Explore Tibet
Explore Tibet
4.9
City ToursCultural Tours4WD, ATV & Off-Road ToursEco ToursPrivate Tours
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Explore Tibet is the leading local Tibetan owned tour company that provides authentic Tibet private tours for different interests and needs. We are native Tibetan and based in Lhasa, we have profound knowledge of our culture, religion and tradition to provide you an insight Tibet experiences. As being a local Tibetan tour operator, we are specialized on customizing private tours and day tours on the Tibetan plateau, the beautiful landscape and pristine nature will provide you a meaningful experiences. Being a local Tibetan tour company, just competing the cost and neglecting the cultural and environmental destruction is not our culture, we always prioritize our customer services by using experienced local Tibetan guides and high safety record drivers, using local services and encourage local business is the core value of our exist. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about Tibet tours and travel permit regulation. WE WELCOME YOU TO VISIT OUR COUNTRY.
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Spanishworld
San Sebastian de los Reyes, Spain197 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Visiting Tibet requires that you use a local travel agent. Fortunately, I had de chance to discover this local tibetan travel agency and they helped us to make this a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
First of all, they assigned me an extremely kind and helpful Travel Advisor, Sherry, and she was key both in planning, deciding what cities and tours to do and, a key element, to secure the Tibet Travel Permit, the several train tickets I required (Shanghai-Xian, Xian-Xining and Xining-Lhasa) and always in the desired train, class and seats or beds requested). And the small ticketing fee they charge was very reasonable (train tickets start selling only 2 weeks before train departure and they are quicky sold, so it is a nightmare if you try to do it by yourself on the internet).
Besides that, Sherry was also able to organize local guides and exactly the desired private tours in Xian an Xining. The guides there were also top quality. Again, a top rate to ExploreTibet and Sherry. She also went the extra mile to teach us how to board the trains (different way of how we do it in Europe or America) and, because of the langage barrier in China, she was allways available in WeChat to help us translating whenever we had any problem.
Then, when we arrived to Lhasa, we found that her recomendation and booking of hotels was perfect: Clean, 4 star quality and, for instance, in Lhasa just a 100 meters from the Johkang, just the best location for a hotel in Lhasa. The quality of hotels was great in all the different cities we visited.
I should also mention our private Tibetan guide, Tenzing, not only was he helpful and always looking to provide us the best experience, but also helping us to live, to understand and to love the culture and lovely people of Tibet. Our driver was also perfect and a great professional driver, photografer and video operator.
I have been traveling around the five continents for almost 50 years, and Tibet really is a unique experience: Explore Tibet agency has really helped us enjoy every drop of it.
When I can afford to come back to Tibet (and Ihope I will), for sure I will use this agency.
My bigest THANK YOU to Sherry, to Tenzing, to the driver and to the whole team at Explore Tibet
First of all, they assigned me an extremely kind and helpful Travel Advisor, Sherry, and she was key both in planning, deciding what cities and tours to do and, a key element, to secure the Tibet Travel Permit, the several train tickets I required (Shanghai-Xian, Xian-Xining and Xining-Lhasa) and always in the desired train, class and seats or beds requested). And the small ticketing fee they charge was very reasonable (train tickets start selling only 2 weeks before train departure and they are quicky sold, so it is a nightmare if you try to do it by yourself on the internet).
Besides that, Sherry was also able to organize local guides and exactly the desired private tours in Xian an Xining. The guides there were also top quality. Again, a top rate to ExploreTibet and Sherry. She also went the extra mile to teach us how to board the trains (different way of how we do it in Europe or America) and, because of the langage barrier in China, she was allways available in WeChat to help us translating whenever we had any problem.
Then, when we arrived to Lhasa, we found that her recomendation and booking of hotels was perfect: Clean, 4 star quality and, for instance, in Lhasa just a 100 meters from the Johkang, just the best location for a hotel in Lhasa. The quality of hotels was great in all the different cities we visited.
