibetan culture and Buddhist philosophy: to truly understand this culture, these mountains and this spirituality, spending the day with him was truly essential. Thank you so much!

I got lots of information about Tibet, Boudism ,culture, food, habbits, buttertea, way of living, rituals, Tibitan cure and much much more. Thupten knows a lot and he has answers to all of your question. He takes good care during the tour and makes sure you will enjoy

This was a personal and very thoughtful tour. I had a great time. I ended up booking with short notice, but Thupten was so lovely. I learnt so much about Tibetan culture. Thupten loves his culture and people, and passes this love on! I would recommend this tour for those interested in history and education. And wow what beautiful food :)

Absolutely incredible experience. One of my favourite things we did on our Nepal trip. The guide was incredible and the full day tour is well worth your time.

One of the most valuable experiences to understand the culture, the struggle, and the Buddhist community all In one day This is led by the owner a Tibetan person with deep insight into preserving his legacy.

This was a fascinating and very enjoyable day. Learned so much about Tibetan culture and history and the life of its refugee communities in Nepal. Thupten was an excellent guide - informed, interesting and kind. And he ensured we had the opportunity to meet and talk to individuals from the community, including a doctor of Tibetan medicine and a young monk. An unforgettable experience !

This is an informative tour and very enjoyable. My guide Mr. Thupten was very nice with a wealth of information. I learnt things I never knew. Everything I seen was enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour.

Thupten is nothing short of exceptional. Within 5 minutes of the tour I could sense his natural kindness and passion for informing others of Tibetan history. He was extremely generous and fluent in sharing his expansive knowledge on Tibetan life, The Dalai Lama and Buddhism. From seeing traditional Tibetan carpets being made to talking with a young monk, this experience was rich in culture, colour, and wisdom. I feel extremely fortunate that I got to spend this day with Thupten and the locals, I couldn’t recommend this tour enough!!

I genuinely think this is the best tour I have ever been on in my life. It was incredibly well thought out and offers an intimate look into the life of Tibetan people, both in their home and in lives away from Occupied Tibet. We got to experience so many wonderful things over the day, from watching a carpet beautifully made, to chatting to a young monk about his life. We learnt more about the Dalai Lama, Buddhism and the refugee crisis facing Tibetan people. We ate delicious food and learnt so much at the Tibetan way of life. Our guide Thupten is one of the most compassionate and wonderful people I’ve met. His passion is inspiring and he shows so much heart and love for his people and it showed on this tour. Thank you Thupten for sharing so much of your knowledge and experience, it was humbling and well received. I cannot recommend this tour enough and I know I will be thinking about this for a long time to come.

We spent an enlightening day with Thupten, learning about Tibetan history, culture, religion. Thupten is a repository of information, yet invites all to enquire further and discover the truth for themselves. It really was a full day trip, so def plan on being out all day. I think we made it back to our hotel around 6pm. Modern Tibetan history is fraught with injustice and oppression, yet the resilience and deep seated faith of the Tibetan people is very much on display during this intimate journey through the day to day lives of Tibetan refugees in Nepal. Highlights of our day included visiting Tibetan doctors and learning about their medical practices. And even getting an overall health diagnosis based on our pulse readings, tongue color, and some other measures. The visit to the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery was also quite engaging; watching the monks pray, practice for a holy feast, and talking with a young monk on his experience were all genuinely unique and moving. Perhaps watching my kids play football/soccer w the monks was the coolest thing of the day! The trip ends with a visit to a family's home to learn more about Tibetan diet and cuisine (butter tea, bread, and a barley based snack whose name I have forgot!) If you are traveling w kids, I would strongly recommend weighing the half day vs full day options.