Traveller reviews

“This was the second time i'm using Himalayan Social Journey to accompany me and my family to Nepal and Bhutan trip. The HSJ team really took care of us from the beginning, fast responded to our need and very professional taken care of everything. The 5 stars hotel were amazing but the goverment need to fix the road which was very bad in some area. Special thanks to Mr Ram and Mr Rameshor : for being patient with me and my family special need :) Mr dipendra : for being our guide at kathmandu city tour Mr Ganesh : for being our guide at pokhara city tour Mr Subash : for being our driver and very punctual and skillful with the time and car Mr binoj and Mr Dilip : for took care of us also the HSJ ladies and team for being informative and fast replied to our need and Mr Bhisnu Basnett ! so glad to see u again :) dhanyabaad! i see u guys next year :)”

“My husband and I recently used Himalaya Social Journey to arrange our 3D/4N Exotic tour to Bhutan. I can highly recommend HSJ. Before our tour we had regular email contact with Usha and Khima - HSJ representatives. They answered our many questions promptly, honestly and helpfully. The tour itself was fantastic. It was conducted in Bhutan by ‘Amen Bhutan’. I’ll write a separate review of the tour itself. In Kathmandu HSJ arranged our airport transfers without any problems. Thanks to our driver Dilip for his kindness, safe driving and informative commentary. You can trust Himalaya Social Journey to have your comfort, safety and best interests as their top priority. We would definitely use this Nepalese Tour/Travel company again.”

“We travelled in a group of 10, with 2 guides (and 3 porters for the trekking portion). The experience was fascinating and fun. The guides were always helpful - nothing was too much trouble. The accommodation ranged from very luxurious to pretty basic. Tips for travellers: There are LOTS of steps on the trek - it's not an armchair journey. You will need to take toilet paper and hand sanitiser when trekking, but you won't need water purifying tablets - bottled water is plentiful and cheap. Try not to stress about lack of detailed advance travel information - everything always worked out.”

“well organised trip overall. terrific guides & staff. made us very welcome & displayed great knowledge, answering all enquiries with patience & understanding. could not have asked for a better experience.”

“We traveled as 3 Adults, Myself, My Husband and My Brother in Law, We did the 7 day Kathmandu & Pokhara Tour with Heli landing at Base Camp. We added extra Nights in Kathmandu & also added the Chitwan Jungle Safari. Our Guides were Dilip & Dipendra they were excellent we were very well looked after. We wanted to add an extra day in Kathmandu after visiting Bhutan, Dipendra organised everything on our behalf & Dilip picked us up from the Airport took us were we wanted to go & later Returned to deliver us to the airport for our Return Journey. Would absolutely recommend this Company they are very well organised.”

“I joined a group of 10 others on 5 Mar 16 for a spectacular trip to EBC. Our fantastic guides Bishnu and Mingma looked after us every step of the way ensuring success to reach EBC - thank you. The lodge accommodation was comfortable and the meal selection was good. Thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing facilities at Gokarna Forest Resort at the end of the trip. I would definitely recommend using a tour company and guide to visit EBC and would highly recommend Himalayan Social Journey. Thank you Ram for the smooth organisation and providing us with two great guides.”

“Nepal is amazing and truly beautiful Blue sky every day and no rain! great trek After returning safely from EBC trek I thought I would pen my thoughts We had a wonderful trek and all 16 of us made base camp Although hard, it was achievable with our fitness being a little above average? I feel Our guide Gunga was an absolute champion!! His great attributes included, very hard working, very polite and always happy to assist in any way he could and funny and highly motivating We all needed assistance during the trek and this strong guide was always willing to jump up and do whatever it took to sort the task or issue to make sure always safe and happy Thanks for the experience and I will recommend this trek to others that I feel are fit and healthy and up for a challenge We loved it and it is one of our bucket list items with a big tick!!”