I should also mention our private Tibetan guide, Tenzing, not only was he helpful and always looking to provide us the best experience, but also helping us to live, to understand and to love the culture and lovely people of Tibet. Our driver was also perfect and a great professional driver, photografer and video operator.
I have been traveling around the five continents for almost 50 years, and Tibet really is a unique experience: Explore Tibet agency has really helped us enjoy every drop of it.
When I can afford to come back to Tibet (and Ihope I will), for sure I will use this agency.
My bigest THANK YOU to Sherry, to Tenzing, to the driver and to the whole team at Explore Tibet
Written July 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Respected Client
Thank you very much for all your detailed review and recommendation, as being a local Tibetan travel company, it is our core value to provide satisfying services to all the global visitors coming to our homeland, and we have carried this core value for the past 20 years and will continue for the years to come, so as our service attitude, we have many like-minded tour guides and partners all around China, Nepal and Buthan which guarantee a satisfying travel experiences to our valued customers, so please always feel free to contact us or Sherry at our office if you have any plan to visit China and Tibet.
Wish you have great day and stay in touch
Written September 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Candice B
1 contribution
Nov 2024 • Couples
Our 10 day easy acclimatising tour of Tibet and EBC exceeded our expectations and more! The monasteries were wonderful and fascinating (like stepping back in time), the scenery on the drives and at viewpoints amongst some of the best I've ever seen (especially over the Himalayas and all the 8,000ers) and EBC was an outstanding experience I'll never forget. Touring during mid-November gave us flawless blue skies every day, perfect visibility and very little other international tourists meaning the sites were quieter and we had great interactions with the locals.
It was an honour to explore this wonderful country with our guide Teller who was passionate, enthusiastic and knowledgable, as well as having impeccable English. Sherry was a delight to deal with on the build up to the tour and even organised a cake for me to celebrate my birthday with the tour group at EBC. Our driver Sonam was careful, courteous and punctual - I always felt safe in his hands.
I would highly recommend this fascinating tour to fully immerse yourselves into Tibetan life, culture and religion. This mysterious country will now forever hold a special place in my heart and I thank Explore Tibet for making that happen.
It was an honour to explore this wonderful country with our guide Teller who was passionate, enthusiastic and knowledgable, as well as having impeccable English. Sherry was a delight to deal with on the build up to the tour and even organised a cake for me to celebrate my birthday with the tour group at EBC. Our driver Sonam was careful, courteous and punctual - I always felt safe in his hands.
I would highly recommend this fascinating tour to fully immerse yourselves into Tibetan life, culture and religion. This mysterious country will now forever hold a special place in my heart and I thank Explore Tibet for making that happen.
Written November 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear client
Thank you very much for your unbiase feedback to our team, we are very happy that you had a wonderful trip in our homeland, we will continues our business moral and try best to provide our best service to our clients. Also thank you for your great recommendation too.
wish you have nice day
Written December 18, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
robyoung1
Auckland, New Zealand6 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
I can highly recommend Explore Tibet to anybody planning a visit. I did the 15 day Kailash tour and every step of the way from planning the trip with Sherry 6 months in advance, to receiving all information before departure, to the handling of visas and permits to the tour itself with our superb guide (Namgyal) was exemplary. This would have been a difficult tour tom plan and manage, and I was very impressed with how effortless it was made to look by Explore Tibet. They are competent, welcoming and a joy to work with. I would not hesitate to use them again for a future trip.
Written August 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Client
Thank you very much for your time to write us your unbias feedback, we are very happy that you had enjoyed the Mt Kailash tour with our local team, i am also very happy to hear from your driver Sonam Norbu that you had invited the whole group for a dinner in Shigats, your travel consultant Sherry told me that you had planned the tour for a long time because of time and other uncertain factors, but finally you made it and enjoyed it.
I welcome you again in the near future to travel other part of Tibet and wish you have a nice day.
