It has always been my dream to go to the Himalayas. For a long time, I have had this desire and was working very hard to achieve this dream of mine. On the beginning of April of this year, I finally had enough to make a trip to Nepal and see the mountains for myself. Browsing through many agencies on the internet, I was drawn to Nepal Hiking Team, mainly because of their neat website. When I first consulted Nepal Hiking Team for a trip, I was responded to immediately by Mr. Ganga- the managing director. My plan was to travel to Nepal with my husband and just get as much of an authentic mountainous trip as we could on the 2 weeks’ time we had. The Everest Base Camp Trek was suggested to us, and when we were provided with the information on the itinerary and the price and such, we were satisfied with what we were getting. The price of the Everest Base Camp Trek was also suitable for the services that we were going to be provided with. On the initial time of the trek, information and queries were answered back and forth via prompt e-mails and my husband and I were able to make arrangements accordingly. It was decided that we would be getting complimentary sleeping bags and Down Jackets from the agency when we arrived, which I think is a good deal. Finally, at the end of the first week of April, we arrived at the Kathmandu Airport and met up with our guide, Ram Hari Adhikari- who was kind and smiling. The first day was spent touring Kathmandu valley, with sites that consisted of important Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas. Our guide was understandable and patient. His explanation of the sites and knowledge about the lore of the temples were fascinating to listen to. In the evening, we even got a bit of a time to ourselves and we roamed around Thamel and had a Nepali meal at a hole-in-the-wall Traven on a small narrow street. Ram Hari also helped us with the re-packing of our bags for the trek. The next day, the official trekking day started with an early morning flight to Lukla.
I feel like there’s so much to say but at the same time, no matter how much I write the words, they would not be enough. When the airplane landed at the Lukla airport, my heart was already beating uncontrollably. The fact that the airport was located at the edge of a cliff and was surrounded with beautiful hills did little to calm my rapidly beating heart. My husband shared my palpable sentiment. We could not stop smiling! In a way, we were also lucky as we were told that Lukla flights tend to get cancelled at times. This was a worry for us as we did not have time to spare that went further than the 2 weeks we had scheduled. Ram Hari reassured us that April was a good month for trekking and that we might actually get beautiful weather with no delays. I was crossing my finger and holding on to our guide for this! The trek then started and the rest of our days were spent walking on thinly laid trails that looked like they had been trampled on for years. Considering how famous the Everest Base Camp Trek is, they probably had been. It was surreal to just have the view of the White Mountains in the distance in front of us while we were trekking. I say it was surreal because such a sight is never seen on the busy city where the skyline is nothing but tall buildings, but during the trek- the terrain was a massive influence on our experience. The snow on the trees and thick velvets of white carpet on either side of the trail seemed to me like a totally different world. I suppose the accommodations that we were provided during the trek- the lodges and the guesthouses, were satisfactory for what they were and for the purpose they served. We were glad that the food was also vegetarian. Ram Hari’s concern for us during the trek was also felt. Not to mention- our porter, Namjin, who we are extremely grateful for. His hard work on the mountain trail, carrying our bag pack and arriving on the accommodation before us, really had us feeling a great deal of gratitude for him.
When we finally arrived at the base camp, it was like something inside me was lifted. I felt light and was floating. The beautiful surrounding of the base camp with Everest right up ahead was just such a foreign idea to myself that I could not grasp that the situation that time was even real. After trekking for days, often with a bit of a difficulty and on trails that was sometimes demanding, arriving on the base camp was just a moment of total elation. I hugged my husband and Ram Hari took pictures for us.
Nepal Hiking Team truly is the best travel agency. Not only were they very prompt from the very beginning, the team who were involved with us were kind, considerate and were very professional. We had no problems at all during the trek. Our guide was hard-working, our porter even more so. I would like to thank Nepal Hiking Team for playing a good part in the completion of my dream. My trek was pleasant and full of such wonderful sights and beautiful mountain views that the memories of it will forever be in my mind. It was a time that I’m sure I will be talking about to people for many years to come. And for that, my recommendation is definitely with the Nepal Hiking Team agency. Thank You to Ram Hari, Namjin, Mr. Ganga and Mr. Balaram and everyone else who were involved with making this trek into a successful endeavor. Nepal Hiking Team is truly the best!