Kimkim Trip Reviews for Nepal

Sangita was unbelievably brilliant from start to finish, from the first moment we enquired about going to EBC she responded immediately with advice and guidance on how to make our trek personalised for our family. She met us in Kathmandu at the start and at the end of the trek. Mitra our guide met us at the airport in Kathmandu and was the nicest, most knowledgeable and polite person. He knows the mountains and has family and so many friends in the Khumbu region so when we needed to change or alter our journey it was no problem. When trekking to EBC with altitude and weather as major factors you need a local guide that has the experience and can call on their contacts at a moments notice, for example the weather in Lukla has been terrible for the last week with no flights going in or out. We paid extra for a helicopter to take us in and out, many people have been stuck there for quite a while, having already paid for a helicopter to take us back to Kathmandu the weather came in , which meant the helicopter couldn’t land at Lukla so Mitra organised for us to walk an hour and a half down the valley to get the helicopter, this was a last minute decision but he had friends who we paid to carry our bags. A western guide had to send her group out in shifts on various helicopters and she ended up on our flight having no other way to get back. Mitra was utterly brilliant and we can’t recommend Sangita and Mitra enough.

Hotel Review

Barahi Kathmandu

Absolutely brilliant hotel and such a great way to start and finish our trek.

Authenticity & Character

Location

5 minutes walk from the shops to buy any extras you need.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Drive to Ramechhap. Fly to Lukla. Trek from Lukla to Phakding (2,610 m/3-4 hrs)

Phakding

Thank goodness we didn’t get to do this. We paid for a helicopter to take us direct from Kathmandu to Lukla. People we spoke to who did this journey said it was awful.

Fly from Lukla to Ramechhap(about 20 min). Drive to Kathmandu.

Kathmandu

Don’t do this pre book a helicopter as the weather is so unpredictable that you may be stuck in Lukla for days. Budget the price of a helicopter into your trek. The people we spoke to who had done this journey said the road trip was awful.

10/10!! First time visiting to Nepal and Bhutan, and we were delighted with everything. Totally smooth sailing, amazing things to see and experience in both countries.
Amanda was communicative, and inspired confidence so we could relax and be taken care of in the multiple stops. Would not do less than 12 nights, Kathmandu x3, Pokhara x2, Chitwan x2, Kathmandu x1, and 4 in Bhutan (at 3 different spots,) which is what we did, and ideally would do a few more days in Bhutan if we had the time. Both countries are very different from each other and from anywhere else we have traveled.

Amanda and Raj from Himilayan Trails, who provided or coordinated guides and transfers with Amanda were outstanding! They kept us safe and changed some hikes etc due to landslides, were there for us every step of the way. I highly recommend both Kimkim and Amanda, who organised all from the heart and provided a no worries, unforgettable,trip.

Mr. Ngima Sherpa had to change our original itinerary due to horrendous rainfall which destroyed road and bridges to alternate itinerary with uttermost conditions of safety of us. New itinerary was totally satisfied one with serious concern of our safety. Our trekking guide, Ang Geld Sherpa took care of us from beginning to an end. He was not only excellent guide and also very kind and caring person. We felt like as we were trekking with our son who care of his parents. Our porter, Purna was also excellent member of our trekking.

Our experiences in Nepal was most fascinating travel experience. We thanks to Kimkim to connect us with best ones in Nepal.

From day one, Sangita interacted & engaged with us in an excellent manner - always ready to listen, advise and provide useful feedback. When we arrived in Kathmandu, we were well received in the traditional Nepalese way, garlanded with a typical Nepalese shawl. A welcome dinner in the evening with Sangita and Bipin further enhanced our first day in Kathmandu. The short walk to the restaurant along the narrow and busy streets was very interesting.

Kathmandu is a bustling city with smiling faces on everyone. Very interesting and exciting places - Thamel, Bhaktapur and Patan. The city lived up to it's claim - 'city of temples'. Beautiful scenes of the local people, culture and we were fortunate enough to witness a very colourful and joyous festival. I would like to make special mention to Ichaa (our guide) to show us around in Thamel and Patan. She was knowledgeable, helpful and engaged with such passion and charm that made our trip more memorable. Sangita also made an extra effort to take some time off her busy schedule to take us on a walking tour of Kathmandu on our last day in Kathmandu.

