Trekking in Nepal & Trekking Guides and Porterguides in Nepal On this page you will find a text from my friend Daniel Ionita who has  been trekking several times in Nepal and whose comments in the Nepal  forum are a pleasure to read. He  describes the various possibilities organising a trek in Nepal from  going on your own, employing a porter or Porterguide to joining a  organised tour.
 you can also find the  names and E-mail addresses of   Porterguides and Guides who were recommended by other trekkers : go to  Guides and Porterguides

The following text is from my friend Daniel,  known as yakshaver

How will I trek?

As you prepare to travel to the amazing country of Nepal for the first  time, to follow in the footsteps of the exploring pioneers, not to  mention the  hundreds of thousands of other tourists  before you, there are a couple of questions you will most probably  consider. One of them will be whether you will go alone trekking in  Nepal, or with friends, companions,  family etc. Once you have decided that  out of choice or necessity you will trek either alone, or with a  companion, a small group, a large group, etc., another issue is bound to pop up. ”Will I (we) trek  unaided? Will I employ a guide or  porter? This may sound simple enough, but than all the possible  alternatives pop up their head, and making decisions may not be so easy. Well, at least for some. I am sure that many  people would have done their homework,  read all the possible guidebooks, and consulted all the good web sites  (like this one, say… or trekinfo.com), and asked millions of questions  of anyone who’s been  within three thousand kilometers of  Kathmandu … If you are one of these people, you would be very sure about the way you wish to trek in the Nepal Himalaya. For those still  pondering, you will find some points  below to help with the decision making  process. These are by no means all the possible alternatives, just my  pick of what I consider the main ones:

• Going unaided – trekking by yourself and carrying your own gear.
• Employing a guide or porter independently (I bunch these together as I see more similarities than differences between them)
• Employing help in the form of a guide or porter through a local Nepali based agency
• Join a trek with one of the major tour operators from your country of origin, or some other ”developed” country.
• I will discuss the various alternatives, as well as possible variations as appropriate.
  
  1. Go unaided – trekking by yourself, carrying  your own backpack (or Samsonite suitcase…).
  On treks like Jiri to Lukla to Gokyo or Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base  Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Langtang – you are not likely to get lost, or  you have to try very hard to achieve this feat. If you employ a guide or a porter/guide it will not just be  in order to simply show you the way. The chance of loosing your way is  not the only reason, in some  instances not even the main one, why people get a guide and/or porter (more about this in the next section). Secondly, going to Gokyo, or Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna  Sanctuary is not exactly a wilderness  experience, or not for the most  part, anyway. Lodge owners and village people will show you the way if  you ask.
  So do people employ a porter or a guide, or join a group where they employ some aid to their  trek?
• But let us first explore why some people don’t do this…
  Some people prefer not to employ anyone to carry their luggage. For whatever reason. Here are some: trekkers  wishing to walk alone for a change (fat chance on Lukla to Namche, for  example), to being people who like to keep to themselves most of the  time, to macho attitudes like “I  always carry my own stuff”, to  feeling uncomfortable and guilty about paying someone to carry their  load, to simply not having the small sum for this, or being stingy with  the money, or whatever other  reason.
• One issue to consider here, is that it is a big difference between carrying 15 kg at 2500 meters altitude, compared to 4000 altitude. The effect  altitude has on your body, no matter how fit you are, is serious, and you will pant for breath even if you  take it very slowly.
• For me, on the Gokyo trek say, trekking mostly in the rarefied air above  Namche Bazaar (3600m) and up to Gokyo Gokyo Ri (4800 and 5300m  respectively),  or in the Annapurnas going over  Thorong La (5400m), carrying a 15-20 kg pack, reduces a lot of the fun.  Hence, spending somewhere between 10-50 US dollars a day, depending on  the kind of arrangement, on a porter  and/or guide, or perhaps an  organized trek may be good value for money. After a few days of going  up, and up, and up, and down and down etc, you will understand what I  mean. But that's not the only reason  for employing a porter or a guide. I employ them even if there is just me, or if I trek with one other  person. I find it fun to trek having the companionship of a Nepali.
• I own up to it, I guess this is a bias of mine, to some extent.
• (Regarding my quip about the suitcase, Dano, a friend of mine and a seasoned  trekker whom I trust, tells me he’s witnessed a porter carrying a  silver Samsonite suitcase in his  doko on the Annapurna circuit somewhere near Manang. I certainly saw a  lady, with full Entertainment Tonight style make up, wearing a bright  yellow top (not leaving much to the  imaginantion), and with white poodle on leash going up from Jorsale towards Namche Bazaar. Kept me  entertained for a couple of hours, and I missed the first glimpse of  Everest half way up to Namche…
• There are certainly bigger to near impossible challenges in trying to trek  un-aided on more remote, and therefore less “infrastructured”  treks. In this category would be  Manaslu and Tsum Valley, Naar Phu, Mustang, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, and  certainly the likes of Dolpo and Jumla to Rara Lake, around Holy Mt  Kailash. These would most definitely  require help, perhaps Manaslu a bit  less so, but still… Not to speak of the round Dhaulagiri trek, which is a full on, and sometimes very dangerous, expedition…
  
