Kimkim Trip Reviews for Nepal

My family and I had a great time on the Panchese trek. Kripa was able to adjust our trip to ad 1 more day. This made it easier for the 2 kids ( 3 and 6). The first two days were a little long for the 6 year old but she made it and did an excellent job. Chhepaul was and outstanding guide who showed patience and bonded with the kids. He was able to customize a basket to carry the 3 year old. The porter ( Mime? ) was awesome with the kids especially the 3 year old. There was a language barrier but I thing they both enjoyed each other’s company
Thanks 🙏

Where to start! What an amazing trek! Amanda was great throughout the organising, answering any questions I had (and I had a lot!). We had a good group of us who did the trek together. Our guides Gelu and Nurbu were awesome and so were our porters always smiling and helping! I was blown away by their efforts put into the trek because they never rested! They were even in the kitchen preparing our meals when the cook had a day off! They were also very helpful while walking especially on the pass day coming down Nurbu was always right there if we fell over or making sure it was safe! Most of the guest houses and food was great just the night before the pass when we were in tents was a hard night but I don't think that will change. The scenery varied a lot which was great. Overall we had an amazing time and will never forget it!! If we decide to do another trek we would definitely want the same guides and porters again!! Thank you!

After our trek we went down to Chitwan national park and did a home stay in the Tharu village. This was so awesome!! Really grassroots but the best decision! Right from the beginning we were totally immersed in the culture. The village activities were so much fun! We felt like part of the family! Everyone was so friendly! The meals were delicious and very fresh! This is something I would highly recommend for people to do, even families because all of the kids would play together. I really cannot put into words this experience. Sukram did a great job of organising everything and making sure we were looked after.

I believe our trek guide Gelu did an amazing job throughout the 2 weeks. His experience, and temperament was valued, whilst his willingness to help all trekkers to have an amazing trip was first class. Actually this is true for his whole team, including porters and assistant guide Nu bo. They all performed roles from guides, to cooks, to waiters, to boot fixers etc with a smile and pleasant nature.
In regards to the trek itself, it included beautiful country and challenging terrain towards the top. I would personally probably prefer bigger days in the lower country and reducing the number of days over over the trek or including a few more days in the Annapurna region towards the end. Overall great trip with some great people.

The platform provided by Kimkim is innovative in its simplicity and ease of use. We were immediately linked to a local expert Amanda who put together the trip for us. With patience and enthusiasm, she tailored the trip to our needs and wishes. In the end we had the perfect mix of local culture, sightseeing and relaxing. Babu is a professional and safe driver and was always on time and helping us with our bags. We also learned a lot from our local guide, Rajeev, who answered so many of our questions and introduced us to several local restaurants. Great service!

The 8 days we spent with Tendu were very memorable. He was very knowledgeable with the areas that we were trekking. He was very personable, professional and his sense of humour kept us motivated when we needed motivation. He was very attentive to our needs at the various tea houses. Lapka and Kazi were a delight to have along on the trek. I would highly recommend Tendu as a guide to anyone coming to Nepal.

