Where can I begin? From the very first inquiry email which was replied by the owner, Ganga, to the first meeting of the team and the final days in Pokhara and Kathmandu, everything was professionally arranged with proper care for our family and well-being.
We chose Nepal Hiking Team after checking a number of factors: recent TripAdvisor reviews, familiarity of trekking with children, responsiveness, and ownership as we were looking for a Nepalese owned company. We are a family of 4 with two small children, almost 4 and just over 5 years old who have been on an extended tour around the world and we did not have much time to prepare. Plus, we did not originally planned on coming to Nepal. We have explored many cities and beaches, and we thought of getting into the peaks for some time. Trekking with a family with small kids and with such a wide range of fitness level was quite daunting, but Ganga did not flinch and proficiently recommended the wonderful trek (Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Ghandruk). We enjoyed right accommodations, planned extra stops for rest and for the kids to play, and put together with a team so incredible that my husband and I could not have been more delighted.
We were quite worried to start, as we were doubtful concerning whether the kids would take pleasure from the days hiking or being carried as the paths are quite steep. We met our guide, Arjun, the night before we head off to Pokhara who made us really comfortable. He was very experienced: calm, attentive, and professional. We also met with the rest of the team: 3 porters named Mithu, Arun, and Surendra (one for our luggage and one for each child, just in case). All were fantastic people especially Arun who immediately distinguished himself as almost a second guide. He was much helpful and responsive, proactive to meet to any of our needs or concerns, and our generally shy kids mixed-up with him immediately.
Arjun and Arun were ever patient, always thought of ahead, carefully outlined the course of the day, pre-arranged the best accommodations, thoughtful to get the kids biscuits and entertain with their playfulness. Each morning, we set out at 8AM and typically had approximately 5 hours of hiking, with well planned water and tea breaks. The trek itself was lovely which included walking through several villages, crossing a lot of rivers and waterfalls, and definitely the views of the Annapurna range were stunning. We were lucky to have clear visibility to witness the sun rise over the snow-topped peaks. The accommodations were perfect. The team seems to know all the finest places and we always got the opportunity to see great views from the rooms.
Without any doubt, this trekking experience will be amongst our top highlights of our family adventure whole year around the world. The trip turned out to be an unforgettable trip with the amazing services of the impeccable Nepal Hiking Team. I could not give a higher recommendation for the company than NHT. We met a number of others who were also hiking with NHT, and they also shared about the same satisfaction. There is no doubt that we will make a trip to Nepal (with kids a few years grown-up with longer legs to match the steps!) and we will certainly seek out NHT as well as recommend the outfit to our closest friends and family.
