Erin Green

Thanks to KimKim and Erin for booking another amazing trip to Kathmandu, Nepal. KimKim is efficient, professional and we will always use as our Go-To for all things Nepal.

Mera Peak trek - April/May 2023
From first to last Erin, Raj and Tendu ensured we had the experience of a lifetime.
Look no further if you are looking to explore Nepal. Our trip was perfect in every way.

My trip to Nepal through Kimkim was spectacular. I usually make all of my own arrangements as it can be difficult to find companies who cater to solo travelers, so finding this company was exciting. From my start with Erin being so patient helping me form the perfect itinerary, to Krishna helping me while I was in Nepal, my trip was seamless. I’m already looking to book my next trip with them! 5/5 stars for kimkim!

Simply amazing. Awesome flexibility on planning before departed. Amazing guides. Logistics went like clockwork, even when we decided to change plans on a day. Instant responses from Amanda to any question - hate we time of day! Could not recommend this trip highly enough to anyone. Best tour ever….

Thank you for reaching out and asking about our trip. It exceeded all of our expectations! First, Kimkim and Himalayan Trails executed everything perfectly. The people that surrounded us were always very professional, caring and made the trip seamless.

Rajiv did a great job of introducing us to the important historical sites in Kathmandu and Patan. What a great day that was. We were in informational overload and I had to let it sink in before going back and reading more about the sites we saw.

Our guide, Wang Chu, and porter, Neema , we’re first rate. I think one of the most important things a guide can do is understand his clients and Wang Chu was able to do that very quickly. He made adjustments throughout the trip that catered to what we were looking for and made our experience unbelievable. We often times felt like we were the only ones on the circuit and saw things I know other groups did not get to witness.

The trek itself was difficult at times but rewarding in every instance. The scenery was spectacular and Wang Chu taught us a great deal about the culture, livelihood and history of the Nepalese people as we trekked from village to village. What a great classroom and teacher!

I am glad we chose the Manislu circuit and I would recommend that to anyone interested in trekking the Himalayans. It offered a good challenge, varied landscapes and what felt like a relatively less travelled path.

Thank you for setting everything up for us and sticking with us for almost two years due to travel restrictions!

Again, thank you, Kripa, Rajiv, Sanzeb, Wang Chu, Neema and the whole staff at Kimkim and Himalayan Trails for making it a wonderful, memorable trip!

David Makepeace

Amazing trip, the local guides for our hike and safari were absolutely incredible and made our holiday so easy. The whole trip was well organised and we felt very relaxed.

We have nothing but praise for the team at Himalayan Trails and kimkim! This was our first fully guided trip, and our first trip with kimkim. I can definitely say that it won't be our last.

Our trip coordinators, Kripa and Erin, listened to our input and designed a perfect trip, combining cultural sights, light trekking and wonderful views of the Himalayas. They were very helpful before the trip with advice on preparation, packing, logistics, immigration, etc. During the trip, they checked in with us numerous times to make sure everything was going well. Everything was flawlessly coordinated. We always had someone picking us up at the airport or at our accommodation, and a driver was always waiting to take us to our next destination. This is quite a feat to pull off in post-Covid Nepal, which is just getting back into tourism after two long years of pandemic. The team is clearly well connected and has great relationships with the tourism industry in Nepal.

We had two guides during the trip - Pratikshya for the cultural sights, and Tendu for the trekking portion. Pratikshya was very attentive and knowledgeable about Nepali culture, history and tradition. Apart from the beautiful Durbar squares of Patan and Bhaktapur (a must visit when coming to Kathmandu), one of the highlights of the tour was seeing the awe-inspiring chariot in Patan. The chariot is constructed in May for a big religious celebration, and Pratikshya went out of her way to make sure that we saw it.

Tendu was a wonderful trekking guide! He is a Himalayan mountain tour expert and a very positive and friendly person. Our trek was very light for Nepal standards (our choice), but he kept it very fun and interesting. He pointed out all of the different mountains in the horizon (he knows them all very well), told us about other treks that we could experience in the future, and pointed out the local flora and fauna in the region. He also took us around some of the farms in the hills near Pokhara, where we interacted with local farmers. The tea houses were much nicer than we expected, and Tendu always made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. The highlight of the trek was breakfast at the Basanta lodge in Dhampus, where the sky cleared up and we could see the Annapurna mountain range. We also want to give a special thank you to our wonderful porter, Lakpa, who is a legend in his own right, having summited Mt. Everest six times!

