My father and I did the EBC trek. Ram is a great host, he answered all of our questions and is a friendly guy. We often saw him around the hotel taking care of guests, he was always happy to chat and arrange trips / taxis. We did a couple of day trips with Kamal, he’s a great guide. He enjoys his job even though it is repetitive for him. For our trek we had Prakash, again, great guide. He wasn’t obtrusive, he was very encouraging and patient with repeated questions. Sadly my father couldn’t continue after Dingboche, Prakash made arrangements for him further down the mountain while we continued. Prakash is professional when needed but he’s also good to relax with. He knows many people along the route and can help with tea houses and flights! His English is good too. I can’t recommend Outdoor Himialayan Treks, Ram, Prakash and Kamal enough. Don’t worry about sending the money for a deposit, it might take a few days to completely go through but it’s all above board. Looking forward to going back next year to do Three Passes and Island Peak!
2019
James Davies United Kingdom
Great experience, great company!
My father and I did the EBC trek. Ram is a great host, he answered all of our questions and is a friendly guy. We often saw him around the hotel taking care of guests, he was always happy to chat and arrange trips / taxis. We did a couple of day trips with Kamal, he’s a great guide. He enjoys his job even though it is repetitive for him. For our trek we had Prakash, again, great guide. He wasn’t obtrusive, he was very encouraging and patient with repeated questions. Sadly my father couldn’t continue after Dingboche, Prakash made arrangements for him further down the mountain while we continued. Prakash is professional when needed but he’s also good to relax with. He knows many people along the route and can help with tea houses and flights! His English is good too. I can’t recommend Outdoor Himialayan Treks, Ram, Prakash and Kamal enough. Don’t worry about sending the money for a deposit, it might take a few days to completely go through but it’s all above board. Looking forward to going back next year to do Three Passes and Island Peak!
My father and I did the EBC trek. Ram is a great host, he answered all of our questions and is a friendly guy. We often saw him around the hotel taking care of guests, he was always happy to chat and arrange trips / taxis. We did a couple of day trips with Kamal, he’s a great guide. He enjoys his job even though it is repetitive for him. For our trek we had Prakash, again, great guide. He wasn’t obtrusive, he was very encouraging and patient with repeated questions. Sadly my father couldn’t continue after Dingboche, Prakash made arrangements for him further down the mountain while we continued. Prakash is professional when needed but he’s also good to relax with. He knows many people along the route and can help with tea houses and flights! His English is good too. I can’t recommend Outdoor Himialayan Treks, Ram, Prakash and Kamal enough. Don’t worry about sending the money for a deposit, it might take a few days to completely go through but it’s all above board. Looking forward to going back next year to do Three Passes and Island Peak!
I cannot recommend Outdoors and its amazing team highly enough. They provide absolutely everything with the highest standards. They have good and fast communication at the planning stage and while en-route, very competitive prices without hidden fees, an excellent team supporting at every stage (pick-ups, office, guides, porters), a great capacity to solve any unexpected problem you can come across (eg flight delays or personal requests), the ability to tailor-design your experience, plus an excellent personal touch which makes you feel among friends. Our guide, Subba, and our porter, Hari, were certainly one more member of our team, very experienced, with high leadership and management skills, and formidable travel companions with their excellent humour. They didn’t hesitate to act as guide, cook, porter, or anything the situation required. From the office, Raj and team were absolutely fantastic. They managed everything to our highest expectations. Will certainly repeat with each and everyone of them!
Badri did an incredible job organising our time in Nepal. He helped us work out the activities we wanted to do and then organised the entire journey so we didn’t have to worry about logistics and could fully enjoy our time. Dilli was an excellent guide who took great care of us for our 3 day trek to Poon Hill and back – not only did he perform a myriad of duties to make sure our trek was enjoyable, he also taught us some life lessons along the way. He was endlessly patient and went over and beyond helping us out. Badri also arranged our bus to Pokhara and our stay and activities in Chitwan (which was wonderful – we got to see a Rhino up close on the jeep safari!). 10/10 would recommend.
Was put in touch with this company through a friend who had been trekking in Pokhara, Nepal. I only had 3 nights maximum in Nepal so getting an internal flight to somewhere else like Pokhara wasn’t really an option, flights are weather dependent and often cancelled. Couldn’t have been happier with my trip. My guide Badri was fantastic. Very genuine, very accommodating, very knowledgeable, very nice man. Nothing was too much trouble for him and at all times he was very flexible in trying to meet whatever requests I may have had. Very happy with the hotels I stayed in (Mums Home in Kathmandu and Country Villa Hotel in Nagarkhot). The hotel in Nagarkhot in particular is wonderful, views of the valley from balcony in my room where not what I had expected when booking my trip. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t clear and I couldn’t see the Himalayas but the view was still beautiful.
