Traveller reviews

“The company was fabulous - they looked after us every step of the way - we could not fault the company - and when two of our group needed to be evacuated from Gorekshep they continued to step up and ensure everything was taken care of - highly recommend Himalayan Social Journey”

“One of the greatest Himalayas experience . A complete package of Everest base camp for all.U can enjoy your time with your friends and others with the best hospitality from Northstar voyage. Gmail : [email protected] Check it out”

“What an experience. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip - perfect sunny days despite the December chill, wonderful trekking companions, incredible scenery... all capped off by having the most wonderful guide in Mingmar Sherpa. You can read plenty about what to expect on this trip and it certainly lives up to all the best expectations - but we were so privileged to be led by one of the most knowledgeable and hardest working men in Nepal. From the moment we woke up to the moment we went to sleep, Mingmar was there making sure we had everything we needed, from drinkable water, food, knowledge on what’s ahead. With his companion Prakash looking after another group alongside us providing wonderful comic relief and medical knowledge when required, this was a trip of a lifetime. We can’t wait to get back to Nepal and take on another challenge with Himalayan Social with Mingmar Sherpa!”

“Himalayan Social Journey have been amazing from the very start of this trek!! With their prompt replies to emails and providing helpful information throughout, this journey was enjoyable and ran smoothly. We were really lucky to have Mingmar Sherpa as our guide! His knowledge and wisdom of the region was exceptional making the trek a wonderful experience. His constant care and concern made this difficult trek very comfortable. From knocking on our door early last in the mornings to make sure we had warm breakfast, to ensuring our bags arrived in our room before we did. I highly recommend this trek!!!!”

“My sister and I finished the 16 day EBC trek a few days ago. Words can't explain the adventure that we had. We both made base camp, largely due to our fantastic guide, Mingmar Sherpa. Mingmar looked after us from day 1, we could not have asked for a better guide. For anybody that is thinking about doing this trek, you can't go past these guys. Word of advice, make sure you are above average fitness, then go a little more. A few killer days involved in this trek. Thank you again Mingmar Sherpa”

“My younger sister and I went on this tough, beautiful and totally amazing EBC trek with Himalyan Social Journey. The company was totally professional and every member of the company we dealt with, couldn't help us enough. Guiding us on our trek was the most wonderful guide, Mingmar Sherpa. He encouraged us when it got tough, he shared his knowledge of the wonderful Himalyan region and his energy and enthusiasm continued throughout the trek. The website claims that a trekker going to EBC requires only an average level of fitness, but without a high level of fitness, you would be struggling to complete the trek and enjoyment would be diminished. The days of trekking were also much longer than advertised so be prepared for that too. Overall though, I would highly recommend this trek, Himalyan Social Journey, and in particular, Mingmar Sherpa. Benita”

“What an experience!! I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone wanting to experience the beauty of Nepal and the Himalayas right from the start we were looked after from experienced guides until we reached the Everest base camp and back down!! A highly recommended and experienced company to use!! A special shoutout to my guide bishnu bhattarai who made my experience amazing be sure to use him for any travel or trekking in Nepal!!!”

“Fantastic trip. HSJ were perfect. Nothing was to hard for them. The company was easy to deal with and there guide and porters were faultless. The trip itself was a dream with perfect weather and scenery. I would have no issues recommending this local company to anyone.”

“I did this trek with my childhood friend and it has been an amazing experience. The mountains of Nepal were majestic and the people very friendly. Himalayan Social Journey is a very organised and systematic company which catered for all our needs. Our guide Mingmar Sherpa was excellent. He is very friendly and funny which makes it very comforting and welcoming to ask for anything. From knocking on our doors in the early morning to wake us up to making sure our water bottles were filled throughout the day, he cared for everyone. This trek was possible because of our guide and the guidance and support he provided. Would definitely recommend this trip to everyone!! We love you Gatimau 😸”

“This was an amazing experience. There was great camaraderie among all the participants with everyone watching out for each other. It is tough - but remember attitude over altitude. Take your time - it is not a race. I did not make it to Everest Base Camp - I was evacuated due to hypothermia from Labouche. My special thanks go to Bishnu Bhatterai for arranging my evac and taking care of our group.”

