Inspiration from a Tibetan Mother

Namdon of Tibet family Kitchen with her daughters

Namdon is the owner of the beautiful Tibet Family Kitchen in Lhasa. More than a restaurant offering mouth-watering Tibetan food, the cooking classes offered here are a cultural experience every traveler must include on their trip to this ancient city. Though her one room kitchen operation has grown into a two-story restaurant with a roof-top patio near the old town, her friendliness and hospitality still ensures every guest experiences the warmth of a “family kitchen”. Extravagant Yak is proud to know her and feature her business on Tibetpedia.com. This is her story.

Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Travel Permit

1. What is a Tibet Travel Permit?   Firstly, a Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) is NOT a visa or any other kind of stamp that goes in your passport. It is a completely separate document that is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau. It has two pages: the first page …

Tibetan Family Kitchen

Tibetan Family Kitchen entrance Lhasa

Tibetan Family Kitchen is becoming a landmark in Lhasa for good reason. It was founded by a young and enthusiastic Tibetan couple in 2013. Namdon and Lumbum were tour guides for many years, but unfortunately in 2012 there were far too few tour groups to make a living. With the …

Sonam International Youth Hostel

Sonam Hostel

Sonam International Youth Hostel was founded by a capable Tibetan lady, Nizhen, in 2008.  As a result of the train to Lhasa opening in 2006, the tourism in the area developed greatly. As Nizhen had a few years of experience in running a hostel in mainland, China, she decided to …

Metok Karpo Restaurant

Metok Karpo Owner

Metok Karpo is a gem of a restaurant located near Barkor in central Lhasa. Though it is hidden away in a narrow alley beside the Snowlands restaurant, it is well worth the effort to track it down. The low doorway is on your right hand side if you are walking …

Po Ba Tsang Restaurant

Employees of Po Ba Tsang

Located in Lhasa, the Po Ba Tsang Restaurant is serving guests more than just food, and they are proving that being at the roof of the world is a rewarding, yet challenging task. Guests to Lhasa are continually amazed by the local historical and cultural sites, and they are often …

Jokhang Temple

Standing four stories tall, spread over an area of about 25,000 square meters in the heart of Lhasa, the UNESCO World Heritage Jokhang Temple (ཇོ་ཁང་།) with its golden roof is an esoteric blend of local Tibetan elements with Nepalese, Chinese, and Indian influences. The spinning of prayer wheels, murmur of …

Chomolungma (Mt. Everest)

Mt. Evereset by day.

Also known as Chomolungma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ། )in Tibetan, (珠穆朗玛峰 in Chinese), the mere mention of the name “Everest” already evokes enough pictures in our imaginations: ice axes, climbing ropes, avalanches, sherpas, basecamps and lots and lots of snow. The tallest point from sea level on planet earth (8,848m) is assisted to its …

Drepung Monastery

Historically, the most significant monastery in Tibetan Buddhism, Drepung Monastery(འབྲས་སྤུངས་དགོན་པ།) used to be the seat of political and religious power in Tibet (before the Potala Palace was built). This significance came in part due to its location just outside of Lhasa, and in part due to it being the primary …

Sera Monastery

Sera Monastery (སེ་ར་དགོན་པ།) is one of the most beautiful monastery compounds you will see in Tibet, and one of Lhasa’s several great religious institutes. Built on the gentle slope of a mountain overlooking Lhasa, its white stone roads and walkways feel almost Mediterranean. The roads are lined with beautiful trees …