Mads Mathiasen

Mads, his team and especially our guide and porter could not be faulted when it can to looking after us. A dream trip

Tough, upexpected weather overall. Guide was great and knowledgeable, and accommodating. Had a good memorable trip as such.

The Manaslu trek was excellent. It had great changing scenery, interesting people, nice teahouses and good food. We visited a remote school by chance on a Sunday and meet one of the teachers, and some of the kids, which was a real highlight of the trip.

Our guide Nawang was excellent, always making sure we were enjoying ourselves and full of information and a good sense of humor. He was helped by two great porters in Ngima and Gelbu, and this team of 3 made our trek so enjoyable, thankyou!

Thanks Mads and Amanda, organisation was great and thanks again for your time and efforts.

The brief for our trip was culture, trekking and wildlife. The itinerary was finalised months beforehand, apart from the very end which was subject to confirmation. Mads suggested various options for earlier in the trip depending on how we departed from Nepal but being realistic, this was never going to happen as it would have meant changing the whole itinerary. In the end, we agreed to go to Suklaphanta but this was the most disappointing part of the trip. October is the wrong time of... read more

The brief for our trip was culture, trekking and wildlife. The itinerary was finalised months beforehand, apart from the very end which was subject to confirmation. Mads suggested various options for earlier in the trip depending on how we departed from Nepal but being realistic, this was never going to happen as it would have meant changing the whole itinerary. In the end, we agreed to go to Suklaphanta but this was the most disappointing part of the trip. October is the wrong time of the year, apart from anything else.

Our main guide was very pleasant but as a trekking guide he didn't usually come in to museums with us and didn't seem particularly knowledgeable about flora and fauna. Lodge staff were all very helpful and nice and the guides were generally very good. We loved the scenery in the Annapurnas and seeing a tiger in Bardia was a highlight of the trip.

Overall experience was good. There was one time it took almost 3 days to hear back from Mads regarding what gear I should bring on the trek so I had to wait to know if I needed to buy anything or bring anything that I didn't have on my list. My 2 guides is Nepal were great -- Dawa and Prathicksha. Both were knowledgeable about the areas they took me. The best part of the trek was being on the trails. The worst part was trekking on the roads, especially the 30 minute walk when it was hot... read more

Overall experience was good. There was one time it took almost 3 days to hear back from Mads regarding what gear I should bring on the trek so I had to wait to know if I needed to buy anything or bring anything that I didn't have on my list. My 2 guides is Nepal were great -- Dawa and Prathicksha. Both were knowledgeable about the areas they took me. The best part of the trek was being on the trails. The worst part was trekking on the roads, especially the 30 minute walk when it was hot and dusty and trucks were coming and going from Panauti to the trail we turned off at the rice fields (past Khopasi village).

I would say be leery of going to the Herb Nepal Farm overnight -- the experience was great, so was the food, but I got a small abrasion on the front of my right shin there going up the narrow stairway in my cabin and ended up having surgery to cut out the infection and then came home early so did not go to Bhutan for 12 days as planned, and landed in PDX in the emergency room for continued care of my infection which will take a long time to heal.

It turned out I got the bacteria acinetobacter, which the infectious disease doctor said in Portland was rare and that bacteria is mostly found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, so he was surprised this bacteria showed up in Nepal. Just something to be aware of if you have other clients you are taking to that area -- they cannot get even a small scratch on them or cut or it may turn serious.

I should not let my injury deter my experience as I enjoyed my whole trek overall.

Mads was really helpful from the outset and helped me work out a fantastic itinerary for myself and my family. We thoroughly enjoyed it all from the trekking with our lovely guide chheering, the white water rafting expedition and our luxurious stay at Chitwan. Our adventure to lumbini and across the border was fun but would maybe fly from Kathmandu next time! Amanda, our contact in Kathmandu was faultless- giving us excellent recommendations for meals and providing us with a phone so we could... read more

Mads was really helpful from the outset and helped me work out a fantastic itinerary for myself and my family. We thoroughly enjoyed it all from the trekking with our lovely guide chheering, the white water rafting expedition and our luxurious stay at Chitwan. Our adventure to lumbini and across the border was fun but would maybe fly from Kathmandu next time! Amanda, our contact in Kathmandu was faultless- giving us excellent recommendations for meals and providing us with a phone so we could contact her if we had any problems and then resolving any issues with incredible speed. We loved Nepal as much as when we last visited it nearly 20 years ago and now our 3 children love it as well. Thank you all so much.

