I'm so happy I went with Nepal Hiking Team. From the moment I arrived at the hotel, I knew I made the right choice. The hotel was in a great area. Bars, restaurants, clubs, shops were all within a 10 minute or less walk from the hotel.
I was doing this solo and in a market where there were tons of trekking companies to choose from, Nepal Hiking Teams website immediately stood out as professional and I’m glad I went with them. Their quick responses to emails and questions was amazing. If it was a decent time to be awake in Nepal, they were responding to emails.
From the arrival at the airport, they came to pick me up, and took me to the hotel. The owner of the company Ganga, was there waiting to greet me and to give me info on the following days. The next morning Ganga was there again, introduced the trekkers to each other before we went out on our included city tour. There was four of us so it was a nice small group.
The city tour was great. That day showed us how beautiful Kathmandu was. The guide for the tour, Ramesh, was outstanding. His knowledge and ability to answer all of our questions was amazing. His friendliness and professionalism were also very noticeable. Genuine people like Ramesh stand out and are not easy to forget. The next morning was the big day.
We met our guide for the trek Dhurba. Dhurba was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgable of the trek and was overall a good person. Any mountain we pointed at, he knew the name and height. It was very impressive. I appreciate going on this trek with Dhurba. Dhurba showed me that my body could handle way more than I ever thought it could. He always looked out for us. He never pushed us to do more than we could do. Although his body was used to every part of this trek, he knew that people from sea level needed to take it slower and he took that very seriously.
I feel very lucky to have had Dhurba as our guide. He always had a smile on his face. As a group, we spent Christmas and New Year together. It definitely felt like a little family. For Christmas he gifted each of us a Snickers. That was honestly one of the most amazing and needed gifts I had ever received.
Huge tip is to take trekking poles seriously! On our descent, I stopped using them and was putting a lot of pressure on my knees. That led to me walking the last day and a half in pain. Dhurba did everything he could to try and help me out. He mentioned different forms of transportation to get me down, I told him that I would walk. He insisted many times that he could carry my backpack down for me and I refused. I wanted to finish strong. But that did not go unnoticed.
Dhurba was there in the case of anything happening, and I really appreciate that. He was ready to help, he was ready to carry my bag, he was ready to wrap my knees, he had sprays for joint pain, he had vitamins, medications, he had everything that helped me feel safe in the situation. Dhurba was the best guide I could've asked for.
There were many times where I felt slow and as if we were running out of time for the day and instead of rushing us, Dhurba would actually tell us to stop, take a seat and drink some water. Dhurba did not feel like some boring guide we did not connect with. He felt like one of us. We connected and laughed with him throughout the trek. Hopefully you get someone as good as Dhurba.
Our porters Nima and Purna were great as well. They always greeted us in such a friendly manner with smiles on their faces when they saw us and we let them know that there would be no hike to Everest Basecamp without them. They are truly superhuman with the weight that they take up and down during the trek. As I said, without them, we do not make it to Basecamp so I am very grateful for everything they did for us.
Nepal Hiking Team stood out when it came to accommodations on the trek. Obviously we weren't going to be in 5 star hotels on our way up but they made sure to keep us in the best tea houses possible. This stood out when we talked to other trekkers whose companies accommodations were so bad, that they refused to stay at their tea houses.
There was actually a couple we spoke to who told us all about their bad experiences with the tea houses which led to them saying something about it to their company and that led them to stay at the same tea house that we stayed at, which they said was much better in every way. Another big part that should be taken seriously when considering a trekking company is the flights from and to Kathmandu.
We got really lucky with the weather on our trek. No clouds ever while going up. On the way down was a different story. The weather started getting bad with fog. So bad that we had to stay an extra day at Lukla airport since planes couldn't fly in. That day really made Nepal Hiking Team stand out. The only way out was through helicopters and that seemed like a mess for everyone trying to get down. Everyone was stressed and scrambling making calls and trying to find a helicopter.
My team had an extra day, so we just waited it out. Other people were trying to leave immediately and helicopters were getting expensive due to demand. People were paying high prices, some were getting scammed, it was a mess. When our time came and we decided to get a helicopter the following day, the process was simple. Ganga was able to arrange that quickly for us and it was stress free. The price was also much cheaper than what other people around us were paying.
In the middle of a stressful mess, Nepal Hiking Team was able to remove the stress, give us answers and make everything easy for us. It did not seem the same for others. Overall, I kept telling myself how happy I was that I chose Nepal Hiking Team. From the owner, to the guides and porters, it was an amazing experience.
If you have found Nepal Hiking Team it's time to stop looking. You have found the right company. I'm sure there are many great things I’m forgetting at the moment but just know you will not regret your choice. Thank you to all of Nepal Hiking Team. My experience and your service will never be forgotten.