Tibetan Cultural Tour: Afternoon Visit to Tibetan Settlements in Pokhara
5.0
68 Ratings
Pokhara
Immerse yourself in Tibetan culture with an afternoon visit to Tibetan settlements in Pokhara. Learn about Tibet, Buddhism, food, art, and more from a professional Tibetan tour guide.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Jangchub Choeling Monastery - Afternoon Tibetan cultural Tour.
Departure: 2 pm.
Return: 5:30 to 6 pm.
The Tibetan Encounter day tours are a unique opportunity to spend a day in local Tibetan communities in Pokhara and learn about our rich cultural heritage.
Our tour guide is Mr. Thupten. He himself was born & grew up in one of the Tibetan villages around Pokhara valley.
Tibetan refugees in Nepal are eager to share their philosophies, way of life and dedication to preserving their culture.
It’s certainly a great way to spend your time. So, keep us in mind when you’re looking for things to do in Pokhara Nepal.
-
Visit one Tibetan Refugee settlement near Pokhara Valley.
-
Learn about the meanings of Buddhist symbols in daily life.
-
Explore Tibetan Schools and their educational system.
-
Interact with a young Buddhist monk to learn and understand more about Buddhist monks life.
-
Attend evening prayer chanting with the monks at a monastery.
*Enjoy a traditional Tibetan tea at a local family home.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Afternoon tea
- Snacks
- Driver/guide
- Guaranteed to skip the long lines
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Lunch
Additional Information
Our tours usually focus on educational experiences and the culture of Tibet.
This unique half-day afternoon tour grants you the chance to immerse yourself in a local Tibetan community, guided by a professional Tibetan tour guide. It allows you to gain insights into the lives of the Tibetan people, their Buddhism religion, cuisine, culture, arts, and crafts.
Tibetan immigrants in Nepal are enthusiastic about sharing their philosophies, lifestyle, and efforts towards the preservation of their culture.
Our guide, Mr. Thupten, is a native Tibetan who was born and raised in a Tibetan village in Pokhara. As such, he is a wealth of knowledge on the Tibetan community living in Nepal, and how they diligently maintain their Tibetan language and Buddhist culture. We strongly encourage our guests to ask as many questions as they have about Tibetans and their fascinating culture.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- we also serve gluten free food such as plain rice with veg or non veg curries.
Location
Jangchub Choeling Monastery
Baglung Rajmarg
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(68 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Oliviacnd
Apr 21, 2024
One of the best cultural tours I’ve done so far - To start this review : I would like to thank Thupten for all the explainations he gave us about Tibetan culture, but also history : very interesting and helpful to give you the keys for a better understanding of the Tibetan diaspora and of those people, living in several places around Nepal, Bhutan, India… Visiting the village and traditional house was a great experience as well !
This tour permitted me to learn more about Buddhism, we spent a long moment at the monastery, watching some prayers, and most of all : talking with a monk, who taught us which are the foundations and values of Buddhism philosophy and religion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Saratq2954da
Apr 8, 2024
A unique and enlightening cultural experience - I took the afternoon Tibetan Encounter tour, which featured a monastery visit, a conversation with a monk, and homemade snacks at a Tibetan refugee settlement. I found Thubten to be a passionate and knowledgeable guide with a remarkable life story that added depth to the tour.
In particular, I enjoyed Thubten's sharing of anecdotes and quotes from the Dalai Lama's teachings enriched the experience, reflecting the spiritual essence of Tibetan culture.
Overall, this tour deepened my appreciation for the challenges faced by Tibetans in the diaspora. It left me with a profound admiration for their resilience and a greater understanding of their situation. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
60d
Mar 2, 2024
Excellent tour! Highly recommended! - One of the best activities we did in Nepal. Definitely a must do if you are interested in the plight of the Tibetans and the preservation of their culture. I learnt so much from Thupren is very knowledgeable and his English is very good 👍🏼
There’s an indescribable peaceful and calm vibe about the places we visited with him. The philosophy of Buddhism and world peace is felt strongly for me by the end of this tour.