“What a fabulous trip. We walked to base camp 38 years ago and this felt much harder. But with the help, kindness and unfailing patience of Prakash and the other guides Mingma and Bishnu, Paul and I with our son Nick and his girlfriend Ana all reached base camp. Nick also climbed Kala Patar. For such a remote location, Prakash and the other guides from Social Himalayan Journey found great tea houses for us to stay in. The food was good despite everything having to be carried in on the backs of porters, mules and yaks. The Nepali people we met were so friendly despite being inundated by trekkers and tourists. The trip was very well organised although the days were longer than I expected at the higher altitudes above Namche Bazaar. I would recommend going at the end of the season as we did not face the huge numbers of trekkers that visit in peak season and sometimes our party was the only one in the tea house. The Gorkhana resort at the end was a treat with its quiet forest location, away from the rush of Kathmandu. Wonderful massage thanks. Our only mistake was that we organised our own Chitwan trip instead of leaving it to Ram at Social Himalayan journey, and paid way too much. We hope to return for another trek soon especially if we can get the same guides.”

“We booked a 16 day ebc trek with the company that included the 2 night stay at gokarna forest resort at the end of the trek. Our guide, Mingmar, was outstanding! His knowledge about the area and mountains was amazing and he was able to answer any questions we had. He walked at a pace suitable for the group and he made sure to provide us with enough rest stops for food and water, whilst still ensuring we didn't fall behind time. Everyday was well organised and Mingmar made sure to give us a run down on the day ahead before we set off each day which was very helpful. Our porters, although they spoke little english, were so friendly and always had a smile on their faces! Their hard work was much appreciated. The trek itself can be a physical and mental challenge at times but we highly recommend it as the scenery and achievement of making base camp is amazing. We would definitely recommend Himalayan Social Journey for the trek, their staff were extremely friendly and they were always wanting to help and make sure your trip was the best it could be.”

“I loved my experience of Nepal. The culture, the people, the difference from where I live I really enjoyed - because that is my personality. The expertise, experience and excellent service of the Himalayan Social Journey made that possible. Every person we encountered with the HSJ were courteous and professional. I would highly recommend them as a local company to give you a fantastic taste of all that Nepal can offer. Thank you so much to Ram, all the guides, porters and people that drove us around all the dancing roads and organised a fantastic holiday even though it had a change of direction and we didn't make it to EBC due to unwellness. My one recommendation to travellers from southern hemisphere and 1st time trekking to EBC would be not to do it over the winter months. Environment is too severe. To give value to your desire to do the trek I would say go in the more recommended times if possible.”

“Trip of a life time up to Everest Base Camp and back. Physically and mentally exhausted by the end but well worth it. Many thanks to our fantastic guide Timalsina Shankar, for putting up with us, looking out for us and getting us all the way up the mountain and back”

“Fantastic experience and one that i wont forget. Our guide Gunga was exceptional and the people and culture were amazing. It was cold but not very busy on the tracks. We had good weather right up until the last few days. Well worth doing if you get the chance.”

“Great trip, well organised with well trained staff willing to go the extra mile to make it a memorable trip. Special thanks to Gunga who was our trek guide. Will be recommending as a must to friends. Thanks Again”

“I cant say enough about about Himalayan Social Journey. I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was beautiful. Making it to base camp was a memory that I will savour for the rest of my life. And the experience all the way up was remarkable. But I think what made our experience so very incredible was our guide Mingmar Choden Sherpa. Our entire group feel in love with Mingmar. We felt safe from the moment we met him and we met many groups on the way and we know that our guide Mingmar went beyond what was required. Although Mingmar spent hours and hours helping us understand altitude sickness and making us stay together and walk slowly, some of our group got very bad altitude sickness on the way and Mingmar made absolutely sure they were ok. They organised a medivac helicopter almost immediately where I was aware that there were others in other groups that were not able to get that support. Mingmar also spent hours educating us about Sherpas and the Himalayas and we learnt so much. I would say that I dont think you should do this trek if you are unfit. I have heard so many people say that this is an easy trek and it is not. You do need a level of fitness or your chances of altitude sickness is high. Other than that, I fully recommend this company to everyone. And thank you Mingmar....”

“We were truly blessed to do our Everest Base Camp trek with Himalayan Social Journey. From our first meeting at the airport to the guided city tour with Dipendra and Arjun, we were very excited to be in Nepal. We were a group of six friends travelling together and were joined by another two people. Our guide, Mingmar Choden Sherpa, was truly exceptional. He was very encouraging and could not have been more helpful. We now feel very lucky to call him our friend. The personal attention given by Ram was also a great touch. Make no mistake - this is an incredibly arduous trip and without Mingmar, we would not have made it to Base Camp. We would definitely recommend this company for their excellent service and great advice.”

