Kimkim Trip Reviews for Nepal

Ngima and his team did an outstanding job from the planning stages all the way. Ngima was very prompt in responding to all my queries and helped us plan our trip without any problems.
We were welcomed at the airport by Lakpa who was very friendly and helpful and he took us around everywhere till we left.
Our trekking guide Ang and our porter Kungha were just as amazing as all others on the team. Very accommodating, kind and helpful.
Ngima is a wonderful tour operator. He made all arrangements for our stay and flights in spite of bad weather and flight cancellations. He worked very hard to get us a rescue helicopter when things got bad in Poonhill.
We will be definitely using Kimkim travels again and Ngima’s team in Nepal for our next expedition.

Thank you for reaching out and asking about our trip. It exceeded all of our expectations! First, Kimkim and Himalayan Trails executed everything perfectly. The people that surrounded us were always very professional, caring and made the trip seamless.

Rajiv did a great job of introducing us to the important historical sites in Kathmandu and Patan. What a great day that was. We were in informational overload and I had to let it sink in before going back and reading more about the sites we saw.

Our guide, Wang Chu, and porter, Neema , we’re first rate. I think one of the most important things a guide can do is understand his clients and Wang Chu was able to do that very quickly. He made adjustments throughout the trip that catered to what we were looking for and made our experience unbelievable. We often times felt like we were the only ones on the circuit and saw things I know other groups did not get to witness.

The trek itself was difficult at times but rewarding in every instance. The scenery was spectacular and Wang Chu taught us a great deal about the culture, livelihood and history of the Nepalese people as we trekked from village to village. What a great classroom and teacher!

I am glad we chose the Manislu circuit and I would recommend that to anyone interested in trekking the Himalayans. It offered a good challenge, varied landscapes and what felt like a relatively less travelled path.

Thank you for setting everything up for us and sticking with us for almost two years due to travel restrictions!

Again, thank you, Kripa, Rajiv, Sanzeb, Wang Chu, Neema and the whole staff at Kimkim and Himalayan Trails for making it a wonderful, memorable trip!

David Makepeace

Raj planned a 11 day trip to Nepal for us. During the planning stages he provided quick and very detailed responses to our questions and also made himself available for a couple of video chats. He has a great team of local guides. Our trekking guide Rabin was exceptional. After we landed in Nepal the itinerary had to be modified a bit but Raj and team took care of it and everything went well without a hitch. His team was very easy to reach during the trip - we always got a response in a timely manner.

Looking forward to a return visit!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ambassador

Kathmandu

Well located, great people, great restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Temple Tree Resort & Spa

Pokhara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Buddha Maya Garden

Lumbini

Authenticity & Character

Lovely facility - like a huge old bungalow. Could use a bit of updating but definitely recommend.

Location

Staff

Very helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset Walk at Soyambhu

Kathmandu

Could have used more time here - did not last 3 hours.

Transport

Kathmandu Heritage Tour

Kathmandu

The tour was done in about 4 hours, even after we added Patan Durbar square which presumably was not in the plan. Felt rushed. So many things to take in. Could have definitely used more time.

Traditional Welcome Dinner

Kathmandu

Lovely dinner in a lovely place. Enjoyed chatting with Bipin and Rabin.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Trailhead & Trek to Ghandruk

Pokhara

We changed our trek. But the whole experience was just amazing. Can’t say enough about Rabin - super nice guy and extremely knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an AMAZING trip with Sherpa Wangchhu and our porter, Nima, on the Tamang Heritage Trail. It was a true pleasure to stay with locals in towns like Tatopani and Gatlang, where they made us incredible meals, straight from their farms. We learned so much about the Tamang people and were inspired to see how much they've rebuilt since the earthquake. We had amazing views of the mountains and valley every day, and there was no shortage of cows, goats, and donkeys along the way. The trekking itself wasn't too challenging and with plenty of time, we could always take it slow if needed. Our favorite part was sipping milk tea at the end of a day of adventuring around the mountains. We highly recommend this trek and the amazing Kim Kim staff.!

My guide Pemba was amazing. We sat down every afternoon to worked through the following day. And When I was tired he helped me with my backpack, which was way too often.
Thanks ☺️

Activity Review

Trek from Kharikhola to Paiya (2770m).

Nepal

It was a really beautiful section of the walk

Quality of Experience

Very good coordination with Amanda prior the trip and the route were customized to what I am seeking. The guides and porter are very friendly and helpful. Although I have to abandon the rest of my trek due to lack of stamina and kneecaps pain, the company helped to arrange transport to the other hotels we have to rebooked. Appreciate the kind gesture and it is indeed a worry free trip. Thank you very much for the patience. Will definitely use the service again.

