Bodhi Inn boutique hotel is just at the entrance of the charming Shangri-La Old Town. The hotel is also situated very close to the bus station. When you enter the hotel, you notice the beautiful Tibetan-style decorations right away. It is obvious that the Bodhi Inn gives special attention to detail, and they have done so in very good taste and with a desire for authentic style. The fireplace is a great place to hang out at night to relax, or to catch up over a meal. The owner of the hotel, Tashi, speaks excellent English and he is a very helpful guy. He is always happy to help his costumers with travel information and the best ways to discover the local food. Bodhi Inn also provides free pick up from bus station and airport, just be sure to let them know you arrival details ahead of time.
The gate of Bodhi Inn
Tashi is a Tibetan guy who was born in Nepal, but visiting Shangri-La was one of his biggest whishes. Fortunately, his wish came true in 2005. Tashi fell in love with this amazing place from the day he arrived, so he decided to work there as a guide. Tashi has received so many guests-turned-friends, from all over the world. They love Shangri-La and some of them even come back almost every year. That inspired Tashi to build a home for visitors and himself. He opened the hotel in April of 2014. Ever the entrepreneur, Tashi now also runs a coffee shop and handicraft shops. In total, Tashi has 11 staff work for him who speaks English well, and they are very friendly and welcoming to guests and shoppers alike.
Inside Bodhi Inn
The rooms at the Boddhi Inn are clean and charming, have free wifi, are well equipped with electric blankets, new A/C, and have a modern bathroom with a nice shower. As a guest, you’ll be offered a tasty cup of ginger tea on arrival, which is freely available 24 hours per day. You have three options for breakfast in the morning: American, European, or Tibetan. True to your travel experience, we would highly recommend trying the Tibetan breakfast at least once with a cup of Yak butter tea.
Family style room in Bodh Inn
If you’re visiting Shangri-La Old Town, consider Bodhi Inn if you’re looking for a pleasant and comfortable place to stay.
Contact Info:
Adress: No.14 Yiruo Mulang, Beimen Street, Dukezong Old Town, Shangri-La County 674400, China.
Shigatse is a place you don’t want to miss if you travel to Tibet. As the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Shigatse is full of fascinating history and local culture. Shigatse is a modernized city where travelers can find many spots to enjoy the hospitality of the Tibetan people and their distinct culture. Such as that found at Gesar Hotel (“Kesar” in Tibetan). Gesar Hotel was founded by a nomad – Sonam Dorje – in 2012.
The beautiful reception area at Gesar Hotel.
Born in a very remote village, Sonam was not lucky enough to get education, but his ambition to start a business never went away. In 1994, Sonam became a father, and this was a life change that encouraged him to take first steps towards starting his own business. He wanted his kids to get better education and he was willing to do everything to support his family. Still, it took a few years before his dreams actually took flight.
Finally, in 2006, he founded his first construction company, and through this company he offered 200 job opportunities to his local community. Yet, Sonam was still not content continually seeing many young local people were struggling to support themselves. He wanted to help them discover and grow their skills. So he started building Gesar Hotel in 2008, and officially opened it on April 20th, 2012. Now there are 70 employees at the hotel.
A guest room at Gesar Hotel.
Sonam came up with the name Gesar for the hotel because he grew up listening to his grandmother tell stories about King Gesar. Gesar is a hero in a lot of Tibetan’s hearts, so Sonam decorated the hotel in the theme of Gesar. Paintings on the wall in hotel will take you back in time, as all the paintings are about his life. When looking at the walls, it is not hard to get lost in the beauty of Tibetan art and this ancient culture.
Gesar hotel was the first hotel in Shigatse to be decorated in such a distinct Tibetan style, and guests are often amazed by the beautiful decorations and furniture found throughout. There are more then 150 rooms in the hotel, all of which are very clean and decorated with lovely, handcrafted Tibetan furniture.
A hall at Gesar.
You will also be amazed by the wonderful staff at the hotel. At Gesar Hotel, guests are treated as friends. The staff are very helpful, humble, kind, and they always try to make you feel comfortable. The manager of the hotel speaks fluent English, and he is always happy to help you and answer all your questions.
Sonam Dorje believes that Gesar Hotel is not only a business but also a part of the local culture. With so many employees, Sonam is having a great impact on a large part of the community. He hopes that he can help more young people with their family and future, and he also hopes that visitors will have a pleasant stay at Gesar Hotel.
If you are travelling through Shigatse, we highly recommend Gesar Hotel as a comfortable place to stay.
Ruoergai grassland is the second largest grassland in the Tibetan regions and it is also one of the most beautiful marshland in China. This grassland is home to yaks, sheep, and horses, while the marsh is officially recognized as the homeland of the black necked crane. Ruoergai is one of the best places to learn about and experience Tibetan nomadic life. The boundless grassland, blue sky, and gorgeous black and white tents will make you want to look over and over again. You may even want to try to ride a yak or a horse when you see the local shepherds riding their horses on the beautiful grassland. Or maybe you will want to help local nomads milk and make their butter and cheese? Whatever the grasslands stir inside of you, we really don’t want you to miss a visit to this very fascinating place if you have any chance to travel here. While you travel the Ruoergai Grasslands, we would recommend a visit to “Huahu Daqain Shijie”. Huahu Daqian Shijie will bring you authentic local Tibetan nomadic life.
