Traveller Reviews
Read holiday reviews and feedback by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
Traveller reviews of Mountain Kingdoms
Overall holiday rating: 4.9
Total number of reviews submitted: 1257
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Bhutan didn't disappoint
What a fantastic trip. I have wanted to visit Bhutan for some time and was not disappointed. We had a wonderful guide Karma who ensured we got the most from the experience. I really enjoyed walking parts of the trans Bhutan trail and camping. The hotels were all very nice and the food was great. I would definitely recommend this trip.
Experience the wonders of Croatia
This gentle walking holiday was the best way to experience some of the wonders of Croatia. Our guide, Marko was excellent, ensuring the pace of the itinerary worked well for our small group.
We can’t recommend this Ganesh Himal trek highly enough
Ganesh Himal trek is a camping trek, with all that entails, including a significant crew of porters to carry all the kit. While tea houses are popular, we chose a camping trek deliberately and never once regretted it. The trek takes you off the beaten track, through remote villages and up mountain trails through farm terraces, forest, and up over Singla Pass. You do need to take heed of the level of fitness you require. We are in our early 60s, and keen walkers, but we still found it challenging, adding to the sense of achievement on completing the trek. There were stunning views in the mornings, with some unseasonal cloud in the afternoons and evenings reflecting changing weather patterns. We were the only ones on the trek, paying a very reasonable supplement to ensure the trip went ahead. Our guide was excellent. Very experienced and a natural leader. Lacking formal education he’d learned English on the job. He was absolutely professional and made well judged decisions along the route. He was evidently in full charge of his team, yet he treated the porters and cooking crew with great care and consideration. Indeed the whole team (9 in all) were great. They even managed to make a birthday cake over a campfire, and the whole team picked flowers to celebrate the occasion. We were the first trek through most of the route that season, and clearly lots of the villagers weren’t used to seeing that many westerners, welcoming us with politeness and smiles, especially the children, keen to practice their few words of English. That the novelty hasn’t worn off for the locals is a reflection of what this trek is all about. We wanted to meet people, and through our guide found out so much about their lives, the state of things in the mountain communities, and about their hopes and fears for the future. We felt that might have been harder on some of the more well-known treks, and was a key reason for deciding on this one. Mountain Kingdoms were super efficient, as were their agents in country, with all of the arrangements going like clockwork - no mean achievement is a less well developed nation like Nepal. All in all , and hope others will continue to follow this route, keen to open their tent in the morning to views of snow capped peaks in the morning sunshine.
So remote and so spectacular
Loved everything. Upper Dolpo so so so remote and so so so spectacular. Every day was incredible. Scenery so varied over the three weeks trek. Villages very individual and varied with extensive crops or animals. Very welcoming locals and stunningly beautiful (& many ancient) Monasteries (though very few monks). New “roads” arriving to connect these remote areas although most only useable by mule and motorbikes in dry conditions and will likely always be hindrered by land slips.
Go now!
A fantastic trip, road building is continuing at a rapid pace, go now before it's too late to see the beauty and remoteness of this stunning area and meet it's wonderful people.
A beautiful part of the world
The things I most enjoyed: A beautiful part of the world to walk. I never tired of the artwork on all the buildings, whether they were people's homes or amazing temples. The preserved heritage sites. The hotels were wonderful but i really preferred the couple of nights camping. Our visit to a homestay was very special. Bhutanese people were unfailingly charming and helpful. Our guide and driver were both first class.
Marvellous holiday in Japan
A marvellous holiday. It gave us some insight into the history of Japan. It was interesting to see life in rural Japan. Tokyo is a vibrant city and Kyoto a more relaxed place. Our guide was delightful and very well informed. I would certainly recommend this trip.
A genuinely remote trek in Nepal
We loved the 'wilderness' of the trek as at other points the area was very busy. Our guide and assistant guide were brilliant and did everything they could to make our trek enjoyable. The morning scenery was stunning but otherwise we were a bit unlucky with the weather, as it clouded over by lunch time quite often. Also we had snow at the pass which for me made the descent a bit tricky as the paths weren't visible (and it was pea-soup). Anyway we're in the mountains and its unpredictable. It was a vigorous trek, the first two days being all up hill. The descriptions were accurate and I would highly recommend this trek to anyone who appreciated the remoteness
Truly inspirational
The people and culture of Bhutan were truly inspirational, and the guide was able to explain Buddism very well. He took us to all sorts of places and that were not in the itinerary. Mountain Kingdoms Guides and Drivers were excellent, especially Karma, and they insured my safety and treatment when I contracted dysentery. The landscapes and views were wonderful.
Learned a lot about Armenia
I liked the holiday as I learned a lot about Armenia and its history. The guide for the trip was very knowledgable. The food was very tasty.
Exceptional guide
We had a truly exceptional guide - Lileete (spelling?). All the arrangements worked like clockwork. The accommodation and food were excellent .
A good holiday for fit walkers
The opportunity to explore and learn about a country we knew very little of. The guiding was excellent, the accommodation good, transport worked well. Scenery amazing. The walking was more demanding than we anticipated. We have no hesitation recommending this holiday to fit walkers.
Superb route in Georgia
A great country to visit and superb route.
A holiday of great variety
There was great variety in the holiday - coast and mountains, walking and history/culture, even variety in the weather! Our guide was excellent - knowledgeable, good company and also adaptable to accommodate variations in the schedule to make the most of our time.
Fantastic first trip with MK
My first MK trip and it was fantastic! First class travel company and good value for money. We were a small group and I was travelling alone so slightly nervous about the dynamics but it all worked out well and the guide was amazing too. I’m already planning my next trip.
Great trek
A demanding but great trek in an interesting region of Georgia.
Blown away by the Silk Road
We loved the contrasts of the historic monuments and the more modern history, as well as the varied topography of the country. From deserts to mountains, from ancient to modern cities, all accompanied by first rate guides. The ex-Soviet train ride was exciting, but for us the highlight was staying with a village family. Conditions were very basic, but we had the warmest of welcomes, ate very well, and experienced a slice of real rural Uzbek life. The flora & fauna of the hikes was unforgettable too. The Silk Road monuments blew us away! We highly recommend this unique holiday.
Excellent hospitality and wines!
The chance to explore two countries at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, full of history, with excellent hospitality and good wines!
Excellent guide and relaxed pace tour
We saw everything we wanted of the section of the Silk Route which is in Uzbekistan. Our guide was excellent in every way: a fountain of knowledge and history and a very pleasant person to spend time with. She organised everything most effectively, but with a light touch. The relaxed pace with a day off in the three key cities was a major selling point for us
Flowers, friendship and ancient cities
We most enjoyed: periods spent in mountain meadows; sight and scent of flowers and herbs, as much as gained views (despite abscence of tulips and irises). Friendliness of Uzbekistanis and of our expert guides (and happenstance of friendly helpfulness of our group members). Visits to ancient Silk Roads cities including museums etc as well as incredible architecture of mosques and madrassas.