Our trip was truly amazing! We saw so much of Nepal and its people. Amanda was truly wonderful in crafting an experience that perfectly incorporated our adventurous spirits, need for a little rest and relaxation, our want to be immersed in the local culture and excitement about visiting a new country. She was quick to respond to all my concerns and questions during our planning process, prior to our travel dates and during our trip. She was able to make adjustments to our itinerary of the fly without hesitation.
All of the guides were incredibly knowledgeable, patient, polite and eager to share their culture with us. Amanda arranged drivers, pick-ups, guides, hotel stays, a trekking itinerary, tea house stays, meals, sight seeing suggestions, in-country flight tickets and more. We had no worries at all and felt safe every step of the way.
We arrived in Kathmandu, were picked up and brought to the Hotel Manaslu - very nice, clean with modern bathroom and breakfast was provided. After a brief rest our guide picked us up and took us on a walking tour of Thamel and other sites in the area. We even got a very rare view of the Kathmandu Kumari coming out of her house to attend a celebration. We stayed in the Thamel area and had dinner before walking back to our hotel. The following day our same guide picked us up with a driver and we toured UNESCO sites and more in the city and Patan.
We trekked for the next three and a half days, staying in tea houses along the way to Pikey Peak. It was a little disappointing that it never really cleared up, therefore we didn't get a clear view of the Himalaya mountain range. The trekking was very hard and technical (we bit off a bit more than we could chew but our guide Reeche (I'm sure I didn't spell that right) was amazing. The mountains were so lovely Its hard to describe. My suggestion regarding the trekking would be to get more detailed information as to the difficulty and technical aspects of the trek. We were not prepared for the very long days and technical aspects of the trails.
We spent a full day rest at the Panorama Charikot resort after trekking. Wonderful, wonderful place with great views and amazing staff. Food was very good.
The only hiccup of the trip was the horrible jeep ride from Charikot to Namobudda monastery. It was extremely terrible roads and took 7 hours to get to the monastery. The trip was only suppose to take half that time. Our driver didn't speak English so it was hard to know what was happening along the way. We loved the monastery but probably would have passed had we know how long of a jeep ride it was to get to it.
Off to Bhaktapur were we stayed at the Milla Guesthouse. I can't say enough about this beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of the city. Its an oasis and the breakfast on the roof terrace was the best we had on our trip. Our guide and driver took us to all the heritage and culture sites in the area and well has some shopping at various artisan places.
Next to the Chitwan Jungle were we stayed at the Jungle View Resort. We had a private bungalow with lovely views of the Rapti River were Rhinos freely roam. The field guides were knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions. We took an elephant safari ride, canoe ride and visit to the crocodile breeding reserve and jeep safari. The animals were a site to see; rhinos, sloth bear, bison, wild peacock, various deer, crocodiles and many birds
Lastly on to Patan where we stayed at The Inn- Patan. Amazing old Newari home redone into a lovely boutique hotel with a courtyard that reminded me of Italy. The original wood carving throughout was stunning. Great service and food in the heart of the city but yet quiet. We were lucky to get a large room with a small balcony overlooking the courtyard.
We ended our trip with a flight around Mt. Everest. Again, it wasn't super clear but we were able to the see the peaks and Everest. It was a pleasant end to our trip.
Overall, it was an amazing trip and I would highly recommend Amanda, KimKim and Himalayan Adventure travels and tours.

Gelu, the cheif guide and Nurbu were both amazing. Incredibly helpful, and caring.

I'd like to add that Gelu's insight when tweaking the itinerary really helped make the trip even better- affording us better rest, to save time and to make it to the pass on a much better (sunny) day. Gelu was also very good at crisis management- I had issues with my knee, did not manage to get a raincoat for the trek and a friend really struggled. Gelu was incredibly patient and helpful with all of us.

Nurbu as well, with better experience would be a good guide.

The porters were all amazing and incredibly helpful, even with/ without the luggage being carried.

Booking our trip on kimkim was extremely simple and convenient. We were connected to Ngima right away, and he was professional and attentive all the way through. Everything that we experienced prior to the trip was easy, smooth, and enjoyable.

The trip itself was rather disappointing because our guide failed time and time again to do his job properly. He seemed entirely unfamiliar with the region of Nepal that we trekked through and depended on our porter to do a number of things that he should have been able to do: lead us on our walks, correctly identify and name the mountains we saw, get us to the right tea houses at the end of each day, etc. Certainly we felt like we had been ripped off given the amount of money that we'd paid for our guide's expertise, but the bigger problem was that his incompetence led to some uncomfortable and frustrating problems -- one of them being a rather serious problem when he'd failed to inform us that there were no bottles of water for sale in the whole Ghorepani region (an endeavor to cut down on plastic waste). Had our guide briefed us on this, we could have purchased bottles of water on our way to Ghorepani, or at the very least, we would have known to save our empty bottles to fill up with filtered water. However, we were never advised on this matter, so we simply threw away our bottles assuming we'd be able to buy more. Needless to say, we felt outraged and panicked when we realized that we hadn't been sufficiently briefed, and that we didn't have any bottles for collecting water to get through the evening and the next day's walk. This made it crystal clear that our guide hadn't done his "homework" to prepare for a trek in a part of Nepal that he was unfamiliar with. (We also felt that Ngima should have advised us about the water situation in Ghorepani. The packing list that he shared did not indicate reusable water bottles as a must. It noted that we'd be able to buy bottles of water along the way, which led us to believe that there was no need to bring our own bottles at all. Given the situation at Ghorepani, Ngima really should have equipped us with better advice.)