Overall, I can't recommend the team at Himalayan Trails enough! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and hospitality! Nepal is an incredible country with so much to see and experience, and we highly recommend Himalayan Trails for anyone wishing to experience Nepal!

We are just getting back home from the most incredible trip that KimKim helped to arrange for us in coordination with Himalayan Trails which is their local group in Nepal. From the beginning we were looking for a custom tour of the country that would allow us to enjoy both some time on the mountain trekking as well as a resort. KimKim helped make it all work seamlessly throughout our time.

We were met at the airport in Kathmandu and together with our guide flew to Pokhara to begin the trekking journey. Everything was as good or better than we could have expected including the custom route that they chose for the hike. By going a little against the grain on our path we were able to both beat the crowds in certain areas as well as find some more remote parts of the trail that proved to be the most memorable. Specifically our time at Dobato and the Mt Lucky teahouse where we were welcomed by the family and spent most of the afternoon/evening warming up and conversing through our guide who was great at making sure we got a really culturally unique experience. The sunrise on Muldai Hill was the best part of the trip as we had the entire top of the range to ourselves that morning for a really special experience.

Couldn't be more pleased with both the help arranging the trip (thanks Erin!) and once we got on the ground with Raj and the team at Himalayan Trails. Thanks all and look forward to visiting the wonderful country of Nepal again in the future.

Another great trip. Erin provided everything we asked for, she was always quick to respond and understodd what we wanted. Her choice of Guide and Sherpa were perfect for the group. We felt well looked after and had an unforgettable trip that was loads of fun. Thank you.

Erin, the Himalayan Trails staff, our guide Wongchu and the team of porters were all stellar throughout our whole experience - from the 10 month pre-trek planning and prep phase, to the moment we stepped out of the Kathmandu airport and all the way back again to our departure. As pretty well fit 50 year olds we found the Gokyo Ri/Lakes circuit challenging, namely due to the altitude. But the length of the trek and the acclimatization days did seem to help ease the associated symptoms. Some highlights: the agro-based sherpa culture village/landscape of Rimjung; the sheer bazaar-ness of the location, size and activity of Namche Bazar; the altitude sickness presentation in Machherma; summiting Gokyo Ri with the accompanying 360 degree view of the Himalayas including, of course, Mt. Everest; crossing Renjo La Pass; and just meeting and witnessing the beautiful, hardworking, ancient Himalayan and Sherpa peoples going about there daily lives.

Our group of seven recently came back from a trek in Nepal through your company and i thought it may be helpful to provide some feedback on our experience. Overall, we had a fantastic time and found all the staff professional, positive, and very attentive. We really appreciated that Erin was able to book not just our trek, but also our kathmandu hotel, our Surkhet hotel, and our internal flight to Surkhet. That was so convenient for us and made our lives much better. Everythimg was taken care of and we didn't have to worry about even one night's accomodations. 

Sonam, our guide...Our guide was fantastic!! She was a highlight of our trip!!! She seemed to genuinely care about us having a good experience. She had a great attitude and was so positive and fun! She was a great communicator, explained what to expect very well, and laid out each day clearly. She was also very good at estimating how long it would take to get to our destination, something Nepalis aren't always good at. She was a delight to spend two weeks with! I would highly reccommend her as a guide to anyone. Since our group was mostly women, we loved that we had a female guide!!

The porters and assistant guide...The porters enthusisam and pleasant personalities were a delight to be around. We really liked that they didn't smoke like we saw many others doing. They all worked so hard and anytime we asked them for anything they were right there to help us. They were fantastic!!!!

The food on the trek...The food was plentiful with a lot of variety. We all ordered different things and felt very accomodated. We all found the food delicious and got our fill. It was better than we expected!!