I cannot speak too highly of the team at KimKim. From the moment I first made contact to the very end of our trip the service was outstanding. They focussed on finding out exactly what we wanted and then provided way above expectations. Mads put the trip together checking throughout if it was exactly what we wanted. The city guide Rajive was very knowledgeable and informative. The Inn Patan was a great place to stay.

The trek was just the right level for us. It stretched us. OK some... read more

I cannot speak too highly of the team at KimKim. From the moment I first made contact to the very end of our trip the service was outstanding. They focussed on finding out exactly what we wanted and then provided way above expectations. Mads put the trip together checking throughout if it was exactly what we wanted. The city guide Rajive was very knowledgeable and informative. The Inn Patan was a great place to stay.

The trek was just the right level for us. It stretched us. OK some basic teahouses, but some pretty good ones too, and the views, unbelievable. Our guide on the trek, Suman, was a guide, a butler sorting out food orders etc and a guardian angel keeping an eye on us at all times. Suman and our porters, Manoj and Laxman, became part of our family. They were suoerb and great company.

The pavilions in Pokhara is a fantastic hotel to relax in. Then Chitwan. The Baraha Jungle resort is luxurious but you must go to Tiger tops and be with the elephants.

Finally I must mention Raj, the office manager. He made sure the trip worked. He seemed to have a sixth sense and once when one of our party had to get a doctor within minutes. he phoned me up to check all was OK. How he knew I don’t know as we did not tell him. Constantly checking in the background I guess. Perfect as we did not want to be on an over organised trip but were glad of his quiet efficient organisation.

Perfect trip. I highly recommend Mads and his team to you if you are going to Nepal.

The Lang Tang trek was exactly what I was looking for! Following a beautiful blue river through the jungle like forest, past a variety of rhodedendron and finally up, up, up to the Himalayas was spectacular. Rishi our guide was lighthearted and fun. Susan our porter not only carried some of our weight but added to our enjoyment throughout our journey. By the end of the trail we had become friends, sharing laughter and life stories. It was refreshing to get away from the crowds of people and... read more

The Lang Tang trek was exactly what I was looking for! Following a beautiful blue river through the jungle like forest, past a variety of rhodedendron and finally up, up, up to the Himalayas was spectacular. Rishi our guide was lighthearted and fun. Susan our porter not only carried some of our weight but added to our enjoyment throughout our journey. By the end of the trail we had become friends, sharing laughter and life stories. It was refreshing to get away from the crowds of people and take in the beauty around us. Along the way we met some very friendly people, one of our favorite interactions was with Sylee at the Lama Hotel, her bright spirit and playfulness made us feel right at home! We lucked out with a clear day at the top and really enjoyed taking in all of the breathtaking views. I wiuld definitely book a trip with Kim Kim again and again!

This was truly a trip of a lifetime for our family. We spent 9 days just below Everest and had a wonderful time. Our guide Tendu was excellent and his attentiveness and personal touch made this trip unforgettable. He worked hard to make sure we were all looked after and that everything went smoothly.
Sadly, the weather was much colder than predicted which impacted us on the last few days. The teahouse in Panbouche was below standard and the ownership seemed indifferent to the comfort of... read more

This was truly a trip of a lifetime for our family. We spent 9 days just below Everest and had a wonderful time. Our guide Tendu was excellent and his attentiveness and personal touch made this trip unforgettable. He worked hard to make sure we were all looked after and that everything went smoothly.
Sadly, the weather was much colder than predicted which impacted us on the last few days. The teahouse in Panbouche was below standard and the ownership seemed indifferent to the comfort of their guests. Luckily the next day Tendu had arranged for an excellent teahouse in Phortse - which was the best one we stayed at.
I would highly recommend that portion of the trek (Panbouche - Phortse) - it was the highlight of the trek.

