Arun specifically arranged for us to be part of the group trip for the first week only since we wanted to add Tibet to the beginning of our trip to Nepal. Everything worked beautifully and the pro-rated cost was very reasonable.
Looking back, it would have been nearly impossible to have arranged China/Tibet, and overland to Kathmandu independently. The Guides were all professional, thorough and knowledgeable. I was surprised at how smoothly the trip went though I suspect the red-tape was endless behind the scenes. Our Tibetan guide was Pempa, who was incredibly knowledgeable, and very kind. And the Nepali guide who met us at the end of the Friendship Bridge between Tibet and Nepal, Cripa, was accommodating of us, even though we left the group and had only one partial day with him. He delivered domestic airline tickets to us, he delivered us to our hotel in Kathmandu, and he gave us his personal contact information in case we needed anything during the rest of our travels in Nepal.
Accommodations were very good. In Old Tingri, accommodation was satisfactory. Surprisingly, the food at Old Tingri was good. Kip and I LOVED the overland trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu--seeing the Himalaya from the north was amazing--certainly the trip of a lifetime. The guides and driver were excellent and the drives were not nearly as hair-raising as I read that they were! Everything happened on schedule. We learned so much about Tibet from Pempa. It was sad to say goodbye to him at the Friendship Bridge.
The trip exceeded our expectations and we will definitely recommend Arun, Sonam, and Third Eye Travel to friends. We especially liked that our group was only 8 people--a perfect size for a tour. We liked our fellow travelers enormously. After only being together for only one week, we're sure we will stay in touch with them. Thanks for a great trip, Arun.