reviews
Read holiday reviews by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
Really enjoyed the experience, fellow travelers where delightful companions, and our local guide was very helpful and thoughtful.
Excellent leader and fascinating to see rural and urban Japan. Good walking though forests. Interesting accommodation and lovely friendly hosts.
A great circuit which starts with a trek up a spectacular gorge, then opens out into terrific high mountain terrain. Crossing the Larkya La was hard going but the gradient is never too great. This was our first Nepal adventure, so cannot compare with other more well known circuits like EBC or Annapurna. Teahouses were variable in quality (as you would expect) but the food was always plentiful and generally tasty. The final road transfer by jeep was as exciting as any other part of the trek! Great support from our two guides and terrific team of porters.
What a trip! Stupendous Himalayan scenery, blue skies, warm welcome and good food when we arrived at our tea houses after a long and hard day’s trekking or a shorter and easier day. Two particular highlights for me - being at Everest base camp and imagining what it must have been like for the early mountaineers to climb from there with their unsophisticated equipment and having already walked from Kathmandu to get there - and standing on top of Gokyo Ri with the views of Everest and her surrounding peaks in the sunshine. The insight into Sherpa life and the experience of being without all of our Western life trappings was wonderful. The bond formed within our small trekking group was excellent as we supported and encouraged each other. Out of all the trees available I am so glad I picked this one for its challenge, huge sense of achievement and variety.
The whole trip was very well organised by Mountain Kingdoms and our guide in Bhutan, Karma, was brilliant - he was incredibly knowledgeable about his country and its culture. He also went out of his way to help me with my interest in birds, going out with me early one morning along the river in Punakha. He made a memorable trip even better.
From the time I first enquired about this trek I felt as if I was Mountain Kingdoms only customer. I mean that in a totally professional way. Nothing was to much trouble for the staff. I has lots of questions prior to the trek and they were all answered with enthusiasm and quality. The trek staff were outstanding at all times. The two young porters always had a smile on their faces. Our Sherpa guide 'Mingma Temba Sherpa' was nothing short of fantastic. At all times he ensured that our safety was never compromised, that we always had general information about our current location on the trek and the relevant cultural experiences we found ourselves in. For me he added great quality to my adventure for which I shall remain always appreciative. I would have no hesitation in recommending Mountain Kingdoms to anyone. they made a dream come true.
The Bhutan-Snowman Trek is arguably the toughest trek in the world. Being conscious of the fact that Mountain Kingdoms have been successfully operating this trek for 2-3 decades gave me a high degree of confidence in their professionalism and ability to succeed. The Western Leader was well qualified, constantly engaging, and made sound decisions when necessary in conjunction with the Bhutanese Sirdar (e.g. postponing a rest day to avoid a bad snowstorm crossing the highest pass). He kept abreast of the group's progress including, importantly, the back markers, as well as the morale of individuals, which helped to maximise our teams’ chances of success. Whilst seemingly a small contribution, he took the trouble to carry chocolate bars to give us a welcome boost on conquering every high pass - much appreciated by all. The Bhutanese crew (including pack animal herders) were universally excellent and besides great meals, provided fantastic support to every one of us. Also not resting on their laurels, this was the first commercial Mountain Kingdoms group to trek the new exit route out of Lunana (across the mountains between Sake-la and Maurothang), featuring a truly memorable couple of days in unspoiled wilderness. It was somewhat fitting, that crossing the final high pass, the Chachi-La, we had the most amazing crystal clear views of the Eastern Himalayas along the border with Tibet, including the infamous Gangar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain on the planet. All our prayers came true that day. Put in perspective, the photos that we took that day were completely cloud-free, unlike many of those in the guide-books! Sincere thanks for an experience which I will never ever forget.
A great trip with time spent exploring these two mountain areas and a couple of enjoyable boat trips to experience different glaciers. The walks in each area allowed us to see the two areas and we had stunning views of the Central Towers of Paine and Fitz Roy, with only Cerro Torre remaining hidden behind cloud. The two main centres were different, but added to the experience - the EcoCamp in Paine was a great place to stay with wonderful food and a Pisco Sour each day. The hotel in El Chalten was comfortable with a host of places to eat well in the locality. It was great to see these stunning mountains that I had read about, especially with andean Gondors soaring around each day. Overall a trip that met all my expectations and was thoroughly enjoyable with a good group.
An excellent tough trip with stunning scenery.
Bhutan is as friendly, colourful and quirky as we had hoped it may be, but with better infrastructure than we had dared hope. Some lovely walks in valleys and over ridges with far reaching views of the Himalaya. We stayed in some charming traditional houses, ate some good food, and enjoyed the company of an entertaining group, all aided by the expert leadership by our guide Bhim, and outstanding driver Ugyen who made everything run so easily, giving us lots of local insights and stories, as well as some top souvenir tips!