These are real traveller stories, grouped by the part of the experience they
describe — how the planning went, what happened when a flight was cancelled or somebody
fell ill, what the guide did when the plan stopped working. Every story links back to the
original review, so you can read it in full, in context, where it was written.
We do not ask for them. Not at the end of a trek, not by email afterwards, not at all.
Every story on this page was written by someone who decided on their own that the trip was
worth writing about.
We would rather have a few hundred reviews people wanted to write than
a few thousand we chased.
That is why our numbers are smaller than they could be, and we are comfortable with that.
We have never bought a review and never will. We are not trying to win a
counting contest — we are trying to run trips people talk about afterwards without
being asked to.
And one we could have left out
In hindsight we would have done a bit more research into the route and the planned stops along the way. We trusted North Nepal to plan everything. Although it was very well planned, we might have liked a few extra days on the itinerary to go a bit slower and soak up the trek. … There were times that we were concerned that he would not be able to hear us if an emergency arose. There were a few times that it would have been nice to have tips or reminders along the way, what layers to prepare, things to expect on certain portions of trail.
Opens Google — search “Garrett” to find the original.
Fair, and useful. Two things changed because of feedback like this.
We now ask at booking how much day-to-day briefing you want — some trekkers want a
running commentary, others want the trail to themselves. And we raise the question of extra
days ourselves rather than waiting for you to ask, because almost nobody regrets a slower
itinerary. We have left the review exactly as written.
01
Everything arranged, including the things nobody could plan for
Flights, permits, hotels, transfers. And then the strike, the cancellation, the closed trail.
Google
Just finished an ABC trek with my twin daughters as a college graduation celebration trip. Mohan organized everything including hotels, RT Kathmandu - Pokhara flights, and was very detailed. The taxis were on strike while we were there and he even handled transportation to/from the airport. The whole trip was easy to plan and such a great trip.
Google
Gathered local updates about trail conditions after a late-monsoon event destroyed parts of the trail. Kept us updated and safe as we navigated the reopening of the trail. … Assisted with our purchase of local bus tickets and organizing a jeep from Tilche to Besi Sahar on our way back to Pokhara during a busy Diwali holiday.
Tripadvisor
The agency organized every detail with great professionalism, but the true added value was being able to complete the entire trek on trails, almost completely avoiding the dusty road used by jeeps and motorbikes. This is a rare and highly valuable aspect, made possible only thanks to the expertise of North Nepal Travel & Trek’s guides.
02
Advice that costs us money
The clearest test of whether a company is honest is what it says when the honest answer is worse for its own margin.
Google
I booked HeliTours because helicopter tours are cheaper than trekking. However, the owner, Mohan, recommended trekking, saying that the price would not be much different if we did the 6-day ABC trek. In the end, this treking was cheaper than the price I had found beforehand.
Tripadvisor
You talk to them about your ideas about your trek, you answer questions, they tell you what awaits you, how difficult the trek will be and they themselves ask if you can manage it, that’s a wonderful approach they have to the client.
Tripadvisor
I’m 66yo. Having just finished both Langtang and EBC, my bones were looking for something a bit less strenuous. Mardi Himal was exactly what I was looking for! … Staff there also had a HUGE amount of knowledge about the area, the experience, and how to deal with a demanding client like me.
03
Guides who know the ground they are standing on
Not knowledge from a map. Knowledge from having grown up on these trails.
Google
At one point during the 55km trek in dense fog it started to rain. We were about to start putting on jackets when Zeewan said there was a tree we could shelter under 30 meters away. This allowed us to rearrange waterproof jackets and covers while avoiding the downpour. We were blown away with the detail he knew the trek, surrounding mountains, wildlife, and how to progress as mountaineers.
Tripadvisor
It became apparent to both myself and my parter Vicky that Yagya was exceedingly familiar with the localities having spent much of his childhood there. … Yagya was an excellent guide who clearly knew his way around without needing to rely on any navigation or map reading at any point.
Tripadvisor
Zeewan has so much passion for Nepali wildlife and it shined through and really enriched our experience; while we were trekking, he spotted wild deer, Tahr, Blue Sheep and Himalayan Marmots for us to see.
04
When something goes wrong at altitude
We cannot promise nothing will happen up there. These travellers describe what happened when it did.
Google
When I had a health problem on the route – they acted immediately and very effectively. They not only quickly took me to the hospital and accompanied me there, but also promptly changed the route for the rest of the participants, so everyone was very satisfied.
Google
I got altitude sickness and I followed all Zeewan instructions and tips to get better and it worked fast. He’s not only a good guide, he’s a super coach and athlete.
Google
At one point my wife had a small bout of stomach illness at Annapurna Base Camp, and both Shiva and Don were extremely helpful in navigating a stressful situation (she was ultimately fine hours later and we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise view at the top!).