Written September 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SoniaRT1
Cordoba, Spain2 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
After contacting several agencies, we finally decided on this one for a private 8-day trip (arrival in Lhasa by plane from Kathmandu and return to Kathmandu by the friendship road) and I can not be happier. Our Agency contact, Sonam, was always attentive to our concerns about the trip. And our guide and driver, the great Nam Gyal and the great Tenzim made this trip unforgettable. Very helpful, and always concerned to convey the true essence of Tibet.
Thank you all so much for a dream vacation! :-)
Thank you all so much for a dream vacation! :-)
Automatically translated
Written September 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
brad mayhew
London, UK4 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Explore Tibet arranged my recent Trip to Tibet and they were excellent. Communication was good, my Tibetan guide was excellent, as was the vehicle, and Explore Tibet was super helpful in arranging both a flight ticket to Lhasa and a train ticket out. Everything went very smoothly, which is not always easy in Tibet! All in all it was an excellent trip and I'd recommend the Tibetan-owned company to anyone headed to Tibet. I'll certainly be using them again.
Written August 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Bradley
It is my pleasure to be your local Tibetan tour operator for your travel in Tibet, also very happy to meet you in person while your stay in Lhasa, your genuin feedback is the biggest satisfaction.
Looking forward to your next travel to our homeland and looking forward to see you then.
Written September 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cal100
McCall, ID71 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
What an amazing trip. Dolma, our guide was very attentive and very assertive to get us to the right place at the right time. She was very knowledgeable on the history and culture of both the religion and the people of this land. She was helpful to our needs on the trip. Perhaps the best part of the service we received was while we were at Basecamp, my grandson was born. She arranged that a cake was made to celebrate this important occasion in my life. I was absolutely blown away and so grateful for her kindness. We highly recommend this guide service.
Written May 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Client
Thank you very much for writing the review to us and we are very happy that you had enjoyed the tour with us, our guide Dolma also told me your grandson's birth day celebration at the Mt Everest Base Camp in Tibet, i think it will be a great memory for him and for the family, so your satisfaction is mean a lot to us and thank you again for sharing it.
Wish you have a nice day
Written September 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mfmb_suffolk
suffolk uk40 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
I travelled through Native Eye Travel from England, with Explore Tibet as host to our 16 day Tibet expedition. Apart from the usual highlights of Lhasa, and the wonderful monasteries, Everest Base Camp and Mt. Kailash, as one of a group of 3 travelers, we explored some of the remoter parts of Western and Northern Tibet.
Our driver Gyatso was very steady and our guide, Dharla had excellent English, and knowledge to impart. we were looked after very well. The accommodation was better than expected, and the roads remarkably good, so despite some long drives, it wasn't too grueling.
The tour gave us great insight into the history of Tibet and its current changes under increasing Chinese influence.
This was a fascinating and rewarding trip Thank you to Explore Tibet.
Our driver Gyatso was very steady and our guide, Dharla had excellent English, and knowledge to impart. we were looked after very well. The accommodation was better than expected, and the roads remarkably good, so despite some long drives, it wasn't too grueling.
The tour gave us great insight into the history of Tibet and its current changes under increasing Chinese influence.
This was a fascinating and rewarding trip Thank you to Explore Tibet.
Written August 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Client
Thank you very much for your great review and it is our biggest satisfaction to give an excellent experiences in our country, as being a local Tibetan agent in Tibet, we always think it is our responsibility to show our home and our culture with worldwide travelers in its best way.
Written September 8, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TravelingEric
South Bend, IN41 contributions
Oct 2024 • Friends
From my initial contact with Sherrie in February 2024, till our trip in October 2024, excellent service and prompt responses. This company does a top notch job! The driver and the guide went above and beyond and exceeded our expectations. We had a private EBC 10 day tour and loved every minute. Job well done!!!!!
Written October 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Clients
On behalf of the Sherry and rest of our team, i would like to thank you for such a great feedback, your stqtisfactory is our ultimate goal, we will keep present the best image of our homeland to our international friends and visitors. we also welcome your families and friends in the coming future too.
Wish you have a nice day!
