From start to finish my husband and I were more than impressed with Sonam and his team.

All our email communication in arranging the trip and the permit for myself was handled smoothly and quickly. Price was very reasonable and we could customise the itinerary to our specifications - no forced stops etc. Sonam was very helpful in advising us flight options to book also and in answering all of our questions. Our flight into Tibet was delayed by an hour but not to worry, Sonam and our driver were there to meet us outside of the airport. Very reassuring after a long trip. The car used for our 2 day tour round Lhasa was a comfortable people carrier and the driver was prompt and safe. Our guide was a lovely Tibetan lady, very knowledgable about the history of Tibet and Buddhism. She effortlessly guided us around Deprung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple. Very patient and kind, helped me out with posting a postcard and buying a book at Potala Palace. Lunch stops were at recommended places. On the last night Sonam treated us to dinner at House of Shambala - (we requested this hotel to be booked for us and he organised a great room for us). We even were given beautiful Buddhist rosary beads as a parting gift from Sonam. I highly recommend using this agency for organising a trip to Lhasa - you will be in safe hands and not disappointed. It's wonderful to be able to use a Tibetan company also and give something back. I will be recommending to all my friends and colleagues.

We booked our trip through Tibet Native Travel services a couple months ago. They were very quick to respond and very accommodating. They booked the hotels, arranged our Tibet travel permit and provided with a fantastic tour guide and driver and the car was top notch. I believe my experience would have been very different if I didn't use a company like this one. I also wanted to use a Tibetan company and have a Tibetan tour guide as I believe they are more knowledgeable about Tibet than their Chinese counterparts. During our stay at the hotel in Lhasa we encountered a problem and they changed our hotel without any extra charges. On our last day they invited us to a very special dinner. I highly recommend this company as their service is excellent from beginning to end!

We were on tour with Tibet Native Travel in April 2017. We found this local agency through the Internet und couldn’t have taken a better choice. We absolutely recommend Tibet Native Travel. For our `private Tour’ as a couple a Group Visa was necessary. A partner agency of Tibet Native in Kathmandu, Nepal - our first stop for the purpose of acclimatization – succeeded in organizing an urgent visa within two days; we only had Sunday and Monday available. We planned our tour program with our agency with Mail and WhatsApp individually in advance. We chose to have 2,5 days for acclimatization in Lhasa (3600 m), what was extremely supportive for us, and - in contrary to the usual group tours - only one sight a day, in order to have enough time to relax and get used to the height. Our driver and guide were both native Tibetans. Whenever possible they met our specific wishes and enabled many experiences, not possible in a Bus Group Tour. They answered all our questions, so we were able to learn a lot. During our common time we had not only a great atmosphere in the car, it also felt more and more like some kind of friendship with our companions. At the end our guide invited us for lunch into his house – an amazing experience for that we are very gracious. On our tour to Gyantse we enjoyed the view to Yamdrok Lake and continued to the Everest Base Camp. For us it was very important to stay two nights in Shekar (4400 m) – because the experiences of other travelers, staying with their tour operators in Rongbuk/Base Camp on 5200m in a tent were sufficiently deterrent. Tibet Native Tours had booked for us, except in the huge cities Lhasa and Shigatse (where we slept in upper class hotels) always the best possible local accommodation (what doesn’t necessarily include warm water or heating for the room (in Shekar only the mattress was heatet). As a traveler it is important to have realistic expectations in rural areas. Everywhere in Tibet beds are relatively hard and food variety is sometimes limited – we were lucky to have a guide with an excellent local knowledge, connections and insider tips, e.g. helping us to figure out the menu. We especially enjoyed the Tibetan traditional cuisine – that was also safe for us to eat. After returning from Shigatse to Lhasa we continued our trip with our guide and driver to Nam Tso Lake – usually only a goal for chinese Tour Buses. Beside the deep insights into the religion and culture we especially liked the journey to Gyantse, passing Yamdrok Lake and the Everest Region, where we enjoyed a magnificent view (April is a good month for a clear view). The frozen holy Lake Nam Tso was very beautiful, too - experiences that were possible only with many kilometers by car. About our agency we especially appreciate that Sonam Gyatso, the manager of Tibet Native Tours, was available around the clock. (Please consider, e.g. contacting form Germany, the time difference of 6 hours, otherwise he will answer you in the middle of his night in between a few minutes). Coming back to Lhasa we heard about an Australian Tourist arriving in Lhasa with altitude sickness, who was immediately brought to hospital by Sonam Gyatso/Tibet Native Travel personally, where she was cared for overnight. That felt very safe and couldn’t be any better. For future trips in the chinese autonomous region Tibet we well book 100% Tibet Native Travel. Thank you Sonam and Lhakpa for making possible our unique adventures! Eva (from Freiburg, Germany)

Tibet Native Tour was very professional and efficient. They took care of all the numerous permits and everything went very smoothly without any problems. They were very accommodating and always willing to help. Our guide and driver were very nice and honest. Overall an excellent journey . Using a local tour company is definitely the best way to discover Tibet and encourage local Tibetan business.

