Traveller reviews

“One of the best holidays ever. Certainly beats lying on a beach for a fortnight! From the moment we arrived at the airport till our departure, HSJ were there to ensure that everything ran smoothly and that it did. Nothing was too much trouble for our guide Shankar from arranging domestic flights, trying to find my boyfriends lost e-cig that he left in a taxi, making sure we were fed and watered on the trek and carrying my day bag under his waterproof when it was raining as I had no cover. The porters do an amazing job too carrying our trekking luggage with them up and down a million steps!! The lodges we stayed in on the trek gave some amazing views (when there was no cloud) and the food was great and reasonably priced. All the hotels were lovely. Chitwan and rafting was my favourite. The only criticism would be that because I I like my own space sometimes I would have liked just to take my time eg at the hot springs I felt we could have gone there on our own so we could leave when we were ready. If I ever go again it will be with HSJ.”

“I can't believe we were so lucky to have this experience. It was our first time to Nepal and we were over awed with the friendliness, hospitality and efficiency of all concerned. We trekked the Poon Hill circuit with 6 other travellers, a Guide (Binod Dhakal) and 4 Porters (Krishna, Purha, Ganash & Ayush). We could not have had better people to share our experiences with. Binod displayed incredible leadership abilities with just the right mix of flexibility, experience, concern and firmness. Our porters were just brilliant! What lovely people. They didn't just carry our packs, but looked after our every wish, both on the track and at the tea houses where we stayed at night. As for our fellow trekkers - what can I say, except that they were fantastic. They always kept us amused and helped in no small way to make our experience of Nepal what it was. We have done a lot of travelling around the world, but for us, this experience just cannot be surpassed! Well done also to Ram, Manager of Himalayan Social Journey. None of this would have eventuated without his drive & organisation.”

“Prior to me booking the trek, I sent a number of emails to the company seeking various information as Nepal was totally new to me. HSJ responded to each email very quickly, often on the same day. This gave me a level of confidence in the company which was subsequently confirmed on the actual trek. My brother and I were part of a small group (6 people) that did the 7-day Poon Hill trek. We had no problems with being picked up at the airport, despite me arriving a few days early and my brother on the allocated date. Ram, the manager, met us the day before the trek to finalise requirements and to formally introduce our guide Binod (Binny) Dhakal (who we had actually met at the airport). Binney and our three porters, Akkal Thapa, Santosh Dhakal and Krishna Timalshina, provided excellent service to us. Binny is very good, and I think the company should consider him for a managerial role in the company. The level of commitment to us by them was extraordinary when you consider that when the 25 April earthquake occurred (within the first hour or so of the trek), and they became aware that Binney's parents had lost their home and that Akkal and Krishna's homes were destroyed - none knew whether their families had survived. Santosh (single) also lost his house. They refused to call off the trek, saying we were their guests. There is no higher level of commitment to a client that I can think of. They were, naturally, extremely worried, however, once word came through (a couple of days later) that their families were save, they relaxed much more. Still, extremely difficult in the circumstances. The guesthouses we stayed at were pretty average, however, appeared better than others available in each village. It must be remembered that the trek goes through rural villages, so saying 'average' shouldn't be taken as a negative. I believe we got the best available. In any event, it all adds to the adventure. The food at each of the guesthouses, whether where we stayed or along the way, was good. Drinkable water is available at all guesthouses, which are no more than 30-60 minutes apart. We also went to Chitwan with no issues. We told Binny not to come with us so he could go back to his family. He made all arrangements for us and everything went extremely well. We found Himalaya Social Journey to be very competitive in its prices. I thoroughly recommend this company to anyone going on a Nepali trek.”

“I have just returned from a 14 day trip provided by Himalayan Social Journey. From the start, the trip was extremely well organised, with an introductory meeting outlining the trip to ensure that our needs were being met. The tour including a wide range of memorable activities from white water rafting to the jungle safari, which was made incredibly interesting by a very knowledgeable guide. The second week of our trip was filled by a 7 day trek - Ghorepani/ Poonhill circuit. The views of the mountains/ waterfalls were breathtaking and thoroughly enjoyable. Our guide Prakash and porter Binod made our trip extra special with their continual support and excellent sense of humour. They were always on hand to point out the various mountains and proved very knowledgeable on the area. Thank you for an amazing trip that I will never forget :)”

“We did a 10 days itinerary with them including paragliding, rafting and a 5 days trek to poon hill. Organising the trip was very easy. Ram always responded our emails very fast and with good suggestions. The itinerary was executed as planned. The company really cares that you have a great time and are ready to help you with any inconvenient you have. Our guide Prakash was excellent! We were worried that the post-earthquake scenario will make our trip less enjoyable but that was not the case. Nepal is safe to travel! It is a great time to visit Nepal because it is less crowded and you help boosting its economy.”