Another epic trip! Mads and his team are first class. Not only great guides but great friends!

Off the beaten path adventures. Lifelong memories.

Overall excellent. Good hotel in Kathmandu (Shankar). Amanda and team came to brief us. All well organised and implemented. Day trip around K was not enough (so we spent some more time on our own later). Requested "old folks" walking trip in hills near K was well organised and guide (Dawa) was sympathetic and adjusted pace to suit our knees. Very interesting and comfortable places to stay along route. We requested "view of the mountains" and it was provided! (courtesy of some rain which cleared the smog).

Overall - excellent.

Mads was so quick to suggest the great trek designed specifically for my 10 yr old daughter and I. He responded fast to any questions we had in the organisation phase too, nothing was too much bother for him.
Amanda contacted us in Kathmandu and it was lovely to meet her and Niresh (our guide) prior to commencing our adventure the next day.
Niresh was a gentle, knowledgeable guide who answered all of my silly local questions and shared so much of his knowledge and experience with us. He... read more

Mads was so quick to suggest the great trek designed specifically for my 10 yr old daughter and I. He responded fast to any questions we had in the organisation phase too, nothing was too much bother for him.
Amanda contacted us in Kathmandu and it was lovely to meet her and Niresh (our guide) prior to commencing our adventure the next day.
Niresh was a gentle, knowledgeable guide who answered all of my silly local questions and shared so much of his knowledge and experience with us. He took care of everything each day (even my daughters ravenous apetite!!) .
Receiving a special thank you gift from Amanda at HT after our adventures had finished was a beautiful surprise! And the follow up phone call the next day was great too.
We can’t wait to book another trek!! Communication and in country support was second to none x

We had the experience of a lifetime with 2 teenagers.
Chhring and the porters Kobe and Kancha deserve a special mention for their empathy when we were feeling under the weather and their changes to the trek which made the trek more suitable to our needs. When there was any issue Raj , Surendra , Mads and Chhiring could not have been more accommodating. Thank you Chhiring!
The trek was everything we could have hoped for and I am coming back to do another one once I am fitter and will be using... read more

We had the experience of a lifetime with 2 teenagers.
Chhring and the porters Kobe and Kancha deserve a special mention for their empathy when we were feeling under the weather and their changes to the trek which made the trek more suitable to our needs. When there was any issue Raj , Surendra , Mads and Chhiring could not have been more accommodating. Thank you Chhiring!
The trek was everything we could have hoped for and I am coming back to do another one once I am fitter and will be using your team!
The team are superb, we are old hippies working at home so needed the basic structure, the rest we wanted independence. The team did this and more and we will use them again.
Tansen Srinagar Hotel had the best food we have had. The Chef and owner obviously seemed to enjoy it. My only regret was that I was not able to enjoy the spectacular wine list as I was on Flagyl Without Mads and the team we would never have heard about this place.
Lumbini should be on peoples list. Driving around Ankor Wat was the same as driving around here the difference is the 35 Temples are all working with Monks in them. It is vast. We stayed at the Buddha Maya Hotel and enjoyed the luxury.
Chitwan had a good game drive.
Hiring a vehicle with a driver when there are 4 of you is cost effective and so pleasant as we got to know the drivers and would use them again.
We have not had so much family time and wish we were still there.

To be honest, we put a lot of trust in Kimkim as we weren't paying a great deal of attention to the finer details prior to heading OS. So in reality, it could have all gone very poorly!

Luckily for us our faith and confidence in the service was not misguided and we had a great time. Being unfamiliar with a place like Nepal can be very daunting when it comes to planning a hike / trek so we appreciated the insight and experience offered by kimkim. I would also recommend the specific hike we... read more

To be honest, we put a lot of trust in Kimkim as we weren't paying a great deal of attention to the finer details prior to heading OS. So in reality, it could have all gone very poorly!