Hotel Manaslu...Our kathmandu hotel was great! The food, accomodations, staff were all great. It was our little refuge from the bustle of kathmandu life. 
The hotel in Surkhet...Our Surkhet hotel was far more than we thought we would get there. The hotel driver was there to pick us up at the airport, the food was great, and the staff very accomodating.

Trekking accomodations...Our first Hotel, ABC Hotel, was very dirty and we just sucked it up and endured. It was quite horrible and we were worried the whole trek would be like that. It got better almost with each hotel and we enjoyed all the other ones. We loved the hot showers and the rooms that had comforters!!! The clothes lines were really nice too. A couple of rooms had trash cans and we felt like we won the lottery.

Erin...Erin was always quick to respond to our questions while we were planning and getting ready in the US. Her enthusiasm came through in her messages, and once we met her she was equally enthusiastic. She was bery smiley and friendly and clearly enjoyed working with people. We had an issue with getting the permits and giving our passports to one of the staff people and she came to our hotel right away. She was good at solving problems in a timely manner. My only constructive feedback for Erin would be to be more definitive and less loosey-goosey about things. When we asked if we needed crampons or microspikes, she said we can bring them if we have them. We really didn't know if we needed to bring them or not. When asked about bringing snacks she said we could if we wanted to, but really we needed to bring them. When asked about bringing a sleep pad she said we could bring one if we wanted to, but we never needed one and several people in our group brought them. The beds on the trek all had sleep pads that were very nice. I don't know if Erin has done this trek, but if not, maybe it would be helpful to do it so she can better answer client questions with more certainty and less ambiguity to help people better prepare for their trip. 

The handouts...Some of the information we got pre-departure seemed pretty out dated. 
The tipping information seemed incorrect based on what others told us. 
We didn't need to bring nalgene bottles as they filtered water rather than bolied it. Several of us didn't bring a bladder because of this information, and wished we had one. 
Airport tax is no longer charged on departure. 

The need for crampons or microspikes was very wishy washy. I think you should tell everyone to bring micro spikes. If they don't need them its fine, but if they are needed, it's essential to have them. 

Sometimes it felt like the info was generic to any trek, but it would be nice to have information that was specific to our trek.

Some additional info that would have been helpful...Bring snacks because on the big pass day you won't have acces to food. 

It would be better to get a little more description on what to expect on the trails. We were sort of in the dark as to what to expect and pack for. We got the packing list, but it would have been helpful to know that we would be in both very hot weather as well as very, very cold weather. 
Our time hiked was greater than every day on the description. 

Trekking poles are essential for stream crossings, balance on cliffs, and downhill stints.
It would be helpful to know that the trekking itinerary is an estimate of where we would stay, and that the trek may change based on weather, hiking strength, or accomodations. It would be nice to know that the descriptions we got weren't set in stone if they aren't. 

It would be very helpful to have an idea as to how much various things cost along the trek. Specifically, a hot shower is $5 to $6. Beer is about $6. And wifi ranges from $2 to $5. This would help us to figure out how much money to bring on the trail. It would also be good to know that there are a few handcrafted items we may like to buy along the way. 

The night before the pass and on the pass day  we were told that we should drink warm water, not cold. We were supplied with half hot and half cold water so we wouldnt drink cold water. We were then charged $36 for having the water boiled. We weren't told in advance that we'd be charged for the water and weren't given a choice as to whether we wanted hot water or not. It would have been nice to have been told in advance that we'd be charged, then given the choice as to wheher we wanted it or not. 

We thought we were going to have two rest  days, but we had none and hiked everyday. It would have been nice to know that we really had no rest days to mentally prepare ourselves. 

Hi Erin and the KimKim Team!

Erin you did it again!! Top marks for another incredible trip to Manang.

Your professionalism, friendliness, organistion, attention to detail and providing us with THE best
guides, Raj and Rabin, made for an unforgettable trip. The journey left a profound impression on each of us and will forever stand as a superb adventure in a beautiful country with wonderfully open hearted people.

Dhan'yavāda from us all!