There was one other incident concerning our guide that really frustrated and disappointed us. He had arranged to pick us up at our hotel in Pokhara at 2:00PM to take us to the airport for our 3:15PM flight to Kathmandu. We waited 30 minutes for his arrival, and then arranged our own ride to the airport when he still hadn't shown up by 2:30PM. We were terribly anxious for that whole half hour as we didn't want to miss the flight back to Kathmandu since we had an international flight to jump on from there. It was bad enough that we had to arrange and pay for transportation that the trip provider should have covered (we found this truly outrageous), but we really couldn't believe how irresponsible our guide had been. A guide should never make his clients feel so worried.

All in all, we are shocked and disappointed that this was the experience we paid for. In truth, we would like to be refunded the money that we paid to have a guide.

Needless to say, we cannot recommend Ngima's company, Nepal Myths and Mountain Trails.

This was my second trip to Nepal. Booked with Nepal Myths and Trails Trekking/climbing Company. So Glad I did. Nigma Dorje is an absolutely amazing owner and operator of his guiding company.
By far the best communication out of the guding companies I’ve used in Nepal. He asnwers all questions and concers promptly and to your full satisfaction! All his staff from his fully certified and experienced guides and porters to his person taxi/driving staff for airport pick ups and drops offs are very hard working and are very dedicated to catering to any and all needs you may have and do it with full smiles. Everything about this company is above and beyond expectations.

Our trekking and mountain climb trip to Mera Peak was a complete pleasure in every aspect. Not to mention our Guide Ang-Gelu Sherpa, was the only guide able to get his clients to the summit and back of Mera Peak saftely in the face of a week of bad weather on the mountain. He along with our high alttitude porters (Dawa Sherpa and Kunga) were able to successfully and in a very short weather window of 4 hours get us to the top with out any set backs.

I would highly reccomend anyone wanting to trek or climb in Nepal to book with this company. Heard soo many horry stories from other clients during this trip about their guiding companies and staff. I will definately be back to Nepal again for more climbing and will be booking again with Nigma Dorje Sherpa. Thanks soo much to everyone at Nepal Myths and Trails for a 100% successful expedition!!!

What an amazing adventure! KimKim.com got us into contact with Marie Stissing from Tiger Tops. Highly recommended. Organisation was impeccable. Itinerary developed by Marie was excellent. Her services are professional and personal. We did a 3 day trek with Mr Saila, an amazing guide and the great Mr Jongkwe as our porter. Mr Mangal did an great job with guiding and advising us with all the transfers. It was like clockwork and he took great care of us. All accommodation was really good and very diverse. It gave us a very good opportunity to get a feel for beautiful Nepal in a very short time. Mr Laxman was a very pleasant and confident driver. We hope to come back and spend more time in Nepal. We will definitely book again with KimKim.com and TigerTops! Thank you!

This was my first time using kimkim, and I'm so glad I did! Amanda was great to work with, she gave me great tour options to fit my needs and advice to go along with it. I was able to customize the trip I wanted, and it was super easy when we had a few hiccups along the way (adding additional travelers, dealing with a flight cancellation). As planning became reality, my friends and I spent 3 days trekking east of Kathmandu through quaint villages and beautiful steppes from Dhulikhel to Panauti. After our trek, we were able to enjoy a few days in Kathmandu exploring. One of Amanda's recommendations was a highlight and a visit I won't soon forget - Pashupatinath, a Hindu crematorium. In a place surrounded by death, there is so much life as well, and in a way that I never imagined. As an American, it really opened my eyes to a different culture and perspective.

Another epic trip! Mads and his team are first class. Not only great guides but great friends!

Off the beaten path adventures. Lifelong memories.

We were very impressed with how promptly, patiently, and thoroughly Ngima Dorji Sherpa answered all our numerous emailed questions. His attention made us feel at ease that he was personally making sure all our requirements were being attended to. We were personally greeted when we arrived in Kathmandu and fully briefed on the details of our meeting with our guide and porter at Lukla.

