Feedback to trek
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren!
Vom 14. 4. bis 3o.4. 2013 waren wir im Langtang-Tal bis Kyanin Gomba und zurück, dann über den Laurebina Pass nach Melamchi unterwegs.
Es war eine sehr schöne und sehr gut betreute Trekking Tour. Unsere Guides Tika Rai und Ekka Rai , und unser Koch, Purna Rai sorgten dafür, dass der ganze „Spaziergang“ in Ruhe, mit viel Zeit zum Fotografieren und mit guter Verköstigung ablief. Ein besonderes Lob gilt auch den „Trägern“ den 17 jährigen Burschen, die unser Gepäck und die Ausrüstung, Zelte und Nahrungsmittel, schleppten.
Auf der ganzen Tour herrschte gute Stimmung und Hilfsbereitschaft und so war dann auch der Abschied sehr herzlich, mit Torte!
Vielen Dank der ganzen Mannschaft und der Organisation! Es war ein unvergessliches Erlebnis.
Helmut Meier
Rudolf Brolli
Ernst Trost
Dear Niru,
Namaste!! Now it’s been quite a long time, since Franz and I had dinner at your house and then left for Germany. But at home we had so many things to do that I did not have time to write to you before today. But I still have in mind that I want to give you some feedback regarding our great trek in Lower und Upper Dolpo.
First of all – thank you very much for the perfect organisation of everything. Everything worked out just fine – even the weather was cooperative (most of the time). So here is some more detailed feedback:
So we are very satisfied with your company and the crew that you provided for us. We don’t know when we can afford another trek in Nepal, but we will certainly contact you whenever we decide to go trekking in the high Himalaya again.
All the best and a successful trekking season without any health problems or accidents for your staff and clients.
Best wishes,
Christiana Beck and Franz Hierlmeier
Hemos contratado los servicios de Adventure Geo treks por internet, y para nuestra grata soprpresa resulto mucho mejor de lo esperado .
Nepal , es un destino inmejorable para los amantes de la naturaleza y del turismo cultural , pero con el asesoramiento de Niru se hace mucho mejor.
Somos una familia con cuatro hijos , adolescentes y niños , y tuvimos unas vacaciones inolvidables en Nepal., una experiencia unica.(caminamos 4 dias hasta Godhapani )
Los guias y el servicio de la agencia es de un nivel humano que es dificil de encontrar en este mundo .
Lo recominedo y lo repetiria exactamente igual , solo un detalle cambiaria :el viaje de Kathmandu a Pokhara en auto se hace muy largo y estresante , recomiendo tomar avion .
Jorge y Giselle Jinchuk (Uruguay, julio 2009)
jogi@netgate.com.uy
Hi Niru,
Long time ago, I was thinking of doing a trek in the Himalaya. The year of my 50 years, I wished mark the occasion with a trip to the high mountains, which fascinate me since 30 years.
During 4 weeks of walking, this trek (tailored by Armand an experimented
person in the group, and then proposed to Adventure Geo Trek agency )
pass nearly 3 of the 8 Nepalese summits (>8000 meters), and faced theses
majestic Himalaya mountains (3000 m above!).
We started from Gorkha, and we followed the old route of the Annapurna
tour. After we joined the wonderful valley of Naar Phu (opened to
tourism in 2004) near Pisang Peak.
Then we reached Manang, and then ascended to the Tilicho lake (the
highest lake in the world 4920 m).
Finally, started from Jomosom, we made the "reverse" Dhaulagiri trek via
Hidden valley, French pass, and the different base camps of Dhaulagiri.
During this trek, we were surrounded by an attentive and very competent staff : porters, cooks, guide and our sirdar : Phadindra ;-) I hardly recommend the Adventure Geo Trek agency managed by Niru.
Nepal is a wonderful country and Nepalese peoples are very nice.
Congratulations to Niru team.
Thierry.