Luckily for us our faith and confidence in the service was not misguided and we had a great time. Being unfamiliar with a place like Nepal can be very daunting when it comes to planning a hike / trek so we appreciated the insight and experience offered by kimkim. I would also recommend the specific hike we went on for beginners; it's low altitude and not too rough with regard to physical capability (climbing lots of steep stairs etc!). I imagine that experienced hikers could cover this distance and climb in around 2days if they were rushing it but the additional time was welcomed so we could enjoy each location and also have some rest.

We had opted for a more budget option with regard to accomodation and even then, the places we stayed were quite good. We had 4 nights in the below locations:
-Guest house in Dhulikhel; Amazing roof top view of the valley and mountains but the room was very cold and the shower cold. Beers were 600 NPR each.
-The Monastery was an overall highlight and had a superb hot shower! (it takes some working out as there are several taps which feed into the shower tap.. you'll work it out!. We had dinner and breakfast with the monks and they also had a little cafe for coffee, tea and other extras you might want. Surprisingly, there was secure and very good quality wifi throughout the location (cost 30NPR per day) no beers here of course!
-The Balthali Guest House was also very good. We had a relaxing afternoon with a few beers on the roof in the sun and then enjoyed getting amongst the local ladies to strip the dried corn for a couple of hours. The farm fresh and local food was excellent and we may have had a few too many local Rum's before bed.
-The homestay in Panauti was cool, we very much enjoyed the cooking class and the guided tour of the town. It was super cold here and the evening fire was very welcomed! The hot shower greatly appreciated before our long flights back top Australia.
All in all the trip was great fun, was well organised and our guide was great, thanks Ļāmā Ťãmãņğ Đāwâ !

I could not have asked for a better experience! Mads arranged a perfect 6 day trek for me on short notice and it was absolutely perfect. All details were taken care of and he was extremely responsive and helpful. The entire team I interacted with were amazing, and the guide they paired me with could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable. The entire experience was amazing and one which I can't wait to repeat for a longer period of time. When I do, I'll definitely use Mads again - the service and experience I received were exemplary.

My 6 days in Bhutan were amazing . My guide Sonam was so wonderful , full of knowledge and patience. I loved talking to him and I learned so much about the country , the people and the culture . My hike up to Tiger’s Nest was the biggest highlight of the trip. I didn’t think I could hike all that way , but Sonam had confidence in me and I did it! I am so proud . Thank you for a trip of a lifetime!

We were a family group of three people with 15 days in Nepal. Based on our own research and in-put from Mads we selected the Nar/Phu trek.
We had a wonderful trip that completely lived up to our best expectations.
The process of selecting a trek and booking our holiday was highly efficient and very flexible. Responses to any questions were received rapidly.
Our guide (Cheeri) and two porters were outstanding and are highly recommended. Cheeri was true to his name and clearly a very... read more

We were a family group of three people with 15 days in Nepal. Based on our own research and in-put from Mads we selected the Nar/Phu trek.
We had a wonderful trip that completely lived up to our best expectations.
The process of selecting a trek and booking our holiday was highly efficient and very flexible. Responses to any questions were received rapidly.
Our guide (Cheeri) and two porters were outstanding and are highly recommended. Cheeri was true to his name and clearly a very experienced guide. He made good arrangements for our transport and accommodation. He quickly recognized the abilities and requirements of our group and adapted to us.
My only minor criticisms were:
Travelling from Kathmandu to the tart of the trek in one day (6 hours minibus and 6-7 hours jeep) was really too much on our second day in Nepal. The first two days of trekking following this were long days with significant altitude gain so I would recommend taking more time to reach the start of the trek if time permits.
We expected to meet someone from the trekking company along with the guide in Kathmandu. The guide travelled 15km for this meeting clearly expecting a rep to join us. When contacted by phone she informed him she would not be attending.
The villages of Nar and Phu were fascinating so I would try to have a rest day in each again time permitting.

