Traveller Reviews
Read holiday reviews and feedback by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
Traveller reviews of Mountain Kingdoms
Overall holiday rating: 5
Total number of reviews submitted: 1211
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Kumano Kodo trek
Excellent leader and fascinating to see rural and urban Japan. Good walking though forests. Interesting accommodation and lovely friendly hosts.
Strenuous expedition in fabulous mountain scenery
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.
Brilliant and memorable trip to EBC and Gokyo
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.
Druk Path Trek October 2019
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.
Absolutely Fantastic Adventure
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.
A Surreal Trek of Immense Magnitude Along the Border Between Bhutan & Tibet
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.
Paine & Fitz Roy
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.
Manaslu Circuit
An excellent tough trip with stunning scenery.
What a treat Bhutan is!
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!
Gentle Walking Bhutan
I think the ‘gentle’ part of your title could be reviewed! Either Gentle Trekking or Mountain Walks might give a better hint of the fairly strenuous days. Your altitude guide could perhaps be emphasised - though none of these comments detract from our huge enjoyment of an amazing and greatly enjoyed adventure.
Druk Path Trek
Wonderful holiday. Mountain Kingdoms were very friendly and relaxed but very professional. Whether in the UK or Nepal and Bhutan everyone went out of their way to be helpful.
Bhutan travels.
Fabulous scenery, great walking, excellent guides and support staff in a country which still feels quite untraveled. The itinerary was a wonderful introduction to Bhutan, and the experiences, sights and tour certainly added to our “ happiness “ score .
Rain, Rain, Rain !
Despite great organisation by the trek leader and the support team in India our trip was marred by dismal weather from the start with overcast, rain laden skies. That is the chance you take in the mountains, but nevertheless the memory of this holiday is one of saturated clothing and rain pattering on the tent flyleaf !
Mother & Son Hiking trip - Druk Path Private Itinerary
I don't have the language skills to describe this trip. I have travelled extensively and still, Bhutan was a surprise. Is it the deeply engrained Buddhist culture, the untypical monarchy, the small population wrapped by the mountains, the contract to the surrounding countries? My son had done DofE in his last year at school, enjoyed the walking and we were looking for a trip where the culture would interest both of us with some outdoor challenge before he goes off to university. Mountain Kingdoms listened and put together an ideally tailored trip for us. Lasting memories and a lingering thought provoking experience...this trip was one of the special things in life that money can buy.
Great Wall of China - Private Itinerary
An amazing taste of China, with Beijing, sea and mountains. Our tailor made holiday was everything we wanted and more
Title is perfect for the trip undertaken.
This was a most memorable experience and I could not have imagined I would see so many wild animals and beautiful birds. I learnt so much about the flora and fauna which can only be done in such detail when walking with guides who have infinite knowledge on their surrounds. I fully recommend this to anyone who enjoys being up close to nature and this is certainly the best way to experience it.
Galapagos Cruise in Style
What a fabulous trip! This holiday offers one of the most inspiring experiences of any of Mountain Kingdoms’ many trips. Marvel at the stunning wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, have close encounters with unique birds such as the Blue Footed Booby, meet ancient tortoises and walk through enormous colonies of sea lions, with opportunities to swim with penguins or snorkel amongst exotic fish, all from the comfort of your own premium class yacht.
Galapagos Cruise in Style
Everything about the cruise was fantastic. Each day presented a new experience with a variety of activities on offer. Both guides were very good at explaining what would be happening and their insight into the islands and wildlife made each trip a worthwhile experience.
Three Peaks
Fantastic trip to this beautiful part of the world. Very well organised from start to finish. Made even better by the amazing Semir! Arguably one of the best guides I’ve ever had in my 12+ years of trekking holidays.
Perfect trip to the Peaks of the Balkans
This trip was extremely well organised and the attention to detail was incredible. The flights, the transfers, the luggage porters, every thing went like clockwork. This is an extremely beautiful part of the world and still a developing country (3 countries). The local inhabitants are Unbelievably FRIENDLY and very GENEROUS. We were welcomed as long lost family into their homes. The food and catering was exceptional. Perhaps the most memorable part of the trip will be our Guide, Semir Kardovic, a local lad from Montenegro who must have the largest circle of friends anywhere in the world. Semir is very knowledgeable, on flora, fauna, wild life, the geography of the region and also the history. We arrived as strangers, but left as good friends. Anyone thinking about going on this trip, do it now before it changes!!