   2. Employ a Guide/Porter Independently.
• Having a good Guide (meaning knowledgeable, friendly & communicative, but  not intrusive) with you can make a major positive difference to your  trekking experience. Apart from  ”getting more” in terms of knowledge and better understanding of the  area and the people living there, the guide will look after logistics  which, for me at least, is a  big plus - like paying your ACAP  and  tims or other fees (for the Annapurna, Manaslu regions, say),  organising your transport to the trail head – weather you go by bus or  plane, liaising and directing  the porters, ensuring the food is  cooked in a hygienic manner at lodges (yes, my guide does that…  Sometimes he negotiates with lodges owners he knows better, and I get to do the cooking for our group!  Yes, I can SO cook…) etc. These are  important issues. You can perform these tasks yourself of  course. However for the first (and for some maybe only) trip to Nepal  it’s good to consider reducing  the stress and augmenting your  enjoyment of the experience. More importantly, having a Nepali sharing  the trip with you brings so much more to the trip, things that are  difficult to quantify. The other reason  you might consider employing a guide is that most people usually need a porter. And not many porters speak  good enough English (or any other foreign language). Some less  experienced ones do not relate well to  the western tourist. There is a  certain hierarchy in Nepal which still holds for trekking especially,  although some of the old ways are dying with various degrees of speed.
• Sometimes you can find a porter-guide, which might be ideal if you are trekking  alone or if you have only one other companion. This is usually a porter  who has been on a number of treks,  speaks some English, and aspires to graduate to the guide status. It’s  not that easy to find a porter-guide, especially in peak season.
   
• Most people employ a guide, who then employs his porter or porters as  required by the size of the group and the stuff they wish to carry on  trek.  Porters usually carry up to 20 kg.
• (Beware of figures “dating”…)Very generally the figures I have seen negotiated  for hiring a guide independently vary between USD  10-25 per day. Quite a large  variation, but probably 15-20 a day in most cases. Porter fees could be  anywhere between USD 7-15 per day. From this the guide and porters pay  their own food and accommodation (or  rather many lodges give them their  dhal-baht and bunk-bed accommodation for free, but not all of them…).  These are only guideline figures and would obviously date, so make your  own enquiries prior to  departure.
• A few things to be aware of when you want to employ guides/porters independently (not through an agency)
• Some independent guides registered and sometimes covered by insurance;  sometimes this is not the case. You are responsible if anything happens  to them,  as they are in your direct  employment. If they are insured, this is not a problem. Getting  insurance cover in Nepal for your guide/can be done, and is no longer as difficult as it once was - just the usual  administrative hassle of filling out paperwork and paying some money. Hiring through an agency (from  overseas, or a Nepali based one in KTD when you arrive), generally means they are insured, but please ask.  Usually it’s not a major issue if  you don’t have insurance for your porter or guide on the popular treks  as the risk is minimal. Remember the popular treks in the Annapurna,  Everest and Langtang  areas are NOT, in the main, a  wilderness adventure, and these days the quality of accommodation (even  for porters) has improved, compared to twenty or thirty years ago...  Many of these treks have been trade  & communication routes for  hundreds of years.
• In more restricted areas like Naar Phu or Dolpo, trekking permits will  require you to have registered guides, from registered agencies. (Please check  the validity of this information at  the time you decide to set out for a trek).
• Guides and porters will charge you for time spent, whether on trek or not,  e.g. if you hire a guide in Kathmandu and go to Annapurna, you will have to  pay the extra day spend traveling by bus to Pokhara, unless you decide to fly yourself and the guide there.
• You may have to pay the guide or porters bus or airfare to and from the  start/end of the trek , e.g. Kathmandu-Pokhara, or Kathmandu-Lukla  return, as well as any other travel  for the purpose of the trek, e.g. airfare from Jomsom etc.
• Customarily pay part of the agreed amount at the beginning and the rest in two or  three other installments along the trek. Usually you pay the guide for  the porters wages as well. However  when it comes to tipping at the end of the trek, tip everyone  individually (see notes at the end). Don’tt give the guide the tips meant for the porters, they do  appreciate the personal thanks and  handling of tips.
• Get a guide/porter recommended by other trekkers, or the hotel or lodge you are staying in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lukla etc. While most guides are  honest,  it is safer than just getting  someone of the street.
   