“We are just back from a 15 day trek and jungle safari with Himalayan Social Journey and I must say they bent over backwards to make sure we had a great and relaxing time, even while on the steep mountains. We were very lucky to have a small group (2 of us as a couple and 1 other man) and our guide Shankar and porter Pradip really added to the experience. Shankar always kept us informed and entertained while Pradip carried over 30 kilos around the Poonhill circuit with a smile on his face throughout. Even when I got a nasty stomach bug, Shankar got me a bed in one of the tea houses for an hour and was happy to delay our progress, luckily I managed to go on but they were true friends on the trip. They made sure we caught the train to Chitwan and even surprised us by meeting us back in Kathmandu at the end and insisting on carrying our bags. We were very lucky that it was so quiet but this was not good for Nepalese tourism. I would urge people to use this company and not be afraid of any safety issues. It is 100% safe, the weather was amazing (except at 3,200m, bring a jacket) and the whole experience was made super easy for us by this company. There are some super deals to be had right now and we will never forget our experience on the mountain or in Chitwan. Every Nepalese person we came across was full of smiles, a friendly 'namaste' and always had tea, beer or dal bhat/momos at the ready. Even with a fuel crisis and a problematic new constitution, we were never delayed or put out due to Shankar, Pradip and everyone at Social Journey's efforts to help us. Special mention to Dilap, our Kathmandu driver who managed to keep enough petrol to get us around the city and to and from the airport. Niall- Ireland”

“We have just returned from a 16 night holiday to Nepal with HSJ. We have two girls ages 14 and 13 who also completed the trek without any health concerns, although it is physically and mentally challenging at times. One day consisted of 17 km trek up 4000 stairs! The view and personal achievement make it well Worth while. We spent a total of 5 nights trekking to Poon Hill Annapurna region for incredible views over the mountains and valley's. Included in the tour was white water rafting, jungle safari on elephants and canoeing, elephant bathing and a guided tour of Kathmandu. My whole family loved Nepal for its physical and cultural diversity. Most important was our guide Ram Chandra is an amazingly talented person who looked after us all like we were his family. Trust his knowledge and advice and you will have an incredible experience. The company was professional and flexible to our needs (when our luggage was delayed 2 days!). If you are considering travel to Nepal please be reassured the country is safe and fully operational for tourists. Holiday of a lifetime”

“Wow, what a great experience. We arrived with no expectations and had the trek of a lifetime. The organisation was exceptional, particularly during the middle of a fuel crisis. Our group consisted of my wife & I and a couple with their teenage girls from Perth. I cant speak highly enough about our guides. Bassu (? spelling) for the cultural tour of Kathmandu. Thank you. Ram our main guide. You really made this trek remarkable and Nabi who assisted Ram & carried gear for the girls. All of you made this a great trip. We began with some white water rafting (great fun) before a couple of days in Chitawan exploring the landscape and culture, then our trek really began. Lots of climbing and descending. Spectacular scenery, beautiful local people and culture. Food was amazing in the villages and the accommodation along the way was of good standard, clean and comfortable. One of the best curries we have ever tasted was on our last night out before finishing the trek. You definitely need to bring a camera or two. If trekking then a sturdy back pack for all your gear (even if you don't carry it yourself), a day pack for daily personal needs along the way, water bottle and good walking shoes or boots. Boots are better. Its worth contacting the team before leaving home to help decide what clothing is needed. We were in shorts and T shirts most of the time, but it got cold on Poon Hill. (2 degrees); though we live in the tropics so anything under 20 degrees is cold. Overall it was a magnificent experience, made special by our guides and the people we traveled with. In fact we are already planning a longer 3-4 week trek with Himalayan Social Journeys and Ram Chandra (our guide) for the 2017 season. We definitely will be returning to Nepal and would recommend this experience to everyone. If you do one thing this life then trek Nepal with Himalayan Social Journey. Thank you everyone for the experience and the friendship.”