“We were lucky enough to buy a very cheap trek to Everest Base Camp through Luxury Escapes in Australia and Himalayan Social Journey in Nepal. It included a city tour of Kathmandu, a traditional welcome dinner and a few nights at the luxury Gokarna Forest Resort at the end (see separate TripAdvisor reviews). Ram and his team were great in terms of email communication in the 6 months leading up to our departure. We received very quick and helpful responses. When we arrived in Nepal, we saw Ram a couple of times, including a briefing the night before our departure. Things then became a little disorganised (not enough equipment, but some had been left in Lukla, so we collected it there), and one of guides was late as his flight was cancelled, but it made little difference in the big picture. Our guides on the trek were our go-to people. We had Bishnu (who has summited Ama Dablam 3 times in his life), his 15 year old son Sonam, on school holidays, as an apprentice guide, and Narayan. Plus we saw Ming-ma from a parallel Himalayan Social Journey group from time to time, There was also a porter and a yak man (who wrangled the jhopkes (which carried our duffel bags). The trek is tough (we had several members helicoptered off to Kathmandu with AMS), so make sure you do the trainin, investigate taking diamox (I always use it in high altitudes), and take your time to get acclimatised. But if you can make it, the rewards are worth it. You'll see the highest point on the planet; you'll encounter some stunning scenery as you trek through the Himalayas; you'll meet some wonderful people (I have kept in touch with Sherpa and Nepalese guides from a previous trek); and you will really challenge yourself physically and mentally. And if you can get to the top of Mt Kala Patthar (5,545m/18,192ft - the highest you'll reach) early in the morning of the day after you've been to Everest Base Camp, you really will have achieved something, because that is really tough, and many don't make it. Thanks to our guides, Narayan, Sonam and Bishnu from Himalayan Social Journey, who really did look after us, and who were flexible and responsive to our needs.”

“My mate and I just completed this 16 day trek to Everest Base Camp, including 2 luxurious nights at Gorkana Rainforest Resort. We could not be more please. Right from the outset, Himalayan Social Journey Treks put you on the right path with concise instructions for everything from training to equipment required. They go out of there way to provide regular and clear communication right from the time of booking until the day of departure, keeping you informed all the way. Our guides Bishnu Bhattarai and Lakpa were fantastic and could not of been more helpful. Kind, gentle souls that would go well beyond expectations to ensure that our trip was memorable for all the right reasons. Our group of 8 all reached EBC without any majors issues and returned safely. Our yak boy Santos, ensured our duffle bags were always at the next accommodation before we arrived so we had warm dry clothes to change into and a warm bed at the end of the day. Outstanding service all round. As Bishnu was our main guide, he could not do enough for us to ensure our every need was attended to. You would not find a more caring, genuine man in 6 days march in any direction. A lovely, professional man that I am proud to now call my friend! I could not recommend HSJ more highly. If we decide to go back to Nepal we will definitely be using them again.”

“My hubby and I have just returned from an epic, 16 day Everest Base Camp trek, finishing with 2 days luxury at Gokarna resort with the amazing guide Bishnu and his assistant Bassan. Our group of ten were blessed with fantastic weather, and truly had the best time ever. Bishnu briefed us daily about what to expect the following day and more importantly kept tabs on our health , to ensure that we were in best condition to make it to Base Camp and all ten of us made it there safely. Bishnu and Bassan also went above and beyond at all times to make our trip a fun and memorable one. Himalayan Social Journey once again delivered exactly what they said. We've also used the company during our visit to India and will highly recommend them to anyone visiting Nepal/India”