• 3. Organizing a trek through a Nepali based trekking agency:

• This can be organized easily through the internet from your home country  these days. There are good reputable agencies that have been there for a number  of years, and there is the odd  operator about whom trekkers relate unhappy incidents. Going with a  recommended Nepali based agency is a safe option. Usually the cost is  less than you pay a  reputable tour operator in your home country, but maybe a bit more expensive than employing a guide or  porter independently. Usually the reputable Nepali based agencies are  very good in organizing your trek,  from picking you up from the  airport, to all other logistical requirements. However from time to time there can be some cultural issues, perhaps in the way the negotiations  are handled, what is requested by a  first time trekker compared to  assumptions made by the mentioned the first timer. Mostly the issues are not major, and for anyone with a bit of a flexible approach to life, it is extremely unlikely for these to  become a show-stopper (Clear  communication and asking all the “stupid” questions is the key to avoid  misunderstandings). Plus, many Nepali based agencies are quite good at  dealing with foreign first  time trekkers, and taking care of  their whims. Oops, needs I mean. Employing a trekking agency takes a lot of the hassle out of the exercise. For example, provided you go with a  reputable and well recommended  agency, they have their guides and  porters insured. Hence if anything happens to them you are protected.  This does not absolve you of the moral responsibility towards your  employees on trek, and you still need  to take due care (e.g. that they  have adequate shelter, clothing etc). Obviously on the down side, you  pay a bit more than for alternative 2 (employing your guide/porter  independently), and your guide and  porters get a bit less than if you  employ them directly.

