Kimkim Trip Reviews for Nepal

The trek was amazing! What was even more amazing was my guide. I was quite ill on the first day - but Parbati was so understanding and patient with me from the outset and made sure I was at ease. On the second and third days, she pushed me to do better than I thought I could and I really appreciated this. The greatest part was that towards the end she was less of my guide and more of my friend whilst still maintaining a professional and courteous relationship. Hats off to her and the Social tours team for providing such an incredible experience for me!!

We were a family group of three people with 15 days in Nepal. Based on our own research and in-put from Mads we selected the Nar/Phu trek.
We had a wonderful trip that completely lived up to our best expectations.
The process of selecting a trek and booking our holiday was highly efficient and very flexible. Responses to any questions were received rapidly.
Our guide (Cheeri) and two porters were outstanding and are highly recommended. Cheeri was true to his name and clearly a very experienced guide. He made good arrangements for our transport and accommodation. He quickly recognized the abilities and requirements of our group and adapted to us.
My only minor criticisms were:
Travelling from Kathmandu to the tart of the trek in one day (6 hours minibus and 6-7 hours jeep) was really too much on our second day in Nepal. The first two days of trekking following this were long days with significant altitude gain so I would recommend taking more time to reach the start of the trek if time permits.
We expected to meet someone from the trekking company along with the guide in Kathmandu. The guide travelled 15km for this meeting clearly expecting a rep to join us. When contacted by phone she informed him she would not be attending.
The villages of Nar and Phu were fascinating so I would try to have a rest day in each again time permitting.

In summary I would recommend KiMKim for organizing your trek, particularly if you have limited time for your holiday.

We had an extraordinary trip, including amazing cultural and architectural experiences as well as a day of rafting and a multi-day trek.
Mads worked with us for months to set up itineraries for the various members of our four person group , since we had different arrival dates and did not always travel together. He arranged a wonderful visit to Bhutan for one of our group while the others did the Poon Hill trek. We loved the traffic-free stay in Bandipur, also the medieval cities Bhaktapur and Patan (although they suffered a lot of damage from the 2015 earthquake ). Some of our greatest memories are visiting the Kumari in Patan, the ghats near Kathmandu, and Baba Guru as he welcomed and blessed us.
And of course there was the gondola ride up to Manakamana where chickens and goats rode along on their way to be sacrificed at the temple.
Amanda and Suman provided exceptional support in Nepal. Suman ( also known to us as Super-man and Suman the Magnificent) was knowledgeable, informative, and always helpful, along with being a fun travel partner/guide. Our porters on the trek, Suman (the Second) and Manos,
worked very hard and always seemed to be smiling as they helped make our trek memorable and fun.

Our transfers were always smooth and on time; we never had to worry about whether we would make a connection or get to our hotel. We found the entire Himalayan Trails and kimkim group to be responsive and creative in making our visit to Nepal absolutely wonderful!

Wow! Where do I begin?

My wife and I were a little short of time, having only around 8 days in Nepal but not wanting to miss out on the full Nepal experience; namely trekking, Himalayan views and the fascinating culture that the country has to offer.

Mads was immediately able to assist and his expertise and quick response time made it very easy to quickly establish how we could maximise our short time in Nepal. His obvious knowledge and experience was a reassurance in itself that we would be making the most of our limited time.

Under Mad's recommendation, we opted for the 5 day Solu Trek and this did not disappoint. It combined our request for Sherpa culture, Buddhist monasteries and of course, the humbling views of Mount Everest itself.

Amanda provided us with a very warm and friendly welcome when we arrived and took the time to answer all of our queries and concerns as well as making sure we were well equipped and happy with every detail of the trip.

Our guide Tendu was absolutely amazing. His insight into his homeland, his courtesy and his professionalism were first class. His attentiveness to our absolute well being (along with his patience) made the whole experience very special, not to mention him being a thoroughly nice guy.

Our porter Mingmar was also a gent in every way and his service was also of the highest order.

Overall we had an unforgettable experience of Nepal with Himalayan Trails, Mads and his team are obviously doing something right. We got to see a very special and relatively less touristy area of Nepal that offered us everything we could have hoped for and more. Thank you so much to the team for a lifetime of special memories.