Il y a bien longtemps que je pensais faire un trek en Himalaya, cet immense rempart qui s'allonge à l'est et à l'ouest (sur près de 2400 km et 400 km de large !).
L'année de mes 50 ans, j'ai souhaité "marquer le coup" par un voyage exceptionnel vers les hautes montagnes, qui me passionnent depuis longtemps.
Le trek, à été conçu sur mesure par une personne expérimentée du groupe et proposé ensuite à l'agence Adventure Geo trek.
Ainsi durant 4 semaines de marche nous sommes passés près de 3 des 8 sommets Népalais de plus de 8000 m. (Manaslu, Annapurna & Dhaulagiri), et face aux majestueuses montagnes de l'Himalaya.
Voici un très rapide résumé de l'itinéraire. Nous sommes parti de Gorkha (dans une ambiance sub-tropicale de rizières en terrasse ...), et nous avons suivi l'ancien itinéraire du tour des Annapurnas. Nous avons suivi la Marsyandi Khola jusqu'à Koto. Nous avons ensuite rejoint la vallée perdue de Naar-Phu (ouverte au tourisme en 2004) près du Pisang Peak. Puis nous sommes redescendu vers le village de Manang, en franchissant notre premier col à 5300 m, le Kang La et ensuite remonté vers le lac de Tilicho (4920 m.), cette variante est nommée du nom de la Diagonale des Annapurnas (cf. trek Magazine n°66 mai-2005). Enfin depuis Jomosom, nous avons pris en sens inverse le trek du Dhaulagiri via le Thapa Pass, l'Hidden valley et le French Pass, puis les différents camps de base du Dhaulagiri, et longé la Myagdi Khola pour terminer à Beni (le 26 ème jour). Un petit sejour à Pokhara nous a permis de revoir les 3 "8000" en un seul panorama.\
Durant le trek, nous étions entourés par une équipe attentive et très compétente de porteurs, cuisiniers, guide et notre Sirdar : Phadindra ;-) Je recommande vivement à tous ceux qui souhaitent organiser un trek au Népal (Tibet, Bhoutan), l'agence Adventure Geo Trek, qui tient parfaitement ses engagements tout en conservant un excellent rapport qualité prix.
Encore, toutes mes félicitations à l'équipe de Niru.
Thierry (France, Nantes). thierry.boue@aliceadsl.fr
Namaste, Niru.
I want to thank all of the staff of Adventure Geo Treks and you personally for the wonderful trek that we enjoyed this year. Every member of your staff was fantastic to us and helped provide us with an unforgettable Nepal experience.
Our guides during the trek (Ganesh, Hemprasad, Manbohadur, Asan, and Arjun) were always helpful. They offered every assistance on the trail. They patiently answered every question and were very informative.
I'm certain you are aware, but I will mention it anyway: Ganesh is an extraordinary leader. He kept on top of every issue and was always smiling and courteous. Our trek experience was greatly affected by his leadership. He brought enjoyment and pleasure to everything that we did every day of the trek.
Our guide during the tours of Kathmandu (Raj) was also a treasure. He had fantastic knowledge of all of the locations that we toured. He was very good at explaining what we were seeing and the importance and history of the sights. He was incredibly patient, unfailingly polite, and very watchful about our health and safety.
Your other staff members were also great. Your drivers, cooks, cook assistants, and porters were always friendly, cheerful, and helpful. You and your staff were always where you said you would be, when you said you would be there. The staff flawlessly took care of our arrival, accommodations, travel in Kathmandu, and departure. Your staff were willing to accommodate any change we wanted to make, offered very helpful shopping and tourist advice, and were always patient.
Thank you for your assistance during our visit to Nepal. I would gladly return to Nepal tomorrow: when I do return I will look forward to joining you and your staff to enjoy another exciting and rewarding trek.
--Mike
The Embassy of Nepal in Denmark honoured our Client (Erik Poilsen).
