Locally-Owned Experiences, Stays and Eats

One of the best ways to practice responsible tourism is to make sure you’re giving back to the local communities. You can do that by hiring local guides and locally owned/operated companies, staying in locally-owned hotels, guesthouses and homestays and eating locally.

Having had the privilege to travel to >50 countries across six continents, I wanted to share a few of my personal recommendations for locally-owned travel experiences. I was not paid to promote any of these recommendations, and the owners behind them do not even know I’m recommending them. Note that they are locally-owned to the best of my knowledge. If there’s a mistake, I will correct it when I learn about it.

Also – I know Airbnb stays are a bit controversial. I am recommending stays where I personally met the owner, and confirmed they are local and lived on/near the property.

Read all below or skip to a destination for locally-owned experiences.

Azerbaijan | Botswana | Brunei | Cambodia | Czechia | Fiji | Georgia | Greece | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Ireland | Japan | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Madagascar | Malaysia | Mauritius | Montenegro | New Zealand | Northern Ireland | Peru | Philippines | Poland | Romania | Singapore | Taiwan | Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Türkiye | Uzbekistan | Vietnam | Zambia

Azerbaijan

Experience:

Botswana

Stay:

  • Ghanzi Trailblazers: A campsite and lodge in Ghanzi aiming to keep San (Bushmen) culture and tradition alive through activities like guided bushwalks.

Experiences:

  • Kalahari Tours: According to Safari Guide, this company is Botswana-owned and operated. I did not confirm this, but I can confirm that the guides they employ are from Botswana. They also offer high-quality safaris that offer great value for money.
  • Mosu Safari Tours: According to Safari Guide, this company is Botswana-owned. They employ local communities for their mokoro tours.

Brunei

Stay:

  • Al Afiah Hotel: Bruneian-owned hotel with good local breakfast, personal dock and river safaris.

Experience:

Cambodia

Stays:

  • Odambang Village Homestay (Battambang): Small family guesthouse where owner can also help with transportation and tours.
  • Tong Le Mekong Homestay (Kratie): Small family guesthouse where owner also provides tours or can help arrange local kayaking tours to see the endangered Irrawaddy River Dolphins.

Experiences:

Restaurants:

  • Jaan Bai Restaurant (Battambang): Local restaurant whose proceeds help Cambodian orphans and seeks to educate tourists on the problems with orphanage tourism.
  • Ecran Noodles & Dumplings (Kampot): Small dumpling and noodle restaurant near the town center.

Czechia

Restaurant:

  • Hospudka u Tri Sreyka (Prague): Restaurant with delicious goulash, sausage and beer, and friendly (potentially drunk) owner.

Fiji

Stay:

  • Residence 71 (Nadi): Technically listed on Airbnb but functions more like a guesthouse. Right in the heart of Nadi Town.

Experience:

Georgia

Stay:

  • Batumi Airbnb: Apartment right outside Batumi owned by local family living in building.
  • Meri’s Guesthouse (Mestia): Lovely guesthouse nestled in beautiful Batumi with incredible home-cooked food.

Experiences:

  • Mestia to Ushguli Guided Trek: While a guide is not strictly necessary, you can book a local guide through Caucasus Trekking. The guide will organize the routes, guesthouses and meals for you.
  • Beridze Winery (Batumi): Local winery outside Batumi offering tastings and cooking classes.

Restaurants:

  • Racha (Tbilisi): Best kinkhali I had in Georgia.
  • The Cone Culture (Tbilisi): Great ice cream with unique flavors.

Greece

Stay:

  • Villa Paradise Naxos: Boutique hotel with reasonably priced villas and delicious organic breakfast from their garden.

Hungary

Experience:

India

  • Elephanta Caves Guided Tour (Mumbai): Boat ride and educational tour with woman from Mumbai who genuinely loves meeting and sharing information with tourists.

