An absolutely wonderful and memorable trip!

Nepal | May 22 - May 27, 2022

We have nothing but praise for the team at Himalayan Trails and kimkim! This was our first fully guided trip, and our first trip with kimkim. I can definitely say that it won't be our last.

Our trip coordinators, Kripa and Erin, listened to our input and designed a perfect trip, combining cultural sights, light trekking and wonderful views of the Himalayas. They were very helpful before the trip with advice on preparation, packing, logistics, immigration, etc. During the trip, they checked in with us numerous times to make sure everything was going well. Everything was flawlessly coordinated. We always had someone picking us up at the airport or at our accommodation, and a driver was always waiting to take us to our next destination. This is quite a feat to pull off in post-Covid Nepal, which is just getting back into tourism after two long years of pandemic. The team is clearly well connected and has great relationships with the tourism industry in Nepal.

We had two guides during the trip - Pratikshya for the cultural sights, and Tendu for the trekking portion. Pratikshya was very attentive and knowledgeable about Nepali culture, history and tradition. Apart from the beautiful Durbar squares of Patan and Bhaktapur (a must visit when coming to Kathmandu), one of the highlights of the tour was seeing the awe-inspiring chariot in Patan. The chariot is constructed in May for a big religious celebration, and Pratikshya went out of her way to make sure that we saw it.

Tendu was a wonderful trekking guide! He is a Himalayan mountain tour expert and a very positive and friendly person. Our trek was very light for Nepal standards (our choice), but he kept it very fun and interesting. He pointed out all of the different mountains in the horizon (he knows them all very well), told us about other treks that we could experience in the future, and pointed out the local flora and fauna in the region. He also took us around some of the farms in the hills near Pokhara, where we interacted with local farmers. The tea houses were much nicer than we expected, and Tendu always made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. The highlight of the trek was breakfast at the Basanta lodge in Dhampus, where the sky cleared up and we could see the Annapurna mountain range. We also want to give a special thank you to our wonderful porter, Lakpa, who is a legend in his own right, having summited Mt. Everest six times!

Overall, I can't recommend the team at Himalayan Trails enough! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and hospitality! Nepal is an incredible country with so much to see and experience, and we highly recommend Himalayan Trails for anyone wishing to experience Nepal!