Pokhara was out of this world. The view of the mountains were awesome and quite extraordinary, something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Thanks to Sangita and kimkim for organising our trip. It was a wonderful trip and we hope to return soon. Cheers.

Hotel Review

Hotel WoodApple

Thamel

Tucked away in a corner of Thamel, but was fairly comfortable. Good breakfast and excellent staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air condition

Activity Reviews

Patan Tour- Explore Newari culture, history, architecture and many untold stories

Kathmandu

Beautiful ancient temples and architecture. Walking through the narrow alleys and into the courtyards of the palace & temples was amazing and unforgettable.

Quality of Experience

the ancient artifacts & buildings

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Ichaa was excellent with her explanations & her amazing attitude left us with a amazing experience.

Transport

Welcome to Nepal. Evening Welcome Dinner

Kathmandu

Good food and an important meeting with Sangita - useful information with an overview of what to expect

Quality of Experience

The somewhat slower pace which I had requested

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, friendly and will to go an extra mile

Transport

On time, comfortable & safe

Bhaktapur Tour- Explore Newari culture, history, architecture and many untold stories

Kathmandu

Unique and interesting architecture of the buildings, temples, wooden doors, clothing of local people. Excellent yogurt , must try - Juju Dhau

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Shiva Temple

Pokhara

Beautiful and captivating

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Davi's fall , Gupteswor Cave and Bindabasini Temple

Pokhara

Very interesting, witnessed a wedding.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kathmandu Sightseeing: Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa

Kathmandu

Pashupatinath Temple was extra-ordinary. Being Hindus, we fully embraced and immersed in the cultural & tradition. The Boudhanath Stupa was immense and captivating - good feeling about it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ichaa, our guide, was absolutely fantastic.

Transport

Ngima tailored a really wonderful trip to Nepal for me. Fantastic level of attention to detail & quality. All the guides & drivers for the trip were also of a high calibre.

Activity Reviews

Kathmandu Sightseeing tour to Swayambhunath ( Monkey Temple ), Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Kathmandu

My guide Surendra has the most incredible level of knowledge and a wonderful story teller. Bhaktapur was my favourite place to visit on the day. My driver Amit made me feel very safe in the crazy traffic of Kathmandu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Surendra is like a walking encyclopedia. His level of historical knowledge is exceptional. Amit was the best driver I had during my whole trip. Really safe & capable driver

Transport

Drive from Kathmandu to Sankhu, Hike to Nagarkot (7,136 feet / 2,175 m)

Nagarkot

My first hike in Nepal & coming off a foot injury made me slightly anxious. My guide Angalo quickly made me feel reassured that I was in good hands. The view at Magarkot was breathtaking

Quality of Experience

My guide was very thoughtful and patient with my slow pace. The view at the top was breathtaking

Food

The food at Country Villas was delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pokhara Sightseeing Tour

Pokhara

What a great place Pokhara is! So beautiful with treks on your door step, great energy and the Himalayas visible on a clear day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul then Trek to Trek to Ghandruk and return back to Pokhara

Pokhara

What a magical place Ghandrul is…and the people are lovely. The walk up to the village was so beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our first city, Kathmandu, afforded us an instant and memorable view into their culture and city life! Our hotel was very nice! Staff was friendly and attentive. Our room was clean and well appointed. Their fitness room was nice! (I’m always happy when there’s a fitness room)

While in contrast to Kathmandu, the Chitwan Jungle Resort was beautiful, the room was spacious and we had gorgeous views from our balcony and on the resort grounds. The staff was very friendly and accommodating! Likewise we had an altogether different but equally beautiful atmosphere when we stayed overnight at Matan Chhen in Panauti.

Our guide in Kathmandu was great and we had fantastic tours. Our host in Panauti, Grishma, was very helpful and charming!

If we did the trip again, I would not go to Panauti on our last day before departing Nepal. After the morning flight back from Chitwan to Kathmandu, we didn’t feel like driving another 1.5 hours only to go to a small town, with little to do or see and then just hang out in the residence the rest of the day. (We walked around the town for a little bit as Grishma was kind enough to walk with us but there was not much to do or see) And then having to drive back to Kathmandu exceptionally earlier than needed the following morning only to sit at the airport for 3 hour and 45 min ahead of our flight (and then add on another 1.5 hours for a delay). Had I known all the travel time and the lack of really anything to do in Panauti, I would have opted to stay in Kathmandu or somewhere a lot closer. That’s my only constructive feedback for the tour company. With limited time in the country anyway, the less ‘travel time’ to get to places, the better. Or at least a better call out on the planning side about total trip times.