Amanda planned an amazing Itinerary, beautiful interesting lodgings and places full with historical sights yet comfortable. The first 3 night was excellent & I was looking forward to the rest of the stay but due to personal physical issue, we had to cancel the rest of the trip. Ms Kripa the coordinator in Kathmandu office was v helpful & arrange for daily transfers to our last few days and airport. Always checking if we need any assistance. Warm & great service. Will book again

The overall planning and booking experience with KimKim was excellent except the first appointment call. When I showed my interesting in KimKim trip, I was asked to book a 15min time slot to talk to a local (California) person. And I found this person has no value added. I asked many questions in the call and none was answered. I would have given a 5 stars if there is no such an annoy call.

The KimKim payment and communication system are very convenient. All the communications and attachment are well kept in the system and easy to read. The response from Ngima is incredibly fast and accurate. Nigma answered our questions with patient and with no nonsense. His expertise and knowledge provided me a trustworthy feeling.

KimKim assigned a local driver Lhakpa to us. Lhakpa has very fluent English. Lhakpa drove us to and from airport and also during our sightseeing tours in Kathmandu. He gave us a very nice overall introduction of Nepal and Kathmandu. He was also a good photographer and knew the "should not miss" photography spots.

The most important person in this trip is no doubt our Sherpa guide, Furba. I would like to show my deepest appreciation to him to make this trip safe and memorable. He is responsible, knowledgeable, and considerate. He spotted wild animals to us, for example Himalayan tahr. He pointed and named every peaks to us during the entire trip. Due to the unstable weather, he had to modify our itinerary from day to day to optimize the trip. He also tried his best to accommodate all our requests during the entire trip. For example, we requested to have single rooms for both of us. He told us in some remote village the availability is very limited and because of the high demand, a single supplement might not possible, but he will do his best. At the end, we had single supplement on every nights in our trip. Furba has done an excellent job.

The last person I would to mention is our porter, Lhakpa. He has taken good care of our luggage, especially during a few raining days.

The mountain scenery is the best in the world. The images of the peaks, Mt Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu, Cholatse, Tabuche, etc., are imprinted in my brain. However, the most critical part of this trip is the persons provided the service to you. Thank you again for the persons I mentioned above.

Activity Reviews

Trek from Dzongla to Gokyo (15,584 feet / 4750 m) via Cho La Pass

Gokyo

Acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar

Namche Bazaar

The hike from Namche to Hotel Everest View was very pleasure. It was very impressive of the Namche town viewed from above on the trail to Hotel Everest View. The close up views of Mt Everest, Lohtse, and Ama Dablam are unforgettable.

From the get go Ngima instilled confidence with his prompt replies to my questions during the initial planning stages. We had limited time and wanted to fit in as much as possible without having to worry about transport and transfers from one destination to the next. The Poon Hill trek was memorable, not least because our guide Dafuri and porter, Ngima had the best sense of humour and kept us going by gauging our ability perfectly and taking care to make sure that we were safe and comfortable at all times. We also spent the evenings teaching each other card games and we had a lot of fun. Our driver from Pokhara back to Kathmandu via Bandipur, drove with skill and patience through monsoon rain, landslides and festival traffic. We always felt safe despite some tricky conditions and were able to enjoy the amazing sights and scenery along the way. Everyone we met contributed to a memorable experience and knowing someone always had our backs meant we could just enjoy the trip and appreciate Nepal to the fullest.

Activity Review

Trek from Ghorepani to Tadapani (8,562 feet / 2,610 m), Sunrise at Poon Hill

Nepal

Definitely the highlight. The climb of the previous day was challenging and the extra trek uphill to see the sunrise seemed never ending but it was so worth it. The cup of coffee at the top probably one of the best ever and the views just breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

2 Star rating for response to bad weather in Lower Mustang

The 2-star rating applies to the entire team handling our trip.