Google
When one of our party was experiencing knee pain he made sure to offer as many solutions as he could by providing hot mustard oil for a massage, taking them to the health clinic for medication and asking other guides if they had a knee brace.
05
When the plan falls apart
Cancelled flights, closed airports, a group split across two cities. This is the category we would most want you to read.
Google
We came upon a bit of bad luck as our return flight to Kathmandu was cancelled due to bad weather. … This meant we also missed our international flight home. Mohan had been keeping track, booked us back into our hotel and returned to the Pokhara airport to pick us up even though it was late. … He also called his travel contacts to help us with the difficult task of trying to rebook our international return flights. His approach contrasted distinctly with the much larger travel agency I had used to book our trip to Kathmandu from HK.
Google
2 people in our party got stuck in Kathmandu due to poor flying conditions. Mohan sent his personal car and a driver to take them to pokhara so they wouldn’t miss the trip.
Tripadvisor
My girlfriend started experiencing discomfort in her knee on the second day but still insisted on completing the entire journey. Raj accompanied us every step of the way, ensuring our safe arrival at the destination (originally a 7-hour trek, it took us 11 hours).
Tripadvisor
Mother Nature initially presented us with some inclement weather but our amazing guide Gobinda expertly altered our ascent schedule based upon his years of experience in his home mountains. Accommodation changes were dealt with promptly and with local knowledge in order to get us the best available last minute rooms as plans evolved.
06
Somebody noticed before you had to ask
The detail that comes up again and again is not that problems were solved. It is who spotted them first.
Google
He was always attentive to my pace, stopping for breaks without me needing to ask, and consistently checking that I was comfortable. His willingness to share his stories and insights made the journey feel much more meaningful — I didn’t just trek the trail; I learned so much about Nepal and its people.
Tripadvisor
Having overdone it the previous day I was really struggling with a knee problem. Before I could ask, one of our guides called for help and we travelled by car for a bit. After lunch we were offered the next part of the hike but I didn’t want to risk further injury so we cut it short. High praise to Mohan, Suresh and Yog Raj. Lovely young men. Very caring.
Google
Both were very patient with me (the slowest hiker amongst a group of fit people!) … Jiban, our guide to Australian Camp was very helpful, polite and knowledgeable. He even took the orders for our dinner and breakfast ahead of time so we didn’t have to wait for our meals.
07
The part that is not the mountain
Culture, language, religion, food and long conversations. Several travellers wrote more about this than about the views.
Google
Our trek also took us through Subash (our porter)’s village and it was a delight to see people wave and kids run up to him while we trekked through it.
Google
Taught us some Nepali words on the way, which really improved our experience and made for good interactions with locals. … Answering all questions we had about local environment, culture, religion, and history — thanks for your patience Raj!
During the 2 days we were captivated by Yagya’s stories and the local religious beliefs. Yagya was also keen to hear about our take on spiritualism and this offered some brief deep yet memorable conversations on the second day.
08
What the price actually covers
Three travellers who did the arithmetic, one of them while walking alongside people who had booked elsewhere.
Google
All expenses (tea’s, coffee’s, food, accommodation, transport) were covered except for one hot shower (€1.50) in one of the tea houses.
Tripadvisor
The price was also absolutely OK; I met some people along the way who paid significantly more at other agencies and received less service (I didn’t have to pay for WiFi or hot water, for example).
Google
I found that the prices for the accommodation and Kathmandu/Pokhara flights from North Nepal were better than the self service travel websites I would typically use.
09
Things nobody put in an itinerary
None of this was arranged in advance. It is usually what people remember.
Google
Probably the most memorable moment was on day 2 when we saw a frozen puddle for the first time, and we were really really really excited. Then, with Zeewan, we literally went crazy trying to break the ice apart and just could not stop laughing. Then we saw snow for the very first time in the forest, and we just went insane out of pure excitement.
Google
At Mohan’s office they even arranged for a surprise anniversary cake to celebrate our 3rd anniversary (which occurred on the final day of our trek)! I had mentioned our anniversary casually to Shiva, and it was so awesome they thought to do this!
Google
When we finished the Three passes trek, he delivered us certificates, t-shirts and traditional Buddhist scarf to congratulate us. So thoughtful.
Tripadvisor
The guides took personal time to take us beyond the expected trek, showing us base camp and the valley. Mahan loaned his laptop to our friend who was in dire need of connection for a job interview. There were so many incidents of incredible selflessness that this simple trip advisor review won’t do justice.
Read the full collection
The stories above are our selection, grouped our way, to show different sides of
travelling with us. They are not the whole picture. The complete collection lives on Google and
TripAdvisor — unedited, and outside our control, which is exactly where it should be.