Indonesia

Stay:

  • Pondok Wisata Guesthouse (Ketambe, North Sumatra): Good jumping off point for seeing the orangutans in Ketambe. I recommend springing for the $30 rooms. Owner also owns an orangutan trekking business.
  • Ikiru to Live (Surabaya, East Java): Small guesthouse in a good area of Suribaya.
  • Kopikuin Bromo Homestay (Mt. Bromo): Nice homestay near Mt. Bromo with good views and food.

Experience:

  • Ketambe Jungle Experience with Iwan & Team: Fantastic company for orangutan trekking with truly wild orangutans in North Sumatra. Iwan can also help arrange transportation and has a nice guesthouse for before/after the trek.

Ireland

Stay:

  • Killybegs Airbnb: Small house on owner’s property that is a good jumping off point for seeing the Slieve League Cliffs.
  • Killarney Airbnb: Small house on owner’s property that is a good jumping off point for driving the Ring of Kerry.

Restaurant:

  • The Rusty Mackerel (Donegal): An institution near the Slieve League Cliffs with good food and Guinness. Also an inn.
Slieve League Cliffs view

Japan:

Stay:

  • Gallery Compass (Osaka): Spacious guesthouse owned by a sweet older couple with good breakfast.

Kyrgyzstan

Stay:

  • Lovely Home for You (Osh): Small guesthouse with kind, helpful owner. Note that it is halal (no pork, no alcohol).

Laos

Stays:

  • Sabaydee Guest House (Houayxay): Nice guesthouse right over the Thai border with great views and a friendly owner.
  • View Point Resort (Nong Khiaw): This hotel has incredible views, delicious breakfast, free all-day coffee, tea and hot chocolate and some of the most helpful employees I’ve met. They helped me surprise my husband with a small cake from the only bakery in town for about $4 USD on his birthday.
  • Sopchem Guesthouse: Peaceful guesthouse with a beautiful view in a small weaving village. They also make delicious meals and offer trekking and fishing tours. Guests can sit around the fire every night and chat with the family or each other.
  • Don Det Souksan Sunset Guesthouse: Nice guesthouse with balconies and beautiful sunset views. Has bikes for rent as well.

Experiences:

  • Luang Prabang Home Cooking Experience: One of the smaller cooking schools in Luang Prabang, owned by a very kind family. Highly recommend over the popular schools.
  • UXO Visitors Centre (Vientiane and Luang Prabang): Museum showing the impact of the unexploded ordinance (UXO) in Laos, and the efforts going towards rectifying it. The one in Vientiane is the best, but Luang Prabang is good, too.
  • Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre (Luang Prabang): Museum showcasing traditional weaving methods of ethnic Lao people.
  • Orange Robe Tours (Luang Prabang): Temple tours with former monks and novices, giving them a better chance to earn a living.
  • Alms Giving (Savannakhet or anywhere except the main place people do it in Luang Prabang): Opportunity to give offerings to the monks every morning so they can eat breakfast. There is a famous place to do it in Luang Prabang, but it is actually more of a spectacle than genuine experience. You can experience it better on the backstreets of Luang Prabang or in Savannakhet.

Restaurants:

Madagascar

Guide: 

Malaysia

Stay:

  • Kuala Kedah Airbnb: More like a guesthouse, and the owner is incredibly helpful with local transportation and recommendations. She even gave us a small gift when we left!
  • Langkawi Country Lodge: Mama Yati and Papa Mas are two of the most genuine hosts I’ve ever met. Their breakfast is delicious, too.

Experiences:

Restaurants:

Mauritius

Stay:

  • Flic en Flac Airbnb: Lower area of a converted house owned by a local family living upstairs. Large, comfortable and affordable with a patio and laundry.

Restaurant:

Montenegro

Stays:

  • Kotor Airbnb: Apartment owned by a former sailor who lives on the property.
  • Talici Hills Rustic Villas (Bar): Beautiful villa you can rent out for yourself or use for an event (like a wedding).

Wedding Planners:

New Zealand / Aotearoa

Experiences:

Van Rentals:

  • Spaceships: Admittedly the company is not 100% local, but I do highly recommend them for an affordable self-contained campervan rental.