4. Joining a trek with a major Western Tour operator

• For those who want adventure but not too much of it (!), and wish to have  everything done for them, joining a major “western” tour  operator  might be the way to go.  Usually adventure tour operators in your country are in partnership with travel/trekking agents, often they have their own “old trekking hands”  from the likes  of New Zealand, USA, Australia, UK,  Switzerland or Germany etc – who’ll accompany you on the trek. Sometimes this is not the case, as local Nepali representatives may handle the  trek leadership quite  capably. Still, the setup is more or less the same. What are the advantages? As I said, you pay the money,  and than almost everything is being taken care of for you, from the  customary slide-show before the trek  to (perhaps) tying up you shoe-laces in a cold morning at Gokyo. Who knows, some might offer an inflatable  trekking companion for all I know... Most people having used this type  of organization report  positive experiences, and  professional attitudes from their staff.
• Some of the disadvantages now: the price is usually more expensive than if  you organize your trek on the internet through a Nepali based agency.  Secondly, while the ”western” tour  operators will offer some tea-house treks in the lodge-trekking areas,  some of them will sometimes try to sell you a fully-serviced tent trek,  even on the popular  lodge serviced treks like Annapurna  Circuit or Gokyo, where such an arrangement is a bit over the top. But  this is my personal opinion. Planting your tent in the middle of the  village, next to a lodge, is not  exactly my idea of camping…
• However if you do a trek in a more remote area ( e.g. around Dhaulagiri or  Kanchenjunga, or Naar Phu, or even Manaslu & Tsum Valley) it is  necessary  to accommodate in tents, as there  are not many lodges in those areas. Personally I would not sleep in a  tent for treks like Langtang/Helambu, Gokyo/EBC in the Everest Region,  or the Annapurna Circuit or Base  Camp treks. In April 2004, I woke up on a cold morning at Machermo (4400 m) and witnessed a Canadian tourist gingerly getting out of his tent (camped on our lodge’s front lawn) and making his say through  the fresh snow to the lodge kitchen  for a cup of tea… I am willing to bet that even Sir Edmund Hillary would sleep at a lodge these days, on treks where he could do so… Still,  there is a great  mystique on “tenting it”, having hot breakfast cooked and dinner cooked for you by excellent cooks over the  kerosene stove at the camp mess, and feel like an explorer from the  1950ies. I have done it  most recently on Manaslu & Tsum  Valley in November 2009, and I would recommend it to anyone. As  mentioned, on some treks like Makalu, Kanchenjunga, or Dhaulagiri, this  is the only option.
• Probably the most difficult aspect – for me – with large tour operators, is the  fact that they are sometimes, out of necessity, inflexible  with the schedule and  itinerary. This is understandable, as they have to deal with larger  groups, comprising mostly of busy people who have fitted the Nepal  adventure holiday between important work  projects, dental work or major  surgery for their pet (or perhaps minor plastic surgery for  themselves…). Hence, if you get sick on days other than the  pre-determined rest days, tough luck!! You will get a  porter assigned to you and your  luggage, and you head down, or maybe stay put in a lodge until everyone  else return to show you the nice pics. You won’t get any money back (it  is in the small print of the  contract). I am willing to stand  corrected if things have changed in this area, but it would be very  difficult for a large group of trekkers to be managed in any other  fashion. I would do the same if I were  them, without doubt.
• There are also obvious advantages in being in a larger group, whether you’re  with a Nepali based or a foreign based trekking agency. Many People  live the group dynamics developing  and make friends for life on these adventures.
• In conclusion, as the clichĂ©s go, there are horses for courses, each to  her own kind of yak shaving, if you like: there are plenty alternatives  for  different preferences and pockets.

• Some notes and comments

• This advice only deals with different trekking alternatives. Nepal is far  more than just mountains, majestic as they might be. There is an  intriguing  cultural/religious mix unique in the world, as well as many diverse opportunities to spend your time.  Planning for some time to visit the Kathmandu Valley, and Chitwan  National Park makes the trip to Nepal a lot  more interesting, exciting and  varied than purely going there for trekking. You get to see more aspects of the country, it’s culture etc, as well as meeting a far greater  variety of Nepali people from  different regions (there over 30  ethnic groups in Nepal).
• Note on emergency evacuation, mostly for independent trekkers, or trekkers going with independent  guides/porters: If you or one of your trekking  colleagues need emergency evacuation by helicopter, usually you will have to pay this upfront regardless if  you have travel insurance or not. You get a receipt and claim this once  you are back in your  country. Helicopter companies will  not come to pick you up, no matter what danger you are in, unless the  cash or credit card payment hits the till… This is apparently because to many westerners on the  verge of dying from altitude  sickness or some other ailment, once safely in Kathmandu or Pokhara  absconded without paying. There is one exception and one variation to  this. The exception is when you trek with  one of reputable Nepali or large  “western” tour operators. They will either pay the money themselves, and will charge you once in Kathmandu; or they might have you already  covered by insurance and  will charge you any excess later.  Good trekking agencies have a relationship with one of the helicopter  companies, and when your guide phones base, they are able to summon a  helicopter immediately. As mentioned,  in this situation (usually) you  don’t have to fork out money on the spot, but when you are safely out of danger, you will repay your agency (can also be done by credit card  with the better trekking  agents). In this later scenario, you will get to claim the cost of the emergency medical evacuation from  your travel insurance in your own country.
• If you go on a trek organized though an agency (Nepali based of otherwise) ask about how evacuation is handled.
• A cultural note: it is customary to
• Whichever way you choose to trek, whatever you chose to do, enjoy Nepal. It is an amazing place.
• Written by yakshaver - updated July 2011

TIMS an hiring an independant Guide or Porter

You are not anymore allowed to Hiring personnaly a Nepali person, it can only be done by an agency. if you travel allo on yourself the TIMS will have another colour than if you trek with an agency. so it is very easy to control. Therefore you will be controlled and saked about any Nepali person trekking with you.  for this reason, every independant Guide or Porterguideoffering his services will have to apply the TIMs through an officially Agency an will have to pay a commision for this “service”.

