I will not write much on the ABC trek itself, there are thousands of reviews written by other trekkers. Sceneries, lodging, food, etc ... My review is on what I think makes the trip .... the company, the guide and the porter.
My 61-year old friend and I had a unforgettable 10-day abc trek carefully planned by Nepal Hiking Team Pvt Ltd. From the time his staff picked us up to the time we said goodbye at the airport, the entire trip was perfect. This included water rafting and paragliding. Its Managing Director Ganga Raj Thapa was fast and efficient in his email response before and after the trip. I found the charges reasonable. He answered to all my questions and would accede to my requests if reasonable. In person, he's a warm and friendly man that you will feel comfortable with.
The guide that he assigned, Narayan, was also very responsible. Very knowledgeable, informs us what to expect, very patient to wait for us 2 slow men. He took very good care of us, see to any of our needs... charge batteries, got us blankets, refill our bottles with water, be our camera man, he even holds my walking sticks or spectacles whenever I am taking pictures. He's very fit and could climb Everest, problem is that he doesn't have the money to do it.
The porter, Lal, was just as amazing in his role. He could carry our stuff of 30kg for the entire 10 days, where we could easily trekked over 160km, ascended and descended over 15,000 stone steps, not forgetting the last stretch from MBC to ABC where oxygen level dropped to 50%. Despite all these, he is grateful that he has a job.
Together they served us extremely well .. at meal times, they doubled up as waiters. At lunch, they ate their meals after us.. at dinner, they ate their meals .. after ALL the trekkers in the guest house had theirs .. and those trekkers are NOT even their customers.
They did not sleep after we slept .. they slept only after ALL the trekkers in the guest house had slept .. and those trekkers are NOT even their customers .. because due to the lack of proper rooms, they can only sleep in the dining room.
Our tips for them increased as each day passed. Hence dear trekkers, give generously when you are there, .. they deserved more.
We may return to Nepal and although we can choose to do a different trek like the Everest Base Camp trek, we will definitely NOT choose a different company. Can change treks but cannot change company.