“After receiving a voucher from a friend three weeks prior to the tour start we soon started thinking about the decision we've made given Nepal's recent natural disasters as well as the fuel crisis. Our concerns were soon dispelled. The fuel crisis didn't affect our tour besides a 1.5hr delay on one day departing and a few restaurants not serving their full menu in Kathmandu. Nothing to spoil our holiday, there were lots of other options. Evidence of the earth quake was hard to determine given the country is a third world country anyway and even after being there in 2014 I struggled to see the difference. All in all with less traffic on the road and less tourists, NOW IS THE TIME TO GO TO NEPAL”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to change our itinerary radically several times and the guys at HSJ could not have been more helpful or accommodating in tailoring a trek to what we had in mind. Yes, you're steered towards certain lodges but they're usually good options and you've always the choice of somewhere else, particularly off-season like we were. Special mention to our porter/guide Binod. He couldn't have done more for us and his good humour and energy made the trek. Thanks again”

“We commenced our tour with HSJ in early January 2016. With a big reduction in tourist numbers since the 2015 earthquake, we found we were the only 3 people on the tour. Prior to the tour we visited the HSJ offices, and Ram tailored the tour to better meet our needs. Bishnu Bhattarai was our guide, and Pradip Khadka was our porter. Bishnu has excellent knowledge of the tour, and was exceptional when it came to managing the trekking component. He knows loads of people along the trail, and was brilliant at helping us when the language barrier became too much. One person in our tour became sick and had to go to hospital in Pokhara. Bishnu problem-solved the whole thing and minimised the impact on the trek. Brilliant - a 5 star guide! The actual Trek was amazing, but is perhaps more difficult than the information would suggest. Best advice, train, train and train for the downhill steps (especially Ban Thanti to Tadapani). Our 15 year old son took it in his ample stride and loved the whole experience. The visit to Chitwan National Park was excellent, especially as we spied 5 Rhinos (two of which were babies!). Our guide in Chitwan was Narayan, who could see all manner of birds, and knew every one of them. The luxury wind down at Gokarna Forest Resort (our choice) was great. Staff are willing to help with everything, and the golf course is exceptional (as are the caddies). What would I do differently? - pay the US$100 to fly from Pokhara back to Kathmandu. With the fuel crisis in Nepal, the road trip is very slow and you waste a whole day on the bus. Otherwise, train for the walking, especially the downhill, and enjoy. It's a wonderful tour with awe inspiring views of the amazing Himalayas.”

“Great organization. Tour guide Raj was excellent, very patient,friendly and super organised. This was an awesome trek through some beautiful scenery, although difficult at times with all the stairs. But that's to be expected. Good accommodation along the way at friendly tea houses. All in all a great trek.”

“We had a fantastic trip with HSJ in March-April. Initially anxious about how our three kids 10yo, 13 yo and 16 yo would cope with trekking. But our fantastic guide Prakash (trained medical assistant too!) was incredibly organised (he said he was our father for the trek!) and supportive, setting a comfortable pace and our kids loved the trek. Didnt see mountains until the last two days due to mist, but the wait was worth it. Prakash picked great rooms to stay in overnight, and with our ever smiling porters Subus and Binod, we had many hours of fun card playing, even learning a great new game (Ben is the monkey!!) Side trips during this holiday were memorable: especially our great tour of Bhaktapur which HSJ organised on the spot to accommodate us - great flexibility. Amazing city. Friendly people. Other organised trip made especially memorable by the incredibly warm, knowledgable and smiling Busu, our Hindu devotee - whose many years of study of Buddhism and Hindu religions added great detail to what we saw. Can highly recommend all of these men who made our holiday with HSJ memorable for our entire family. We are all keen to be heading back again, it's just a matter of when.....”

“We had a fantastic holiday in Nepal and India - all thanks to Himalayan Social Journey. Our tour began in Nepal where we experienced Kathmandu, Chitwan National Park, whitewater rafting, Pokhara, the wonderful trek to Poon Hill back to Kathmandu and lots more in between! Huge thanks to Ram (the big boss) for making us feel like we were the only ones he needed to look after. From the beginning of our holiday planning Ram was a pleasure to deal with, ensuring that we felt at ease with all our tour requirements including extra nights accommodation and additional experiences. Nothing was too much trouble! A huge thank you must also go to the wonderful Ram Chandra, our fantastic and knowledgeable guide who ensured that we all got there safely, and our amazing porters! You all looked after us so well and made our visit to Nepal very special. HSJ also organised our nine day tour of India through Abyss Tours. Everything was organised exactly how we wanted it. Our private driver Jay was a fountain of knowledge and his driving was amazing. Our tour of the Golden Triangle, including Ranthambore National Park, was a wonderful experience. We even got to see a tiger! Private guides had been arranged for us for our tours of Jaipur and Agra. Ali and Raj were amazing and really knew their stuff! Our experience of these cities would not have been the same without them. Thank you to everyone at HSJ! You gave us an experience in Nepal and India that we will never forget!! :):)”

