We had a great experiance on this trek, its quite tough but also rewarding to see the big peaks on the way to and in the sanctuary itself, nothing quite compares to what you see when you get into the sanctuary, you really will not have seen anything like it before.
Rajan from Earthbound did everything possible to ensure our trip was smooth, well organised and easy for us Brits who found ourselves in a strange land and initially the madness of Kathmandu. All his organisation and very warm welcome takes away some of the culture shock and makes you feel safe and in good hands right from the airport arrival pick up to the drop off (sadly) on the last day when you just won't want to leave Nepal.
We were due to start our trek on Mon 6th April from Nayapul by taking a taxi 2hrs ride from Pokhara, unfortunately as it was nearly a year since the government took over the country decided to take an unofficial holiday so there was no transport. Rajan was on the case immediately and called our guide to discuss options with us, by 8am we had a new plan and we were off! it involved a bit if extra trekking but it got us onto the trail and started so we could remain on schedule. The change in plan meant we now how to do our trek backwards but our fantastic guide Gamboo was very careful to plan in a good aclimitization strategy which paid dividends as none of us suffered any altitude sickness symptoms at all so on our 'summit' day to ABC we all felt great. That day will stay with me for the rest of my life, we left in the dark just before 5am and walked up in the snow into the dawn as the sun began to flash its rays upon the sanctuary, an unforgetable moment.
Our guide and porters were first class, they looked after us the whole way, at meal times, getting us good rooms etc. a total service. Our guide was very experianced and every time we asked 'how long to ..... ' he was spot on every time so we knew we could rely on everything he said. He also know's all the mountains, will point them out and tell you a bit about them. They also appreicate some mustang coffee (not sure i recommend it but give it a try!) over a few card games in the evening.
As, when, if (I really hope so) I return to Nepal I would go straight to Rajan's company to make all my arrangements as I know from this experiance that he's totally reliable, does everything he can to ensure you have a great time in Nepal, is passonate about tourisum, and his price is very competitive - you get excellent value for money.
If mountains, the outdoors and trekking is your thing (or even if its not) I recommend Nepal for a great experiance and you won't go wrong with Rajan and Earthbound.

Nameste!

To our fellow travellers to Nepal, we write to make good references for Rajan and his Earthbound Expeditions team.

Indeed, we were referred to Rajan by our friends who had good experiences with them.

The decision to use Rajan and his team was such a blessing to us and we were so glad we did.

To be specific, Rajan first impressed us with his prompt responses to our emails enquiries before the trip.
There were many changes in our planning as it was our first trip to Nepal but Rajan was so patient to guide us through the planning and eventually we decided to take a 6 days leisure tour around Kathmandu and Pokhara.
However, upon our arrival to Kathmandu, we were so thrilled by the mountains ranges seen from the plane, that we decided at the last minute to change (again) our itinery to do a trekking holiday instead.
Rajan was so kind and so accommodating to us, making sure that we get to have the best experiences in Nepal, that he helped us to change and plan our trekking expedition. That means he has to book the air tickets and land transports and make accommodation arrangements on the mountains at the eleventh hour for us.
We truly appreciate this gracious gesture from Rajan as he keeps his clients' interest at heart and go an extra mile for them to make sure that their clients get the best experiences in Nepal.

We were just 2 ladies and we trekked the Ghorepani/Poonhill trek. We had a fantastic guide, his name is Shree, who speaks good english and a very experienced and knowledgeable trekking guide. During our trek, he showed us the Nepalese culture, the people and the way the Nepalese live their lives more than a guide book can offer you. He is very warm and attentive to us. We strongly recommend you to use him as your guide in your forthcoming trip. The porter we used, his name is Sunil, who is also very good and very thoughtful. We would also recommend you to use Sunil as your porter too.

From the land transports, the hotels on earth and lodges on the mountains to the hospitality extended to us by the Nepalese during our trip, were simply first class quality services we could not ask for more.

There were no hiccups, no hidden cost, Rajan's team was all honest, sincere and reliable.

Most importantly, we felt that we were so well taken care of by them that we have decided to use them as our guide in our future trips to Tibet and Bhutan or even to trek the Mount Everest basecamp.

Naturally Nepal, once is not good enough, we have to thank Rajan and his team who were the ambassadors of Nepal that contributed to our wonderful experiences. We will definitely return for more and pass our good words around to recommend and appreciate them.