Written December 18, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vanilla_n_Pepper
1 contribution
Apr 2017 • Couples
We are avid readers of TA, and always consult reviews before selecting accommodation and tours on our travels. We’ve never felt compelled to write reviews, as our trips are usually pleasant, bordering on the mediocre at worst. This time it was different, and we feel obliged to share our experiences, so TA members can decide for themselves, whether to engage this agency (OR NOT)!
We were on a private tour with Explore Tibet covering Lhasa and surrounds around mid-April. Our initial enquiries were dealt with in a friendly, professional manner by their travel consultant, Mia. This encouraged us to go ahead and book the tour, even though their prices were the highest amongst other agencies we enquired with. We figured it’d be worth the extra money for a great tour and professional service. Plus we wanted to support a local Tibetan business. How wrong we were.
It started to go downhill once we met up with the guide, whom we shall call Mr. G. We don’t see the point of reliving every minute detail of the ugly experience, but suffice to say, a significant portion of our angst stemmed from our experiences with Mr G., who was i) Disinterested/disengaged (e.g. We were often left waiting, as he was more keen on chatting with the driver, acquaintances and anyone else really, except us), ii) Unprofessional and dismissive (e.g. Instead of offering oxygen tanks for our altitude sickness, as advertised by the agency, he mockingly asked how much ours cost when we brought along complimentary ones from the hotel), iii) Overall just a poor guide (e.g. He was only able to regurgitate what had been printed on signs at sites of attraction, and told us to ‘Google it’ when we asked for more information), and the list goes on (endlessly, really).
Funnily enough, the agency actually contacted us to request we put up a ‘good review’ on TA, as the ‘market is very competitive’. When we explained we actually did not have a good experience and why, Explore Tibet’s customer service manager, Mr. S., then started quibbling – variously asking us to give Mr. G a second chance, denouncing him as an unqualified guide, threatening to terminate his contract, and so on. In our opinion, we had invested good time and money on a tour ruined by an unprofessional, inapt guide. Nothing would ‘undo’ this experience, which was now getting compounded by further adverse experiences with Mr. S.
We also pointed out that when Mr. G is working for Explore Tibet, he represents the face of the agency, and is ‘flying the flag’ for Explore Tibet as well as Tibet itself as a tourist destination. Oftentimes, he is the first and only point of real-life contact for clients, and therefore, it is the agency’s responsibility to ensure the level of guide services, through rigorous training and/or quality control checks, especially if they wish to garner positive reviews. This stance seemingly fell on deaf ears, as it was followed by a poorly veiled attempt to ‘bribe’ us against putting up an unfavourable TA review (Mr. S made no attempts to deny this by the way), via a USD100 refund (half of which had apparently been deducted from Mr. G’s wages). By this point, we’d simply had enough, and so we rejected their offer, and made a request for Mr. S to stop contacting us. Bafflingly, this was met with ‘Hope everything is clear to you if not then please don’t hesitate to ask me. Have a great time there.’
Enough said.
We were on a private tour with Explore Tibet covering Lhasa and surrounds around mid-April. Our initial enquiries were dealt with in a friendly, professional manner by their travel consultant, Mia. This encouraged us to go ahead and book the tour, even though their prices were the highest amongst other agencies we enquired with. We figured it’d be worth the extra money for a great tour and professional service. Plus we wanted to support a local Tibetan business. How wrong we were.
It started to go downhill once we met up with the guide, whom we shall call Mr. G. We don’t see the point of reliving every minute detail of the ugly experience, but suffice to say, a significant portion of our angst stemmed from our experiences with Mr G., who was i) Disinterested/disengaged (e.g. We were often left waiting, as he was more keen on chatting with the driver, acquaintances and anyone else really, except us), ii) Unprofessional and dismissive (e.g. Instead of offering oxygen tanks for our altitude sickness, as advertised by the agency, he mockingly asked how much ours cost when we brought along complimentary ones from the hotel), iii) Overall just a poor guide (e.g. He was only able to regurgitate what had been printed on signs at sites of attraction, and told us to ‘Google it’ when we asked for more information), and the list goes on (endlessly, really).
