Traveller reviews

“A wonderful way to get up close without the equipment! The staff were attentive, acting as tour guides as well as bar staff. Worth taking the time”

“This flight has been on my bucket list for many a year .... it didn't disappoint. Early start to the day but weather was on our side, so we had a perfectly clear morning to view the mountain range. Whichever side of the Yeti flight you sit on, you will have a great view of the mountain ranges ... if you're on the left-hand side you will see the mountains first and those on the right will see them on the return journey. Everyone will be invited up to the cockpit to have a captains-eye view and the stewardesses will point out various mountains during the flight from the leaflet you are given. Unless it had been pointed out to me, I would not have instantly spotted Everest from all the other mountains - all are impressive without doubt, but so magical to see Everest at long last. Can thoroughly recommend this mini adventure! Superb!”

“We went up in clouds, I thought we weren't going to see anything. Until we got above the clouds and those giants came closer... Yeah, great.”

“If you’re debating whether to book a trekking trip with Himalayan Social Journey, here’s my advice: just do it. It’s probably one of the most rewarding and life-affirming experiences you’ll ever have. I’ve just returned from a 14-day adventure and feel like I left a piece of my heart in stunning Nepal.As a solo traveller, I went with an open mind and no expectations and came back with new friends, amazing experiences and beautiful memories. Himalayan Social Journey take care of everything and offer a rich and diverse itinerary. From trekking in Nepal’s foot hills, to jungle exploration, elephant bathing, cultural city tours and relaxing at 5* forest resorts. This trip has it all. Key highlights: 1. The mountains – you get several opportunities to see the Annapurna range (weather dependent) from different tea houses, an early morning march up to Poon Hill to see the sunrise break over the peaks, and a simply breath-taking Everest flight (you need to pay extra for this but, trust me, it’s worth it). 2. The trek – we walked from Nayapool to Urrlerri, Ghorepani, Deurali, Tadapani, Ghandruk – through beautiful little hill villages with stunning scenery. 3. The trekking group - I met a fantastic group of like-minded people (10 Aussies). You do everything together – from eating all your meals to scaling many steps – so you bond quickly and dig deep together. 4. What made the trip really special was our trekking guide, Binod, and the porter crew – Prakash, Shishir, Sujan, Ramesh. As well as Narendra and Sagar. Binod is an absolute legend. A charming and experienced guide, he knows all about the flora and fauna, and is always happy to answer questions. He went out of his way to look after every member of our group so well. He’s also got a few card tricks up his sleeve and will probably teach you to play Dhumbal! The porters are incredible – so much energy and happiness. It was great to trek with them. They look after you like kings and queens and nothing is too much trouble for them. I’m going to book again with Himalayan Social Journey to do a harder trek in 2020. I would recommend booking directly with HSJ rather than a third party travel agent. I liaised with Usha and Reeya who were brilliant and responded quickly and warmly to all emails. I can genuinely say you are in safe hands with Himalayan Social Journey. It's a great company, an amazing experience, a beautiful country with simply wonderful people. Thank you Ram and the HSJ team.”

“the flight was delayed and kathmandu airport is a bit confusing. however, the views were spectacular. the flight attendants are organized and helpful, showing us names of peaks as they somehow were able to get people to visit the cockpit in an orderly manner. we had to connect to our international flight back home and they were considerate to give us priority to deplane before the other passengers.”

“An excellent decision, an excellent aircraft, (CRJ700 Bomber) with Service and everything, allowed us to take pictures from the cabin, we had an excellent day and it was an unforgettable experience.”

“I booked this flight with Yeti as a surprise for my boyfriend who loves mountains. On the first day we got as far as sitting on the bus that takes you to the aeroplane but then they told us the flight was cancelled due to poor visibility. They gave us the choice of having a refund or booking us on a flight the next day instead, so we re booked for the next day. (They were very good and by the time we had done this we still made it back to our hotel in time for our free buffet breakfast!) So we went back for the next day and this time we got to fly. The views were completely breathtaking. I was surprised how close we got to Mount Everest. We got great views of so many beautiful mountains, not just Everest. We were guaranteed a window seat and we got to visit the cockpit, which was exciting in itself. We also got a glass of bubbly while we were in the air! I really felt like I was living the dream and my boyfriend loved it so much. I definitely feel that this trip is worth the money as it's a once in a lifetime experience. If I had one criticism it would be that the windows of the plane were a little grubby, but the views and the pictures were still great. In summary, the views make this experience completely worth doing! Be aware that you may waste a few hours in the airport if the visibility is poor and the trip is cancelled, but they will be happy to give you a ticket for a different day instead.”