Huahu Daqian Shijie is located next to the famous tourist place HuaHu (“Flower Lake”). Only a five-minute walk across the street, it was founded by Langmu Monastery in April of 2015. Many people visit this area because of its proximity to Flower Lake, so in order to educate visitors on local nomadic culture, and to provide jobs to the young people who didn’t get a lot of education, Langmu monastery built the complex system that makes up Huahu Daqain Shijie.
While owned by Langmu Monastery, the day to day management of the site is run by locals. Dolma Tsetan is one of the main managers at the hotel, and he is a kind and caring man whose education is mostly self-taught. In the past few years in particular he has spent a lot of time joining managerial and skills training seminars to enrich his knowledge of business.
Dolma Tsetan has proved himself to be a very capable man, and he works with more than 40 employees. The majority of his employees are local nomads and farmers who have not received a lot of education, but he has trained them to work as servers and other staff to welcome their guests warmly.
Huahu Daqian Shijie is a fascinating place to experience nomadic life.
The lodging here is very different from what you have probably had before. All of their lodgings are white ger/yurt (tents) holding a total of about 300 beds. You can choose your tent based on your budget and the number of features you would like it to include. There are VIP types of ger which are quite luxurious (particularly considering you’re in a tent), gers with double beds and private shower rooms, or ger with double rooms but which share a public bathroom. The beds are comfortable and clean, and built to stand up to the weather on the Tibetan plateau.
In the center of the site you will find a small lake and island. Guests are welcome to take a stroll around the lake, enjoy the sunshine under the shade of the circular gazebo roof, or enjoy a spot of yak milk tea by the lake. Every evening, people gather together to dance in the traditional Tibetan style. Another place to check out while here is to take a quick peak into the tent which is set up like an education center about the artifacts of Tibetan nomad life.
With food, you have option of having Chinese food along the street, or Tibetan food at the restaurant hotel. We would recommend you to have Tibetan food (would your Tibetan experience be complete without it?). The hotel restaurant is probably one of the most unique restaurants you have even eaten in before. When coming off of the road, the restaurant is on the left side of the front gate and is pretty recognizable as it is situated in a big black yak wool tent.
Heading inside the tent (once your eyes have adjusted a little), you will find a Tibetan style fireplace which will be using the authentic firewood – yak dung. Choose one of the low tables and sit cross legged on the beautiful sheep skin mats. While it might be hard for you to sit on the ground in this manner for the entire meal, enjoy the experience of how the nomads truly share life. Yak meat and yak meat sausage, fresh yogurt, lamb, momos (dumplings), and milk tea are the most popular food on the menu here.
Huahu Daqian Shijie black tent restaurant is a nice place to enjoy local nomadic food.
The staff at Huahu Daqian Shijie warmly welcomes people from all over the world to experience the authentic Tibetan nomad’s lifestyle. If you choose to stay here or even just drop by for a meal, we think you will have a rewarding and pleasant stay.
Contact Info:
Address: Across from Flower Lake just outside of Ruoergai (5 minutes walk)
In Ruoergai County Town, you will find the Wrangler Hotel. As a local nomadic family runs the hotel, the managers – Dorjie and Gengden – are both family. Both brothers are friendly people who are very passionate about social entrepreneurship. They have been helping a lot of local people make their livelihood as they currently have more than 30 employees. Previously, Duojie was fortunate to receive a little bit of training on ecotourism and social entrepreneurship in United States. The training helped him to reshape business in such a way that he provides jobs and training to his staff to raise the quality of Wrangler Hotel in a responsible and sustainable way.
The hotel was opened in April 2015. The family built the hotel because tourism is developing very fast in Ruoergai, and both domestic and international tourists visit the beautiful grasslands to get a glimpse into nomadic life. As a result of this surge in tourism, the hotel wants to provide a nice and comfortable place for visitors to stay. There are single rooms and double rooms each with nice bathrooms attached and complete with wonderful showers and western toilets. The rooms are very clean and the beds are very comfortable, with each of the rooms having their own wifi.
Inside of Wrangler Hotel
You will find a cozy teahouse located on both the 4th and 5th floors of the hotel. The 4th floor teahouse is classical in style and it has a mix of decorations common to both Chinese and Tibetan style teahouses. If you have never gone to tea ceremony, it’s worthwhile to take the time to visit while you are here. The tea table is very nice and you have the option of either making your own tea, or for the authentic experience, the waiters will make it for you if you wish. There are different kinds of Chinese tea available, and while you sip some oolong or green tea, the soft background music is designed to calm and relax you. If you are looking for something a little stronger instead, wines and beer are also available at this teahouse.