You can’t help but wish these beautiful people and their beautiful much love and all the best!
Review provided by Viator
945markusx
Feb 21, 2024
My first review ever but wanted to share - I just happened to walk by and it piqued my interest, as I haven't seen anyone else selling it. The reception lady is very friendly and patient to help with any queries one has and the guide doing the Tibetan Encounter Tour (Thupten) is super knowledgeable and friendly as well. Still amazed how one can remember this many facts. The tour is well structured and one surely learns a lot about Tibet, Nepal and how it connects!!
Because I was so pleasantly surprised by the kindness, I also did a small trekking tour with the same company, with Dahnraj as my guide. Same pleasant experience, super friendly and knowledgeable about lots of topics and always happy to talk and smile. He was not only a guide but also a friend.
Just give them a try, you won't regret
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lis_from_sydney
Jan 20, 2024
One of the best Cultural Tours Ive done in a long while. Very thankful. - Mr Thupten is not just a guide. He's an inspirational advocate for the Tibetan people - their language, their culture, their land, and their right to be free.
I was truly in awe of him the whole afternoon - So knowledgeable, so passionate.
I learnt so much about Tibetan history, their current political stance, and lots of sage advice from is His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Also spent some amazing time with one of the Monastery monks - who sat down with us (in between building a retaining wall) to tell us a little bit about his journey.
We also sampled locally made food/drink, were very generously invited into a womans home to share with us their staples of butter tea and bread.
The whole afternoon was so interesting and inspiring and wonderful.
Youd be crazy NOT to experience this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Montipora1
Dec 8, 2023
Excellent experience! - I can highly recommend this trip, beeing enjoyable & educational at the same time!
Starting directly in the car after the pickup, Thupten began to give me an introduction into the Tibetan history and culture. I did not know much about it before, which was not a problem and any question was encouraged. There was so much information, transmitted in a never boring way, but including many stories, real live examples, historic details, Dalai Lama quotes and much more.
During the trip, I very much enjoyed the opportunity to try local tea& Tsampa, but especially to meet a Buddhist monk. He was also very kind, openminded and every question was allowed.
I will surely tell my friends and family about this and wish Thupten and his people all the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dreamer20356447047
Oct 9, 2023
If you’re interested in having a 1-2-1 with a monk and visiting a Tibetan refugee settlement camp - 10/10 recommend! - Thanks to Thupten and Tibetan Encounter for a really beautiful, thought-provoking tour - so thought-provoking that we are still thinking about it over our dinner! The highlight for us was speaking to a young 22 year old monk - hearing his life story, sharing ours and asking questions back and forth felt like a very authentic, real experience to experience first-hand the lives of young Buddhist monks. Visiting the evening prayer at the monastery and having Tibetan tea and snacks at in the home of a Tibetan refugee were also greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Thupten!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
526jt
Sep 24, 2023
Tibetan learning experience - Thupen was fantastic and is clearly proud and passionate about Tibetan culture. I learned so much on this tour. Very authentic, down to earth experience staring with visiting two monasteries, speaking with a monk and see the adorable baby monks running around playing. Walking around the settlement and having tea and bread in someone’s home. If you’re able to go on a Wednesday you may get lucky and see them doing cultural dances - best part is that it is not some overdone performance for tourists, rather something they do for themselves to honor their heritage. Highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sahilas2023
Sep 6, 2023
Don't miss this cultural experience in Pokhara. - This was the highlight of our Pokhara trip. Got to speak to a monk, visit a Tibetan family house where we had Tibetan butter tea and barley meal. It was a rich, intimate and cultural experience. Not to mention the scenery was amazing too!
Our guide Thupten was simply delightful and had us engaged the whole duration of the trip. He was very knowledgeable and extremely nice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q5728jomeganf
Aug 24, 2023
An interesting and informative tour! - One of the best things we did in Pokhara! Such an interesting and memorable experience. We learned so much during the tour and could ask so many questions. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
More activities from this operator