Our first trip to the Sagarmatha National Park was a most enjoyable and unforgettable experience thanks in large part to the attentive, sensitive, and patient care of our guide Mingmar Gyaljen Sherpa, and porter Chhiring Sherpa. They answered every question, attended every need, steered us away from potential folly, and genuinely looked after our well being. For this they have gained not only our admiration but also our friendship. We now better understand why the uniquely majestic Kumbu Valley region and it warm hearted people make visitors want to come again, and again!

From the moment I requested information about the Poon Hill Trek to the moment I arrived back home from the perfectly organized trip, Mingma and his team have been helpful, kind, informative, and attentive. As a solo female traveler, I was a little apprehensive about what my experience would be. Mingma laid out a tentative itinerary in detail that fit my requests and needs. I was extremely pleased. The price for all of the services (airport pickup, hotel stays, flights between Kathmandu and Pokhara, and a guide) was affordable too! This is a hands-on company! I had a representative from the company accessible to me at all times. Bishow, was my greeter and accompanied me to all of my airport drop-offs and pick-ups, contacted me by phone to make sure my guide and porter where in contact with me, and just made sure I was taken care of. My guide, JB, and porter, Ram, for the trek were very familiar with the trek and were very knowledgable about the area. It was great to have a guide that spoke English as well as the local language and could help with communication! Overall, this company, Mingma, Bishow, JB, and Ram provided a safe and quality experience. I will definitely use them again and refer anyone to them who is looking for a Nepal trekking experience. Thank you guys so much! My time in Nepal was a very memorable and amazing experience!

My son and I had an absolutely amazing experience on the Nar Phu Valley trek. Our guide Chhiring and porter Nara, were fantastic. Chhiring provided us with a lot of commentary about the places, people, and social and cultural influences both past and present. Visiting the villages of Nar and Phu, particularly when there were very few other trekkers, was a remarkable experience but of course the stunning scenery the entire way, was the highlight. When it snowed heavily the night before we were to ascend and cross the Kangla Pass, we were prepared to turn back but Chhiring, having monitored the situation, confidently led us on to the Pass. We often lost the path in the snow but Chhiring expertly picked a line and despite the oft times deep snow, we made it in good time and it was truly an exhilarating moment to reach the top!
Amanda was extremely informative and addressed all our concerns promptly. She was very helpful in both the initial planning stages and very amenable to any changes that we considered. I felt completely confident that the trek was well organized and safe. It was also a pleasure to meet with her and Chhiring before the trek. I would highly recommend Kimkim and Amanda from Himalayan Trails.

First of all kimkim was very easy to use, it was fast, accurate and we would definitely use them again.

Within hours of our initial inquiry, 4/6 weeks before the trip itself, we received a message from Ngima of Nepal Myths and Mountain Trails (NMMT), a Kathmandu based trekking company and from that moment we had direct contact with our tour operator right up until the day we traveled. Ngima listened to our requests and was able to create a bespoke itinerary matching our exact needs. He also provided sound advice in relation to equipment needed and any other questions we had, always responding pretty much immediately or within 24 hours (Max). We opted for the 8 day Khopra Danda Trek, via Ghandruk, asking NMMT to arrange everything from the airport pick up to the airport drop off, including, internal flights, accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout. The cost for two people for 10 days seemed very reasonable.

The trek was everything we could have hoped for. We met Ngima and our guide Lahkpa Sherpa on day one and were given a full briefing of the itinerary prior to the start of the Trek. The next day we met our Assistant Guide Sonam Sherpa and the trek began shortly after. Throughout the trek, both Lakhpa and Sonam were extremely attentive, professional and respectful. Both guides (everyone we met along the way) were extremely kind, good natured and really did make us feel safe and welcome throughout. In addition, Lahkpa's knowledge and experience provided us with a detailed insight into Sherpa life, the local culture and trekking routes through the Himalayas. The scenery itself was spectacular, awe inspiring and majestic... We had never really seen anything quite like it before and our words and pictures could never really do it justice. We were also very lucky with the weather so i'm sure this did help with our experience, as did sticking to the local Dal Bhat for lunch and dinner to avoid any unwanted issues with the food.

