Kimkim Trip Reviews for Nepal

I found KimKim (and Amanda) totally on the ball, professional, and very competent. They responded to emails/questions very promptly and were very attentive to detail. The greeting and meeting in Kathmandu was helpful and the trip itself was excellent and tailored to our needs. Overall very pleased.

I completed the 3 passes trek in early October - an incredibly challenging and rewarding experience. Ngima (from Nepal Myths and Mountain Trials and Kimkim) was fantastic in tailoring the trek to allow me to complete it over a shortened time frame. He responded promptly to all my questions and requests and was even there to greet to me upon arrival at Katmandu and to see me off after the trek. My guide (Da Furi Sherpa) and porter were both experienced and friendly and were a great support, especially on the steep and sometimes slippery descents. Of the three passes, the Kongma La Pass was definitely the most challenging, though this may in part been due to the fact it was the first pass we did and I was not as acclimatized. I would highly recommend this trek to anyone looking for a challenging trek in Nepal.

The best thing about Himal Mardi trek is the changing terrain from tropical to alpine . Our highlight was reaching the base camp and seeing the closeness of the peaks of Annapurna and Macchapuchare ( Fishtail Mountain) . We had a tremendous guide , Scchapel , who was very informative , very experienced and we got along very well with him . Everything from start to finish was very well organized thanks to Erin . The only setback for me , which probably can’t be helped due to water shortage is that the tea houses are very basic and sanitation like the toilets need to be improved. Having said that the owners who run the tea houses are extremely friendly .

An absolute trip of a lifetime! Our trip was away from the crowds and as such, there was the odd challenge but would highly recommend getting off the path well trodden. We didn't see a single other tourist for the duration of our trip and hence saw the real Nepal, right up close to the border with Tibet. Staying in tents did require more logistics than tea houses but we did feel much more engaged with the scenery and that blissful feeling of isolation every morning. It also felt more of an expedition and brought us closer to our wonderful Nepalese support team; certainly when we were all huddled together in an abandoned farm shack around the fire as the thunder storm lashed against the roof! Day 3 of the Trek was especially memorable and the website was right to mention the steep drops and hard climb but it was pretty awesome. The mountain biking on Day 4 was amazing but challenging for those without much experience and the uphill section needed a solid level of fitness (worth considering bypassing with the jeep for some) but two thirds of the route is downhill and very exhilarating. Even our guide was pumped after it! And finally the white water rafting was brilliant and a perfect end to a real adventure. Our guide was absolutely faultless from start to finish and if you want an accessible to all adventure, I cannot recommend this trip enough

Excellent choice of itinerary for the trek, very professional guide and helicopter pilots during the holiday so that we felt really in good hands. We had a very good time, we will be back.

We had an amazing trip, and experienced the local culture in many different areas of Nepal and saw breathtaking views ! It was like nothing else I have ever experienced . We felt very well supported by our guide Bhim when we visited ghandruk , and our guides in Chitwan. They were all amazing and friendly and full of information and knowledge in their local areas eg. the jungle animals, mountains, history of the area etc . Our trip planner Sangita and her husband bipin were so great and responded to our calls and text when we had unexpected changes to our itinerary.. eg plane or bus late , help with translating , even spoke to the locals at times, to help us plan changes we decided to make on the spot etc , we felt very relaxed and could focus on enjoying every minute knowing whatever happened we were very well supported and never on our own no matter where we were :)) we have had an adventure we will never forget and the best time!! Thanks so much to everyone:))

It was my first trip to Nepal and everything was handled perfectly. Kripa was very helpful and able to give good tips about the trek and the whole office worked to make sure that my experience was great. While the weather could have been more cooperative my guide was able to make adjustments and everything worked out great.

Well organised, friendly, professional from start to finish. The entire NMMT team was very helpful, and our guide, Darfuri Sherpa provided a great hiking experience. The weather was a challenge with flights, but the team made a great effort to ensure that we managed to experience everything we wanted to. Would highly recommend them.

Dafuri was a great/knowledgeable guide and the porters were very helpful. Overall great first experience in Nepal!

Some more 5 stars for Erin and Himalayan Trails and they are all well-deserved! Very well organized trip that exceeded our expectations. Unfortunately I cannot remember the names of all our guides and it would be unfair to others if I mention only a few. They were all so kind and helpful with good knowledge about each area, history and religion of Nepal. The only bad thing is that we didn't have the chance the see the Himalayan range due to the late monsoon season but I think clearing the sky is one thing that Erin and her team cannot do something about it :-)
So until next time, THANK YOU GUYS for this amazing Nepali experience!

p.s.
stay away from leeches! ;-)

Our Nar Phu and Manang trek was an unforgettable adventure. Especially the Nar and Phu part of the trek was outstanding with amazing landscapes and breathtaking views, great hikes, incredibly friendly and hospitable people who always had a great smile for us and a deep insight into local culture.
Our guides Mingmar and Dorje were supergreat and a lot of fun and would always offer support when needed. We spontaneously changed the second part of our trek due to my fear of heights, which was good for me and Mingmar found some perfect alternative for us. Both our guides were a great source of information on Buddhist and local culture and history.
Amanda is the best local specialist you can get. No matter what kind of questions, requests and problems we had when planning our trek, she would always find a perfect answer or solution within no more than a few hours. You can hope for no better, more helpful, likeable specialist! Thank you so much for planning the best trek with us!

