To all those wishing to trek in the Himalaya

I would like to recommend the services of Adventure Great Himalaya Treks and Expedition Company. In February this year, my husband and I fulfilled a lifetime ambition to trek in the Everest region of the Himalaya.  Our daughter was living in Kathmandu at the time and suggested we use Adventure Great Himalaya to organise our trek.  Local knowledge is a great thing, as we were to discover.  Kathmandu has many such companies offering similar services at variable costs.

Prior to leaving for Nepal Mr Babu Karki, the Managing Director, contacted us by email, advising us on kit, medicines and how to prepare for the trek.  He gave us route options, suited to our age, fitness and interests.  We finally decided on the Everest Panorama, a seven-day trek taking us from Lukla to Namche Bazaar and Tengboche.

From there on Mr Karki organised everything, flights to and from Lukla, permits, porter services, accommodation en route.  He was our guide for the trek.  His credentials were excellent, having worked his way up from porter to guide over 12 years, and finally, to management of expeditions.  His knowledge and experience of the mountains and trekking, combined with his friendly manner, contributed significantly to the thrill and enjoyment we experienced on this life-changing trip to the top of the world. It was comforting to have a guide who was so obviously respected by other porters and guides on the mountains.  When difficulties arose with another trekking party, Mr Karki was consulted and provided advice on the appropriate action to take.  All along the way he ensured our needs were met and that we achieved success.

Mr Karki’s company has a team of experienced guides and offers a range of trekking experiences, which can be tailored to meet individual needs.  His company also offers other types of activities. He organised our jungle safari to Chitwan National Park, which was a fantastic experience and an excellent contrast to our Himalayan trek. So if you are looking for a reliable, responsible trekking company in Nepal which offers good value for money, I would recommend you look no further than Adventure Great Himalaya with Babu Karki and his team. (www.greathimalaya.com)

Fiona Shearer, Cupar, Scotland.
Should you wish further information about our trek you can contact me at fionashearer689@btinternet.com

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Relato de Treek Santuario Annapurna
Enero 2010, Carolina y Gastón

Queridos Amigos, queremos dejarles nuestro testimonio acerca del treek que hemos realizado entre el 7 y 14 de Enero al campamento base del Annapurna. Contamos con la ayuda y conocimiento de Babu y la generosa compañía de Sumon a lo largo de esta aventura.

Nos casamos en Octubre del 2009 y, tras finalizar el año laboral, emprendimos nuestra ansiada Luna de Miel entre el 26 de Diciembre y el 31 de Enero del 2010. Destino: Nepal e India, un sueño a realizar.
¿Cómo ibamos a visitar Nepal sin hacer montaña? Con lo que nos gusta!!! Que nos inquietaba? El hecho de visitar los Himalayas nada menos que en invierno y sin demasiados días para dedicarle.

Más allá de nuestro conocimiento y nuestras experiencias previas nos hacía ruido esta cuestión y decidimos escribir nuestras inquietudes vía mail a cuanta agencia especializada y organización de montaña hubiera; para elegir el treek adecuado para la época y atender las necesidades para llevarlo a cabo.
Babu Karki fue la primera persona en contestarme, no solo con todo lo que le preguntaba sino además con una alegría inmensa y muy buena predisposición. A partir de ahí muchos, pero muchos mails se fueron cruzando intercambiando preguntas y respuestas. Nuestra idea original era hacer el treek por libre. Jamás, pero jamás en ningún mail Babu nos mandó un programa o un presupuesto, mostrando interés solo por clientes; simplemente nos ayudó con lo que necesitábamos, poniendo su conocimiento a nuestro alcance.

Finalmente, ya en el aeropuerto de Kathmandú, fue Babu quien nos vino a recoger, no ayudó a conseguir hotel y a tanto y cuanta necesidad se nos cruzó por adelante. Decidimos, para facilitarnos la cosa, contratar un guía para hacer nuestra aventura: Aquí apareció Sumon, un joven guía nepalí que compartió nuestro recorrido informándonos y asistiéndonos en cuanto necesitáramos, mostrando un gran profesionalismo.

Qué decir del trekk? Pasamos una semana espectacular, con un cielo siempre limpio, conociendo un lugar increíble y gente maravillosa. Sin duda una experiencia a repetir; sin duda la presencia de Babu y su gente para cualquier inquietud, ya sea contratar un paquete o simplemente contar con su servicio.

Babu: Muchísimas gracias por tu palabra, tu apoyo y tu trabajo. Hasta pronto!!!