The highlight of our trip to Nepal was supposed to be our mountain biking trip. Bad weather and poor anticipation and replanning made it an experience we rather forget quickly. We had planned to bike in the Lower Mustang region. While we did travel to Pokhara during rainy weather we never made it to Jomson as there were no flights and landslides blocked the roads. While the team is not responsible for the weather, the implication could and should have been anticipated. We pushed for a replan after an idle day in Pokhara. We ended up traveling to the Everest area where the weather was much better. We lost 3 days. Unfortunately, our guide wasn't very familiar with the trails. She wasn't prepared for the Everest area. We ended up going down two trails that were nothing short of dangerous and required a lot of walking with our bikes. Out of the 8 days of bike rental, I rode my bike 3 days (the bike broke down on the last day and I hiked the trail while my friend and out guide did the ride). The reason for given 2 stars instead of 1 is that the team was helpful, we had some nice experiences at the tea houses, changed plans to have a change to see Mt Everest (which worked out well), ... Again, it all started with bad weather, but the local team could have done a much better job preparing and triggering an alternative plan. We ended up spending about $500 / day (without bike rental) per person, for one hotel room (with double beds). That looks expensive given typical cost of a room ($10 - $20 / night, 1, 2 or 3 rooms as needed for driver and guide as well), meals ($4-$8, need to cover guide and driver), car and driver (on one of the days in KTM we got our own driver (not included in the kimkim fees) and paid $45 for car and driver for the day), guide, ... (we also paid over $200 in tips for guide, driver, ...).

A trip that definitely didn't meet expectations. Luckily the time we spent on our own gave us a chance to learn a lot about the country. And our guide showed us a wonderful monastery and helped us with a great morning experience seeing the Himalaya and Mt Everest (but that was really too little for $5k / 2 people).

I hope that our less than desirable experience will lead to some better back-up planning and makes a difference for future visitors who encounter similar weather conditions. Jan and I did enjoy the country and we look forward to another change to explore it (better).

Thanks for listening.

Niels

I want to say thanks to Kunchok and his team for a wonderful experience. My brother and I visited Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Nagarkot for a week long trip in October 2022. The trip was an adventure and we had the opportunity to trek, explore the towns, and go river rafting. Kunchok was an excellent host and made sure everything went smoothly. We had enough downtime to enjoy the experience and I highly recommend KimKim and Kunchok in particular.

Thank you Amanda, Kripa and Subash for the most amazing trip to Nepal!

Your excellent preparation, guidance, diligence and humour made every second of our trip so special.

The atmosphere in Nepal is best described as simply magical and it doesn't take long until it pulls you in completely. Thanks to the "all in" service attitude of the wonderful kimkim team, we had nothing to worry about or take care of, we could just concentrate on soaking up all images and vibes of this beautiful country with its lovely, friendly people all around.

Our trip itinerary was worked out, hotels booked, every car ride arranged, meeting times scheduled, all planes trips organized for us - all we had to do was kick back, enjoy and not worry about a single thing! It all worked out like clockwork.

Amanda did an excellent job figuring out what exactly we wanted to see way before our trip, had a great upbeat attitude that made planning the trip even more fun. She understood perfectly well what we wanted to experience and she put it all into a very carefully selected and planned out itinerary. One that could only be worked out by someone knowing the country very well!

Kripa thank you for taking such good care of us during our stay in Nepal. You were the anchor and support who was always there in the background pulling all the strings and making miracles happen. It also felt great to have you call in and ask if everything is going well and if we are doing great. We felt very pampered!

Subash, our wonderful and very attentive guide showed us corners and customs of Nepal that we otherwise would never have found by ourselves. He paid close attention to where our interests were when we first met and catered exactly to our needs with the sights he showed us and the information he provided about them. As my teenage daughter was travelling with her nosy Mum, this was sometimes a stretch, but he managed beautifully! He was very finely in tune with us to always make the experience comfortable and interesting at the same time for both of us.

We have since returned and still Nepal is lingering in our thoughts and our bodies. And as well as this experience will always stay in our hearts and lives forever, so will it be tied to the people who helped create it.

Thank you very deeply to all of you
Namaste!

The entire trip was well prepared. Ngima and his team did a great job. They answered every question very well and helped me to prepare the trip according to my needs.
I was warm welcomed in Nepal by Ngima and his team. My guide Ang was super polite, knowledgeable and was taking care of me throughout the trip.
Great Experience, can just recommend it to everybody.

Cheers, Alexander

My cousin and I did the Pikey Peak trek in 5 days, this was the perfect trek to do if you have only a few days of vacation to take in Nepal. You will see just about everything in a short amount of time including Everest if you are lucky and get a clear day up on Pikey Peak. Kunchock was fantastic in setting up our itinerary and really made sure we were safe the whole time. We even had some flight issues getting to Nepal but Kunchock made sure everything was adjusted to fit our schedule. Dolma was our tour guide for the trek and I could not have asked for a better one, she let us customize and do just about anything we wanted to during the trek and was extremely friendly and knowledgeable on the Pikey Peak area. Definitely going back the only thing I would say about my trip was I wish I personally had more time!