Our trip to Nepal was everything we imagined it would be plus more, and it was all thanks to Kunchok Nima and all of our guides. We explored Kathmandu with a wonderful guide that took us to Hindu and Buddhist temples and taught us all about the culture. We then went to Pokhara where we white water rafted (Raju was an amazing guide) and started our two day trek. Our trekking guide Chhiring is one of our favorite people we met on this journey. His knowledge about trekking and his country in general was amazing. The trek was a wonderful experience and even though I wanted to give up multiple times I would do it again. Chhiring not only was our trekking guide but he did a tour around the city of Pokhara with us and even offered to take us to see a few places (the Kopan Monastery was beautiful) in Kathmandu when we got back. I can say Chirring is someone we love to visit with again. Our last stop on our trip was to Chitwan National Park. The resort was beautiful and the food was delicious. In Chitwan we got to explore the animals of the jungle on foot, on the back of an elephant and on a canoe ride. Our favorite part of the jungle experience was when we were able to bathe and play with them in the river. The last the we did was a flight to the Himalayan mountains which was breathtaking and highly recommended. The whole process of planning the trip and communicating with our local specialist was so easy. Kunchok was there to help me every step of the way and ease any worry or concern I may of had. We truly appreciate Nima, our guides, and all the people of Nepal that were so welcoming. We will definitely be using Kim Kim and Responsible Treks again on our next trip to Nepal.

Kunchok was great, he helped us get everything we need and ensure we were safe :)
Would recommend anyone that want a safe and fun trip to find him

Great experience with excellent organisation. Ang Gelu was a perfect guide. Mny thanks for everything, all discussions and hospitality. Hope to see you next year

My first trekking on Poonhill with kimkim was fantastic from A to Z.
They managed all my itinerary according to my personnel schedual even though sudden circumstance happened due to heavy rain.
My guide, Mr. Angello and Pasang were really specialist to make me comfortable all the time even I was very bigginer on that.
In addition my coordinators, Mr. Tash and his father and his brother, they have absolutely professional attitude to their visitors.
Once again I sincerely would like to recommend someone who want to try trekking in Nepal to be with kimkim. You are never disappointed.

We had a wonderful time in Nepal. The attention of Chhewang and our guide, Chhiring was absolutely great. They were always on time, absolutely dedicated to us. There were no surprises, hidden costs or bad experiences. The hotels that were booked for us were of excellent quality and the overall attention and quality of the tour was outstanding.

Chhiring is really a very professional guide and a wonderful person. He didn't only guide use through our trek, we learned so much from him and from Nepalese and Tibetan culture as well. The porter was also a great guy, very nice and welcoming to us.

I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again. I'm looking forward to our next adventure in Nepal with this great team.

We highly recommend KimKim (with Nepal Myths & Mountain Trails) for trekking in Nepal. Our guides, Tashi and Ang Gelu, did a top-notch job in safely and comfortably guiding us on our 5-day family trek to Ghorepani and Poon Hill. These two guides were personable and complemented each other well (Ang Gelu knew the villages and trek a little better, but Tashi knew more English). It was clear that they had much experience hiking in Nepal and in the Annapurna region. We felt secure in their hands.

Our original plan had been Pikey Peak, but a mudslide on the road forced us to change plans before we even arrived at the trailhead. Ngima's team (Nepal Myths & Mountain Trails) correctly assessed the situation, discussed options with us, and recommended the alternate plan (Ghorepani + rafting) that we agreed with.

Even though we chose to go during monsoon season, we were lucky in that the weather was good enough for us to get great views of the Annapurna range from multiple locations, including Ghorepani, Poon Hill, Tadapani, and Ghandruk!

Trekking in the Himalayas was more physically challenging than I expected, primarily due to the prolonged steepness, and when my knees and thighs were not quite up to the task, Tashi and Ang Gelu were there to help carry my backpack, which made a huge difference. However, our group did get separated once when some of us got too far ahead, but it ended up being a merely temporary inconvenience due to the skills and knowledge of our guides.

Ngima and his team were very flexible in letting us stay an extra day in Pokhara so that we could see some of the sights there before heading back to Kathmandu. They also arranged a white-water rafting trip after we had to turn back from Pikey Peak in just a single day, which was definitely a highlight. Their ability to set up this whole trip for us was impressive.

We had fun playing cards with our guides during the evenings in the tea houses, as well as meeting other travelers from around the world. The trek was very comfortable, and we had ample time in the evenings to relax.