“I can't speak highly enough of this tour. It was an overall amazing experience. Probably not what most people would call a "holiday" though. Our guide, Mingmar Sherpa, of the Everest Region itself was excellent, he personally collected me from the airport, assisted with additional gear and made sure the rest of the tour group and I all made it up and back in one piece. Our porters, Umesh and Gautam were great too, they even joined us for our actual trek day to the Everest Base Camp. It was nice to have photos of the whole tour group including them. It wouldn't have felt complete without them there. As our tour group consists of 4 fairly fit blokes and we were there over the off-season, we managed to beat the expected times to each stop in the order of hours. Hence our guide and the tour operator, Himalayan Social Journey allowed us to slightly vary our itinerary to suit us best. We managed to do Base Camp and Kalapathar in the same day and flew back to Kathmandu one night early. If you can do this on your own tour, I highly recommend it, the one night earlier allows for so much more value when you head back to Kathmandu. Some minor words of advice: -travel light, sounds gross but even though I brought 3 full changes of clothes, I pretty much wore the same thing the whole time. If your gear is natural fibres and you wear deodorant I suspect you could pull off the same. -trek cold, easier to put layers on if you're trekking than getting sweaty and taking them off. -it's hard to beat good quality gear. Buying knock off stuff in Kathmandu might work for some things but anything you don't want to break half way up the mountain you best get at home. I bought gators and trekking poles in Kathmandu, repaired the gators 3 times in the first 3 days of wearing them and conducted preventative maintenance on the poles, although they never got used... -traffic in Nepal will be an adventure unto its own. -you'll still lose weight on the (what at the time will seem ridiculous) high sugar diet they feed you!”

“Review of 16 days Everest base camp trek with luxury wind down at Gokarna forest resort. My partner Sonny and I have just completed the trek to Everest base camp. What an extraordinarily rewarding and life affirming experience it was. We had a wonderful group of 14 people, and by the end we were like one big family. Apart from the obvious highlights of amazing scenery in this extraordinarily beautiful country, the most wonderful part of the trek was our amazing guides. Mingmar Sherpa, PK, Kubir and Tenzi were consummate professionals every step of the way. We had a 100% success rate to base camp, and this was in no small part due to Mingmar and his team. They were forever on hand with advice, encouragement, and cups of tea!! 😊 To see the pride and love in Mingmar's eyes as he spoke of 'his' mountains was wonderful to behold. Endless patience and years of experience got us all there in the end. It was a truly amazing, exhilarating and tough experience and worth every step of the 150 odd kilometres. I would not hesitate to recommend Himayalan Social Journey for your trek. Thank you to all!! Rod, Son and Terry!!”

“I booked my EBC trek through luxuryescapes.com with himalayan social journey (HSJ). I am thankful to HSJ for letting me do this trek after four years of booking it. I booked it in 2018 but only could do it in 2022. The trek went very smooth, they booked all the lodges in advance, their guides & the porter were very helpful. The best thing is that their office is in the same premises as their hotel in Kathmandu, so that makes things very easy to be in touch with them while staying in Kathmandu. I highly recommend HSJ for your trekking experience in Nepal.”

“We did a 14 day Manaslu Circuit Trek with Milan, our amazing guide. It was a challenging, interesting, authentic and very enriching experience. Since this trek is in a remote area and less-known than some other more common treks, its easy to have changes in the schedule and some unexpected situations. Milan handled everything in the best possible way. We were also very thankful for our porter Pradeep who was always very kind and helpful to us. This is our second trek with Himalayan Social Journey and we definitely recommend their services 100%. We felt it was great value for our money and in general had a fantastic experience.”

“We trekked to Achane Bensi a small village in the countryside. Along the way we had magnificent views of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal & Lang tang mountain range. We were originally planning on staying in tea houses but our wonderful guide Milan arranged for us to do home stays instead. It was a truly amazing and unforgettable experience. We didn't see one trekka or tourist in the nine days we were away. We had purchased 250 school bags in Kathmandu and distributed them between two underprivileged schools whilst we were at Achane Bensi. Special mention to our Porter Homnath. He was amazing and always smiling. Our Guide Topindra or better know as Milan had so much knowledge of the area. He provided us with lifetime memories we will never forget. He is a valuable asset to Himalayan Social Journey.”