Did the Mountain flight to see Everest and the Himalayas, really recommend it. I was fortunate in that the day I did it the weather was clear and the views and photos I got were fantastic, the flight had actually been cancelled the day before and after so I was very lucky with my timing. After that I visited Monkey Temple (Badri was pretty sure I would forget the real name of the temple, and he was right!), Patan Durbar, Boduddha Stupa and probably the highlight for me, the visit to the crematorium on the banks of the Bagmati river and the observance of an authentic Hindu funeral ceremony. It is a very moving experience. Fitting all 5 of those things in one day is possibly a bit much but I was happier to have done it this way and it meant I had more time for the trek the following day. We visited Bakhtapur Durbar Square the following day, one of the oldest towns in Kathmandu Valley. I probably had a little bit of sightseeing fatigue at this stage and it was only towards the end of this visit I kind of warmed up to the place but it is a pretty impressive place in its own right and had I seen it earlier the previous day I think I would have really enjoyed it. From there we drove to another village where we began our trek to Nagarkhot. The trek took about 4 hours. It is not the most spectacular trek I have ever done but it was a nice change from the city and it was a very enjoyable few hours spent in the Nepalese countryside. Very happy with the hotel I stayed in, there were no doubt cheaper options but I was very happy to be staying in the Country Villa hotel.
Final day I went back to Kathmandu, visited the Garden of Dreams and spent some free time shopping for gifts, etc. in Thamel (where my hotel had also been). Overall, a fantastic trip, got as much out of my short visit as I could possibly have hoped for. My guide Badri had been very proactive and good at keeping in touch with me prior to my trip and ensured the trip went as well as it possibly could for me. He was very knowledgeable and informative but at the same time acknowledged if he did not know something and also that what he was telling me was of course his interpretation of things or his point of view, this honesty I appreciated. Only slight negative for me was entrance fees for almost every monument, not sure if anywhere we visited was free. A lot of them were 3-4 US dollars but one or two were $10 or even $15, and for some of those you weren’t actually allowed into the temple unless you were Hindu anyway so it did on occasion feel like you were being exploited a little bit as a tourist. Still though, the country is very cheap in general, the people are extremely friendly and the city of Kathmandu itself is very safe and tourist friendly. If you’ve only a short stay in Nepal/Kathmandu and wish to get the most out of your visit I’d recommend an itinerary like the one described above and I’d highly recommend Badri as a guide/point of contact.
I had two really amazing trek with Outdoor Himalayan Treks in 2018. On first occasion my wife and I went with to Manaslu Circuit in May 2018. We were so genuinely impressed and happy with our interactions with Mr. Rammani Rijal and our guide Rupak Rimal that I decided to go again in December 2018, this time from Jiri from Gokyo. My experience this time was even better. Mr. Rammani is extremely trustworthy and honest in his dealings. I found that the rates charged by the company are competitive and their services excellent. Their advice and suggestions about where to trek given your time, budget and interests are also spot on. This company also takes safety seriously— they equip their guides with first aid kits, crampons, ropes and ice axes regardless of the difficulty involved in treks. I think this is a seriously important trekking safety. The company is professional and trustworthy and it appears that they take good care of their employees as well. On both occasions Rupak Rimal was my guide. Rupak is a fantastic guide and all my future treks in Nepal and perhaps even elsewhere in India will be with him. He is young, energetic, fun, friendly and is extremely knowledgeable about local customs. He is responsible, (I trusted him with my money since I did not want to carry my wallet around in trekking), safe, and yet flexible. He understands the needs and limitations of trekkers, including when to push them to complete their goals and when to suggest rest or alternatives in the interest of safety. You can trust him. He really wants you to complete your trekking goals but without taking unnecessary risks. I trust his judgment in the mountains now. In manaslu trek while crossing the Larke La, he saved me from an enormous rock fall, which could have seriously injured me. Rupak is also an exceptional and enthusiastic photographers. He carries an impressive DSLR camera with him and takes spectacular landscape photos and photos of trekkers (with their permission). You have to see his photos to truly appreciate his photography skills. Rupak’s command over English is also extremely solid. He has a very good sense of humor as well. He has no bad habits and is a really good company. In short I could not have found a better guide than Rupak. Rupak is now a friend and part of my family. I will strongly recommend going with Rupak for a safe, fun-filled and memorable treks. All in all Mr Rammani and Rupak— part of team Outdoor Himalayan Treks— are a great team. You can trust them with your money, time and holiday.