Northern Ireland

Stay:

  • Belfast Airbnb: Private ensuite and fully-equipped room in a large apartment shared with owners.

Peru

Guide:

  • SAS Travel Peru: Amazing company for the classic four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Locally-owned, and guides and porters are Quechua from the Cusco department.

Philippines

Stay:

  • Khloe Serenity Guesthouse (Bohol): Legitimately the closest I’ve ever felt to feeling like a member of the family in a different country. Could not recommend higher.

Experiences:

  • Prado’s Travel & Tours (Bohol): Amazing local tour guide who can take you to the best places and local restaurants in Bohol.
  • Buhay Isla: Great company for the multi-day boat expedition between El Nido and Coron. Safe and delicious food.

Poland

Experiences:

Restaurants & Bars:

  • Karmink (Warsaw): Slightly upscale traditional Polish food in the Old Town.
  • Pyzy, Flaki Gorace! (Warsaw): Super local food in the Praga neighborhood. Super delicious, too.
  • Bar Kawowy Piotrus (Warsaw): Best pierogies I ate in Poland.
  • Kuchnia u Doroty (Krakow): Delicious affordable Polish food – best I ate in Krakow.

Romania

Experiences:

  • Steampunk Transylvania (Cluj-Napoca): Imaginative museum-type experience.
  • Libearty Bear Sanctuary (Brasov): Brown bear sanctuary started by Romanian woman and has been named one of the most ethical animal experiences in the world.
  • Bike in Time (Bucharest): Bike tour to nearby winery that is a great value for money. Guide also does non-wine biking tours. 

Restaurants:

  • Uzina de Mici (Cluj-Napoca): Delicious mici in a backyard restaurant.

Singapore

Experience:

Taiwan

Experiences:

  • Ningxia Night Market (Taipei): My favorite night market in Taiwan for food.
  • Mathew Bike (Taipei): Helpful bike rental shop – make sure to specify if you’re a small woman, though.

Restaurants:

  • Beef Noodle King (Taipei): Tasty hand-pulled noodles, but be careful because they short change foreigners.
  • Taiwan Xiao Long Bao (Taipei): This restaurant is located in the Ximending area, and this is its actual name. Amazing dumplings and buns.
  • 外省魯味泡椒麵館 (Chiayi): Small noodle shop with tasty chongqing noodles.

Tajikistan

Guide:

  • Discover the Pamirs: Pamiri company we used for the Pamir Highway. If you can, ask for Hamroz as your driver/guide.

Tanzania

Guide:

  • Gladys Adventures (Moshi): One of the few locally- owned and operated Kilimanjaro trek and safari tour operators in Moshi part of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project. Originally woman-owned and now owned by her grandson.

Thailand

Stays:

  • Mook Tawan Beach House (Koh Mook): Small guesthouse with simple breakfast and friendly hosts near pier.
  • Lok Mun Bungalows (Koh Yao Noi): Comfortable bungalows with kind family and good food.
  • In Phuket House and Sightseeing: Great guesthouse to stay in old town Phuket if you don’t mind being far from the beach. Host really cares and is super knowledgeable about places all around Thailand.
  • Ample Forest Khao Sok Farmstay: Lovely place to stay in the jungles near Khao Sok. Possible to do a fun cooking class or arrange tours.
  • Me Dream Residence (Surat Thani Town): Very comfortable boutique hotel with friendly owners.
  • Ayutthaya Serene Homestay: Spacious homestay very close to the temples of Ayutthaya. The owner insisted on driving us to the train station.
  • Happy Day (Chiang Rai): Guesthouse with few but spacious rooms and common areas with good local recommendations.

Experiences:

  • Koh Pu Mountain guided hike: There are only 1-2 guides leading this hike, ask your accommodation. Views are very nice, and guides help you avoid venomous snakes.
  • Sunrise Bungalow Island Hopping (Koh Yao Noi): Island hopping and snorkeling trip in the beautiful waters near Koh Yao Noi.
  • Maewin & Family Trekking (Chiang Mai): Karen-owned and operated trekking company offering treks through nearby Karen villages via their own trails. One of the few companies offering treks without elephant bathing (which is an unethical practice).

