My EBC trip was perfectly planned. First of all, I want to thank Mr. Gokul, my guide Kali, and Amita from operations a million times. The guesthouses I stayed in were warm and clean. My guide Kali was always kind and supportive. I’m very excited for my ABC trip this year—hope to see you again soon!
I'd dreamed of seeing Everest for as long as I can remember, but somehow managed to arrive in my 40's having never quite got there. As soon as I saw this Exodus trip which encompassed two nights camping AT ACTUAL BASE CAMP I knew this was the trip for me and pressed 'book now' there and then! I wasn't disappointed and the whole trip was organised faultlessly from the moment I pressed the enter key on the laptop, to the moment I landed back in the UK.
If you've read the books and watched the films and dreamed of walking in the footsteps of legends this is the trip for you. It hasn't only achieved a dream for me - it's inspired me to do more!
We have just returned from a trip to Everest Base Camp (over 55's in comfort - 12 April to 2 May). We loved it! Our group Guide, Tshering, Assistant Guide, Santosh and Sirdar, Rajan together with the "boys" (4 strong boys, cook and assistant cook) were wonderful, they were hard working and reliable. Friendly, helpful, informative, calm and encouraging. We were all over 60! 5 out of 7 got the Khumbu cough! Only one person showed any signs of altitude sickness and the length of the trip certainly helped acclimatise. Tshering made sure we received adequate medical advice and assistant if required. We all made it to EBC and certainly the longer trip, sensible acclimatisation and slow pace helped with this achievement. I'm still feeling proud. Whilst we were probably the most experienced hikers in our group, we had a member who had no trekking experience or etiquette in our group but we worked as a team and walked to the ability of the slowest. How wonderful it was to sit down at the end of each day knowing a drink, food, bed and warm dining room were all there waiting for us. Meals were tasty and enough offered for everyone, Santosh always on hand to offer us seconds. I almost always cleaned my plate! My favourites were the soups, porridge, potatoes, paratha's and chapati's, lentil dhal - always some veggies, all cooked expertly on a gas/kero stove. It was so reassuring to know we could eat and drink without fear of stomach issues which would have made the arduous trek even tougher! Yep, WE itinerary and experience showed and we would not hesitate in booking another trip in Nepal with WE. The contingency plan to get us back to Kathmandu by helicopter in time to catch international flights was well managed and executed. ****** Thanks all round to the team and ground staff in Nepal! P.S. the water bottles with hot water at bedtime to pop inside our sleeping bags - the best idea ever!
More than a simple trip, our fifteen days in Nepal and Tibet were an unforgettable experience and a wonderful discovery. A very big thank you goes to this local tour operator and its Managing Director, Mr. Kaum Bahadur Subedi, who provided us with expert drivers (absolutely essential on the roads of Nepal) and guides with great expertise and experience. I want to especially mention Rem Raj Gurung who introduced us to the wonderful temples of Kathmandu, now all restored after the 2015 earthquake. A very useful exercise for me also who had visited those temples in the past.
Even more exciting was traveling across the Tibetan plateau. We entered from the border with Nepal - which in itself is an adventure - and we traveled the long way that leads to Lasha, crossing a powerful and unforgettable landscape. Along the plateau we had the Himalayas on the right with its snowy peaks (we also went to admire the north face of Everest with a half-day detour) and on the left another long chain of mountains that outlined a landscape that is hard to find the words to describe.
And then the unforgettable discovery for me, thanks to the guide that Mr Kaum made available to us for Tibet, a profound expert on the religiosity of the Tibetans. The discovery of a people who still live in a deep connection with their past and traditions: in religion, in clothing, in language. But I also found a genuine willingness towards foreigners. And we were among the few Westerners to visit the country.
We also have a beautiful memory of Lasha, a modern city that lives with a past whose strength still seems very alive.