Im not the kind of person to rate something 10/10 but im really struggling to find fault in anything we experienced during our trip, so we cannot thank the whole NMMT team enough, especially our two guides Lahkpa and Sonam.

If you are looking for a first class experience with an experienced team of people in the most incredible of locations, then look no further.

Sudarshan was super reliable at any times. He always answered within an hour. Has been very helpful with the planning of the trek. Super professional but also always worried and concerned about how my trek was going. The guide he provided me for the trek was one of the nicest human beings I have met throughoutmy life (Takta). I couldn't have asked for more, I had a great time with him. Making it an unforgettable experience for me. Sudarshan would always make sure the trek was tailormade to my preferences. And he makes sure to meet with you after the trek to give some feedback on how things went throughout the trek. The one thing I can assure is that Sudarshan is highly recommendable to anyone seeking for some adventure in Nepal. He has the knowledge and professionalism to satisfy your needs.

The local team did a great job taking care of us and helping with all our needs! This went beyond the organized part of the tour (buying trekking shoes our organizing transport out of Kathmandu) and we could always count on them

I really had a great experience in Nepal thanks to Kencho and the guide, Mr. Sherpa. It was really a sweet escape and I just had a blast. Everyone was so nice and helpful (starting from the pickup-drop), the resort was great, the track and tour was also memorable. I am so happy that the trip really captured what I want and I really look forward to be in Nepal again

Summary

These guys know their stuff and can handle much more difficult challenges than ours.

Background

John and I started walking about a year ago and decided that it would be a good challenge to go trekking in Nepal. We are 67 and 64 years old and no previous trekking experience.

We first looked at holiday packages to Nepal, many are 14 day packages with 3-4 days trekking. That wasn’t enough trekking for us. Google search recommended using trekking companies being members of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal. Himalayan Trails is on the members list and are also a travel agency with excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. We live in Australia and Himalayan Trails has a sales representative from Australia, Amanda Delecca who handled our package.

Package Development

Contact and financial control was through the US online travel agency Kim Kim website portal. Amanda considered our inexperience, age and general health to design options for us. We chose the lower Annapurna Circuit. After several “conversations” through the Kim Kim portal we extended the 6 day loop to 8 days with a “rest” day at Ghorepani.

On the lead up to our trip Amanda communicated with us giving encouragement and sent helpful tip sheets for arrival and departure, what to pack, etc.

We wanted some cultural experience in our package. Our final itinerary is below.

Day 1. Arrive from Australia.

Day 2. Catch-up day in Kathmandu to meet Amanda and our trekking guide to help us get those last minute items - buy or hire.

Day 3. Sightseeing Pashupati Ceremonial area, Boudhanath Stupa and Swoyambhunath.

Amanda suggested we fly to Pokhara. The flight takes 25 minutes and saves a day on the road. So for about $200 we saved 2 full days travel.

Days 4-11. Fly to Pokhara and drive 45 minutes to start trekking at Phedi to Potana, trek to Landruk, to Grandruk, to Tadapani, to Ghorepani, up Poon Hill pre dawn and return to Ghorepani, to Tikhedhunga, to Hile (20 minutes to catch vehicle for 2 hour drive to Pokhara). This direction around the loop avoided the huge number of steps on the first day ensuring our continued enjoyment.

Day 12. After our trekking we had 2 nights in Pokhara, giving us one and a half days sightseeing on our own.

Day 13-15. On return to Kathmandu, Himalayan Trails met us at the airport and took us up to Namobuddha, the next day to Bhaktapur, then we were off.

The Actual Experience

I have travelled a little bit now and my wife and I often book a package at our country destination, such as in Jordan, or Morocco. It is always a consideration as to whether we would be met at the airport. In this case the guide and driver were there holding a sign so we knew we had “landed”.

From there everything went as promised. Guides and drivers were all very good, not rushed, knew their stuff, and were patient while I took photos, or had to repeat information. All vehicles were modern and clean in as new condition. We got the sense that they considered it a privilege to work for Himalayan Trails. We had a different guide and driver on our return, they knew their areas, being a Buddhist and living in Bhaktapur.