“We have just returned from 14 Day Nepal Trip with Jungle safari, rafting, trekking and Luxury 5 Star at Gokarna Forest Resort. There is nothing bad we could say about this trip or the people who organised it and those who made it happen for us. The highlight was the six day Annapurna Middle Circuit trek we undertook. At times it was physically challenging at our age but also made easy by the support of our guide Ram Chandra Dhauniya and our porters who we developed so much respect for including Subas and my little mate Ram Krishna who amazed me with his strength for someone so small. The guest houses were basic but adequate, sometimes the hot showers did not work but we happily survived. Our favourite was the Macha Puchhre Guest House where we had some or the best food we have ever had. The toasted sandwiches and spring rolls were the best ever. We were bless with magnificent weather for our trip up Poonhill and Gunning Hill as you can see by the photos. The trip was one of those life time opportunities where we saw and experienced so much and developed a deep respect for the Nepalese people. We got to experience so much in those six days and the memories will last a life time.”

“My friend and I booked our trip with The Himalayan Social Journey and were pleasantly surprised with the service from when arriving at the Kathmandu Airport. Staff greeted us warmly and looked after us from the very beginning. Everything was well planned and organised so there was no waiting. Our guide and porter were wonderful and very patient with us (up hill and down) we both agree that this was the most wonderful holiday we have had so far and highly recommend this trip/trek with Himalayan Social Journey. Thank you to all the staff for making this holiday long to be remembered.”

“Our trip to Nepal was guided by Milan Sapkota and our porter Drewba. We had an excellent time trekking to Poon Hill and the weather was pleasant and clear so we had a great view of the mountains. Accommodation was nice and the organisation of our trip by Milan was awesome. Thank you Milan and Drewba for a great experience and best of luck with your future treks!”

“What an amazing adventure! This is the second time I have done this trek and I would recommend Himalayan Social journey without ANY hesitation as the company to join. Our guide, Binod was fantastic. As a group of 11, there were many differing expectations and needs and he was able to meet all of them without any fuss. He was able to connect with each individual and ensure we all had the adventure of our lives. His team of porters were also amazing in offering bits of information along the way and making sure everyone was well cared for. Everyone was made comfortable to take the trek at their own pace which meant there was no rush and we were able to truly soak up all the beauty that Nepal has to offer. All other activities were well organised and allowed the perfect balance of free time to seek out extra sights or just relax with a beer and reflect. I will be back again to experience more of Nepal and completely trust Himalayan Social Journeys to take care of everything for me.”

“to start, they are really, really responsive to messages - I emailed them tons of questions and always got an answer the same day. They are very well-organised, professional, but at the same time - quite friendly. As a lone traveler, I felt welcomed, and then - rather spoiled by the choice of activities. Having a tour guide in Nepal is quite useful, even if you love being on your own - public transport could be tricky and in the mountains you'd get better service everywhere. Our guide Ram was very knowledgeable and made sure we had a good time during the Annapurna Ghorepani-Poonhill trek in may 2016.”

“My sister and I have just finished a wonderful two week adventure in beautiful Nepal. Our guide Prakash Rijal and porter Bindaas Binod were amazing and we thank them for their expertise, knowledge, patience and friendship throughout the trek. Our original itinerary was altered when we arrived in Kathmandu to suit our age and fitness - which worked well especially when we began trekking up to Ghorepani/Poonhill. The accommodation in Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara and guest houses were excellent. Our trip ended with a fantastic two day stay at Gokarna Forest Resort.”

“We went on the Ghorepani-PoonHill 14 day tour which included a 6 day trek along the Annapurna foothills. It was fantastic. Our group was 4 adults and 4 children aged 12-16 and all had average to good fitness and flew through the trek. The itinerary was great and just the right amount of planned activities. Our guides were Binod and Raju and they were great. One of the kids ended up sick and could not trek with us, so Binod organised for a porter to stay at Pokerah and bring them up when he was well enough and we met up at the halfway point. When we ended up wanting to walk longer on the last day and cut the trek shorter, Binod just sorted it. While we of course had to pay for the extra accommodation, Binod and Rjau just sorted anything that arose, or we raised, easily. The itinerary allowed plenty of Kathmandu exploration both guided and independent. The standard of accommodation ranged from exceptional to good. Everyone we came across in Nepal was friendly and the team at Himalayan Social Journey was no different. This time of year was monsoon season however the weather was exceptional.”