The second teahouse on the 5th floor is decorated as a garden style teahouse. There are many plants, and the height gives you a nice view of Ruoergai town. If you are a little more budget conscious, the tea on this floor is a slightly cheaper than the 4th floor teahouse, although the selection is not quite as wide. If you get hungry, either tea house provides a range of Chinese dishes for you to choose from.
Wrangler Hotel’s Tea House
If you find yourself visiting Ruoergai County Town in the Aba Prefecture, mosey on over to the Wrangler Hotel for a little shut eye or to enjoy a nice cup of tea.
Contact Info:
Address: Chunxi Road, Ruoergai Town, Aba Prefecture.
In Aba, you will find the Aba Zang Feng Hotel where travelers go to experience a little bit of the local Tibetan hospitality and kindness. You will also find that the hotel is one of the most comfortable and cleanest in town. A local Tibetan couple Nima and his wife Norbu Tso run the hotel, and they welcome guests from all over the world as they have the legal permission to accommodate both domestic and international visitors. Opened in 2015, this was the first locally-owned Tibetan home-style hotel in the town of Aba.
Both Nima and Norbu Tso are teachers at the local Tibetan middle school. Their polite and warm service will make your journey easier and more enjoyable. They are always happy to help you out if you want them to assist you with anything. For example, they will help you if you need to rent a car to drive around the town or visit any of the scenery in Aba. Nima has a small car, so he may even offer to drive you himself if he is not busy. As locals in the area, they have a host of information up their sleeve which they will willingly provide to you as you need it.
The Aba Zang Feng Hotel has single, double, and triple rooms, and one “family style” room to accommodate their guests. The Family Style room is a big space with a comfortable sofa/lounge area, bathroom, and a private kitchen, making this perfect if you are traveling with your family or friends and want a little more space. Internet is available at the hotel, along with plenty of hot water, so your stay at their hotel should be relatively refreshing.
Aba Zang Feng Hotel’s family style room.
The entire hotel has Tibetan decorations, although the architecture is not quite in the Tibetan style. The top floor of the hotel gives a great view of the entire town, allowing guests to appreciate their surroundings. If you ask for it, the couple is happy to provide you with local milk tea or green tea. The stairs leading to each floor open onto a hallway landing complete with a quaint set of table and chairs perfect for enjoying your tea, or waiting for a friend. The hotel location is also conveniently located near the supermarket, antique market, and the Kirti Monastery.
None of the hotels in Aba town are fully Tibetan in style, so Nima and Norbu Tso are planning to build another hotel in Aba that will be designed and decorated in the traditional Tibetan architecture. As teachers, both of them are very passionate about education, so they also hope to support poor students with their school fees in the future. We hope to see Nima and Norbu Tso continue to fulfill their dreams as they are a very sweet and hardworking couple.
The hall of the hotel is a very nice place to enjoy local tea.
We strongly believe that by staying at the Aba Zang Feng Hotel you will have a culturally rewarding and pleasant stay. When we visited here, the couple continued to go above and beyond our expectations, continually offering us services we didn’t even know we wanted, but really ended up thankful for! We walked in their front door as complete strangers, and after the couple of days we spent at their hotel, we left feeling as if we had just made a friends with their family.
Contact Info:
Address: 40 meters on the right side of Aba Township Government Building, Aba Town.
Hong Yuan is a very good place for travelers to explore the Tibetan nomadic life. When staying in the area there are a few tent hotels available but this option often means a private shower is not possible. However, if you are looking for a nice and comfortable bed with a private shower and pretty good internet, we are happy to recommend you Hua Hai hotel. The hotel itself is about what you would expect in your average hotel, but we appreciate the young entrepreneurial spirit of the ownership.
The hotel is located just off of Hong Yuan’s main road, meaning it is not one of the most visible places to stay in town. Still, it is a wonderfully quiet street, and conveniently located close to the grasslands. We also like that the price is reasonable for guests, and with 24 double rooms in the hotel, there should be plenty of space for you and your traveling companions. If you are traveling with a vehicle or bike, guests are also able to park these inside the hotel’s gates each night for a little added security.
Inside of the Hua Hai Hotel
Founded in May of 2016 by a young local Tibetan guy named Lengzhou, Hua Hai Hotel is his first crack at the entrepreneurial can. Lengzhou has been volunteering for an organization since he graduated from college where he is mainly in charge of sponsoring local low-income students and taking care of vulnerable seniors. Lengzhou enjoyed his work but at the same time he was hungry to become an entrepreneur. He opened the hotel with his family’s support, and while currently there are only 2 employees now, he is hoping to hire more local staff in the future.
Lengzhou also said that he would like to build another hotel with Tibetan style and decoration after he has gained some experience running and managing the Hua Hai Hotel. We wish him success in his entrepreneurship journey that he may help more local people and the travelers who find their way in his front door!
Front desk of Hua Hai Hotel
Contact Info:
Address: East of Gangre street of Qiongxi town, Hongyuan county town.