Overall, it was a very positive experience and I would recommend Himalayan Trails to anyone! We were well taken care of!

From the outset the service and communication was EXCELLENT. Our planner Amanda was super helpful in good advice for travelling in the off season / monsoon season and helped create an amazing itinerary that gave us the best trip for the little amount of time we had in Nepal. It was all organised in a short time and meant we didn't have to worry about what to do when we arrived.

Our on ground contacts and guides were equally amazing - they contacted us before our tour started while we were in Kathmandu to have a quick catch up, meet and greet and go through the upcoming days in more detail. It's little things like this that make for a confident trip and ease any concerns about travelling in a new country.

Throughout the whole tour our guides were prompt, friendly and very knowledgeable. Flights, transfers and site entries / permits were all sorted and something we didn't even have to think about - all we had to do was enjoy the amazing scenery, culture and interesting history.

An extra special mention to the team in adjusting our tour when I sustained an injury which meant we couldn't do a planned small trek. They arranged extra nights in our current hotel so we could stay where we were and rest.

Couldn't recommend the team highly enough.

Cheers Chris

Regarding Kim Kim - I didn’t set up the trip, a friend did, but from my interaction it was a good user experience.

The trek planned by Sangita and team was amazing and there are a number of things to highlight.

First off, the trip itself; my friends and I still can’t get over the amazing scenery. Even at the height of the rainy season, the misty mountains were beautiful and the harsh rain was entirely overnight so the hiking was never too wet. The amazing nature and the incredible peaks of Annapurna surrounding you are dreamlike.

Our guide, Mitra, was a total boss. He was well experienced, knew the routes and the land well, took incredible care of us, and made the trip easy and memorable.

Sangita arranged everything for us seamlessly and made the whole trip easy with drivers and tickets all prepared. She even got us set up with this great cooking class where we learned to prepare Dal Bhat at her office. She’s incredibly kind, professional but also very social, warm and easy to get along with. (Sangita we miss you)

If anyone is looking for the perfect trek and all the support you could need for an amazing trip in Nepal, this is the team to use.

Just an amazing experience. The trek was well thought through and fit the level of skill and challenge I was hoping to get. Guide and Porter were, simply put, Professional,
Friendly, Respectful. We had some great laughs and pushed through some challenging spots as a team.

I had never visited Nepal before and Sangita and her team of trek guides, porters and city guides and drivers were faultless. Most importantly Sangita was always quick to reply to my questions and followed thru on all my requests and queries. I highly recommend her services

Wow! This was such an amazing holiday. Amanda, Raj and their team at Himalayan Trails were just so great to work with. Our guide in Nepal, Pratikshya, and the drivers who supported her, all did such a fabulous job of showing us their country. The team were great with not only helping us plan the itinerary, but also making a whole lot of last-minute changes when things didn't go to plan. We were able to quickly and easily discuss things with Pratikshya and make the necessary changes. They also set us up with Wind Horse Tours in Bhutan to spend some time there, and both companies made everything just so easy for us.

The Kimkim platform made it so easy to research and discuss what we wanted to do and communicating with Amanda and the team was so straightforward.

Highlights of the trip - definitely seeing a tiger in Bardia National Park, hiking Tiger's Nest, and spending some time in local communities in Panauti and Kirtipur to see what everyday life is like for Nepali people.

Hi Kim Kim, thank you for putting us in touch with Sangita who put together a wonderful experience for Camilla and I in Nepal. It was a special time

I liked our first week the best where Rabin as our guide and Iswar as our porter walked and talked us from Koto, Meta, Naar, Ngawal to Menang via Kang-La pass. It was a treat to have the mountains to ourselves and be able to get into a trekking rhythm without others around and be able to absorb the true beauty and peaceful mountain landscape of Nepal.