Erik Poilsen
Denish
by Jeffrey S. Rasley
Crossing the Ganja LaI traveled to Nepal the first time in 1994 at the age of 41 to do a 7-day introductory trek along the Everest Base Camp trail. I had no mountaineering experience, and had lived at sea level in Indiana most of my life.
I fell in love.
The spectacular majesty of the Himalayas and the kindness and toughness of the Nepalese people touched me in a way that no other place has. I lost count at the number of countries I had visited at 35, and I love to experience different places and cultures. But a special affinity for the Himalayas has pulled me back to Nepal eight times.
After my first trekking experience, I wanted to learn mountaineering skills so that I could return as a member of a climbing expedition. I took two courses and then signed up for an expedition in 1996 led by one of America’s most famous mountaineers, John Roskelley.
Cairns by the sacred lake of GosainkundaWith John’s additional instruction and the help of our Sherpa guides, I was able to summit Kanglachen, a 20,300-foot (ft) peak in Ladakh, India. In the late 1990s, I helped organize two expeditions to Nepal in which our groups climbed peaks between 19,000 – 22,000 feet. In 2003, I hiked to Everest Base camp with just a porter/guide to attend the highest party in the world in honor of the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing’s summit of Everest. Since then, I have organized three trekking and climbing expeditions in the Nepal Himalaya and another trip is planned for October 2008.
Our October 2007 climbing group included nine members and a staff of 25 Nepalese. We trekked through the Helambu and Langtang districts of northeast Nepal, to the west of Mt. Everest. Many in our group enjoyed sightseeing in and around Kathmandu before the expedition, visiting the temples and palaces of Bodnath, Swayambodh, Pashaputnah, and Bakhtapuhr. We experienced the rich and strange (to Westerners), culture, history, and Hindu-Buddhist religions of the Kathmandu Valley.
On the road from Katmandu to DuncheOur group consisted of five members (Tim, Jim, Cindy, Nina, and me) from the Central Indiana Wilderness Club, my friend (Jay) from previous expeditions from Los Angeles, my old college and Rugby mate (Elliot) and his friend (Hector) both from South Africa, and Diane from Tampa, Florida. We brought diverse interests, personalities, and styles to the group. Yet, we all appreciated the magnificent beauty of the Himalayas and were extremely impressed with the considerate treatment we received from the staff of Adventure Geo Treks, most especially our superhuman sirdar, Ganesh.
We spent most of the first day on winding mountain roads in a bus from Kathmandu to the landslide that blocks the road outside the village of Dunche. Gear was transported by our porters from the bus across the wet mess of the landslide to another bus, while we walked two miles to a lodge in Dunche. It was the last time we slept under a roof until we were back in Katmandu at the end of the trek.
Approaching Ghora TabelaThe first few days established the weather pattern we would experience for most of the 16 days on the trails—beautiful clear, blue skies in the morning, cloudy afternoons, and then a huge clear, starry sky at night. We camped above the sacred lakes of Gosainkunda, and hiked around the lakes and pilgrim shelters.
Appreciative smile from a child in Chusangma village for Jim’s gift—a stuffed animalThe next day we were drenched with rain on the trail to Gopte. A wet and unhappy Korean trekker informed us that, "your culture is too loud," while we communed and tried to warm up around a wood-burning stove at lunchtime in a crowded teahouse. I managed to do myself proud by falling and bruising a shoulder muscle, after losing the trail in the rain. Jim became the most popular man in Helambu and Langtang. He not only gave out school supplies (as did several in our group), but gave stuffed animals to every child we met.
We hiked through a “sky forest” during a second day of rain and had to contend with bloodsucking leeches in Tarkeghyang. The leeches had almost supernatural powers to penetrate tent zippers, boots, and socks without being noticed and to attach themselves to any exposed human flesh. So we were relieved to gain altitude, leaving the bloodsuckers below as we hiked up to the mountain ridge dividing Helambu from Langtang. For the next three days we were truly in the wilderness as we did not pass through any villages or see other trekkers.
