Perfect Dream Trip
When my wife and I decided to fulfill a 25-year dream of trekking to Everest Base Camp, we chose to go with Adventure Great Himalaya. There are so many companies to choose from, but their website spoke to us and we liked that they were a local Nepali company. Communication with Babu was quick and easy. He always responded immediately (as much as a 12-hour time difference allowed). Booking was smooth and he took care of all the little details. When we arrived in Kathmandu, Babu, our guide Nanda, and a vehicle was waiting for us. We (7 of us in our group) were quickly delivered to our hotel. We had a meeting in Babu's office that afternoon to finalize details and prepare for our city tour the next day. The city tour was a wonderful way to see the highlights of the Kathmandu Valley.
Babu and Nanda have many years of experience in the industry and know all the right people. Beginning the trek by flying into Lukla can be weather dependent, as it was for us. Babu and Nanda arranged a helicopter ride for us when it looked like flights were not going to happen. That way our trek could start on time. Once on the trail, Nanda's experience and reputation became evident. He took care of any adjustments needed on our trek, monitored our health, and insured our accommodations without us even knowing. The sign of a great guide is when your trip seems perfect, but you find out later that slight changes happened along the way without you knowing. Nanda made sure we were settled in our rooms in the teahouse each day, acted as our waiter during meals, and made suggestions as to food and drink. Each night at dinner he would tell us the schedule for the next day. He was up early each morning to greet us and give us an overview of the day during breakfast. Nanda is a very knowledgeable guide with a great sense of humor. If his value as a guide wasn’t obvious yet, it became very clear on our last day. Weather prevented flights from arriving or leaving Lukla. It was determined that we’d be spending an extra night in Lukla. One hour after settling into our rooms, Nanda got word that a flight was coming in. He found some of us in the teahouse and rounded up others who were shopping in Lukla. He hustled us over to the airport, took care of our luggage and security, and soon we were hurtling down the airstrip. We still don’t know how he got us on that flight! At the same time Babu was arranging for our rooms in the hotel in Kathmandu.
Again, I will say that the sign of an experienced company and guide with key connections, are when adjustments have to made to a trip and those changes happen smoothly in the eyes of guests. I am highly recommending Babu and Adventure Great Himalaya as your trekking company. They are professional, understand your needs, and are true to their word.