“We had the most wonderful experience in Nepal and all thanks to the professional way in which our tour was organised. Many thanks must go to Binot our guide who is a great asset to the company. Binot went above and beyond his duties to ensure that we enjoyed our trek in a safe and secure way. Our thanks also go to our porters Pradip and Roopeszz, they both did a fantastic job, also going above and beyond their call of duty, helping us through some of the sometimes tricky terrain. We would certainly recommend Himalayan Social Journey to anyone wishing to visit Nepal, especially for the trekking section of the tour. Well done to everyone involved for making our trip to Nepal a very memorable one. Rob & Jacqui Payne”

“What an adventure, from the moment our guide Prakesh met us at the airport until the time our journey ended....we trekked, climbed, rested when necessary, river rafted and accepted the challenge of traversing spectacular swinging bridges. We stayed in warm, comfortable Homestays often with our own bathroom! quaint and colourful and very welcoming. Evenings often brought conversation, card playing and always a discussion reviewing the day and considering tomorrow.....plans, needs and expectations made clear all round. Two females in our 50s, of moderate fitness we worked hard on those climbs up and down and felt satisfied that we had had a go at something tough but achievable. Up at 4am to climb Poon Hill, having the clouds clear and viewing the incredible peaks, late rhododendrons' s still in flower, a carpet of pink petals. We ate well, enjoying the local fare, discovered particularly good apple pies, drank satisfying masala tea. We shared the paths of small mountain ponies and goats. We walked respectfully through people lives and homes, some acknowledged us some did not, and that felt right. An enlightening experience, I thoroughly recommend this journey and felt our time and money was extremely well spent with our wise and competent guide Prakash and our porter, Purna. Many thanks.”

“We did a 12 day Katmandu, Pokhara and Poon Hill trek, first of all we would like to thank Ram for answering all of our question and helping us to fine tune our trip so that all went smoothly. We were picked up at the airport in Kathmandu without any fuss and taken to the office to meet with Ram and he explained some of the details of our trip and that we would be meeting our tour guide Narendra Timalsina. We meet later that evening for a cultural dinner and he explained that he would be our guide for the trek and we were pleased to hear that he had many years experience trekking around Nepal. and we knew we would be in good hands. He told us that our porter would be Roopeszz Crest and he would be joining us in Pokhara the following morning. The next morning we meet with Roopeszz and found him to be a great young man with a big smile and great sense of humour. We began our trip after breakfast by catching the tourist bus to Pokhara and spent the night in Pokhara at a very nice hotel they choose for us "Splendid View Hotel" before leaving on a 90 minute mini van drive to Naya Pul the next morning where we began our trek. The first day was to be a 7 Klm trek to Tikhedhunga which was mostly uphill and through local villages, we stayed overnight at the "Shankar Guest House". The guesthouse was clean and basic with shared facilities. The following morning day 2, after breakfast we trekked to Ghorepani rather long day of all uphill trekking doing the famous 3280 stairs in the first 2 hours followed by even more stairs and a walk of some 13.4 Klm. Our guide Narendra always ensured that each rest stop had magnificent views tonight he booked us into the "Nice Viewpoint Lodge" great location youth hostel feel basic/clean with superb views we were not disappointed. Day 3 we were up early to walk the 45 to 60 minute walk up another 450 mtrs and yes more stairs to Poon Hill for a stunning sunrise and so worth it, take a warm jacket and buy a coffee at the top the views were magnificent, stunning and utterly amazing to see the beautiful Himalayans. Returned back to Lodge for breakfast before setting off again to trek through some stunning rainforests before arriving at Tadapani where we stayed at the "Hotel Magnificent " which served the best spring rolls. Day 4 we left Tadapani for Landruk stoping at Ghandruk and viewing the Visitors Centre which was very informative before descending to the valley floor more steps down this time before winding our way up the other side and yes more stairs, lots more stairs, again Narendra had booked us into a very nice hotel "Super View Guesthouse " this local couple were very friendly and have prime real estate allowing views up and down the valley most defiantly a place to stop and some rooms have private facilities. Day 5 we made our way to Pothana easier walking today but still the views keep on coming the accomodation was very limited Pothana showed you magnificent views of "Fishtail" Day 6 we walk on to Phedi which was all downhill, remember take your trekking poles, the Nepal people have a saying "a little bit up, a little bit down" and nothing could be truer. Our guide was knowledgeable, informative, courteous and very polite and he was always patient and gave us encouragement when we needed it. Our porter Roopeszz was a very polite young man and always had a smile every day. He always had our bags in our room by the time we arrived at the hotel. Both guide and porter are a credit to Himalayan Social Journey. Himalayan Social Journey are the company you should consider when thinking of doing any trekking in and around Nepal”