Ganesh fixing rope on the ledge of Ganja LaOur greatest challenge of the trek was getting the climbing team, our staff, and gear over the 17,000-ft Ganja La. We knew the snow-covered pass was extremely high and required ropes to cross. However, the two days of rain meant two days of snow building on top of the pass. It took several hours for Ganesh to figure out how to fix enough rope to get everyone over the pass, and the temperature was dropping, so frostbite was fast becoming a concern. After we glissaded (a graceful term for butt sliding in snow) down the last drop over the pass, Ram, our cook and I struck out in thigh-deep snow to find a campsite. We were unable to find one until after dark. We were all exhausted and cold by the time tents were set up and we could finally crawl into our sleeping bags. Amazingly, Ram managed to brew hot tea and boil soup for everyone, which the kitchen boys served us in our tents as we warmed up in our sleeping bags.
We had a second day in deep snow and Ganesh had to fix ropes again to get everyone down a lesser pass, which was also quite steep with thigh-deep snow. Elliot, Ram and I post-holed out front to break trail, while Ganesh made sure everyone made it over the second pass. Despite working much harder than anyone else, post-holing up and down the sheer passes to fix rope for the others, Ganesh always smiled, laughed, and encouraged the rest of us to help keep our spirits up.
Grazing horses near Kyanjin villageGrazing horses near Kyanjin village Sherpa-Tibetan settlement just south of the border with Tibet, and the north terminal point of the trek. Four of our members, without a rest day, hiked up the 16,000-ft Chergori from Kyanjin.
The next day they summitted the 19,000-ft Yala Peak, led by Ganesh and climbing guide Doma Sherpa. The other five rested, visited the Gompa (monastery), shopped with the Tibetan traders, and took day hikes around Kyanjin. I was grateful for the opportunity to rest, as I had previously climbed Yala in 2004. Instead of climbing, I enjoyed one of the most fun hikes of my life with Tim up to Kyanjin Glacier.
Tim negotiating trade with villageTim talking wVillage women We had easy down hikes the next two days to Langtang Village and then Ghora Tabela. In Langtang Village, we had a traditional end-of-trek party with our staff. Ram slaughtered a ram for its meat and made stew, as part of a 5-course meal. He also baked a celebratory cake, of which Jay ate half. I distributed the tips our group generously gave to the staff, after which there was much singing, dancing, and drinking of rakshi (local firewater).
Boarding the helicopter to fly out of Ghora TabelaFrom Ghora Tabela we flew a helicopter back to Kathmandu for our last views of the highest mountains and deepest valleys in the world. We all had a couple days of shopping in Kathmandu to buy the typical Nepali presents for friends and family – kukri knives, prayer wheels, embroidered T-shirts, jewelry, pash mina, and thangka paintings.
Niru Rai, the owner of Adventure Geo Treks, hosted our entire group at his home for a 7-course feast. Many toasts were offered, especially to Ganesh for serving us so well and to Niru for being such a splendid host and putting together all the pieces, which gave us such a wonderful experience in the mountains and Katmandu Valley.
Langtang River Valley
Tim and I ended the adventure with a night in Bangkok at a 5-Star hotel overlooking the Cho Prahya River. We had dinner at a local restaurant where nerdy Thai college students got hammered and sang American rock and roll.
I’ll be back again next year. The most majestic mountains in this world and the strongest and kindest people I know are waiting to offer another group of friends the adventure of a lifetime.
Jeffrey S. Rasley practices law in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was admitted to the Indiana and U.S. District Court Bars in 1979 and later to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Rasley has published numerous articles and photos in academic and mainstream periodicals, including Newsweek, Chicago Magazine, ABA Journal, Family Law Review, Pacific Magazine, and Indy’s Child. His hobbies include Himalayan mountaineering and solo-sea kayaking. He plays in two volleyball groups and works out regularly at the YMCA. Rasley is married to Alicia and has two sons, James and Andrew. Note: Photo is the author above Kyanjin Gompa. Jeff Rasley can be reached at jrasley@juno.com