In summary I would recommend KiMKim for organizing your trek, particularly if you have limited time for your holiday.

We had an extraordinary trip, including amazing cultural and architectural experiences as well as a day of rafting and a multi-day trek.
Mads worked with us for months to set up itineraries for the various members of our four person group , since we had different arrival dates and did not always travel together. He arranged a wonderful visit to Bhutan for one of our group while the others did the Poon Hill trek. We loved the traffic-free stay in Bandipur, also the medieval cities Bhaktapur... read more

We had an extraordinary trip, including amazing cultural and architectural experiences as well as a day of rafting and a multi-day trek.
Mads worked with us for months to set up itineraries for the various members of our four person group , since we had different arrival dates and did not always travel together. He arranged a wonderful visit to Bhutan for one of our group while the others did the Poon Hill trek. We loved the traffic-free stay in Bandipur, also the medieval cities Bhaktapur and Patan (although they suffered a lot of damage from the 2015 earthquake ). Some of our greatest memories are visiting the Kumari in Patan, the ghats near Kathmandu, and Baba Guru as he welcomed and blessed us.
And of course there was the gondola ride up to Manakamana where chickens and goats rode along on their way to be sacrificed at the temple.
Amanda and Suman provided exceptional support in Nepal. Suman ( also known to us as Super-man and Suman the Magnificent) was knowledgeable, informative, and always helpful, along with being a fun travel partner/guide. Our porters on the trek, Suman (the Second) and Manos,
worked very hard and always seemed to be smiling as they helped make our trek memorable and fun.

Our transfers were always smooth and on time; we never had to worry about whether we would make a connection or get to our hotel. We found the entire Himalayan Trails and kimkim group to be responsive and creative in making our visit to Nepal absolutely wonderful!

Wow! Where do I begin?

My wife and I were a little short of time, having only around 8 days in Nepal but not wanting to miss out on the full Nepal experience; namely trekking, Himalayan views and the fascinating culture that the country has to offer.

Mads was immediately able to assist and his expertise and quick response time made it very easy to quickly establish how we could maximise our short time in Nepal. His obvious knowledge and experience was a reassurance in itself that we would... read more

Wow! Where do I begin?

My wife and I were a little short of time, having only around 8 days in Nepal but not wanting to miss out on the full Nepal experience; namely trekking, Himalayan views and the fascinating culture that the country has to offer.

Mads was immediately able to assist and his expertise and quick response time made it very easy to quickly establish how we could maximise our short time in Nepal. His obvious knowledge and experience was a reassurance in itself that we would be making the most of our limited time.

Under Mad's recommendation, we opted for the 5 day Solu Trek and this did not disappoint. It combined our request for Sherpa culture, Buddhist monasteries and of course, the humbling views of Mount Everest itself.

Amanda provided us with a very warm and friendly welcome when we arrived and took the time to answer all of our queries and concerns as well as making sure we were well equipped and happy with every detail of the trip.

Our guide Tendu was absolutely amazing. His insight into his homeland, his courtesy and his professionalism were first class. His attentiveness to our absolute well being (along with his patience) made the whole experience very special, not to mention him being a thoroughly nice guy.

Our porter Mingmar was also a gent in every way and his service was also of the highest order.

Overall we had an unforgettable experience of Nepal with Himalayan Trails, Mads and his team are obviously doing something right. We got to see a very special and relatively less touristy area of Nepal that offered us everything we could have hoped for and more. Thank you so much to the team for a lifetime of special memories.

We had a fantastic time on our trek to Gokyo Ri and over Renjo La. From the time we landed in Kathmandu we felt safe and very well cared for. Naresh was a wonderfully thoughtful guide and we couldn't have asked for a better experience trekking through the mountains with him. The views of Mt. Everest and the other 8,000m peaks from Renjo La were even better than advertised. The lodges in Lungden and Thame were especially comfortable and welcoming, with the best Sherpa stew and momos in the region.