Caro y Gastón, Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Excellent Adventure!!

I recently completed the Everest Base Camp trek with Adventure Great Himalaya. This was an awesome experience! The service that Babu and his staff provided was top notch. My guide Suman, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and took care of me throughout my 13 day trek. As a solo trekker, I never felt alone. All in all…would definitely recommend using Adventure Great Himalaya.

Thanks,
D-Man
Damianl3@hotmail.com

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I had been trekking with Babu for three times  in Nepal from 1999 to 2004. I really appreciated his service .He was responsible and provided professional advice for us in the journey. Besides,he was so thoughtful in taking care of us. I felt secure in the journey because he had tried his best to protect us all the time. During the journey, we always laughed because he was so humorous. During the second journey, I was very impressed because I could experience the living of the village people. By the help of Babu, we communicated with the village people. They were so friendly and sincere. We could learn more about the  custom in Nepal from him.  Babu is so experienced in trekking, I believe he can provide good service for you in the journey.

Chiu Queenie
chiu_queenie@hotmail.com
 Hong Kong

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Here is our letter for you. We are thinking about Annapurna Base Camp for our next trip in 2011!!!

“We have been to Nepal and trek to Poonhill on mid Oct 09. We asked Babu for porter and we got Gakul as a porter. He took care us very well, helping to arranged accommodation, food and everything while we were trekking.

 We are very happy that Babu helps us to arrange everything and he also called us when we were in Pokhara to make sure that everything is all right.

Thank you to make our travel smoothly and we are sure to use his supporting again for the next trip !!!!! “

“เรากับเพื่อนไป Trek ที่ Poonhill มาเมื่อกลางเดือนตุลา 52 โดยใช้บริการบริษัทของบาบู คือตอนแรกก็ไม่ได้คิดว่าจะใช้บริการอะไรของเค้าหรอก กะว่าแค่จะให้ทำใบอนุญาติให้อย่างเดียว แต่พอมาได้คุยแล้วก็ถูกคอกัน ก็เลยตกลงจะใช้ลูกหาบของบริษัทบาบู ได้ลูกหาบชื่อ Gakul นิสัยดีแล้วก็ดูแลให้ทุกอย่างเพราะเราก็ไปกันสองคนผู้หญิงเทคแคร์ประมาณน้องสาวเลยค่ะ พอไปถึงโพคาราบาบูก็โทรมาถามว่าถึงหรือยังโอเคไหมมีที่พักแล้วหรือยัง โดยที่เค้าก็จะไม่บังคับว่าต้องพักที่ๆเค้าแนะนำนะค่ะ ตอนกลับมาจากการเดินเขาก็โทรมาถามตลอกว่าการเดินทางเป็นยังไงโอเคไหม ก็แบบดูแลดี แล้วก็ไม่เคยยัดเยียดโปรแกรมหรืออะไรให้ คือแบบแฟร์ๆ ก็เลยชอบ ก็คิดว่าถ้ากลับมาคราวหน้าก็จะใช้บริการของเค้าอีกนั่นแหละ สนใจก็ลองเข้าไปหาข้อมูลเค้าได้นะค่ะรับรองว่าไว้ใจได้แล้วก็ได้มิตรภาพที่ดีกลับมาเด้วยค่ะ”

Best regards,
Wanwisa Ruangsomboon
Recruitment Specialist
Green Spot Co. Ltd.
Tel: 02-725-9800 # 2450
http://intranet/HR/blog/data/blog/Hr1.html
คลิ๊กที่นี่ เพื่อประเมินความพึงพอใจด้านการบริการ**************************************************************************************

Pendant mon trip au Népal, j'ai rencontré Babu et suis parti en trek avec lui; j'ai ainsi découvert la région des Anapurnas, ce qui fut pour moi une très bonne experience. Depuis il a fondé sa propre compagnie de guide, que je vous recommande vivement.

Jean-Baptiste, France
julliardjeanbaptiste@ymail.com

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”Great! We had a wonderful time on the Annapurna Circuit. Our guide Babu was always helpful and full of information. The scenery was amazing and the 2 weeks were so much fun. Our porter Mohan was fantastic and always smiling!“ D.Mallin & L.McEwen (UK)
dom77@btinternet.com

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”My husband and I took a trip to Nepal in April this year (2007) and were guided around half of the Annapurna Circuit (Besisahar to Jomsom) by Babu on a 13 day trip. Babu was a great guide and new the route very well so we were never worried about getting lost and when the path was not clear we were very grateful that he was there! He could also prepare us for the following day's walk so that we knew what to expect, how long we would be walking and where the big hills were. His knowledge of the people and customs was very good and he seemed to get along very well with all the tea-house owners so they all made us feel very welcome. He also knew what to do in cases of Altitude Sickness which we both suffered from in varying degrees and kept a good eye on us to make sure that we were not doing more than we should be doing if we were ill. He had Diamox with him but luckily for us we did not have to use any of the rest of his first aid kit.