Restaurants:

  • Daya (Koh Lipe): Incredible fresh fisherman-owned seafood restaurant on the beach.
  • Thaidurm (Koh Lipe): Delicious local food.
  • Yawee (Koh Lanta): Best pad thai I had in Thailand, also good juice. Arrive early.
  • Garlic 1992 (Koh Phi Phi): Authentic and delicious restaurant with variety of Thai dishes.
  • Khao Soi Maesai (Chiang Mai): Best khao soi I had in Thailand.

Türkiye

Stays:

  • ANZ Guesthouse (Selcuk): Owned by a Turkish family from Selcuk who once lived in Australia. Very close to Ephesus and rents bikes.
  • Emre’s Stone House (Goreme/Cappadocia): Hostel with plenty of private rooms and good views from dining area. Can help book tours.
  • Matiana View Cave Hotel (Goreme/Cappadocia): Nice boutique cave hotel with good breakfast and views from dining area. Can also book tours.

Experiences:

  • Old City Tour: From Constantinople to Istanbul: Tips-based walking tour with truly great tour guide. You can tell he’s traveled around and done walking tours himself.
  • Europe to Asia Food Adventure (Istanbul): Very fun food tour that took us to places I wouldn’t have thought to visit otherwise.
  • Cappadocia Outdoorsy Travel: Tour company in Cappadocia region offering tours of underground cities, plus mountain biking and hiking.

Restaurants:

  • Vestan Durum (Istanbul): Unassuming but delicious durum restaurant offering only durum.
  • Kadikoy Midyecisi (Istanbul): Fresh stuffed mussels with delicious sauces.
  • Ciya Sofrasi (Istanbul): Family-owned restaurant with great mezzes.
  • Sultanahmet Kofta 1920 (Istanbul): Institution offering kofta for over 100 years.
  • Van Kavahlti Evi (Istanbul): Huge Turkish breakfast offerings.
  • Pinar Pide & Cop Sis (Selcuk): Nice restaurant offering Selcuk cop sis.
  • Keci (Bodrum): Tasty but somewhat upscale restaurant offering good mezzes and seafood.
  • Kosova Koftecisi (Bodrum): Some of the best kofte I had in all of Turkiye.
  • Omurca Art Cave (Goreme/Cappadocia): Best meal I had in the Cappadocia region, and they serve balloon kebab and local wine.

Uzbekistan

Stays:

  • Gulnara Guesthouse (Tashkent): Family-owned guesthouse, the courtyard is a vibe.
  • Sitora Star Guesthouse (Samarkand): This guesthouse doesn’t have as much of a vibe going on, but the rooms are nice, and the owner is incredibly nice and helpful.

Experiences:

  • Nurata Tours (Nuratau Mountain region): Offers cultural tours of the Nuratau Mountains and other regions, gives back to the local communities.
  • Chorsu Bazaar (Tashkent): Once a stop on the Silk Road, a good place to shop from local vendors.

Vietnam

Stays:

  • Mylan Hotel (Da Lat): Spacious, comfortable, yet very affordable rooms and friendly people.
  • House of Ly (Hue): Nice rooms in heart of Hue with kind owner.
  • Tam Coc Peaceful Nature (Ninh Binh area): Boutique hotel with gorgeous views of the limestone karsts, nice rooms with balconies, good pool and free bike rentals. Only downside is breakfast.

Experiences:

Restaurants/food stalls:

Honestly, the best way to eat good Vietnamese food and support local businesses is to walk around and find semi-busy (with locals) small restaurants with plastic stools! Preferable serving only 1-2 things. But here are a few I enjoyed:

Zambia

Driver:

  • John Kawewe (Livingstone): Kind and reliable honest taxi driver. Whatsapp is +260979359315

To be continued after more travel!

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