We hope you find the above helpful. Our humble experience assures you that your decision to use Rajan and his team will not disappoint you.

Be blessed by Earthbound Expeditions so that you can be a blessing to our lovely Nepalese friends.

Jayna and Su-Ren
Singapore
Feb 5, 2009

I happily recommend Rajan at Earthbound Expeditions.

I was hurridly organising a tour to Nepal, from Australia. Rajan was always very prompt and detailed with his email communication, which immediately made him stand out from other tour agencies who I was considering. He accommodated my last minute variations and tailored the trip exactly to my time constraints and interests.

My biggest concern was that I would turn up to find I had been scammed. But everything lived up to, or exceeded my expectations. The hotel he had arranged for me in Kathmandu was fantastic. Almost too good - I felt like I wasn't experiencing the true Kathmandu, by staying at something so nice! But it was a comfortable way to get introduced to the environment before the challenges of treking to Everest, so was perfect for me.

When I finished the Everest trek ahead of schedule and returned to Kathmandu 2 days early, Rajan immediately came to meet me and altered the itinerary accordingly, fitting in extra activities.

While I expect you can shop around and find some things cheeper, my main priority was for everything to run smoothly and for plans to be flexible. Earthbound Expeditions (ie. Rajan) was fantastic for me - no surprises at all. Considering everything, I am happy with the value for money I received.

The guides organised through Rajan had good enough English to provide a good service. ie. they had strong accents but they understood everything you asked. While treking, I encountered some guides who had better English, but I saw some that were much worse. Most importantly, they were as friendly and flexible as Rajan, which was very helpful.

Great to read the posts here about Earthbound Expeditions. We hope to join you when you return back to Nepal... :)

My family and I took the Everest-Taj Mahal Tour with Earthbound Expeditions - December 2008.. In Nepal, what we enjoyed most were: the mountain flight over Everest / Himalayas and our visit to mountain towns of Nagarkot and Dhulikhel, not to mention the Nepalis themselves.

From Nagarkot, we had about a 15 km hike to Baneppa and from there rode public buses to the mountain resort of Dhulikhel. The hike was memorable because we had the opportunity to interact with the villagers and children. We saw scenic views: waterfalls, rice terraces, farms, hills, and mountains - so different from the chaos of Thamel/Kathmandu. By riding the public buses, we were able to be up close and personal with the local people. We had tea with a family while waiting for the rain to stop and for the bus. In Dhulikhel, we had a good view of the Himalayas right from our breakfast table while being served freshly cooked omelettes.

We hope to return to Nepal and go to Pokhara and Annapurnas. Again, with Earthbound Expeditions who gave us a very professional and personalized service. Rajan (president) did a good job of planning and coordinating our trip. He customized a tour for the three of us. He responded promptly to my every email or inquiry. Throughout our stay, he monitored or coordinated our daily activities.

Rajan also deployed the best staff to take care of us: G.P., our skilled, careful, and caring driver; Salik, our tour guide for the Kathmandu sites, who gave an in-depth and insightful lecture on the temples and on Hinduism/Buddhism; and Shree, our guide in Nagarkot and Dhulikhel, who was resourceful, reliable, and went beyond the call of duty. He even found the best-tasting radish and soy beans for us to eat while we hiked. Thank you, guys! You are great and we miss you.

I think the best asset of Nepal is its people. As a people, the Nepalis are gentle, warm, and friendly.

In India, we did the Golden Triangle of Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi. The Taj Mahal lived up to our expectations – despite the day starting out foggy which can affect your view of the Taj. We were very comfortable in the Holiday Inn in Agra and Jaipur. They offered complimentary bottled water in the rooms – nice touch. Clark International Hotel in Delhi was interesting because it was located right in the middle of the action, close to everything. We had a good driver in Jaspal and a competent tour guide in Gaurav.

By the way, there were power outages in Nepal when we were there. So, while the hotels could run on back-up power generators, it was not enough power to run the heaters, if any. So, be ready to layer and bundle up if you come during the winter. In Dhulikhel, we were given hot water bottles to keep warm in bed – that worked! All part of the cultural experience.

Tip to travelers – never expect your destination to be like home. If you do, then better stay home. Open mind, open heart!

B,C, & G Gonzales, San Diego, US.