Who: Conscious Journeys is the unique volun-tourism and educational program of the Tibetan Village Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism and economic empowerment on the Tibetan Plateau. Led by Tamdin Wangdu, a native Tibetan and the founder of TVP, our socially responsible Tibetan team has the experience and knowledge to operate this unique program.
What: We offer a balanced blend of cultural immersion, sustainable travel and volunteerism excursions to Tibet for professional volunteers such as doctors, nurses, dentists, adventurists, and students. Volunteer activities include things like building greenhouses and working on community-based tourism projects such as building hiking trails, constructing waste bins, offering site clean ups and ‘Leave No Trace’ environmental ethics training. Volunteers can join with one of the featured journeys or create a customized journey to suit their own interests. Our program offers living and breathing Tibetan cultural experiences, and we give 30% of the profit from the trips back to local communities. In short, we don’t organize tourist trips to tourist places.
Where: Our service program primarily functions in remote villages where we have projects in Kham and Amdo – regions currently known as Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces. However, we organize cultural and spiritual journeys to unique and sacred places in Central Tibet (TAR) where some of our guides and staff grew up. Given the rugged terrain and high altitude, participants must be physically fit and able to handle the altitude (average 12,000 feet). The best travel times are from April to November.
How: True to our mission, we travel responsibly to minimize the exploitation of Tibet’s fragile natural and cultural landscape. We arrange for lodging and meals in local guesthouses and restaurants to facilitate cultural exchange and support community businesses. Furthermore, we encourage our guests to purchase necessities and goods from village markets and shops, and ask everyone to use recyclable materials, and pack out their own trash.
