The Ultimate Everest Trek
By: Martha Henson, London
The Nepali crew were great, I don't know how the porters do it, especially over the Cho La. They seemed friendly. Special mention to Urken who was our leader on the walks and had lots of other jobs too, he did brilliantly. The pace and route makes for a challenging trip, but we all made it without any AMS or other major sickness which I think is down to good hygiene and good planning.
Santosh was a great guide and trip leader. He was knowledgeable and friendly but also relaxed and patient. He didn't make a fuss but we felt in good hands. A twice summiter of Everest too! Amongst other peaks. Very impressive. He always stayed with the slowest member of the team, and didn't make anyone feel like they should rush.
The hire kit was good, my sleeping bag and fleece liner did the job in freezing temperatures. My down jacket was a big north face one, not particularly stylish but worked well and kept me warm.
Enjoyed being in a small friendly group. Relaxing in Kathmandu after. Successful summit of Gokyo Ri even though it was incredibly hard, also Cho La. Playing cards after dinner. Beautiful mountains. Lovely below the tree line in terms of plants and animals etc.
By: James Lowe, Wiltshire, UK
Val, our trip leader, was excellent in all respects. She was passionate and knowledgeable about the area and incredibly supportive, helpful and caring of clients and crew. I have no complaints about Val, only praise and I would jump at the chance to go on further trips with her as the guide in the future. She was superb.
By: Timothy Kew, Aboyne, Scotland
The morning we climbed Gokyo Ri, the sunrise was incredible and the views were simply the best of the whole trip! Also crossing the Cho La was something I was really looking forward to and I was not disappointed at all!
By: Chris Nuttal, Manchester
Serena was an excellent trek leader and her insight, experience and knowledge of the Everest region in particular enhanced the trip. Overall I had a fantastic holiday and wouldn't hesitate to use KE again or recommend them to friends
By: Kerry Ballard, London
I loved having an Everest summiteer on this route, it made all the difference to those of us who have always wanted to see/climb Everest. I think the whole experience of the helpfulness of the office staff to the greeting at the airport to the way we were looked after, such fantastic support staff made the whole experience a completely joyous one! I can't find fault with any of it and loved every minute of it
By: Craig Benjamin, NSW, Australia
This was one of the great experiences of my life, despite having a head cold and Khumbu cough. The trip more than met my expectations; we had a superb time and are already planning our next one! I will always use KE for any adventure holidays in the future. Thank you, and congratulations!
By: Eileen Gough, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK
Lindsay was a great leader giving just the right amount of encouragement. She did a super job on Kala Pathar, setting off earlier with Pat and I and 2 others in the group to ensure all 10 of us arrived togetherat the Summit.The Kathmandu to Lukla flight and back was almost the highlight of my trip. Truly astonishing.
By: Jeff Niewold, Arizona, USA
The website and customer support were outstanding. Every email question I asked (no matter how silly) was answered almost instantly - considering the time difference.Kathy, our trek leader, was wonderful. I can't overstate how friendly, professional, patient and enthusiastic she is. We had one member of our trek that didn't acclimatize well and Kathy handled that situation perfectly. She was very knowledgable of mountaineering and I felt very relaxed around her.The Ultimate Everest Trek was exactly what I wanted. Demanding trekking at times, just enough altitude to get a taste of the mountains, and the views were always breathtaking. At all times during the trip, a new view of some peak or valley or river. The terrain is so unlike where I live that it was amazing.
By: Gus Park, London, England
Kathy was fantastic. Consistently cheerful and positive, patient, knowledgeable. Showed good concern for the porters and support team. Helped to make it a wonderful trek for all of us.
By: Terry Adby, North Yorkshire, England
Fantastic walking in brilliant weather, the high mountains, classic landscape features like Gokyo and the glaciers, Base camp and the high points, Lukla flights (sort of...), some great lunches and evening meals, the warmth of the lodges in the evenings, the lower Khumbu (especially after being higher up), Tengboche, bridge crossings, local culture (yaks to mani)and pigging out in Kathmandu after the event...
No matter how much you imagine a trip like this, the reality is usually different, and better, and that was the case here. For me Gokyo, Gokyo Ri, the Cho Oyu glacier and the Cho La crossing were the difference between a good trip, and a memorable high mountain experience.
By: John Wayne Rogers, Canada
There were two gems on this trip: the long day crossing the Cho La and Ingrid Crossland. I cannot say enough positive things about Ingrid and her leadership.
By: Steven Poole, London, UK
I talked to various companies about such a trip at a travel show. I had not heard of KE before but the people on the stand just stood out. They had been and seen, were honest, enthusiastic and took time to talk not just reading from the book.
Neil (our leader) had boundless energy, humour and excellent organisational skills all of which really made such a complex trip seem to float along.
I
would use KE again and recommend KE to anyone thinking of adventure trips.
By: Corinne Henderson, West Yorkshire, UK
I really enjoyed our
basecamp day, our sirdar had a brother cooking for one of the expeditions summitting
Everest so we got to meet some of their local team and talk to them about summitting
Everest.
I was expecting this
holiday to be pretty special and it didn't disappoint, infact I was impressed
with the whole structure of the trip
I was impressed with all KE staff and the local staff also and would
highly recommend KE, I will be using you in future for future treks.
By: David Pogatchnik, Minnesota, USA
When I called the
office in England,
I all the answers to questions I asked, they were always very friendly and most
helpful . Even paying for it went smoothly with credit card changing from US Dollars to Pounds. I would consider coming back
and maybe doing another trek to the area. I would also do it with KE adventures
because of the well organized group and company it is.
When I phoned to ask who our guide was, the office said he was very good
and we would like him. You couldn't have been more correct. If, and when, I
ever go on another trek I would want him as my guide. He is up beat,
enthusiastic, very caring has the patience of Job and was always concerned
about everybody's well being. He has such vast experience about Nepal
and the mountains. I just can't say enough about him, just a fantastic guide
and human being, and he was a bloody Englishman!
By: Chris Grzesiok, Staffordshire, UK
I really enjoyed the trekking and the camaraderie between the trip leader and clients...to tell you the truth I had forgotten that I was on KE tour...felt more like a group of friends trekking in Nepal. Steve Stout was a very good trip leader with full of enthusiasm and knowledge. It was a pleasure to have travelled with him.
By: Jim Harvey, Nottinghamshire, UK
I am also pleased that I choose the ultimate everest trek as this gave me longer to appreciate the area I was in and the oportunity to see more of the mountains with a greater feeling of isolation. KE staff are very helful. Richard was excellent . He was very attentive to our needs and to our health. He was enthusiastic and dealt with every problem sensitively and professionally, his quick response when one member took ill prevented a serious situation from getting much worse. I would look forward to doing another trip with him
By: Robert Pearson, Yorkshire, UK
The brochure, trip dossier positively reflected the nature of the trek. The KE Office staff were very helpful.
The hotel in Kathmandu was excellent. I had a tent to myself which I enjoyed as it was my first experience of camping for 50 years. The food was a bit spicy for my liking but other people on the trek enjoyed it. I also lost my appetite.
The support crew were excellent. The routing of the trip was excellent. The trek was hard, probably harder than I expected. Santosh our leader was excellent in all aspects. He was enthusiatic, informative, and a very good communicator. He ensured that we all enjoyed our trip,irrespective of the speed we walked at.
I enjoyed trekking with my companions. We gelled together extremely well as a group. The trek took us into beautiful valleys with towering mountains. The trek was very hard, but very worthwhile.
I find it difficult to suggest improvements, as trek was excellent.
