Client Reviews

I had met Cholendra 5 years earlier on Manaslu and it was clear to me if I would return to the Himalaya's then only with HJA. I went with Rajendra to the Solu/Kumbu region. Even though certain circumstances did not allow the trip we initially intended to do, Rajendra did at every moment his best to make me feel comfortable. I had wonderful 21 days with a very good companion and guide. Thanks again.

Cholendra is a knowledgeable and capable guide, but perhaps most importantly he's a great guy. He and his team of porters (kedar and kila) quickly became more like very knowledgable friends trekking with out group of four than merely guides there to perform a service. I would absolutely trek again with them in the future and recommend them to friends of mine.

My wife and I spent three weeks trekking and climbing in the Everest region of Nepal in November 2013 with Himalayan Joy as our outfitter. We also spent a month in the Annapurna region of Nepal in 2003 with Ram Karki, one of the owners of Himalayan Joy, as our guide, and we've trekked and climbed in most of the key regions of the world with a wide range of outfitters. This is the basis of our experience for our evaluation of Himalayan Joy.

The bottom line: Himalayan Joy is the best outfitter we've ever had the pleasure to work with anywhere in the world. The owners, guides and porters are, in our experience, all the best of the best--extremely knowledgeable, passionate about outstanding service and support, and interesting people to spend a journey of a lifetime with.

With the Everest trip, we spent about six months in planning, and were in at least weekly contact with Ram and Cholendra, Himalayan Joy's owners. Their responsiveness could not have been better.

During the trek, every single choice Himalayan Joy made on our behalf was well-informed and basically perfect. We once were delayed by about eight hours, and our guide, Vikram, waited late into the night to meet us. That level of support seems to be normal for the owners and staff of Himalayan Joy.

For less than the cost of group travel with REI or any number of other vendors in the U.S. who organize treks in Nepal, Himalayan Joy organized a customer itinerary for only my wife and myself, and were happy to make revisions to the itinerary as we wished--which allowed us to adapt to changing conditions at high altitude, to spend more time in areas that we liked the best, etc.

All in all, We've known the folks at Himalayan Joy for more than ten years and have always found them to be the most professional outfitters in the business, persons of the highest honor and the only team we wish to work with on high altitude trekking in Nepal. Both of our trips were truly extraordinary, thanks to their expertise and extreme customer focus.

Our advice to anyone traveling to Nepal would be to skip the tour operators that are based in your country and work directly with the folks at Himalayan Joy, who speak a handful of western languages, are easy to work with and can create custom itineraries at favorable pricing. That way your travel funds will also remain in Nepal.

This is a bit of an older review but I wanted to make it because I had such an amazing experience.

I did the Everest base camp and Kala Patthar summit with Cholendra on the last week of April 2010. The whole round trip trek, from Kathmandu, took 7 or 8 days. We saved a lot of time on the way down, summiting Kala Patthar in the early morning and coming back to Namche in the same day. We didn't plan to do it, but the weather was great, and we just kept walking and walking.. I think most guides wouldn't have done that, simply because it's not in their interest to get tired and make the trip shorter. But Cholendra always adapts to his clients, and is always smiley, gentle, attentive to your needs and he's just a smart guy and a great company to be with.

He also became more like a friend or a brother to me. Trekking only with him and being about the same age, we shared rooms the whole time. He also became very concerned when I had slight altitude sickness symptoms at Lobuche, after the steep climb before getting there, which made me feel he truly cared about me.

I can only think of positive things about him and my trip. From the moment he picked me up at the airport in Kathmandu, until we separated at the same airport a week later, I was in really good hands.

Highest recommendation to you, Cholendra!

Hope to see you soon in another amazing trek!

Namaste

Himalayan Joy simply provides a very high quality service to its customers. A friend and I decided to do the Annapurna Circuit during our last 2 weeks in Nepal, and it was definitely the right decision to go with this company.

Our guide was Cholendra, and he was just very good at his job. He was always making sure that were comfortable, warm and well fed. He speaks fluent English, so communication was no trouble at all. During our trek, if we ever needed or wanted anything then Choldendra would always try his best to organise it for us.

I would recommended Himalayan Joy to anyone who wants to go trekking. It's a great price, and as I mentioned before, this company simply provides a very high quality service for its customers.

Three friends and I went on a 10-day trek around the Annapurna Base Camp with our guide Cholendra and it was a wonderful experience! Himalayan Joy took care of our in-country logistics (flights to and from Pokhara, making reservations in tea houses) and Cholendra was an expert guide, leaving the trek as stress-free for my friends and I as possible. Cholendra and the porters ensured that we had a safe journey, were able to experience all that the trail had to offer (for example, we went on two early-morning sunrise hikes at beautiful vantage points and enjoyed a trip to some hot springs!), and kept us well fed. Cholendra's English is excellent (and he is always willing to teach others some Nepali) and he is a very helpful, knowledgeable, skilled, and kind guide.

The trek itself is beautiful and challenging; you get to enjoy the ampi-theater of Himalayas at Base Camp and a plethora of jungle hiking along the way. I highly recommend Himalayan Joy to anyone considering a trek in Nepal and will use them again if given the chance to return in the future. This was one of the most memorable and amazing experiences of my life and I owe much of that to Himalayan Joy and Cholendra ensuring my safety and knowing the trail routes, where we would stay each night, what was best to eat based on altitude, and helping to translate. With all of that taken care of, my friends and I were able to take in all that ABC and the Himalayas had to offer!

We were travelling in a group of three girls and our parents were concerned of our safety, told us we have to find a reliable tour company, otherwise our trip is off. Cholendra and Himalayan Joy were recommended by a friend of mine, and very competitively priced, so we went with them.

Cholendra had extended his utmost warm welcome to us when we arrived. Assigned a very very good guide to us who has done his best to look after us throughout our 21days trek to the Annapurna circuit and also Annapurna Base Camp. Thanks to them, we experienced a very warm Nepal, in the very cold winter of Nepal. :)

I am looking forward to return to Nepal and definitely appointing Himalayan Joy to organise my trip.