“The Everest Scenic Flight was an experience that will always be remembered! So well organized from pickup at the hotel to drop off. Our guide, Dilip Simkhada, ensured that our airport arrival and departure was well managed and pleasant. Although cloudy, the magnificence of the Himalayas were revealed towering above the cloud line during the flight. The flight attendants were very professional explaining procedures and what we were viewing. Passengers were also given a chance to view the mountains from the cockpit. The actual viewing of Everest was awe-inspiring and emotional for me. On route back to the airport, we were given certificates and champagne to celebrate the Everest viewing. Totally recommended!”

“My birthday prezzie to myself,60,booked this flight/tour through my hotel $170 with Yeti airlines up early 05.30, and taken to the airport by taxi,after passing through customs and waiting about 1hr it was time to go ,although the sky didnt look to appealing very overcast and humid ,heard before about the Everest tours you cant pick and chose the weather, you gotta be very lucky sometimes for a clear view,still we went the pilot must know something.still cloudy as we approached the Himalyan chain,then it just seem to part and the clouds had gone ,amazing views of the whole area ,Everest and all before her,deep mountain gorges and the high peaks of the Himalayers,even got into the cockpit for a view and a couple of photos, free champagne drink and certificate on the way back,if you get the choice the right hand side had some wonderful views on the return pass ,a very lucky and scenic flight ,very greatful the weather changed ,1hr passed so quick ,but great experience.”

“This was indeed a great experience. Managed to get excellent views of the highest mountain in the world - Mt Everest and also the entire Himalayan mountain ranges. It's a one hour flight with breathtaking views. You also get the chance to get the views from the cockpit for a few minutes. The hotel pick up and drop was included and that made it a very convenient and comfortable overall experience. It was a very well organised and highly recommended overall experience.”

“I really enjoyed the Everest Scenic Flight. I was collected on time and taken to the airport where I was met and supplied with my flight passes. Enjoyed the flight with impressive views of the Himalayas particularly Everest. These were at some distance but still impressive. All passengers get a window seat so get good views on the way there or on the way back. Everyone gets to visit the cockpit and take a few photos. Glass of sparkling wine on return. Thoroughly recommended.”

“I was very lucky to be able to book this on my trip to Nepal as a birthday present! I'd read lots of reviews before going so I knew what to expect (which I would recommend doing before you spend the money) and it was as described! In terms of the Himalayan Social Journey service the description of the experience was accurate and they made it a very easy experience - if I'd organised it myself I think I would've just found it all a bit confusing at 5am and the price difference isn't that much. I only had a few options but this was the cheapest. The views from the plane were just incredible and I'm so glad I got to see them. I would say for taking pictures don't expect them to be as good as your eye sight as their plane windows aren't in perfect condition (bit unavoidable really). You get invited forward to take photos from the clearer screen of the cockpit but by the time it was my turn Everest had gone to the side so I wasn't able to get the clearer photo - to me that's not the end of the world but it might have been more important for someone else. It was amazing to see Everest whilst I was in Nepal. I would definitely recommend this experience to someone who has the budget for it but if you feel it'd break the bank I wouldn't put it down as an 'absolute must do' - more of a treat!”

“the driver will come to your hotel to pick you up at 5:30 and he will be on time. he will take you to the domestic airport where you will take the flight at 06:30. the plane is a small one but clean and the service is very good on board. you will be allowed to go the captain room to have a very close view on the Everest and the other summits. the whole flight will take an hour. on the way to the Everest, people seating on the left sight will be able to take nice photos of the Everest and the mountains, in the way back to Kathmandu, people on the right side will have the chance to do the same. nice champagne will be served for all passengers and a certificate will be offered. in the airport, you will find the driver waiting for you to drop you back to your hotel. i highly recommend it”

“Was pleasantly surprised about my whole experience. After reading some reviews I was worried that it wouldn’t be a good trip and that I wouldn’t see much but I couldn’t recommend this enough. Definitely one for the bucket list and With a glass of champagne too”

“We were picked up at the hotel very punctual and although the vueli had to return to the pusta pir lack of visibility, the pilot kept us waiting until the visibility was good and we had spectacular views!!! What adrenaline!!”

“This is the best part of one's Nepal trip. We have heard of Mountains but seen it in pictures only. All should at least once take this Everest mountain trip where one can see all mountain ranges including Annapurna. The one hour is completely mesmerising and one can get to see the Aircraft cabin also and have a stunning view of the mountains from there.”