“We did a 13 days trekk around Manaslu, thank to our guide and the agency everything was perfect. The only thing it was clear liste of materials to take with so here it is : Passport picture, copy of international assurance policy Warm clothes for the pass (thermo clothes) (temperature under 0) Gloves, scarf, cap Head light Toilet paper Power bank (if you want to charge your phone, they will charge you 200R to charge in tea house) Enough money for the drink (bear can cost around 650 and tea up to 150 rouppie)”

“We had a great trek from the end of September to mid October. Everything went very smoothly from the air6pickup to our departure. The company adjusted their standard itinerary to our requests. Our guide Ram, was very helpful throughout the trek, and most attentive to those of us who needed some support on those long 'ups and downs'. He had good knowledge of the country and its environment, and always took care we had comfortable accommodation. Our porters were wonderful also, maintaining their cheerfulness and helpfulness throughout. I highly recommend this company for treks in Nepal.”

“Originally booked as a family trekking tour for 4 people. Unfortunately, due to illness our sister and her husband has to cancel with 3 days of flying out. Refund was done promptly within the term and conditions of the company. Our itinerary was delayed by one day due to Dashain festival, but was compensated with a Jeep ride to starting point rather than by bus as stated for the 3 of us as there is another trekker joining our tour in Kathmandu. Our tour guide Shankar is very experienced and has taken a great care of us as before. This is our third tour with Himalayan Social Journey (2019, 2022 & 2023) and our second tour with this great team which includes Shankar as our guide, Prakash and Krishna as porters. We are very happy with this professional company, and was lucky enough to have booked with them previously. We hope to return to Nepal next October 2024 and continue to book with this company many more years to come. We highly recommended this professional Nepalese local trekking company.”

“We were a two person group that had a fantastic and smooth trekking experience in the manaslu region. Our guide Dipak was very attentive and on point the whole trip. He had a great sense of humour and ability to engage with us and other trekkers on the journey. Dipak was a league above all the other guides during the circuit. We also had a porter included in the package, Dillip, who was polite and just smashed it physically the whole circuit with our bags. The communication with Himalayan Social Journey was excellent and prompt, which we mostly did via email or WhatsApp. Ram the owner was friendly and excellent in checking in and assisting us with future plans. Highly recommend.”

“We had an amazing experience on the Manaslu trek. Our guide Deepap changed the itiniery when my friend sprained her ankle to give her shorter days. Also he nursed me over the larke pass when I was running out of energy. He treated up with respect and dignity, nothing was too hard.”

“Our Guide Deepak and our Porter Dilip were very professional and made our experience. What it was. I suffered an injury on day three, and Deepak quickly amended the itinerary to ensure that I rested and was safe, and ultimately was able to complete the very tough walk, including larke Pass. Deepak demonstrated kindness and compassion to both us as his guests, and it was very clear that he held the same emotions for his own beautiful country. Nepal. Without Deepak‘s guidance and care, supported by Dilip, our Porter, we would not have been able to complete the trick, our deepest gratitude to them both”

“I can't recommend this company enough, Ram was on top of everything and went over and above with his service. We lost one of our bags at the airport and he organised everything so we got it back. The trekking was one of the best experiences we've ever had, the porters were so sweet and when our tour was over we were staying in Nepal for 3 more days, they took us around Nepal on their own time. I really recommend the yoga program that was incorporated, really intense but amazing. Ram is a very dynamic personality who will make you laugh a lot and his staff are the best.”

“In early December my partner and I enjoyed our first experience of Nepal with Himalayan social journey trek group. It was the perfect tour to introduce us to the wonderful and breathtaking trek around the Annapurna region and to guide us through the crazy colourful culture of the cities we explored. The group was of only 8 with a Porter per 2 persons. Yes, each carried 2 backpacks each! The porters really made the hike with their dancing, singing and flute playing during the hike and at night!   Ram was our guide and made the consumate host for the tour. He helped every tour member with all our travel requirements, ensured everyone was enjoying themselves and was a very entertaining dancer.  The tour was an excellent mix of treking, cultural site seeing, yoga and time to explore at your own leisure. We both highly recommend touring with the Himalayan social journey trek group and already look forward to our next trek up everest with them.”

“It was an awesome experience, Ram and his team took care of us all, played music, danced and laughed making the experience even better. The country and people are beautiful and the shopping, yoga classes and cultural events were amazing.”