The contact with Ngima was very professional. He responded very expeditiously, answered questions, made proposals and showed flexibility.
However, the tour as such left much to be desired.
On the positive side, the team arrived at the hotel before the agreed time.
But then the announced guide was replaced by someone whose name I do not know until today.
This person was sporty, young and knew his way. But there was a communication gap.
I would have expected that at the start the guide provide information likes this:
We drive now xyz hours/ Kilometres to the place abc from where we will hike def kilometres/ hours. Lunch will be at hotel klm.
There could have also been information on the villages we passed, on the cultivation of the plots, on nature, on the local way of life, local food etc., etc.,
None of this information was provided. It was somehow half-mentioned that we would walk 4 to 5 km, in the end it were 11 km, which is quite a difference.
When I asked in Nagakort where we would have lunch, the answer was “somewhere here”. I then suggested the Club Himalaya, which is a kind of reference point for Western tourists. On the way there, the guide all of sudden said that it was still 30 min to walk and suggested some other place. But my GPS showed a distance of 231 m straight line, so I insisted on going to this place which we reached after 5 min.
However, the weakest, almost unbelievable, aspect was the following: The tour price was USD 200. But for this price (hotels in Kathmandu offer the same tour for 50… 70 USD….), there was not even a bottle of water in the car or with the guide. So, I had to get out of my way and buy one (20 Rupees or 20 US cents) in one of the village kiosks on the way.
I have been working for many years in areas related to tourism development in developing countries (in fact, prior to Nepal. I had been in Ethiopia to check out two tourism destinations –Tigray and the Danakil Depression). So I can compare a bit many different experiences. The Nagakort experience was not among the better ones.
Finally, travel agencies make money by selling impressions and emotions. It should therefore be in their interest that the tourist places are in conditions that generate positive impressions and emotions. Nagarkot, particularly the Nagarkot Tower area, urgently needs a clean-up. Littering is so spoiling the place that I left prematurely. Travel agencies, in their own interest, should engage themselves in keeping this place clean and worthwhile a visit.

We had a fantastic time trekking the Manaslu Circuit with Lhakpa (guide) and Pasang (porter/assistant guide). It was our first time trekking in Nepal and Lhakpa and Pasang did everything they could to ensure that we were safe, and enjoyed our time trekking. They are amazing guides and people and we would highly recommend them for anyone planning a trip to Nepal (from beginner to advanced), as they are very experienced, highly skilled, and knowledgable. Ngima was also excellent to communicate with to book and arrange the trek. Ngima was always very responsive to our questions and the whole trek was well organised. Bronwen and Wayne.

We had a fantastic time on our trek to Gokyo Ri and over Renjo La. From the time we landed in Kathmandu we felt safe and very well cared for. Naresh was a wonderfully thoughtful guide and we couldn't have asked for a better experience trekking through the mountains with him. The views of Mt. Everest and the other 8,000m peaks from Renjo La were even better than advertised. The lodges in Lungden and Thame were especially comfortable and welcoming, with the best Sherpa stew and momos in the region.

Mads was very responsive when I was in the process of booking my trip. My guide and porter, Chhiri and Suppa (sp?) were a 10/10 and I will most definitely request their services in the future. Chhiri's knowledge of the mountains were above and beyond expectations; he was able to provide the most amazing and memorable trek and I cannot thank him enough for my experience.

Everything about this trip, from planning to the actual trip itself, was wonderful.

Mads was extremely responsive to my every questions. I gave him the date range and what I wanted to do, and he planned everything else for me.

Our guide for the trip, Chhepal, was very experienced, knowledgeable, caring, and fun to hangout with (especially important since our trip was 20 days long). He took care of all the details, from airport check-in, finding a capable porter for our entire trip, to finding tea houses every night, so we didn't have to fight the crowd or worry about anything. During the trip, I developed diarrhea. Chhepal had a medicine box with all the necessary medicine to help me recover. Even though we lost a day to resting, he was able to rearrange our trip schedule so we ended up visiting all of the places on our original itinerary.

Towards the end of the trip, after speaking with other travelers we met on the trek and hearing their horror stories, from terrible guides and porters to getting lost in glacier crossings, we have a new appreciation for the services offered by Kim Kim, Himalayan trails, and our guide and porter. I will definitely use Kim Kim again for my future trips and Mads for my future Nepal treks.

We loved our trip! It was a great balance between tea houses and camping in remote areas. The views were spectacular and our guide, Gelu, adjusted our itinerary to suit our hiking speed (faster than initially planned for). The porters were knowledgeable and helpful the entire way and everyone seemed to be having a genuinely good time which put us at ease and made things even better!

Excellent in all regards. Sherpa Pemba and our Porter were terrific. Good guys, set a good pace for trekking. And are extremely knowledgeable. I can't imagine having better weather. We clearly picked right time of year for this experience. The lodges we stayed were perfect for the experience as well. Just enough amenities mixed with just enough "roughing it" as one would expect on a trek of this nature. From local cutlure, to wildlife, bouncing across suspension bridges, dodging donkeys, cattle and yak on the trails, simply amazing! Oh yeah, the incredibule views of Everest and a terrific Heli ride up to EBC and around many sites (Lakes, Glaciers, Ice Fields and the Himalayas!) Thank you so much!

We had a great time with our guide Karma Sherpa and our porter Buddha Rai.
They were supportive and friendly along the 16 days of the trek.

We had a marvelous experience in Nepal. Our guide was patient, attentive with us and showed us beautiful spots in Nepal. He took us to great, local places to eat which were genuine and fresh.

We would love to come back to Nepal to explore more, and we would definitely book with kim Kim again and request our guide Lhakpa again!

Well done and thank you!