“This was a very well organised trek and although we did not quite make it to base camp (we fell ill with altitude sickness the day before) I would highly recommend using Himalayan Social Journey. The trekking itself was wonderful with clear blue skies, bright sunshine and truely amazing, once in a lifetime scenery. It was extremely cold at night (we went in March) and the tea houses tested your mental resilience to the max, especially the higher we trekked (all teahouses offer similar experiences and do not appear to vary between trekking companies) Our guide Mingmar Choden Sherpa was excellent and if possible I would request him specifically as your guide-he was extremely helpful, cheerful and did his absolute best to make sure we got as far as possible. When things did go wrong he was quick and efficient in arranging help and medical evacuation. In fact the entire company made the entire (slightly traumatic) experience as streamlined and stress free as possible and I cannot thank any of them enough for all their help and support”

“Did the EBC Trek in March 2018. HSJ did an excellent job. The organisation, day to day assistance and quality of there guides was outstanding. On the track, in particular, there guides were exceptional, looking after day to day requests was never a problem. There local knowledge and insights were invaluable. Regrettably some in our broader group struggled with the altitude, which was assessed and dealt with quickly and professionally. Overall I would highly recommend HSJ for this trek.”

“Many thanks to Himalayan Social Journey for their excellent service from start to finish of our 16-day EBC Package. Communication prior to our trip was brilliant. Any questions we had were answered quickly, which helped our confidence and preparation time for this amazing adventure. HSJ organised our airport pick up and a meeting with brilliant Binod our EBC Trek Guide. Prior to commencement, Binod organised our paperwork, gave recommendations on where to shop and was upbeat and positive about our concerns regarding the Trek. We met Ram who delivered all final trek information, equipment and introductions with our tour group. Our package began with a city tour of Kathmandu with Dipen who had great knowledge of the areas we visited. In the evening we were treated to a traditional Nepalese dinner and native dancing show. Our 12-days to Base Camp was mentally, physically and emotionally challenging. Our Guides Binod and Ganesh were amazing, their knowledge and stories of the Himalayas kept us engaged throughout the tough areas of the Trek. Ganesh stayed close to the ones that needed help, carrying backpacks when required and he would pick us up if we fell. Binod worked tirelessly organising breakfasts, morning tea, lunches and dinner and keeping our spirits up, especially when altitude started to affect some of our group. We listened to all his advice and every night he would give us a rundown of the next day and what to expect. We trusted him, and he got ALL of us to Everest Base Camp. Binod and Ganesh your hard work was much appreciated and Con and I can’t thank you enough for making our EBC dream come true. Our stay at Gorkana Forest Resort was a great way to unwind at the end. Great food, massages and brilliant staff that went above and beyond to make us feel super special. We loved it so much we stayed an extra 4 days. Thankyou HSJ for your professional service and wonderful staff. I have full confidence in recommending this company for any day trips, packages and treks in Nepal.”

“Just completed 16 EBC trek with Himalayan Social Journey with 3 friends, what a amazing experience, I highly recommend this company as wth other reviews everything’s arranged seamlessly, excellent communication before we arrived In Kathmandu, airport transportation to our hotel everything throughout the trek is taken care of, Our guide Mingmar Sherpa was superb in every aspect, his knowledge of the local areas along the trek, elevations of mountains and his willingness to encourage and help throughout the whole journey, experience of a lifetime,”

“Amazing trip made better by the efforts of our guide Mingmar Shirpa who went above and beyond on many occasions including driving all over Kathmandu looking for my wallet that I lost. His knowledge of the area and his willingness to help made the trip seamless, from start to finish I found the company well organised and easy to deal with.”

“I did EBC check Feb/March 2018 and it was awesome!!! After a lot of research I decided to go with Himalayan Social Journey for my trek and they were fantastic. Khima was my initial contact and she responded to all my emails promptly.My guide Bishnu and porter Ongde were excellent. Bishnu has decades of trekking experience and this gave me a lot of confidence. They were both always eager to help and nothing was too much trouble for them. Interestingly majority of their clients are from Australia!! I met Mr Ram (owner of the company) the day I arrived in KTM and he is a great guy. The whole trip was well organised from start to finish and I would highly recommend Bishnu & HSJ to anyone planning a trekking holiday in Nepal.”