Access Nepal Tour & Trekking

Fantastic trekking in the Nepalese Himalayas: Everest Base Camp + Gokyo
May 2018 • Friends
Where to start….

We were 4 guys of 26-28 y/o from Belgium and we decided to go to Nepal for a trekking in the Himalaya in Nepal. We love nature, we love sports and we loved the idea to be in the fresh air of the mountains (far from house and for from every news/communication channel), which is a perfect spot to relax, to enjoy a natural peace and to unstress from work or other demanding activities you probably experience in your home country.

So, we decided to book the trip with Access Nepal and off we went! From the beginning, communication went very well. We could ask everything and we always had a satisfying and clear answer from Sadhana, the Manager/Tour Operator of Access Nepal. They also provided us with an equipment list, which is very useful to organize your trip as you don’t know what you can expect.

Once arrived in Kathmandu, our guide “Devman” was waiting for us at the airport in a small cosy minivan (which is typically Nepalese) and received us very well with a big smile (always by the way!). By arriving in this busy, vibrating city, we realised the trip finally really started! Gave us a good and exciting feeling. In the evening we had a welcome dinner in a Nepalese restaurant with an explanation on the whole trip and how everything will be organised during the following 2 weeks. After having consumed some beverages and Dhal Bhat (Nepalese dish), we went to bed to be sharp for our first journey of the trek.

From Kathmandu we had to take the plane to Lukla Airport, which is not very easy (depending on the weather). Sometimes, when weather is bad and cloudly, planes are not leaving, which is quite annoying as you have to wait in the departure hall until weather is getting better (can take several hours or even days). Which was really reassuring was that our guide Devman did his entire best to arrange someting as it was also possible to take the heli (extra payment) to Lukla (higher chance of flying). Finally, after hours of waiting, Devman arranged the last heli of the day for us and we took off to Lukla! Part of the experience!

The whole journey in the mountains started from then on. Every day we did 5-6 hours of walking/climbing to the next village where our teahouse was waiting for us. The scenery is in the beginning quite similar to the Alpes or European mountains with needle trees and same mountain sceneries, but after 2-3 days trekking, the tree line dissapeared and the rocky Himalaya came up with its vast and incredible mountains. Every day was a big and amazing journey, with sometimes though hikes and good climbs, but the views and sceneries were priceless. We also had amazing weather (blue sky and sun during 10 days), so all our days were magnificent. Devman also guided us really well by adjusting the pace/speed according to the people and the weather conditions. Our group was quite fit and didn’t experience many problems due to altitude, food or sport intensity. Devman was always very attentive for our mental and physical state and helped us with good advice and tips in the mountains, which is vital if you want to reach the highest peak (Kalla Patthar – 5545 m) without big problems. Each afternoon and evening, you also have the time to relax, to play cards, to read a book and to enjoy your teahouse and its surrounding in the middle of the mountains. The best view is without doubt Kalla Patthar, which is absolutely (and litteraly) breathtaking. When arriving in Everest Base Camp (EBC), several emotions and feelings come up by realizing you made it, you are in the middle of an incredible natural wonder and that you have to chance to admire all of this. We also experienced to proposals, which was great and an additional special touch to our trip. After EBC, we did an additional trip to Gokyo via the Chola Pass. Absolutely recommended by me and my friends! Basically you go several hours down from EBC and take another way through the mountains. People doing only EBC are doing the whole way down as they did to go up, so same sceneries and same teahouses. In my opinion much better to do EBC with another pass like Chola pass (there are 3 in total – for the big fanatics). The trek to the first village just in front of Chola Pass was probably the best trekking day we did. Even better sceneries, much less tourists (almost none!) and an absolutely amazing day. Our plan was to go over the Chola Pass the day after at 4AM, but suddenly a heavy storm started and the whole region was undersnowed. You could think: damn it! But in the contrary. Seing the same scenery under snow was MAGICAL and INCREDIBLE. I have never seen a such stunning and magnificent scenery of my life. One of our last days was in Gokyo after Chola Pass, which is a big Holy lake in the mountains. Very nice to see and as told previously, a very nice trekking via another way when going down to Lukla again.

Despite it can be sometimes intensive and quite hard, we had a lot of fun and joy and we enjoyed every single moment of it. The teahouses were also more than OK with a very big menu card, so not needed to eat every day rice with curry! Our guide Devman was also always smiling and happy and you could tell/ask him every thing you want. Important to also have a good group of whom everybody is at the same physical (and mental) level.