Independant Himalayan porterguides and guides recommended by trekkers

1) My friend  Tekman Rai / Guide
I  met Tekmann the first time in 1999. I had asked in my hotel for two  porterguides, and one of them was Tekman. I realised very fast how  reliable and friendly he was and trekked till now five times with him. Our longest trek was seven weeks and we  crossed Tilicho lake. Bachan has a deep knowlege of the whole Annapurna  region,  including Tilicho lake and the villages  around Muktinath (see my magic places) and he knows all my favorites  lodges. Bachan knows many nice and good other porterguides, so he can  also organise a  trek for a group.  In the last years  Bachan has worked for many of my friends and other people, who liked him too and where very satisfied. In 2004 I trekked twice  with him in the Everest area. We visited Phaplu - Namche Bazaar-Tengboche-Chukung-Kongma la- Gorakshep  -EBC-Kalar Patar-Cho la-Gokyo fifth lake-Renjo la-Thame-Nangpa la-Jiri.  in  Nov/Dec 2005 Bachan organised and guided our 4 person group for the Manaslu trek. He also organised a larger  trekkingtour in the Annapurna for an Austrian friend with a group of 12  persons
Bachan has an official trekking guide license. he does not carry luggage.

Jason McPherson from Adelaide, Australia, wrote:
We met Bachan in Pokhara after  organising with him via email for him to be our guide on the trek from  Jomsom to  Beni (via Kagbeni and Muktinath). From  the very beginning we found him to be friendly and extremely helpful. He helped us to organise plane trips, park  permits and anything else we needed help with before embarking on our  wonderful trek with him. On the trek he  was a great companion and guide, pointing out things of interest, giving us  more information if we wanted it,  teaching us Nepali phrases and songs when we wanted too. He also seemed  to know the best lodges and we met a great many people through him also. Bachan is reliable, honest and  professional whilst also being a great  trekking companion and I would recommend him highly to.
George from Hungary wrote
I would like to recommend Bachan Rai as a reliable, trained and prepared trekking guide. We, four Hungarian guys, were informed on independent trekking guides by nepal-dia.de and  contacted Bachan via email 2 months  before starting to Jomsom trek in the  Annapurna region. He answered immediately and helped us very much in  selecting accommodation, travel options  and accessories for trekking. Although our original time schedule was  changed because of a canceled charter  flight and also some significant delays of domestic flights, Bachan was  flexible and reorganized the trek  accordingly. During these days (March 2005) the situation in Nepal was  hardly  predictable, so I am pretty sure that  without Bachan we might face with serious problems. He was very kind and tactful when exploring our physical  condition before the trek. He had very useful suggestions when partially redesigned the trek: we felt that he carefully balances safety and  adventure

He organized the best places for eating and lodging  during the trek, we saw Bachan as a  guide recognized by local people as well. He has good communication  skills and a very good sense of humor that made the whole trek full with fun. We are all grateful for the huge  amount of information he shared with us  that could never be extracted from books. These included not only  geographical, zoological and botanical data but also some historical,  cultural and religious information that  helped us very much to understand Nepali culture and people.
I hope visiting Nepal in the nearest future and I am sure that Bachan is the first guide to be asked to join us again.

Annette Smolej from Townsville, Australia, wrote in 2010:

I would  highly recommend Bachan as a guide who is reliable, organised, well  trained, honest, who is full of  information about the area and the  people in the area, as a man with a good sense of humour, flexible and  who  enjoys being a guide and being in the  great outdoors. He ensured that we had a safe and enjoyable trek and  never failed in his attempt to satisfy our every need.

We met  Bachan in Pokhara a few days before our trek which I had 9 months  previously organised via email. We  had organised for Bachan to be our guide and also for him to organise two porters for our 30 day around the  Annapurna Circuit trek. We wanted to  take longer than the normal 18 to 21 day trek of the Annapurna region  due  to the fact that us four Australians  (two women and two men) aged between 43 and 51 had never really been  trekking before. We wanted to take it  slow and not have to rush so that we could enjoy our trip and not have  to worry about our physical limitations.

Bachan was from the moment we met him, a warm and friendly man with a pleasant and happy attitude and spoke  good english as well. He was a wealth of information about the area and as far as a guide goes, you could not  have asked for more. He was well known  by the local people and appeared to be well respected and liked by all.