Babu made our trip interesting and much less taxing than trekking alone. We relied on him completely and spent our time enjoying the scenery and the experience. It is possible to trek independently and we did consider it, but with hindsight a guide and a porter made our trip much more enjoyable which was important for us as we only had a two week holiday so we made the most of our break.
If you are considering trekking in Nepal we would recommend Babu as a guide and hope you have an amazing holiday as we did, with memories to keep forever." Sam (UK)
sambulkeley@hotmail.com

I went to Nepal in December 2008 for trekking and to experience the great hospitality of Nepalese people, colorful culture and traditions as well as experience the simple living in mountain.  My friend in Thailand recommended me to contact Babu, so I had trekked with him for 4 days to PoonHill. I was really satisfied with his service, he was friendly and helpful.  I was also satisfied with his expertise in trekking guide and trekking arrangement.  My trip was well-organized and fantastic, I really enjoyed my holidays there.  If you are thinking to have trekking in Nepal, please go to him and Adventure Great Himalaya, the best trekking agency in Nepal. He will make you the best holiday.

ดิฉันได้กลับไปเยือนเนปาลอีกครั้งเมื่อเดือนธันวาคม ปี 2008 เพื่อไปเทรคกิ้ง นอกจากนี้เพื่อสัมผัสประสบการณ์ความมีมิตรไมตรีจิตของชาวเนปาล สัมผัสวัฒนธรรมและประเพณีที่มีสีสัน รวมถึงประสบการณ์การใช้ชีวิตแบบเรียบง่ายบนภูเขา เพื่อนของดิฉันที่ประเทศไทยได้แนะนำให้ดิฉันติดต่อบาบู ดิฉันจึงตัดสินใจใช้บริการของบาบูเพื่อเทรคที่พูนฮิลเป็นเวลา 4 วัน ดิฉันพึงพอใจกับการบริการ ความเป็นมิตรและความช่วยเหลือเกื้อกูล  บาบูมีความเป็นมืออาชีพในการเป็นไกด์รวมถึงการจัดเทร็กกิ้ง  ทริปของดิฉันถูกจัดเตรียมอย่างดี ฉันสนุกสนานเพลิดเพลินกับวันหยุดของฉันในเนปาล ดังนั้นถ้าคุณกำลังคิดที่จะไปเทรคกิ้งที่เนปาลกรุณาลองติดต่อบาบู เขาจะทำให้วันหยุดพักผ่อนของคุณเป็นประสบการณ์ที่ดีที่สุด

"Absolutely brilliant” My wife and I went trekking in Nepal during autumn 2009 for three weeks. We are in our 50’s and neither of us had ever done anything like this before but it was something we both wanted to do. We had to decide between a local or western company for our trek. Fortunately for us, a friend of ours recommended Babu and now we have used his services I would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone going trekking in Nepal.

After contacting Babu by email he helped us sort out the best trek for us while we were still in England, this gave us a bit of time to read up on what was in store, we did the Jomsom trek in case you are wondering. In fact he arranged everything for us, picked us up at the airport on arrival, booked our hotels rooms (both the one in Kathmandu and Pokhara were very comfortable in lovely quiet surroundings), arranged our internal flights within Nepal and took us on some wonderful sightseeing trips around Kathmandu and Pokhara and finally made sure we got the plane home again. Our three weeks in Nepal were an absolutely amazing experience made all the better for meeting Babu.

 We found Babu to be very friendly and genuine, extremely diligent in his care of us, going out of his way to make sure he met our needs.

One thing we noticed while we were trekking was that not all mountain guides were the same, some people we talked to were not happy with their guides, whilst others like us had no problems.  On our trek we stayed in Tea houses with wonderful mountain views, some of the places were quite busy, the standard of accommodation was at times quite reasonable; sometimes we even had an on-suite bathroom!  Food was always cooked from fresh and not obviously westernized so you felt you were getting a true flavour of Nepalese cooking.  The trek we did was sometimes quite hard work but we were rewarded every day by the friendliness and hospitality of the Nepalese people and the magnificent scenery.

