Testimonials

  We went on the morning tour of the Tibetan refugee settlement in Pokhara with Thupten Gyatso, our host and driver for the day. Thupten collected us at our hotel at... read more 05:45 and proceeded to take us to the Pema Ts’al Satya Buddhist Monastery, where we saw the young monks participating in the morning puja (prayer). After, Thupten took us to a family home in one of the Tibetan settlement areas outside of Pokhara. Thupten’s English is very good, and he was able to explain and provide context of his Tibetan culture throughout our tour. We drank butter tea and ate a barley porridge with baked bread. After, we were taken back to the monastery to speak with Ngawang, a 26 year old monk who answered all our questions and spoke with us at length about his life as a Buddhist monk. He was very friendly and seemed to relish the opportunity to speak English with us, as he was also very well-spoken. The final leg of our morning tour ended at the Tashling Tibetan refugee settlement, where we were shown a demonstration of the traditional carpet-making skills of the older Tibetan women in Tashling. There was also a very informative exhibition detailing the history of the Tibetan people’s settlement in Nepal and India. A Tibetan doctor also answered our questions about his medicinal practices and offered to give us a free check-up.
We ended our tour with Thupten at a Tibetan restaurant, eating momos and thenthuk noodle soup. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Thupten, and would encourage anyone who is interested to learn about the Tibetan refugees in Nepal first-hand to go on this tour. Thank you for your time, Thupten, and we wish you all the best with your tours!

  We found this tour on a walk through Pokhara, which made us interested. During the morning tour, Thupten Gyatso showed us through different Tibetan villages, which have prospered a lot... read more during the last decades. The infrastructure comprises not only houses and shops, but also schools,...More

  I had a great afternoon with Thupten discovering Tibetan culture and history.
Thupten is a kind person sharing from his heart his knowledge and experience related to Tibet and Buddhism.... read more

  Two months after doing a half day tour with Thupten it is a stand out moment of a two week trip to Nepal. Can't recommend this enough and would urge... read more everyone visiting Pokhara to spend at least half a day on this tour or the full day if you have the time. It was really interesting and Thupten answered all of our questions. We visited a monk and enjoyed talking with him, went up to the settlement - in time for evening prayers - and then spent time in a typical house sampling some Tibetan food. I learnt a lot and found the experience humbling and moving. I'm very grateful I did this tour, met Thupten and got some first hand knowledge. Thank you Thupten!

  I had the good fortune to attend a full day tour with Tibetan Encouters in Pokhara on November 1, 2018, just before doing a trek with Three Sisters Adventure. I... read more booked the tour only the day before by visiting their storefront in Pokhara - even...More

  This activity is a must-do if you are in Pokhara! I contacted Thupten just one day ahead to ask if I could join a tour the next day in November... read more 2021. There was no planed tour, as unfortunately there are still very little tourists due to Covid, but he immediately offered to do a private tour with me. Thupten is an amazing guide; he is extremely knowledgeable and very passionate about sharing the Tibetan culture. I loved listening to all his explanations about the monasteries and village but also about the culture in general and the challenges refugees are facing in Nepal. The tour was, as expected, just great, as described in the many other positive reviews. As I was fortunate enough to be alone with him, we also talked a lot about Buddhism, the Daila Lama and meditation. Thupten also sent me a lot of resources after the tour (names of books, links to videos) about all the topics we talked about which I though was very sweet. Due to another tour, I had in the morning I could “only” do the half day tour but Thupten picked me up an hour earlier and was very generous with his time until dropping me off at my hotel. I only wish I could come back someday and do the full day tour as I am sure I would learn so much more!

  Thupten met us bright and early at our hotel and even went out of his way to meet us closer for pick up...we spent the morning joining the elder monks... read more in monastery morning prayer and it was amazing..we even got to meet and spend time chatting with a elder monk and got to learn everything about their way of living...the whole way there our guide gave us great information about everything that has to do with Tibetian history and culture...he is a true Tibetain so I'd strongly recommend going with him...after that we had a Tibetain breakfast at a refugee families home....Thupten is by far the best informational guide I've ever had and I've traveled alot of places with alot of guides!! He made the entire experience unforgettable!!! GO WITH HIM AND FREE TIBET!!!!!

  High appreciate Jim for writing this very nice review about our tour. I was so happy to meet you all and get an opportunity to take you all around our... read more Tibetan villages. Thank you all for showing your interest to learn about Tibet and our Tibetan culture. Thupten

  If in doubt, do it 🙂 Even though I was the only person on the tour, Thupten showed me around all day, introduced me to people, and told me all... read more about Tibetan life and Buddhist philosophy. I'm rarely this impressed by tours as they often end up being mediocre sightseeing, but this really exceeded my expectations. Thupten is clearly an extremely intelligent and thoughtful person who cares deeply about creating a meaningful learning experience. You really get an inside perspective on a fascinating culture and complex political situation that everyone would benefit from knowing more about. Plenty of opportunities to ask questions, and delicious food as well! At first it may seem more expensive than some everyday activities in Pokhara, but it's absolutely worth it, especially considering all the people involved. Thank you - I recommend this tour to anyone! More

  One of the best things I've done in Nepal. A few weeks ago I did the full day tour, it was absolutely amazing. I can highly recommend the tour to... read more anyone who is interested in Tibetan culture or Budishm. I learned so many new things from the amazing guide. Thupten is so enthusiastic about Tibetan culture and it makes for such a better experience. You visit Buddhist monasteries, Tibetan refugee camps, a Tibetan doctor and so much more. It's definitely worth it to go.