In resume: everybody that can and want to do it, should do it. You will never regret this. It’s too beautiful, too peaceful, too incredible. Being far from house, in the Himalayas, in Nepal, with good friends of yours and a warm and amazing Nepalese guide is magical. Far from all comfort, luxury, connection and negative sensation. Back to basics, pushing your body to new limits while enjoying “Nature Almighty”. Having a good time in family or with friends. 100% recommended. When going back to Kathmandu or home, you will also realise how comfort and luxury has become too ‘normal’ in our lives. Enjoy everything you have and be humble to people with less.

My second recommendation is Access Nepal Tour & Trekking. An excellent company for organizing such trips. From A to Z our trip has been organized perfectly, with Devman and Sadhana as front leaders. They did always their incredible best to make us happy and to make the trip as perfect as possible. By seeing other guides during our trek, we were probably also very lucky with Devman. He was a real example of how guides should be: friendly, helpful, polite, experienced and always happy. He is not probably the best, but THE BEST.

And the real heros are finally our sherpas, our porters: they deserve all credits by going up and down the mountains with our bags in sneakers, jeans and tshirts. They are incredible.

Thank you for everything and hopefully see you in the near future!

Charles

Charles Van Lerberghe Belgium Reviews from

Himalayas Trip
Apr 2018 • Couples
We booked our himalayan trip with Access Nepal.. And they amazed us with the SERVICE they gave. It was very organized and Saddhana made that possible for us.. And Giri our guide made our trip a smooth one and very memorable.. They have a reasonable price and servicr is superb! We will be back for EBC and will book the same company!

Anthony/Aprille

Tonax G USA Reviews from

Everest Base Camp
Jul 2017 • Friends
My guide Dipendra was, %100 of what made the trek exceptional! Without fail, rain or shine, always had the well being of everyone on the mountain, on his mind. From your sleeping habits to your appetite, he works to have you on top of your game for the trek! It hasn’t been a week since the trek finished and I’ve already recommended him and company to a number of people whom will be travelling this coming season! Absolutely excellent.

bennyad4 Canada Reviews from

Amazing trekking experience
Feb 2017 • Friends
Access Nepal is a fantastic company that took great care of us. I just completed the Annapurna base camp trek with my friend and they provided such an enjoyable and stress free experience. Our guide jivan was fantastic, so experienced and kind and became a close friend of ours. Sadhana, the company administrator, took care of us from day one and was very attentive to all our inquiries. They are very well priced but provide full service and will absolutely make your trip a memorable one. Thank you Access Nepal!!!

jenjo1993 Australia Reviews from

ABC Trek
Dec 2018 • Friends
No regrets about booking Access Nepal for my Himalayan adventure. All of my questions prior to my trek were answered promptly by Pratap on the admin team and the importance of customer care was evident at every stage.
The welcome at Kathmandu airport was a reassuring sight and Access Nepal delivered every aspect of the itinery precisely as they had promised in terms of transport, accommodation and food. This made the trip stress free and well worth every cent.
Ganesh was an experienced guide who puts the customer first and always goes the extra mile to make the trip memorable and comfortable – thanks for getting my tea with milk perfect for my British tastes Ganesh. It kept me going on the tough sections when plain water just wasn’t enough.
I cannot recommend Access Nepal enough. They are a very well run organisation who deliver what they promise with a smile. My Everest Base Camp trek is already in the early stages of planning and I’m certain that Access Nepal will make that trek as memorable as this one was. Cheers!

Robert H USA Reviews from

In Oct. 22 we did the Everest Base Camp Trek with Access Nepal. Since our first contact with Sadhana almost 3 years ago (due to Covid), she was very responsive to all our questions, planning and requests to do the Everest Base Camp Trek.

After arriving in Kathmandu we were not able to take a regular flight by plane to Lukla due to weather conditions, but the guys from Access Nepal and especially our guide Devman were very helpful and flexible to find an alternative route to EBC Trek.

We enjoyed our trip very much and everything was perfectly organised. Devman did everything to make us feel comfortable. As soon as we met him we knew we were in good hands. He took such good care of everyone on the trek and no question or request was too much to ask. Our porter was also very kind.

We would highly recommend this tour company and particularly want to thank Devman very much for making our trek a wonderful experience!

Katja and Florian

Katja USA Reviews from