Funnily enough, the agency actually contacted us to request we put up a ‘good review’ on TA, as the ‘market is very competitive’. When we explained we actually did not have a good experience and why, Explore Tibet’s customer service manager, Mr. S., then started quibbling – variously asking us to give Mr. G a second chance, denouncing him as an unqualified guide, threatening to terminate his contract, and so on. In our opinion, we had invested good time and money on a tour ruined by an unprofessional, inapt guide. Nothing would ‘undo’ this experience, which was now getting compounded by further adverse experiences with Mr. S.
We also pointed out that when Mr. G is working for Explore Tibet, he represents the face of the agency, and is ‘flying the flag’ for Explore Tibet as well as Tibet itself as a tourist destination. Oftentimes, he is the first and only point of real-life contact for clients, and therefore, it is the agency’s responsibility to ensure the level of guide services, through rigorous training and/or quality control checks, especially if they wish to garner positive reviews. This stance seemingly fell on deaf ears, as it was followed by a poorly veiled attempt to ‘bribe’ us against putting up an unfavourable TA review (Mr. S made no attempts to deny this by the way), via a USD100 refund (half of which had apparently been deducted from Mr. G’s wages). By this point, we’d simply had enough, and so we rejected their offer, and made a request for Mr. S to stop contacting us. Bafflingly, this was met with ‘Hope everything is clear to you if not then please don’t hesitate to ask me. Have a great time there.’
Enough said.
Written June 7, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Vanilla
Tashi Delek!
This is Sonam Jamphel, the general manager of Explore Tibet replying your review.
First of all thank you very much for your detailed feedback, before i go into the further explanation for your dissatisfaction, i am very sorry for not able to present you a pleasant experiences and also thank you very much for your concern of supporting local Tibetan company.
As you mentioned, it is really important to provide an unbiased review to readers and i think it is also very important to present the full image of the tour start from the beginning to end.
As being a Tibetan company, we always consider that we are not just the company but we also have a great responsibility for being the faces of Tibetans and Tibetan company, so within our Tibetan team, we have built our service standard and always trying to improve it. We invite all our clients at the office in the beginning of the tour and our customer service manager Samdup meet in person, then give the trip orientation and try to hear from the clients if they have any issues, so then we can solve the problems right from the tour beginning, because we think it is very sad if we don't know the problem that our clients have, so on April 18th noon, when you came to our office and met with Samdup, but i am very regret you just told everything is perfect and said you were enjoying the tour, if you were not happy with guide Gelek, i wish you have raise that issue at that time and we would change the guide for you.
Then also to make sure all our clients have what they expected and reduce the complaints after the tour, we specially provide a mobile phone with local SIM card to easier contact with our Tripadvisor and customer manager, on your second day of the arrival which is also on April 18th, Mia called you through that phone at 2:30pm and you also told you had no problem.
To improve our services, we collect client's valuable suggestions bu providing a feedback end of the tour, but sadly we haven't heard any complaint from you on that feedback form too.
Therefore honestly speaking, we really don't know you have such issues and we were failed to hear your inner voices even we tried different times, we just knew that you were not happy with the guide after your returned home. We really wish you could have gave us the opportunity to make it right when it was not late, but we are really very sorry that we couldn't make it.
As your tour was only 3 days, from April 17th to 19th, i was not able to meet you in person, usually i tried my best to meet every clients and hear the experiences in person, but i was out of the office during that period.
Another important thing that i want to clarify is about the refund USD100, we really feel very sorry for the bad experiences but we knew it after your tour finished, so it is just to pay our apologize than nothing other means, i think you were confused and take it in the wrong way. Through out the whole email conversation, we tried to hear you really problem, so that we learn for the future, but we never mention a single word on Tripadvisor review on the email, even we encourage you to write the unbiased review and not personal.
Little bit about guide Gelek, he is 40 years and grown up in Tibet, he had more than 12 years of guiding experiences and have very rich knowledge of our culture and history, his work experiences and knowledge have received good honors from our previous clients.