Such an amazing trip - my guide Sonam was wonderful. He thought of everything and went out of his way to make sure I enjoyed the trip. He took me to see some breathtaking sights and gave me the exact trip I wanted. I would recommend KimKim and Responsible Treks and Sonam to anyone I know.

Thank you!

It was a once in a lifetime trip! Our guide, Nawang, was extremely flexible which was very appreciated because we encountered unusually bad weather which forced us to change our itinerary en route. He was unflappable, upbeat, and listened to us about what we wanted to get the most out of our trip and helped us to meet some of the people we were interested in along the way.

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS!!

We just completed a 3.5 week vacation in Nepal that included stays in Kathmandu and other cities, tours of heritage sites and a national park and a trek in the Annapurna region.

We have traveled extensively in Europe and elsewhere and have always made our own arrangements, and have done very well. For a trip to Nepal you need professional assistance and we received exemplary service at every stage of our trip.

Before we arrived in Nepal, Amanda helped us with all the planning and arrangements. They customized the trip for us. They have many pre-planned treks in Nepal, but they can be customized to fit your time frame, experience, and interests. We considered a number of options before settling on our itinerary. Amanda provided us with lots of useful information. We followed her packing guide and used everything on the list, but didn't need anything else. I would suggest for your trek that you have a clean pair of socks and underwear for each day, you can wear the same pair of pants trekking each day but is is comforting to put on clean dry socks and underwear every day. We had lots of back and forth in the planning stage, and their communication system keeps everything in one place so you can easily check on what has been sent or reread information--really helpful.

When we arrived in Nepal, Raj was our primary contact. This turned our to be critical to the success of our trip. He was amazingly flexible, helpful, and knowledgeable. We made a number of changes/additions as the trip went on. Originally, we had planned a trek in the Everest valley during the monsoon season, Amanda prepared us very well for the potential weather related difficulties that could occur. We spent two days in the airport trying to fly into Lukla, but the airport was closed due to weather. After the first day, Raj suggested a number of options if the weather continued. After the second day we decided to change our plans and Trek in a more accessible area. We contacted Raj from the airport and he completely changed our itinerary, booked new flights and accommodations and we flew out that afternoon. It was so impressive!

I also want to point out that EVERYONE was always early for every appointment--every meeting, driver, tourguide, etc., arrived 15-30 minutes before they were expected, which gave us great confidence.

We urge you to request Naresh Nachhiring to be your trek guide--he was spectacular. We had the opportunity to observe a number of guides, and we were so grateful Naresh was our guide--there really is a difference. Naresh is soft spoken, very experienced/capable (doing this work since he was 14), honest, kind, small ego, big heart, he has the "helper gene". On the trek, the guide has lots of discretion, he chooses where you stop and eat and sleep, the places may look alike, but they are not! Naresh always found us the best location, the best room, and he was always looking for ways to be quietly helpful. He adjusted his service to our needs, our pace, our interests. He would leave us alone to walk together, but then he was there to put a rock in a stream to make it easier for us to cross, or point out a safer path through a challenging section, or show us something we would have surely missed. He never pressured us or tried to make us fit his needs, he served us. It was so cool to be with someone who is so experienced, yet he still take such pleasure in what we were seeing--monkeys playing in the trees, a beautiful waterfall or vista, a mountain view he must have seen hundreds of times before, yet still enjoyed. We enjoyed all our time together--he is a real person who is easy to be with, never playing a role or putting on an act. Ask for NARESH!

We had several city guides and by far the best one was Pratikshya--ask for her! She doesn't run through some prepared script that feels like it has been said a thousand times. She is like visiting a new place with a friend. Easy, tells you a little bit, if you want more she knows it. Fun to be with, she really made every experience with her enjoyable, relaxing, informative (without overdoing it). She is relaxed, genuine, honest, knowledgeable. The perfect guide!

At the end of our trip we stayed in 3 locations that were not typical Nepali hotels/teahouses. These are more western in style, but also really enjoyable for different reasons. Temple Tree Resort is in Pokhera, and we stayed there the nights before and after our trek--a real treat, amazing facility and service--we were spoiled and loved it. Namo Buddha Resort, near the Namo Buddha Monastery , is 13 gnome cottages built by a German couple 20 years ago on a hilltop overlooking a beautiful valley. We are not vegetarians, but we thoroughly enjoyed their amazing vegetarian meals made from all organic produce they grow on site--stay here if you plan to visit Namo Buddha. Milla Guesthouse in Bhaktapur is a 4 room exquisite mini hotel built by a Austrian Architect, involved in the restoration of Nepali religious sites. Bhaktapur is rich in history but badly damaged by a series of earthquakes, the latest in 2015, this hotel with amazing service is a gem in the rubble--stay there if you visit Bhaktapur, it is right in the center of everything. We never would have found these three places without Amanda and Raj's help.

We had many drivers, and lots of different experiences from primitive to luxury but all exceeded expectations. We were will taken care of and prepared because we recieved exemplary service at every turn. Highly recommended.