By Reg & Marieanne Luxton from England, regluxton@yahoo.co.uk

In Pokhara we walked up to the World Peace Pagode. First we took a small rowboat to the other side of the lake with a stop at the small island in the middle to take a look at the Varahi Mandir (Hindu temple). After a nice climb up the mountain with a lot of nice birds and butterflies on the way we arrived at the World Peace Pagode. On top of the mountain we gained a new friend, a German dog named Rambo 2, who loved to walk along with us as our adoption dog until its worried Nepalese owner came to take him back home. We walked back taking another route and visited the Devi’s Falls, a nice waterfall.         

Yesterday we returned safely from our six day trekking from Naya Pul to Phedi with overnight stays in Tikedungha, Ghorapani, Tadapani, Ghandruk and Dhampus.

• Day 1: Pokhara (915 m) to Naya Pul (1050 m) by car. From Naya Pul (1050 m) to Tikedungha (1577 m).
• Day 2: From Tikedungha (1577 m) to Ghorapani (2675 m).
• Day 3: Because of the weather we skipped the climb towards Poon Hill (3232 m). From Ghorapani (2675 m) to Tadapani (2675 m).
• Day 4: From Tadapani (2675 m) to Ghandruk (1950 m).
• Day 5: From Ghandruk (1950 m) to Dhampus.
• Day 6: From Dhampus to Phedi (1113 m) and back by car to Pokhara.

The trekking was really nice, passing small villages and wonderful nature. Especially the waterfalls were very impressive. Unluckily because of the rain during the afternoon on the second day, the third day and the last day, we were not able to take a lot of pictures and skipped our trip to Poon Hill, because the view would only consist of clouds.

The first day I felt a little tired and when we arrived at the place we would spend the night I got a fever. So I hit the sack early and luckily felt much better the next morning. To my regret I seemed to have passed the fever on to Edvar at the end of the second day.

Only Edvar did not seem to get rid of his fever as easily as I did and the problem is he kind of looses his appetite when he is sick, which is not really a good thing when you have to get up and down mountains for five to six hours every day for six days in a row. But although slower than normally my superman was able to finish the trekking. He felt slightly better when the time passed and at the last day I have declared him a healthy man again :).

Our guide Babu Ram Karki (website: www.nepalmountainguide.com email: mountain_guide1@yahoo.com) is a very nice guy to hike with through the mountains for six days. During our trip we met a few other tourists, but not many since it is still off season. Due to the rainy weather we missed out on the spectacular snowcapped mountains, which were hidden behind the clouds. We only were able to get a few glimps of the Annapurna South (7273 m) and the Hiunchuli (6441 m). We met two English ladies (Chirsty and Becky), with whom we spend some nice evenings chatting.

During the trip we were accompanied by a few Nepalese dogs, because of course I had been too friendly again. Edvar said I really had to watch out, because otherwise we might end up with another adoption dog

When we were picked up by our taxi at the end of our trekking we heard about the bombings that took place in Kathmandu. In November there will be elections in Nepal and these kind of stupid terrorist acts were claimed by some small ethnic groups who try to sabbotage the elections. Nepal used to be a monarchy and has a temporary government right now, which will be replaced after the election by a new hopefully stable government, which will hopefully be able to improve the situation in Nepal.

The tourist season in Nepal starts in September and chances are high the bombings will effect the amount of tourists travelling towards Nepal. It is a shame that a country with such friendly inhabitants has to suffer and will have problems to develop itself, because of a few idiots. Nepal really depends on money earned from tourism.

Recommendation for great Himalaya feed back.
Going on a trek around the valley in Katmandu, was a great way to see the local area on a limited schedule.  Babu Karki was my guide and friend who showed me the geographical way as well as the cultural way of Nepal.  Mr. Karki invited me into his home and life and allowed me the opportunity to know Nepal in a way impossible for a tourist. I am very happy from his service so If some one interested to visit Nepal I am not hesitate to recommend to Him.

 nlivic@gmail.com

I was in Nepal in 2004 as part of a one-year world tour. I had been looking forward to this leg of my trip for a long time and the first task was to find a guide for a 7-day trek to Annapurna South.

I was in Nepal in 2004 and was very lucky to have met Babu who became my guide for a 7-day trek to Annapurna South. Babu's knowledge of the area and local customs made him a great guide. His English is excellent and his perpetual smile and easygoing manner added to making it a truly special experience.

If you are going to Nepal, and I strongly recommend it, I equally strongly recommend. His company Adventure great Himalaya and hiring Babu to be your guide