If you want to referrals from clients that he took in the past years, please contact me at Sonam@exploretibet.com and i am happy to provide further information.
Thanks for taking your time to read through
wish you have a nice day
With best regard
Sonam Jamphel
Written June 9, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Boris L
Sarasota, FL195 contributions
Apr 2014 • Friends
If you are looking for a agency that will get you from point A to point B as promised, safely, for a reasonable price, without doing anything out of the ordinary, this is the agency for you. On the other hand, if you want a once in a lifetime unique experience, different then just a generic tour, then i suggest you spend some time and talk to some of the smaller local firms.
I went during the offseason, and i talked to some great small firms, but they are small so they didn't have any group trips during the days i needed, so i went with this big firm because it was easier to get a trip during the dates i wanted. I went on the 8 day Lhasa, EBC to Nepal trip. Here's my review
POSITIVE:
** They were very safe, they delivered on everything they promised, minus a few minor mistakes that all big firms make. They showed up on time, got us good hotels where possible and the price of the tour, at $1,100 was i felt reasonable
** Sherry, the sales rep, was great! She replied very quickly to all my emails, gave me her skype so i could chat with her, and then even came by in Lhasa to hang out with us in the evening. She was the only passionate, excited employee i met at this agency
** They are locals and you should support the locals! When you get to Tibet, you will see how poor they are and their struggles, so its good to know you are using a local agency with all local employees.
NEGATIVES:
** its one of the biggest local agencies. You are one of many many customers at any given time, so don't expect to feel like they are family. They have a Operations group, a sales team, many guides and managers. So small mistakes do happen as you get lost in the shuffle.
** don't buy the train ticket through them. They took a $130 ticket and added their own $50 fee!! Most other agencies will get it for you at a much lower service charge
** they have completely generic itineraries. If you go on the internet and look at small firms, they each have their own unique itinerary, trying to make the trip unique and special. Not so with this agency, its the basics, they do the same trip as all the chinese owned agencies do, stop at all the correct places, check, check, check. but you won't see anything off the beaten track here. you will see all the same attractions with crowds of tourists.
** The guides: I think the tour guide, who stays with you the whole trip, is what really makes a trip special. This is such a exotic land, that its hard to understand without the guide. The guide we had, Gaysen (sp?) (and i think all of their guides are the same, from same group of friends) was doing this job, NOT because he loved to show his nation to visitors, NOT because he was passionate about the culture or the people, but because he needed to earn money. He pretty much told us this, that this was the only way for him to make decent money until he could open his own business, and the owner, his friend gave him this job. He walked us through the monasteries, as he was obligated to do, did the basic explanation that he was obligated to do, but that's it, we had to pry information out of him, by badgering him with lots of question. There is such amazing long history here, and we saw other tour guides around us giving excited tours all around, but our guide was just going through the motions, doing the minimum he had to. He was honest, he told us that many of the monasteries were "Fake" (meaning rebuilt after they were destroyed decades ago) but still while the buildings may not be original, the history is and we missed on many great stories. Its not very exciting to tour places when the guide is so pessimistic and uninterested in the sites. Most of the things we learned, we did on our own, or by overhearing the other guides as they walked by. sad.
Overall, you are in safe hands with Explore-Tibet. But i would recommend you at least check out the smaller firms like Snowlion tours, Tibetian Guide, and others.
One more tip: While it takes lots of time and permit to go to the main part of Tibet (Lhasa, etc), the far eastern part is wide open, and is now part of other chinese provinces. We took local buses from Chengdu and made our way up to Xining (to catch the train to Lhasa) and that was the best part of the trip. We got to see big monasteries, small local tibetian towns, and you can do it all on your own without the issues faced in main Tibet. For this, i have to thank SnowLion tours, even though i didn't book anything with them, the owner there helped me plan my route and was very helpful throughout.....must be a great agency!
