Wow. What an amazing experience.
Nepal
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Nov 15 - Nov 29, 2023
![Jeff](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/0f303782a2a3653a38d601b2c24c19bbffd08811/original-5010790d29f9ecbf5d583277ddee3649.jpg)
Wow. What an amazing experience. Sangita, Bipin, Rabin, and the entire Namobuddha team made our first visit to Nepal outstanding. The communication, logistics, pace, and friendship really sets apart this team from the rest. They were really easy to work with, followed through, and were very professional all while being friendly and approachable. My entire family (wife and two young boys 11 &13) had an amazing time.
Hotel Reviews
Great location and friendly staff. Overall we really enjoyed our stay here. We had a small issue with one of the rooms but it's was remedied almost immediately. The included breakfast was nice and filling and the rooms were cozy and relatively comfortable. The location is what really made this work for my family and I. Close enough to all the action but off the path enough that we couldn't really hear the sounds of the city.
WOW! Beautiful grounds. Comfy rooms. Great restaurant. Friendly staff. This hotel was really nice and was definitely our most comfortable stay in Nepal.
These were perfect. The beds weren't the most comfy but having a bed and warm blanket at the end of a day of trekking was fantastic. The shared bathroom was better than expected and most had an option of toilet-type. The food at all of them was amazing! It took a long time to get the food (because they were literally making it from scratch!...which is awesome) so bring some games or a book or something. The walls are thin and it's basically a hostel so earplugs might be helpful for some. In my opinion, though, this is the way to see Nepal!
Great location in Patan. Really close to durbar square and local shops and restaurants (If, for whatever reason, you get a bit tired of delicious Nepali food, try the Ramen place right across the street. Yum!) Comfy rooms. Amazing bathrooms! Nice staff.
Activity Reviews
![Welcome Dinner](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/3dd753d7ced248434412b80a40bbc4a59ab58e1a/medium-dc538a26b1afa26b496975af00a94c5f.jpg)
We loved this! Bipin is awesome and immediately helped us feel at home and welcomed. His knowledge of Kathmandu and Nepal and his many years of experience with tourists was evident. The restaurant was really good too.
![Market walk(2-3 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/ba355c9fe87ac2594f0d76d876305b519e956987/medium-3f54a3cb0cb4cae0511e72182f5063cc.jpg)
This was a welcome treat. It doesn't matter how much you study before you go somewhere, there's nothing that compares to having a local show you around. This was great. Bipin was patient and knowledgable in his explanations and helped us feel welcomed.
![Full Day Jungle Activities in Chitwan](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/85cea8f39cb8cc7fcf18eb11e170ad8b67711fd4/medium-cc9c2d1795bf88b5fd3f2af177d42333.jpg)
OMG Chitwan is amazing. The jeep safari was neat but the highlight was the canoe ride down the river. We spotted crocs from the boat. Beautiful National Park.
![Drive from Kathmandu to Dhap (2850 m)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/b9ebaf9d7636be7de5d214c8980b4aac4cae46f8/medium-80dac4d29708a5d84f661350d821164c.jpg)
This was rough....not because anyone did anything wrong though. The road to the Dhap from Kathmandu is just long, chaotic, slow, bumpy, windy, steep, and loud, etc. It's just a long uncomfortable car ride. On the bright side, there were multiple stops and the places we stopped for food was always delicious....and on the even brighter side...after you climb out of the valley you can almost immediately see the mountains and some of the views are amazing! The mountain views did get me and my family even more excited to get out there and start hiking them! Bipin and Sangita did change some things around for our drive back and that helped make a big difference for us. Thank you.
![Trek from Dhap to Jhapre (2920 m / about 4-5 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/29070488d7a4ca53153f9bb6460adb421291649c/medium-9b4ad5e6c281ab8b322f402ea9585552.jpg)
Loved this. This was an easy short day. We made it to Jhapre by lunch and then just rested and chilled out the rest of the day. You've got an immediate view of the mountains and at times it felt like we were hiking straight to Mt Everest. So cool. Our guide Rabin and two porters were fantastic!
![Trek from Jhapre to Pikey Base Camp (3600 m/ about 5-6 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/30b6380a8f276cc8eb7ed5cd389e1b8aedb6fd3b/medium-4bf2e1ef3013b52b0b059336e22eaaa1.jpg)
This leg was a bit longer and a lot more uphill! The elevations are real out here and at times the grade was between 30-45%....but you cannot beat the views already! Though a longer and more strenuous day it seemed to go by quickly and knowing there was a warm meal and horizontal bed waiting for you helps a lot too.
![Morning, Trek to Pikey Peak (4060 m) and Trek to Junbesi (2700 m/total 8-9 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/e2ba24849dddd88b32c274461cda6f4c0655a738/medium-3820984c68f02cfeea3c1d174b744a43.jpg)
Ok real talk. The views from the top of Pikey Peak will stay with you forever. We had perfect weather and though it was COLD and windy up there I was shocked by the panoramic beauty on display...and of course you know that pics don't do it justice!...BUT...there's a looooooot of hiking on this day. We were not mentally prepared for it. We had trained and stuff but on this day you wake up EARLY (4:30a) to summit by sunrise (which is worth it) but after you summit you go back down for breakfast, then back up for lunch, and then waaaaaaay back down for Junbesi. Our legs were toast by the end of this day. Junbesi is a great little town and the accommodations were really nice. I'm not sure there's a way to shorten this leg because of how remote you are at this point in the trail so just be prepared. It's waaaay worth it though....and the way to Junbesi takes you through some of the most beautiful parts of the trail.
![Trek from Junbesi to Salleri(2500 m/ About 4-5 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/386f5997cf1d0cf02afaea3a7a0aa81c8a1db529/medium-e60496749a626ac445edf4084504e434.jpg)
![Drive from Salleri to Patan(7-8 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/79a68d58d4a5adda683d135af67dbfbf6cd470f0/medium-d7b3279dc7b79ab8d615c53f970cf3de.jpg)
![Patan walk](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/651d2a1696444f69f2c07a3e16547e0d2fa20f26/medium-7541405027a0765886f33245c500a404.jpg)
There's nothing better than exploring a new place with a passionate local person...and Bipin is that person!
![Junbesi to Thuptenchholing Monastery ( 3200 m / about 4-5 hrs)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/3e3f5092512e5ae6515690f1ba58cfebb6634334/medium-0395d09d8f1e549d920987f05d6b18b2.jpg)
For us this was optional but it's so worth doing! There's an entire day of rest after the previous day's hike and this short trek up to the monastery is optional. So if you need to physically recover you have the option but if you're feeling okay this is strongly recommended. It's pretty much straight uphill for about 1.5 hrs but once you're up there it's beautiful.
![Sangita](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/30cc741f1099a0a80a7beca44ab0be7d4214e752/thumb-63bc336e18147c050ead3e50c52bbfbc.jpg)
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for the wonderful review. It is an absolute pleasure to host your family trip in our country Nepal and we are glad to know you had amazing travel experience with our team. We hope to welcome you back in Nepal soon .
Regards
Sangita and HNB Team