Bachan  organised everything from our transport to and from the start and  finish, our accommodation in tea  houses/lodges, trekking permits, took  our orders for all our meals and chased them up if something was wrong  or  missing, and plus also our two porters  that Bachan organised, were really friendly and extremely helpful as  well.  They had worked for Bachan on previous  treks and they all got along well and all treated each other with warmth and respect. Bachan and the porters were well equipped with proper hiking boots, warm clothes and jackets etc so no problems there.

We learnt  Nepalese from Bachan everyday and by the end of our trek could actually  string sentences together (some of us were better than others at this)!!

As we were not trekkers and taking it slowly, Bachan kept an eye on our physical  condition and how we were  coping and was always flexible in where  we going that day, when we would stop for lunch, and when we would  have a rest day or rest days in some  cases, which really put our minds at ease. He would often ask how we  were  feeling, how our muscles were going and  kept this in mind for the next day. Every evening he would take out his  map, and explain where he thought we  would walk to the next day and where we would stop for lunch. He would  explain what was in store as far as  distance, altitude that we would gain and any decents and how easy or  hard it  might be. He would ask if we were happy  with what he was suggesting and was always open for changes. He was  more than happy if we wanted to stop  early for morning tea or lunch and at times suggested alternative routes with more interesting and beautiful views than we were already seeing.

I have  recommended Bachan to a few people that we have met in India since and I would not hesitate to use Bachan again. You really are getting the best that money can buy.

Regards Annette Smolej Townsville Australia see also Group Photo

Prem was already recommended by a German some  years ago to my site. As he is a friend  of Bachan I met him in 2005 when we just had finished our Manaslu tour.  When i wanted to go for a Annapurna trek in September  2007 neither Bachan nor Bir could go  with me and I remembered this nice guy.  Well i was not disappointed.  Prem was very helpful and a perfect companion. Based in Pokhara he knows all Annapurna area  including Tilicho lake. He showed me Ice lake and Milarepas cave near Braga. Prem knows the shortcut from  Muktinath directly to Kagbeni over the  little villages of Jhong and Puttak avoiding the motorway. He knows also Everest area.

Together with Prem we explored and marked in 2010-2019 as partners the  NATT- trails in the Annapurna area and he is Co-Autor of aur book. He marked and descibed on his own the new  Khopra and Mardi himal trek,  where he is now an outstandig  specialist!

Prem not only carried a heavy part of my  luggage but was also a perfect photo assistant, having always the tripod at hand or lenses if needed. I

Back from our 4 week trekking tour I met  his lovely wife Maina at his home. Maina worked several years as a  guide or porterguide for the well known  three sisters trekking agency. She has many certificates for training  courses and also knows the whole Annapurna area very well. She can carry up to 15 kg.

Prem and Maina  also offerss massages in lakeside. In March 2008 i took my mother with her 78 years to  Kathmandu and Pokhara. She got 3 Massages from Maina and felt at least 5 years younger. According to my  mother, Mainas massages where much  better than any she ever got in Germany .

In March 2008 German Jakob Flechtner went with Prem for 4 weeks to remote villages in eastern Nepal where Prem is coming from. So they could visit many of hei Rai relatives and it must  have been an unforgetable trek!

you can contact them at premsnepaltrek@gmail.com

Prem has a Blog  www.trekwithpremrai.blogspot.c om

Prem has founded a trekking agency but is still exploring new treks and works as a guide. he has now a beautiful website http://www.trekwithpremrai.com/

his mobilsnumber is  +977 9846306028 (Mainas is 9804115956 )

Prem and AMina have a beautiful facebook site where he also describes various treks with  nice photos: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/profile.php?id=100000964284786&ref=mf

Peter Nashak wrote me:

I wanted to send a recommendation for  Prem Rai to anyone who reads your site. We used Prem to help set up our  Annapurna circuit trip March-April 09. I found him on your site, contacted him, and he became an immediate asset . I also contacted various other  independent guides, but Prem was the most detailed, helpful, and  responsive - he was also a good value!
 Unfortunately Prem was not available to be our personal guide, but he arranged a terrific guide porter to  assist us.  I was trekking with my wife and 75 year  old mother and Hari, our guide porter, was an amazing companion. We  started near Pokhara at Begnes Tal lake  and took four days to get to Khudi and the main circuit trek. From there we followed the main circuit, via  Gyaru (upper trail near Pisang), to Tilcho (which ended up snowed out), up  over  Thorung La, and finishing in Jomsom. The whole time, Hari was attentive to my mom, split heavy loads with me as  my mom encountered problems, and went  with me on all of my indulgent excursions up side trails. During our  trek  we were alos lucky enough to meet up  with Prem and his group and for three days we enjoyed each other's  company and had a lot of fun. Prem even gave my mom a much needed  massage near Tilcho Lake!
 