I recently traveled to Tibet as a solo female and had an incredible experience with Sonam and Tibet Native. I strongly recommend looking no further as their local experience, responsiveness and value are unparalleled. Not only did Sonam procure my travel permit within a day or two, but he arranged for a local contact to meet me during my brief stopover in Guangzhou to deliver the permit before making my connecting flight which worked seamlessly! Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted by Sonam and his driver with a Tibetan scarf, plenty of water, and available oxygen (which I didn't need). Throughout my five days touring in and around Lhasa, Sonam was incredibly flexible to tailor my tour and make changes along the way based on my energy and preferences. He was also very adept with accommodating my vegan diet and the food was amazing! While in Tibet, I learned that not many tour companies are local to Tibet, but rather, are based all over China and sell the packages to the local Tibetan agencies, thus increasing the cost due to the use of a middle man. Not only was working directly with Tibet Native more cost effective, but they are trustworthy, timely, responsive and extremely knowledgeable. They also have several local relationships, since they live in Tibet, which became very useful when accommodating my personal interests such a visiting a local home, taking a cooking class, visiting a school and assistance with local airport contacts. As an example of how they're willing to go the distance for their clients, Sonam invited me into his home and his wife taught me how to make vegan momos! I had asked about taking a cooking class, but the other classes weren't operating since my visit was close to the Tibetan New Year, so he created a delicious and very authentic experience for me with his family! This kindness, sincerity and generosity shone through my entire visit and I feel truly grateful to have had such a wonderful visit. On my last day, my flight was cancelled with no notice while I was at the departure gate. Sonam had already traveled an hour back to the city after dropping me at the airport. However, when I asked the airport personnel to contact him, he diligently assisted with translation and trouble shooting. When it was determined that no further flights would depart, I was brought back into the city where Sonam generously offered his time and support to assist with getting my travel plans back on track (in which case his local contacts became extremely useful) and even brought me all the way back to the airport with a smile! I rarely write these kinds of reviews, but this experience truly warmed my heart and wish that all others can experience such a beautiful and meaningful time in Tibet. It has sincerely left a lasting mark on my soul.

No one can really get to know a place in 5-7 days, especially when the place is as vast and culturally rich as Tibet. However, if this is all the time one's schedule and means allow for an introductory glimpse into this enchanting land, one needs to look no further than Tibet Native Travel Services to be one's guide, not because as a foreign visitor, one is not allowed to roam wild in Tibet, but because there is no quicker way to connect with the people and history that are responsible for every artifact and practice one sees under the sky in this vast landscape.

If you are reading this, chances are you have read about Tibet and have at least some notion of its recent history, but Tibet and the Tibetans are much more than that. Keep an open mind, listen, ask questions, observe, participate when invited to do so, and you will be rewarded with an experience like no other, and will have much to reflect upon on your way home. In so far as the level of service is concerned, everything written by the other reviewers is true. The staff at TNTS may be too modest to lay claim to being the best in the business, but I fail to see how they can be topped! In fact, when comparing notes with Chinese travelers from the inner provinces, we learned that dollar for dollar, the service and accommodation we were getting were far superior to what was available to them. Bear in mind that your guide is not only responsible for making your visit as comfortable and enjoyable as physically possible, but also for how you behave in public during the tour. While your guide will never stop you from doing what you wish to do, use common sense and act responsibly, so that this type of service will continue to be available for many more visitors to enjoy.

We have been fortunate to live in and travel quite a lot across Asia for the last 3+ years, and I can say without hesitation that our experience in Tibet with Sonam and Tibet Native Travel Services is at the top of the list!!

In fact, the quality of TNTS service is the BEST we have experienced of any tour / travel service provider anywhere period - whether in "developed" US/EU countries or emerging markets. Tibet Native's service is world-class in my mind for 4 main reasons: 1) Authentic / Genuine experience. The TNTS team is local Tibetans with decades of experience. They will ensure your experience is as authentic as possible, and you will learn a lot about Tibet's history and transition through the local people....fascinating, thought-provoking, and heartfelt. 2) Unparalleled Professionalism - from the same-day responses to my myriad of emailed questions in the pre-planning process to the regular interaction throughout our journey (at each stop Sonam would call me to check in and see how things were going), to the quality of the tour guide, driver, accommodations. They will never take you to cheesy tourist trap stores, etc. where you feel pressured to buy something......in fact, multiple times my wife had to literally ask them to stop at places so she could shop for items like authentic thanka or Tibetan rugs. 3) Flexibility and One-Stop Service for all of our needs - we wanted to take a few days before arriving in Lhasa to acclimate (highly recommended), so we decided to first fly into Xian (terra cotta soldiers) for a couple of days, then to Xining (to acclimate at 2200m), then take the 24 hr train ride to Lhasa (really fun with our young kids who imagined being on the Harry Potter train while seeing beautiful landscapes and animals from the comfort of our sleeper). Sonam created the itinerary to match our needs, and was a single point of contact for everything, even though he had to work with multiple service providers in Xian and Xining. This was very important for us as working professionals for TNTS to coordinate everything through 1 person and still provide great pricing and fantastic value for our money. 4) Catered to small children - we had a lot of angst about bringing our 5 and 7 year old daughters to Tibet. However, throughout the planning process and during our trip, everyone from TNTS was fantastic to ensure we had the best experience possible, that our children were always comfortable, and the itinerary allowed us to explore a lot while pacing ourselves accordingly. Working with TNTS felt like being with family members who truly care about you and your well-being. I'll finish by saying, despite being fortunate to visit many countries over the last several years, this is the first review I have ever written in TripAdvisor. I feel compelled to do so because of the overwhelmingly positive and warm experience we had with Sonam and the TNTS team. Looking forward to hopefully a chance to visit other parts of Tibet (Eastern area is supposed to be beautiful) with TNTS in near future!

We travelled with this agency in late May 2015, they organised the visas and the tours (despite extremely short notice on our part) and advised us when we could get accommodation cheaper ourselves ( but still provided a recommendation ), The agency the guide and the driver were all excellent, and knowledgeable and local. They were also reasonably priced compared to the other agencies I tried, and all the staff we meet all lived and worked locally cutting out the middle man. Throughly recommended