Road to Tibet

Woeser: “Our company is different from other companies because we offer homestays in Kham and Amdo which are eco friendly and enhance the local economy and give direct help to the local community.

We offer homestays mostly in Kham and Amdo and so far we have had guests stay with local families in Lhagang, Garzi, Palyu, Domthar, Namda, Golok and Thangkor.

Living with a local family

We know the homestay families from our previous trips so we can guarantee that the families are very hospitable and welcoming to our clients. Our clients get to experience real Tibetan culture and daily life. They see how local families live, cook and where they sleep.
Homestay can be very basic, for example you don’t have much choices and just eat the food that the families themselves eat. We Tibetans mainly eat tsampa, this barley flour is the Tibetan staple food for breakfast. We mix it with butter tea. For lunch we have often noodles with soup and meat or vegetables and for the dinner bread, meat and yogurt. You can always bring some extra food if you have special dietary restrictions. 

Most homestays do not have a private toilet for the guests, they share the toilet with the family. Most private houses do not have a shower but most of the bigger towns  have public showers the guests can use.

Sleeping in a yak hair tent

When staying with nomad families all the family members and clients sleep together in one yak hair tent. When staying in the home of farmers the clients can often have their own bedroom. The homes and tents are mostly quite clean and no matter nomads or farmers these days they have many blankets, but you can always bring your own sleeping bag.
After the trip we always ask our clients how they experienced their tour in Tibet. Often their first answer is that they liked the home-stays the best. They like experiencing the way Tibetans live and thank me for arranging the homestay tour
We have had zero complaints about the home-stays and we also pay those families who arrange the home stay at maximum, so we feel also happy to help them directly.

Home stay in Tibet makes clients realize how comfortable their lives is at home

Our clients are not only happy to experience home stays but most said the homestay also made them realized how comfortable their lives is at home. The homes stays gave them a culture and life-changing experience and made them appreciate their life back home.
The only challenge the clients feel during homestays and on any tour in Tibet is the standard of the toilets, but they accept the simplicity.

We also do horse riding tours. Horse riding tours are in many ways  better than vehicle tours because it does not harm fragile the environment and they generate income for nomads communities.

No disposable cups or bottles

When we take clients on trekking tours we won’t use disposable cups or bowls or water bottles. We also use yaks to carry to loads so we do not burn gas or fuel which is good for the environment and it benefits the local economy as well since we hire the yaks and the services of the yak men from the local communities.

Sky burial, the environmentally friendly funeral option

We also try to explain to our clients how environmentally friendly the sky burial is because when we give our body to the hungry vultures, it means we don’t need tombs and coffins to bury in the ground that protects the land and juniper trees.

We have regular small meetings and we inform each other about the importance of Eco Travel. As a result our guides started bringing back waste from the wild to cities to be deposed of properly and recycled were possible.”

 

Staff Training

All our guides are registered with the government and all the guides here in Tibet should participate in the government organized guide and first aid training, so it means all our guides are attending this training every year.

Staff members

Woeser Phel - Owner

My name is Woeser Phel.  I was born in Amdo into a nomadic family. Somehow I was able to study Tibetan, English and a little Chinese. Before becoming a tour guide for seven years, I was an interpreter in Kham and Amdo and taught English. Today, I live and work in Lhasa with my family.

Actually, it was my clients who first suggested that I set up my own travel agency in 2007. I thought it wouldn't not be possible but I started anyway... and it turned out well!
When it comes to our precious environment, I feel it's important to educate the Tibetan people about this and to conduct eco-friendly tours and treks, "taking nothing but photos and leaving nothing but footprints.”
As a bonus, in parts of Kham and Amdo, I'm able to arrange tours that include home-stays. This option deepens the cultural experience for my clients and also directly benefits families and communities and contributes to global understanding.

Rigwang- manager

Our salesman and manager Rigwang was born in Amdo, Tibet and used to be English teacher and tour guide.

Tsewang Lhamo - sales woman and travel consultant

Our saleswoman and travel consultant is Tsewang Lhamo. She also loves guiding groups and especially traveling with family groups with young kids.