To write that everything was wonderful during my trek with Outdoor Himalayan Treks would be a huge understatement. The great experience started even before coming to Nepal. I contacted Badri while still in my home country and he instantly wrote me back with a couple of trekking routes of various lengths and difficulties. We exchanged a couple of e-mails to discuss my expectations (Badri being extremely patient and understating). As it was my first time in Nepal and I was a bit limited by time but at the same time wanted to make the most of my stay and visit many places, I decided for only a six-day trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area – easy to moderate with everyday up and down walks and stunning views of beautiful mountains once hiding and then suddenly revealing themselves. The highlight was a spectacular panoramic view of Gangapurna, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri and Hiunchuli Mountain (observed from Poon Hill during a sunrise). My guide was Krishna, an extremely experienced, professional and knowledgeable guy always making sure the pace of the trek was right, the food was fresh and tasty and the tea houses we stayed at hospitable and with family like atmosphere. He was also very flexible, as my pace was rather faster than slower and I wanted to walk more, he agreed for our everyday portions of trek to be extended. I should also mention Madhabe, the porter, always smiling and cheerful. I wish to thank them both. My special thanks go to Badri who at every stage of my Nepal adventure made sure everything was going right and smooth, I felt happy and didn’t need anything. Outdoor Himalayan Treks is a team of professional, hospitable, reliable and kind people whom I can also call friends. I will definitely go back for a longer and higher trek and I definitely want to do it with Outdoor Himalayan Treks. Highly recommended.
To write that everything was wonderful during my trek with Outdoor Himalayan Treks would be a huge understatement. The great experience started even before coming to Nepal. I contacted Badri while still in my home country and he instantly wrote me back with a couple of trekking routes of various lengths and difficulties. We exchanged a couple of e-mails to discuss my expectations (Badri being extremely patient and understating). As it was my first time in Nepal and I was a bit limited by time but at the same time wanted to make the most of my stay and visit many places, I decided for only a six-day trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area – easy to moderate with everyday up and down walks and stunning views of beautiful mountains once hiding and then suddenly revealing themselves. The highlight was a spectacular panoramic view of Gangapurna, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri and Hiunchuli Mountain (observed from Poon Hill during a sunrise). My guide was Krishna, an extremely experienced, professional and knowledgeable guy always making sure the pace of the trek was right, the food was fresh and tasty and the tea houses we stayed at hospitable and with family like atmosphere. He was also very flexible, as my pace was rather faster than slower and I wanted to walk more, he agreed for our everyday portions of trek to be extended. I should also mention Madhabe, the porter, always smiling and cheerful. I wish to thank them both. My special thanks go to Badri who at every stage of my Nepal adventure made sure everything was going right and smooth, I felt happy and didn’t need anything. Outdoor Himalayan Treks is a team of professional, hospitable, reliable and kind people whom I can also call friends. I will definitely go back for a longer and higher trek and I definitely want to do it with Outdoor Himalayan Treks. Highly recommended.
I was originally planning to do the trek solo, no guide, no porter. but so glad I didn’t. On my second day in Thamel, I inquired with my hotel about trekking companies. They said don’t worry, made a phone call and the 45 minutes late Rammani appears at my hotel. After some wise words, pros and cons, an itinerary to suit my timescale and a reasonable price, I decided to go guided. I gave Rammani my photos, a copy of my documents so he could sort my permits out. He said he’ll return the next afternoon with the permits and introduce me to my guide.
On time, at my hotel and now with my guide Ram who I will be doing the Annapurna Circuit. All permits were sorted, bus tickets, 2 nights a really nice hotel in Pokhara and a returning coach to Kathmandu.
I was really pleased how the whole trip went and was massively impressed with my guide Ram who’s English was magnificent and knowledge of the area and 30 years experience proved priceless.
If you want a headache and stress-free trek, I could not recommend getting in contact with Rammani who sort it all out so you can enjoy time in Nepal
I spent 18 days on the Annapurna circuit and I got to see and experience a lot. I am young and able-bodied and did not see much use for a guide or a porter on such a well-established trekking route. Reluctantly, I decided to be cautious as this circuit has its horror stories.
I met Rupak, the guide, on a Monday. By Tuesday, he was Rupak the friend. Someone I could trust instantly to have my back in times of trouble or when feeling uneasy.
I met many, MANY Trekkers along the circuit and most of them had guides. Those that didn’t spend a lot of time backtracking and looking silly, as the beginning stages of the trek are not very well marked and many trails lead to dead-ends (caused by landslides/earthquakes) or someone’s home :). It really matters to have a guide you can trust to be honest, helpful, and can speak English like they are from the west.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: most Trekkers who had a problem with their Nepali guides complained mostly of trust. All the guides will tell you that they do not drink and they do not smoke.. but when they arrive at the day’s end, they retreat to the kitchen for free wine and often drink far too much making the wake up call in the morning difficult and, as altitude increases and the temperatures decrease, they tend to get sick easily making life more difficult for you.. The Trekker.
Rupak does not have this problem, and because of his honesty and integrity, several Trekkers fired there guides midway and attached themselves to my party.
He gives you space when you need it. He takes care of all arrangements and negotiates on my behalf. He truly cared about my enjoyment and about my personal quest.
Bottom line, when you trek… You trek to feel independent and free. You don’t need a guide 100% of the time… But when you do… You need a great guide. One you can trust. One who knows the way. One with patience and a passionate love for the mountains and its people. You need someone who you can count on when a situation arises or danger is imminent.
The only choice is Rupak Rimal and he is THE guide to have in Nepal.