“We had four attempts getting up each morning @ 4am to be a the airport by 5am then hope for the best to fly over mt Everest each time it was cloudy but on the 4 day it was good until we got up then then the clouds come in so I ask the air hostess if I gave her my email address would she send me some photos of hers which she did unbelievable shots my advice is to pay for the flight over there & if you don't see the mt Everest they will refund your money back you hope anyway but all in all was a experience to have”

“Although, my husband and I did not have the pleasure to see the beautiful mountains due to unfavourable weather conditions, we were appreciative of Himalayan Social Journey services. They promptly tended to our needs when the first flight was cancelled. Organized for transport to try the second day and worked to try to find an alternative trip for us. But due to our timeframe we could not. Be sure to reach out to HSJ for their services while in Nepal.”

“I booked a hiking trip with my brother to Everest base camp with HSJ in mid sep 2019.....but did not turn out as we hoped....purely due to weather. After 3 days of delayed then eventually cancelled flights and grounded choppers to Lukla we no longer had the required time for EBC. We met with the general manager Rameshwor and he proposed we now hike Annapurna base camp instead.Again flights cancelled to Pokhara this time due to weather, we therefore drove 8 hours on very dodgy/ pothole sized like crators from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Not a great starting few days in Nepal. However all these issues were promply and efficiently dealt with by the company who strived to accommodate us. Our trek to ABC was smooth and very enjoyable big thanks for this to our porter and guide- Dipak who was always greeting us with a postive attitude and smile anyway we ask where we were going answer- ' always up' lol. We enjoyed his company. After Abc again we had dodgy weather trying to fly back to Kathmandu but got there eventually.....and always a company rep to meet us at airport and bring us to our hotel on Kathmandus very dodgy roads. our trip finished off with 2 nights in 5* Gokarna forest resort which was well appreciated with all hassle with travel. The company also booked us onto a scenic flight during these last days to see everest on a 6am flight....it was cancelled the 1st day- no big surprise we were getting used to this!! However on our last day it took off and we finally got to see everest via plane! Although we are gutted not getting chance to complete EBC as we booked, and rasied alot of charity money for. so mixed feelings. However must commend the company- Himalayan social journey were very professional throughout. Other than dodgy weather only other bad note was when we 1st arrived into Nepal and got met at airport by our guide we were very much taken advantage off- a local male took our luggage from us and carried it around 100 metres to the company car- he demanded $20 of us for this! We said no, offered $2 -more than reasonable we felt but were told by our guide and driver to pay $20......which we did. Daylight robbery springs to mind and certainly took advantage of us having travelled a total of 27 hours to get to Nepal. Luckily though we can look back with happiness on the trip and HSJ.”

“The contracting Enterprise provided the Service as combined. He picked us up at the hotel at the scheduled time and we drove to the airport, where we inhibited the flight to fly over the mountains, including Everest (there was a delay in starting the flight, but I do not believe q was the responsibility of the Enterprise and the air traffic). The day was beautiful and we had one of the most fantastic experiences of life. We sat each in a window (on the way some saw one side and on the way, another) and we were turning to the pilot's cabin, where we had another view of the landscape. The very friendly and sought-after commissioners, were indicating which mountains were appearing. Only negative detail: the aircraft was very old and the bathroom was not very clean. On the return tb we were very late due to air traffic. Tb cannot hold Enterprise responsible for this. Anyway! An unforgettable experience!”

“Grat just we did not fly it was fogy , next time;)we waited for almost hour in the plane, but it was fun anyway hahah they give back money if you dont make it;)”

“The high mountain in the middle is Everest 8848m. It's an impressive Himalaya. More than 6,500m of mountains peek above the clouds. MELUNGTSE is starting to appear on the left. To the right is PIGFERAGO 6620m. MELUNGTSE 7181m and GAURI-SHANKAR 7134m. Langtang Lirun 7234m. It's over. I want to see more.”

“You sit on a small standard jet plane, everyone gets a window seat. My seat was the last on the plane, and at first I was disappointed because The wing obstructed most of my view. However, once we took off and the plane took flight I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could still have a great view and get some awesome photos. The weather was perfect for the trip, and once the plane had taken flight and people got up to go to the cockpit, you could move around the plane a lot and take some photos from some of the other seats as well. It was unforgettable, and I'll have these pics and experience for the rest of my life.”

“One of the best attractions we have done There was no way we would ever climb the mountain so this was the next best thing We were picked up from the hotel and taken to the airport There was a little disorganisation but hey it’s Nepal and all added to the experience On the plane everyone got a window seat So on the return trip the other side of the plane got the view You are invited into the cockpit for that amazing view of Mt Everest Champagne is served. The two flight attendants are knowledgeable The flight is expensive at approx $300 Australian but well worth every cent A must do on the bucket list”