The most important people were our trekking guide and porter. Turns out they were both from the Sherpa region. Our guide “No-wun” was very experienced having been on mountaineering expeditions since he was 14, on Mt Everest and leading climbing expeditions on other mountains. No-wun checked everything we hired, bought, or used. On the trail he set a comfortable pace for us, rested us when needed, checked our rooms, monitored the kitchens, looked after all our needs.

Our porter “Peppi” walked with us following up behind, waiting when one of us stopped. Eventually Peppi joined with John and I singing on trail.

All four of us easily interacted like old friends.

Each day we trekked 3-5 hours with two 6 hour days. It meant we were checked into our tea house most days by 2pm avoiding the need to trek in the afternoon storms. In March the sun shines in the morning and clouds and rain come in the afternoon. We had plenty of time to dodge the hail and explore local villages on our own.

Accommodation Food and Facilities

The hotels and resorts in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara were excellent. Our first was The Inn Patan right next to the central square. It was originally a large family home. So convenient to historic sites. John and I walked around at dusk. The room was big and faced a back courtyard so very quiet, beds very comfortable and menu cosmopolitan enough for us both.

In Pokhara we stayed in the Temple Tree Resort. It was definitely a resort! Beautiful property, big rooms and really hot showers. Prices for food and clothes washing were high, so we ate out at Moondance cafe each meal and I got my washing done across the street in a small laundry opposite the entrance for next to nothing, so I gave the lady double. We visited the Gurkha Museum and the International Mountaineering Museum on our first day; and went for a boat ride on Lake Fewa and shopping the next.

We stayed at the Namobuddha Resort high on a Hill. It was very unusual with separate buildings, vegetarian food, and a sense of serenity. We sat outside having a vodka before going to the main building for dinner. Rooms were generous, the bathroom was in a separate building and massive! Loved the food there.

Our last few nights were at 1905 Suites. We were blown away by this boutique property. We ate dinner in and the food was amazing.

Some summing up the hotel and resort part of the package - all properties were privately owned and offered completely different experiences, rooms and food excellent, bathrooms functional. We would recommend any of them to our friends.

Accommodation on the trail was “Tea Houses”. All offered us twin rooms with a simple, but comfortable bed in dormitory style accommodation. Meals were limited, with the same menu appearing almost everywhere. All the food we tried was good - especially given where we were! The Chicken Dal Bhat was my local favourite. Those with sweet tooth can try mars roll, or chocolate pudding!

We had a mix of washroom arrangements, but most were ensuite. All places had an English type toilet in the room, and at least one English communal toilet. Hot water ranged from almost cold to scolding, so test your water first. We trekked early March so we had limited number of other trekkers. The only Tea House that was a bit average was the one a Tadapani. Our favourite was the one in Ghorepani called Superview Hotel. All Tea Houses had wi-fi, but power was not reliable. If you take a lot of video then take a power bank with you. I used mine once to recharge.

All our expectations for a great trip and trekking were well exceeded.

We had a debrief with Amanda on our last day - just where we started at Himalayan Java Coffee at the entrance to Thamel. Great place. We spent an hour with her going through all aspects of our trip before saying goodbye. It was evident that Amanda had been in contact daily with our guides and hotels/resorts and was across our whole trip.

Conclusion

Well there is much that I cannot say in this short space, but our experience with Himalayan Trails was outstanding. Although our trekking was simple and easy (compared to others) we felt we were treated with the same high levels of service and safety. We would confidently recommend them to any of our friends.

Other Things You Should Know

If your going that far to Nepal, take a scenic flight to Mt Everest, after all it is the “big daddy”and see the top of the world go by. We tried it on Day 3 but due to cloud got cancelled on the runway. Himalayan Trails rescheduled us with Buddha Airlines on Day 15. We saw it. Truly awesome experience.

When in Nepal, use taxis. They are not that dear. Negotiate a price up front and get to where you need to be fast. Don’t waste your time travelling - you’ve paid to be there so get to where you want to be quickly.

Be generous. Tip for good service. You don’t have too, but a small amount in European, American, or Australian is nothing to you and is a great deal to the Nepalese.

Happy trekking.

Phil Hewitt
Adelaide Australia