I went during the offseason, and i talked to some great small firms, but they are small so they didn't have any group trips during the days i needed, so i went with this big firm because it was easier to get a trip during the dates i wanted. I went on the 8 day Lhasa, EBC to Nepal trip. Here's my review
POSITIVE:
** They were very safe, they delivered on everything they promised, minus a few minor mistakes that all big firms make. They showed up on time, got us good hotels where possible and the price of the tour, at $1,100 was i felt reasonable
** Sherry, the sales rep, was great! She replied very quickly to all my emails, gave me her skype so i could chat with her, and then even came by in Lhasa to hang out with us in the evening. She was the only passionate, excited employee i met at this agency
** They are locals and you should support the locals! When you get to Tibet, you will see how poor they are and their struggles, so its good to know you are using a local agency with all local employees.
NEGATIVES:
** its one of the biggest local agencies. You are one of many many customers at any given time, so don't expect to feel like they are family. They have a Operations group, a sales team, many guides and managers. So small mistakes do happen as you get lost in the shuffle.
** don't buy the train ticket through them. They took a $130 ticket and added their own $50 fee!! Most other agencies will get it for you at a much lower service charge
** they have completely generic itineraries. If you go on the internet and look at small firms, they each have their own unique itinerary, trying to make the trip unique and special. Not so with this agency, its the basics, they do the same trip as all the chinese owned agencies do, stop at all the correct places, check, check, check. but you won't see anything off the beaten track here. you will see all the same attractions with crowds of tourists.
** The guides: I think the tour guide, who stays with you the whole trip, is what really makes a trip special. This is such a exotic land, that its hard to understand without the guide. The guide we had, Gaysen (sp?) (and i think all of their guides are the same, from same group of friends) was doing this job, NOT because he loved to show his nation to visitors, NOT because he was passionate about the culture or the people, but because he needed to earn money. He pretty much told us this, that this was the only way for him to make decent money until he could open his own business, and the owner, his friend gave him this job. He walked us through the monasteries, as he was obligated to do, did the basic explanation that he was obligated to do, but that's it, we had to pry information out of him, by badgering him with lots of question. There is such amazing long history here, and we saw other tour guides around us giving excited tours all around, but our guide was just going through the motions, doing the minimum he had to. He was honest, he told us that many of the monasteries were "Fake" (meaning rebuilt after they were destroyed decades ago) but still while the buildings may not be original, the history is and we missed on many great stories. Its not very exciting to tour places when the guide is so pessimistic and uninterested in the sites. Most of the things we learned, we did on our own, or by overhearing the other guides as they walked by. sad.
Overall, you are in safe hands with Explore-Tibet. But i would recommend you at least check out the smaller firms like Snowlion tours, Tibetian Guide, and others.
One more tip: While it takes lots of time and permit to go to the main part of Tibet (Lhasa, etc), the far eastern part is wide open, and is now part of other chinese provinces. We took local buses from Chengdu and made our way up to Xining (to catch the train to Lhasa) and that was the best part of the trip. We got to see big monasteries, small local tibetian towns, and you can do it all on your own without the issues faced in main Tibet. For this, i have to thank SnowLion tours, even though i didn't book anything with them, the owner there helped me plan my route and was very helpful throughout.....must be a great agency!
Written May 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear clients
Thanks for sharing your experiences, we do value your reviews and had a meeting with guide and driver soon after we received your review, so there are some points that is not matching with what our guide and driver said, so i sent you a detail explanation and apology email.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and i am very happy to receive your reply
Written May 27, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ciao, siamo una coppia e vorremmo fare il tour del Tibet. Ci puoi dare il link dell'agenzia che hai usato? Grazie. Laura
Written March 20, 2019
Hi Laura.
