CAVEAT EMPTOR  (buyer beware!) Shop carefully and ask for references.

Where There Be Dragons specializes in educational adventure trips for teens and young adults.

Definitely Nomadic This is a small quirky outfit started by Angela Lankford and her herdsmen friends in the Tagong area. They specialize in frills-free treks across the Tibetan highlands - or, if you prefer, the Sichuan lowlands. Participants intimately experience local lifestyles and traditions.

Tibetan Trekking is a small but very experienced company founded by veteran guide Gao Liqiang.  His specialties are trips involving filmmaking and videography, trekking and off-road travel, and student groups.  He can supply guides who speak some European languages such as French.

Wild China offers some unique itineraries, including Catholic Tibet, and the Sertar Buddhist Institute.