My wife and I booked an 8 day luxury trek around the Everest Area in Nepal with Erin. The travel platform for communication with Erin via KimKim was really easy to use and worked without issues. I found Erin super responsive and exceeded our expectations.

The lodges they utilized were awesome. The Beyul was one of the highlights for my wife and I. The owner is super personable and the dining was great. Another fantastic lodge was the Everest View Lodge in Mende. This lodge is really great.

Erin found our guide, Mindu. He was a super friendly guide and always shared his life as a sherpa and answered our many questions about the area and about the local customs and religion. The porter was also really a nice fellow and our gear was always were it needed to be and in good condition.

At the conclusion of the trip we met with Erin and enjoyed that experience as well. The hotel in Kathmandu was perfect.

Overall I would not hesitate to use KimKim and Erin for a trek in Nepal. I know we will book another trip with them.

O wow... an adventure that far exceeded our expectations! Erin was amazing in our pre-travel planning. I must have asked a million questions that were always answered thoroughly ..I gained such confidence in the team before we had even landed in Kathmandu. All the transfers from pillar to post were punctual, the drivers were super polite, the Kathmandu guides were great ... we were so spoilt! Our trek with Serala as our guide was fantastic. We were very proud to have one of the few woman guides to lead our way..and our porter Ram was so shy but he eventually joined in our laughs and jokes. Nepal has left a tender spot in our hearts, and I know it's because our time there was so well supported by KimKim's entire team.. Thank you and Namaste

Nepal was the second part of our holiday abroad, and it was fantastic. We enjoyed our hotel choices, especially Dwarika in Kathmandu. The helicopter ride to Mount Everest was epic! The views were incredible. Thank you Erin for planning such a memorable adventure.

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

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! ;-)

Overall a wonderful trip. I think as a group we were very satisfied with the service provided by Erin and her team. They were easy to contact and made sure that we had everything we needed like rides to and from the airport, information on the trek, and even helped make possible a helicopter trip to Kathmandu which we all really enjoyed.

Some of the highlights of the trip include the helicopter ride to Kathmandu, Kalapattar, EBC in the snow, visiting the Tengbooche monastery, and staying in Namche.

I want to give a special shout out to Tendu our guide. He was incredible and really helped make the trip memorable. Tendu was very knowledgeable about the area and we could point to pretty much any peak and he could name it and give the height. He was extremely attentive to us and it felt like he was genuinely concerned about our safety and well being. The whole time we felt very safe with him and felt like we were in good hands. He was extremely friendly, always positive and happy, and we all got to know him very well on the trip. The assistant guide Passang and the two porters were also wonderful and we were very happy with the service and experience they provided to us. Never have I seen a stronger group of young men than the porters.

The only real thing I think could have better was clarity about what was included during our stay at Hotel Manaslu. I think we were charged for breakfast a few times when I think it should have been included. Other than that I do not have much to complain about.

Overall a wonderful trip and I am very satisfied with both the experience and the service provided. Emphasis on how amazing Tendu and his team were. I plan on returning to the Khumbu sometime in the future, with Tendu hopefully as my guide.

We just got back from an amazing adventure in Nepal. We can't thank Kimkim enough for helping to create a magical trip. From start to finish, we couldn't have asked for anything more. Erin, our local specialist, was extremely responsive in arranging all of the details for our time in Nepal, patiently answering my questions and providing a lot of information to help us prepare for the adventure. Raj welcomed us our first night in Nepal, and met with us again on our last day, making sure everything was taken care of. Bipin, our city guide in Katmandu, taught us so much about Nepal's history, religion, politics, and more as we explored different sites in the city. We would also like to express our gratitude for the drivers. Driving in Nepal can be quite an experience, especially in the mountains, but we had complete confidence in the Kimkim drivers- they are exceptional. Finally and most importantly, the heart of our trip was trekking in the Langtang Valley with Rishi, Susan, and Nirajan. We feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to trek with them- they are so very kind, fun, responsive, and responsible. The beauty and the biodiversity of the trek to the Langtang Valley are astonishing and the views from Kyanjin Gompa are jaw-dropping but I think that our lasting memories will be of our time with Rishi, Susan, and Nirajan. THANK YOU!!!