In a word- Awesome. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience. I have always wanted to see the Himalayas and Mount Everest and booking with Nepali hiking adventures provided it in a very special way.

I was lucky to have Tilak as my guide and Ssyam as my porter. Both were friendly and kind, with extreme patience as I crawled my way up the ascents at 5000+ metres. I was also fortunate to meet many incredible people along the way and with the flexibility we actually teamed up with another traveller and guide for a few days which led to much laughter and great memories. The atmosphere on the trail and in the tea houses is wonderful. Tilak made sure I had everything I needed at each stop and was good at adapting the day based on energy levels, sleep, and any AMS symptoms. He provided sensible advice and tips on how to avoid sickness and look after myself in the mountains. His local knowledge was invaluable.

It was great that Tilak was able to change the schedule for me as required and the flexibility meant there was no pressure on speed or time. The itinerary has been well designed to take account of the high altitude and felt like a good pace.

Thank you to Bishnu who I was able to speak with via WhatsApp and email before I booked in order to ask some questions and clarify details. He was very quick to reply and explained any concerns I had.

This trip was well worth the money and I’m glad the company is Nepali owned and managed. I’d recommend them to anyone looking to do this trek and was really impressed with how smooth and reliable the experience was. A brilliant 2 weeks with new friends and memories to last a lifetime. Special thanks again to Tilak- Number one guide on the mountain and legend of Dal Bhat power, 24-hour!

A few tips for the trek:
1- take extra rupees with you as the price (understandably) inflates for basics like water, electrics/charging and for luxuries like hot showers, additional snacks etc. Also be sure to have cash in reserve for emergencies like helicopter evac or oxygen at the higher altitudes.
2- Have dollars or rupees for tipping your porter/guide. Again I took some but wasn’t sure what the etiquette or amount expected was. This seems to be $10 per day for porters and I’m unsure exactly how much Is expected for guides.
3- Bring plenty of warm clothes. Sounds obvious but at most stops it’s sub-zero overnight and even with blanket, sleeping bag and fully clothed it’s cold.
4- Prepare as much as you can. I did some training but the altitude really is tough. If you can then get as much cardio in pre-trip as you can to prepare. Lots of ascents/descents and potential for injury.
5- Bring a large portable charger/solar charger. Electrics are pay per hour at the higher altitudes and can be avoided with power bank or solar charger if you have space.
6- Drink plenty. I was averaging 3+ litres per day and it’s necessary to keep AMS symptoms away. Take water purification tablets with you as these can be used in tap water at some places and save a bit of cash/the environment for the bottled water.
7- Beware Lukla and unreliable weather. Flights can be massively delayed, sometimes by days due to the Lukla weather. Leave some space either side of your trip as insurance for any international flights etc. Or be prepared to pay handsomely for a helicopter either way if you want to ensure you fly on time.

It was an incredible trip and I'd recommend Nepal Hiking Adventures to anyone for an excellent experience and with an ethical Nepali run and owned company!

Poon hill trek with Raaz. Stunning views throughout. Worth every penny. I will be coming back in the near future to do Everest base camp and will definitely be using these guys again!!! Amazing service.