Hotel Reviews

Pema Boutique Hotel

Kathmandu

The hotel was great, the area it is in really makes you realize you are in Nepal the culture is very different and the restaurant downstairs has great authentic food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ambassador

Kathmandu

Very nice hotel I felt like I was in a hotel back home in the United States, the food was great at the restaurant upstairs and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Location is great as well since it is not to far from the market in case you wanted to buy any souvenirs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Drive from Kathmandu to Dhap, Trek to Japre (2920 m)

Nepal

I must say although of course the trek and the peak was the highlight of the trip, my favorite part was just driving to the trek start location. It was about a 6 hour drive and I got to see so many different villages and farms that you pass through along the way. This was something I enjoyed since I could see many different parts of the country and lifestyles other then the city and the mountains.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Jhapre to Pikey Base Camp

Nepal

The first part of the trek was not to difficult and a perfect length for just getting done with a 6 hour car drive. You will see prayer flags, stupas and some animals on the way up to base camp

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Pikey Peak Base Camp to Chaulakharka (1460 m) via Pikey Peak

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Chaulakharka to Shivalaya (1770 m)

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Shivalaya to Kathmandu

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Kathmandu Nepal

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing trip, the local guides for our hike and safari were absolutely incredible and made our holiday so easy. The whole trip was well organised and we felt very relaxed.

Bire the guide was great in Nepal. You should keep him on your team.
The hotel in Thamel was not great as it was next to an open air bar playing live music until late at night, hard to sleep.

Thank you for the experience! Our trip to Nepal was incredible, we loved both our sightseeing around Kathmandu and our trek to Gorephani. What made this experience such a good one, undoubtedly, was the help and support we got from the following people:
Ngima - helped organised the trip before it started)
Lakpa - drove us around Kathmandu, took care of our transfers, and helped with every challenge that came along the way
Ang Gelu Sherpa (trek guide) and Gyalbu Sherpa (porter) - who took care of us during the trek, made sure we were healthy and comfortable.
We knew we were travelling during a not ideal season (monsoon), but Kim Kim made it sure to plan the best possible options to make the most of our trip.
Thank you again for taking care of us.

Activity Review

Trek from Ghorepani to Tadapani (8,562 feet / 2,610 m), Sunrise at Poon Hill

Nepal

This was the highlight of the trip, Annapurna sight is mindblowing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had an wonderful time in Nepal thanks to the Kimkim team. Right from the beginning when I contacted them, Amanda kept me update and reply to my questions in a timely fashion.
Pratikshya is my guide in Nepal and she is very knowledgeable.
I really like Namo Buddha resort and wish I could stay one more night there.
I am planning to do the base camp trek and I would definitely have them to organize this trek for me.

Thanks to Ngima and his team for putting together an itinerary and experience that worked for my schedule and abilities. It was clear during the planning process that Ngima has great experience in the Everest region and working with clients to design a personalized trip. Once the trip began, Ngima's team was terrific in providing information and support to be sure I was ready to begin the trek. My guide and porter were wonderful, full of local knowledge and expertise that added to my overall experience. It was great learning from them and having them along for support, and after spending 17 days with them, it was hard to say goodbye. Thanks Ngima and team!

Activity Reviews

Trek from Chukhung to Lobuche (16,210 feet / 4,940 m) via Kongma La Pass

Lobuche

Trek from Gorak Shep to Lobuche (16,207 feet / 4940 m), Sunrise from Kala Patthar (5644m)

Lobuche

Trek from Dzongla to Gokyo (15,584 feet / 4750 m) via Cho La Pass

Gokyo

Trek from Gokyo to Marlung (17,585 feet / 5360 m) via Renjo La Pass

Marlung

We went to Nepal in May2022, two families with kids. We organized the trip with Sangita who made the best suggestions for our itinerary. We visited Kathmandu and Bhaktapur with Vipin, our guide. He was fabulous, knew a lot from Nepal: culture, history and people. After that we flew to Pokhara were we had a different guide. In this case we were dissapointed with his knowledge, however the driver we got was very talktive and nice. We also stayed one night in Astam, it was nice but we wouldn't recommend it, Pokhara is much nicer. Our driver then took us to Chitwan were we stayed in the best hotel of the trip, plus the kids enjoyed a lot the safaris. Finally back to Patan that it was also very nice. Vipin met us there again for dinner and last visits.

We would definetly recommend Sangita and her agency. They were very helpful, giving tips and suggestions, replying quickly to all of our mails and adapting to our requirements.
We hope to come back again!!!