Nepal is absolutely amazing! We had lots of great moments there and it's best lifetime memories, thanks to kimkim, Himalayan trail, our best guide Cheppal and porter Zambu, guys you made it all really unforgettable and cool! Pikey Peak trek is an authentic experience that still exists in Nepal, it's a pretty wild path with very little amount of trekkers and just local life and beautiful nature along the way. Scenery is great since you can see the whole range of mountains from Annapurna to Everest from the peak summit. Trek is tougher than the more explored ones with changing altitudes, very basic lodges and no reception. But it gives it's own pleasure to be disconnected from the busy outer world and live the most simple life for a week and then come back home and appreciate all the small things that you forget about having everyday. We will defo send our parents to Nepal for the easier trek iuring spring time to see all the blooming orchids and rhododendrons and will come back in some years to do round Annapurna or EBC one.

p.s. many thanks to all Nepali people that hosted us during the trek, every night was the best food ever and always different organic experience, everything comes from the garden to your table! We are coming back for momos and dal bhat!

Everything was perfect using Kim Kim. We had 3 guides in different parts of our trip plus a trip to Tiger Tops at Chitwan elephant camp. Rajeev was our first guide and we were impressed with how thorough his knowledge of the village and history was. Suman was our guide through our trekking stage and he went above and beyond. It was during this part of the trip that my husband wasn’t feeling very well to handle the full trekking days. Suman adjusted our plans and made sure my husband’s health was of primary concern. For this I am extremely grateful. Our last guide was Pratikshya and it was wonderful to see a woman guide in this male dominated field. There are some things that just need a woman’s touch and she provided that plus very detailed knowledge of the villages we went to.

Our time in Chitwan was priceless with Tiger Tops. Their values regarding the wildlife and how they particularly took care of the elephants was outstanding. Our personal guide/assistant was Bhim and he made sure we got to take part in all aspects of elephant maintenance and care. They took excellent care of us and the animals. Cannot say enough of how much this portion on the trip meant to me personally.

Keep up the good work!

Had a great trip in Nepal . I was greeted by the driver and Ngima at the airport.
Ngima was excellent to look after me from beginning to end of trip.

Also, Lhakpa (Guide) and the porter was knowledgeable and very helpful through the trek .
I would like to recommend Ngima team to everyone !!

Thanks for helping to make our trip to Nepal an amazing trip of a lifetime!

My experience was highly positive. I enjoyed the unique high country of Nepal immensely as well as the people I met both with Himalayan Trails and those along the trek. I was impressed with the wide range of ages represented by the trekkers and at times dismayed with the sheer numbers. The highlights for me were the climb of Chukhung Che and the trek over Kongma La pass and the Khumba glacier. Enjoying the trek with my son and brother was particularly gratifying and motivating. A highlight was meeting up again with Peter in Dzongla after he had to go back down to Pheriche from Chukhung. My son and I had little trouble with the treks or the altitude, which I ascribe to the great pacing set by our guide Ngawong. The porters Lhakpa and Dorjee were helpful, cheerful and worked hard to carry our "too much stuff".

The only slightly negative commentary on the trek was the time duration after going over Renjo pass. Its length was constrained by our return flight to the states (which had already been delayed by one day by China Southern). In my estimation the trek could be shortened by 2-3 days still leaving time for shopping/sightseeing in Kathmandu, if desired. We ended up staying three nights in Namche on the way back and 3 days in Kathmandu. Admittedly it gave us time to relax and hang out but we had already been gone >3 weeks and were ready to go home.

We had a wonderful experience with Kim Kim and Amanda Delecca from Himalayan Trails from the very beginning. Great communication was one thing we never had to worry about. Our guide was Mindu (sp?) and our porter was Chhong Nuri Sherpa. Amanda was very helpful answering all our questions before and during our trek. Our guide and porter were fantastic, knowledgeable and fun to be with.

Highlights were amazing views of the Himalayas, visiting the tea houses for lunch and spending the night and visiting the monasteries. We loved the scenery on this trek and it's not as populated . The tea houses were humble and we really enjoyed the hospitality. Being able to visit the monasteries was beyond imaginable. That is something we will never forget. We had a great trip and would love to do it again one day. Thanks so much!

Kamchha was a very good guide, very knowledgeable. Unfortunately he had to leave the trek a few days early because of a medical issue, which is understandable, but then he was replaced by someone who didn't speak English. I had a difficult time at the airport trying to fly out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. The Nepal Himalayas are absolutely amazing, incredible scenery all around. I don't know how they choose what places to stay at though and I wish there was a better price breakdown for each day. Had to sleep in a tent in freezing temperatures because it was not booked in advance.

Really liked Aditya, who helped pick me up from the airport twice, and speaks good English and is super nice and diligent.

Needed more info on what to expect with the weather and what clothing to bring
Would have liked a breakdown on prices as compared to other companies/guides, I paid quite a deal more than other people did
Otherwise he was very helpful and the trip was awesome