We learnt a lot about life in Nepal from Rabin and Iswar even some Nepalese music. They helped us feel welcome at the tea houses and we enjoyed dal Bhat, Thukpa and momos daily - the spices were so good. Nothing was a problem

Thank you again for a great time in Nepal
Catriona

Raj & his team at Social tours were absolutely amazing. They went above & beyond to ensure we had an amazing time despite some challenging weather that cancelled flights & disrupted our itinerary.
The insights into local life & culture together with the personal touches were truly amazing. It made the trip so much more meaningful & enjoyable for us. They have a great awareness and focus on sustainable/responsible tourism which is so refreshing given the pressure we all put on nature.

My friend Russ and I had an amazing experience with our trek, Due to health issues we were not able to hike as we had planned. Sangita was absolutely brilliant in arranging for us to have a jeep driver so we could complete our experience. Our guide, Mitra, was helpful, caring, accommodating, and wonderful.

We had a major problem when we arrived for our return flight to Kathmandu and found that the Pokhara airport was closed. We called Sangita for help and she quickly arranged for a driver (Nabin) who picked us up at the airport and drove the 200 kilometers to Kathmandu in record time to get us to the airport for our international flight home. Sangita also arranged for the luggage we had left in storage at our hotel in Kathmandu to be picked up and to meet us at the airport. Thanks to her impeccable serve, we made our international flights.

The service was exemplary, above and beyond anything we could have imagined. Thank you

I shattered my ankle months before our trek. I had hoped that I would be healed enough to still do a beginner version that Sangita had arranged. But unfortunately, my trek partner also fell ill and we had to turn our trek into a jeep excussion to the tea houses we had planned to trek to. Sangita made it happen. On the last day when we were to fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu, our flight was cancelled (due to weather). Sangita arranged for us to get a jeep to Kathmandu so we could make our international flight. She found us a private jeep with a fantastic driver. 20 minutes later, we were on the road...our only hope to make our flight. On the way, via cell phone comms back and forth, she helped us collect our left luggage from our previous hotel and deliver it to us at the airport. Without all this coordination on Sangita's part, we might still be in Nepal!! She is simply awesome and a miracle worker.

Amanda played a pivotal role in making our trek through the Annapurna region unforgettable. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for trekking in Nepal were evident from the start. She provided invaluable insights and recommendations, ensuring our trip was tailored to our interests and fitness levels. Amanda's professionalism and responsiveness made the planning process seamless and stress-free. Her coordination with the local team was impeccable, allowing us to focus solely on enjoying the trek.

Special shoutout to our trekking guide and porter, Chhepal and Furi, who were truly outstanding. Their expertise and knowledge of the terrain enhanced our trekking experience immensely. They were attentive, supportive, and always made us feel safe during the trail. Also, the accommodations provided along the trek were fantastic. The lodges were comfortable, clean, and offered breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes.

We're immensely grateful for Amanda and the team for an exceptional service and support. Thank you for an amazing adventure—we can't wait to plan another trek with you soon!

Nepal was really lovely

Pros:
1. they took care of everything!
2. the guide was really great.
3. The first hotel called Hana lo was excellent.

Cons:
1. It was smoggy and visibility was minimal in the places we trekked.
2. The reason we used kimkim for the first time is because we are terribly busy with work this year and dont have time to research and book ourselves. In response to several queries like, where to get SIMs etc, we would get a web link guides. Which is exactly what we were trying to avoid by using Kimkim. So would suggest in the future answers like "at the airport after exiting immigration" than a website blog.

Our experience with KimKim was pretty much perfect from the initial contact right through the entirety of our Manaslu circuit trek.
Amanda was friendly and her responses were always prompt and helpful. We really appreciated the opportunity to meet with both Amanda, and our guide, Suman, in Kathmandu, the day before our trek.
Suman was professional and courteous through and through. He was sensible, measured, endlessly knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with. His English was impeccable and we always felt safe with him.
Our porter, Laxman, was very friendly and hard-working, and we felt lucky to have him on our ‘team’ too.
The Manaslu circuit trek was absolutely epic - The jaw-dropping scenery was rivalled only by the unique cultural experience we had.

Had an awesome experience in Nepal thanks to Amanda, Chhiring, Pratikshya, and Rasheev. (sp?) We were met at the airport, brought to our hotel and after a short rest, met by Amanda and the guides and briefed on the whole trip. The trekking was full of amazing views and the city tours were informative and fascinating.