I can't say enough about Prem and his  family. They were conscientious, courteous, and fairly priced. They took care of all our arrangements from  Katmandu to back. Incredible service at prices no western guiding outfit would  ever offer. Prem is a true professional  and deserves anyone's business. And if Prem is not available, ask him  for one of his talented and friendly associates.
 
P. Naschak

We went trekking in Nepal in March 2011.  We were on a 5 day trek up Poon hill. Our guide, Gobinda Rai, was very  responsible and patient. He could speak English well  too. Attached are some photos taken with him during the t

gobinmumhong@hotmail.com
facebook http://www.facebook.com/gobinda.rai.169?ref=ts&fref=ts

My (Andrees) personal view: I know Gobinda and his family personally. He likes to laught and the people  who where trekking with him like him very much. He speaks very  well English and dont mind to carry a  part of your luggage :-). Beeing a relative of my friend Prem he knows  well the new NATT-trails . hehas also been to the tilicho lake. 

additional Photo1 , Photo 2  

Bede Brown wrote 2011: My friend  Mike and I are from New Zealand and we were lucky enough to have Gobinda as a guide up to Annapurna Base Camp in Dec 2010. Gobinda was  everything we wanted from a guide  - he speaks excellent english; his  approach was flexible to our requirements; he is very knowledgeable  about the  area and the finer details relating to  both the trek and each guesthouse; he was happy to engage in  conversation  on all sorts of topics and equally happy just to take in the scenery - he even sang us a few songs along the  journey. I felt with Gobinda that his top priority at all times was our  well being and enjoyment.
 I have no hesitations in strongly  recommending Gobinda as a guide. By the end of the trip I would consider him a  friend and he was gracious enough to  have Mike and I over for dinner at his house with his family after the  trip.  Gobinda has a wonderful presence about  him, took better photos than either of us and you could tell he was well liked by all the guesthouse hosts.
Cheers, Bede Brown
Ulrich Wild  wrote (2012): As a member of a 17-person Group I made the Annapurna-Trek in the time between 16.March and 8.April 2012. Our  local manager and leader of the guides and porters was Gobinda Rai.  Helped by  best weather, the good organization and  the very friendly comrades from Nepal our group enjoyed a very nice and  impressive Annapurna-Trek and an  unforgettable holiday. Gobinda and his team planned good stages every  day,  so that no one was over strained and we  could have a lot of impressions of the mountains, the country, the  nature,  the people and the foreign culture. The  leader and his guide-team had always an open ear for the wishes of the  group, also there was help by little  problems. The porters carried our baggage reliable and took a lot of  pains. So  we all were a friendly team all these  days and learned about each other every day. At last the parting was not easy, losing nice trekking-comrades, which we gladly remember. May be,  we meet us again in future.
Ulrich Wild Germany 
 

5)Anya and Olga recoment Tara Rai (younger Brother of Maina) 2014

We trekked part of the Annapurna circuit this June (2014). We booked our  porter and guide through Prem Rai's agency, and had a wonderful  experience. Prem did a great job of  figuring out an itinerary for our trip (including wisely leaving some  slack in case of altitude sickness or other issues), and we never had to worry about figuring out the travel  arrangements (flights, jeeps, etc.).

Our guide, Tara, and our porter, Ram, were both amazing. At the outset, we  were definitely worried about the idea of spending two weeks constantly  interacting with someone we hadn't met  before, but Tara was the nicest, easiest person in the world to get  along with. Having him along made the  trip as stress-free as it could possibly be. We also learned a whole lot about life in Nepal from chatting with  Tara.