thanks for your questions and you can check the company name which is Explor Tibet, their website is also exploretibet
thanks
Written March 21, 2019
Hello. I am very impressed with the favorable comments about Explore Tibet. I am planning a 6 - 8 day trip in May 2018 but I am travelling solo. From your experience would you recommend solo travel with this company. Has anyone ever encountered solo female traveler on any of your trips. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Joey
Written February 27, 2018
Hi Joey
Solo traveler in Tibet is not a problem at all and we have dozens of Tibet tours that suitable for single travelers, please feel free to write us for details of the tours or any other questions you have.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Best regard
Sonam
Written March 1, 2018
Hi do you run 10 days private tour (for 2) in the last two weeks of December? We will like an overland tour from chengdu. Can you help to organize that? Thanks
Written October 28, 2017
Hi
Welcome to Tibet forum.
i am very sorry to inform you that the Sichuan-Tibet highway from Chengdu to Tibet overland route is currently closed for foreign tourist, so you can only fly into Tibet from Chengdu and then do your tours in Tibet.
We have a collection of Tibet Winter Package tours that build based on our experiences and travelers need by knowing the area best, so please let me know if you still want to do Tibet tour instead of the overland from Chengdu, then we can help you to arrange the tour.
Thanks and best regard
Sonam
Written October 29, 2017
Oi estou indo em dezembro com o Tibetanguide , estou um pouco insegura porque disse para pagar tudo quando chegar.... e a questão do visto? pode me auxiliar... estou viajando sozinha India, Nepal , Tibet e Butão
Written September 16, 2017
hi travel alone in Tibet is totally safe, but i am not sure in other countries, specially in India.
For the Tibet tour, you just pay a deposit first and then pay the balance when you arrive, so that is more assured
Written September 30, 2017
Hi there
Do you consider the ebc experience to be something a person who i not extremely fit could do? In the past, when I visited high altitudes, , I had altitude sickness, so wouldn't wish that again.....I'm relatively fit, I cycle, walk every day, but just not super fit. Thanks.
Written September 11, 2015
HI If you don't want to take the altitude problem any more, then i think EBC is a not a good option, instead you can do a short tour around Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse and Yamdrok lake which will provide you a exclusive Tibet experiences.
Single entry Chinese visa works for visiting Tibet.
Written September 14, 2015
I am planning a tour to Tibet for 6 days, i am solo traveler and would love to experience real Tibetan side. What things should i prepare to obtain a Tibet visa? My travel plan falls in Sep. Please guide!
Written July 29, 2015
Hi Niki
Thanks for your question and first of all i would like to clarify about the visa, there is no Tibet visa, all what you need is the Tibet travel permit to travel into Tibet, then the Tibet travel permit is only able to get by booking your Tibet tour with local tour operators like us, so for that what you need to prepare is to get your Chinese visa and then book the tour, once you book the tour, we can apply for the Tibet travel permit with copies of your passport and Chinese visa.
About the tour, if you are solo traveler, then a private tour cost will be very high as you are only in the group, so you joining a group tour is the best option to keep the tour cost low and have a insightful Tibet experiences, currently we have the 8 days Tibet group tour that you can join and only the Sept 20th departure there is still some seat that you can join, so the group tour start on Sept 20th and end on 27th. it cost USD985 per person for 8 days, for detail of the tour itinerary and cost you can check on our website, so let me know and i can send you link.
please feel free to write me if you have any questions and waiting for your reply
Yours Sincerely
Sonam Jamphel
Written July 29, 2015
Hi Jay
I would like to book a day tour to Panda base camp and Leshan on 10 April 2015. Our arrival time is 6.35am, we would like a pick up from the airport and go to Panda base camp directly so that we can catch their feeding time. Send us to the hotel after the tour. We will book the hotel ourselves. Do you have any suggestion? We need to catch a flight the next day that departing at 7.35am.
Written February 17, 2015
Hi If you have only one full day in Chengdu for the Panda breeding centre and Leshan Giant Buddha, then it would be bit long day, so the driver will pick up you from the airport and then directly go to the Panda Breeding center which is located north of the city and then after it drive to Leshan for the Giant Buddha which is one way 2 hrs drive. then back to Chengdu.
Generally the transportation would cost from CNY600 - 900, so can you please let me know how many people with you, so that i know how big the car needed.
Written February 18, 2015
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.