We very highly recommend Prem's agency for anyone looking for a guide  and/or porter for a trek in Nepal.  Everyone we interacted with was  responsible, thoughtful, and positive -- we could not have asked for a  better experience.    Alya & Olga picture 1, picture 2, picture 3

Tara Kumar Rai geb 1987, Trekkingguide  since 2006 , Offizielle Trekkingguide  License Nr.: 984, mobiler: +977  9846168331, Email: walakham@hotmail.com, Website: http://trekkingguidetararai.heikosadventures.com/

 7) Birding Guide Khanal Gorkhana
  Kahnal G. was suggested by a german trekker who met him in a lodge in Gorepani. He was impressed by his  knowledge and all the informations  Khanal could give. Khanal is spezialized in birding:
This is my almost 15th year working with tourist. I have goverment  licence  for safari ,Treking and bird watching.My proffesion is bird watching. But not  many tourist are bird watcher. So, when I  doesn't have bird watching tourist, I  do work with treking  and safari people.With all my tourist I  go my self on  the fild.I don't carry things my self, but I do organize  every thing what  tourist need through my travel agency.I am a free  lance guide but I do  conect to my all  tourist to this ageancy,
GOKARNA KHANAL,
PLAN HOLIDAYS  Travel and Tours(p)Ltd.,Gpo.Box:11380,Thamel,Kathmandu,Nepal.
green_societynepal@hotmail.com
Untill now I have been doing Annapurna region: Annapurna round,Annapurna  sanctuary,,jomsom muktinath,  ghorepani. Everest region: Jiri to  kalapathar,Everest bascamp, All Lantang area and safari.Also North  india,south india and tibet mt.kailas .
I do regulary guide in the nepali   mountains. For language,I can write and speek english,nepali and  indian .Beside,I  can simply guide with German and  Japanese language. This is I was just learn 4month. But still I like to  learn this two language whenever i will have sweetable time.

Tanel from Estonia wrote 2010:  We contacted birding guide Gokarna Khanal whose contacts we found from your page and we were very happy with him.
Actually so happy that we decided to create a homepage for him to help
with promoting his services.
The page is on address  http://birding-nepal.edicypages.com/

a recomandation letter from resources himalay

 recommends Bishnu Dharel
In October 2004, Bishnu and I met for the first time. Although I have  extensive  experience in wilderness and adventure  travel around the world, this was my first time to trek in Nepal. The  primary reason for wanting to travel with a  guide was the companionship that I  desired to have while trekking the Annapurna Circuit. I was not  disappointed. Bishnu has an excellent command  of English and a good sense of humor. We were constant companions; yet he was sensitive to my desires to be  alone at various times each day. He is  flexible and patient. He was always  mindful of my safety as well as his own – anticipating and warning of  potential hazards such as a slick stone or low doorway. We passed many  an hour  talking about Nepali culture, politics,  economics, religion, and family life. He never tired of my questions. He conducted himself in a most professional manner at all times and made sure my needs were met.  I quickly grew  to trust Bishnu as a friend. Near the  end of our trek, Bishnu suggested we travel to the mountain village he  grew up  in between Pokhara and Katmandu. Our  3-day visit to his home, well off the tourist track, was a highlight of  my  month in Nepal. His parents graciously  received me as a guest in their humble home. I have employed many guides across the years in East Africa, China, Papua New Guinea, Thailand,  South America, and North America.  Bishnu’s services were second to none.  He is number one on my list of preferred guides to trek with.
Bishnu’s email address is:  bishnudharel@yahoo.com 
If you have questions, please contact me at: rcronk@mvnu.edu  (Responding to your queries may not be immediate if I’m traveling. You understand.)

Linda Reid and Allan Harris of Congleton England.linda(a)reidl.freeserve.co.uk 

Jagat Lama was also highly revcomended by Jeff Lam

Tour Guide Licenced Number 2230,  Trekking Guide Licence number 2376. Mountain Guide license 3776. 

Please contact him at: ammarguni@gmail.com  , www.nepalitrek.com

If you have any questions please contact me at: Marbreu@gmx.de 

11) Guide Shiva Thapa is recommended by Jo Foster

I am writing to recommend Shiva Thapa as  an excellent guide.  I went on the "Royal Trek" with him in October,  2008, and he impressed me as a very  pleasant, experienced, and dedicated  professional who loves his work.

 I have strong ideas about the  kinds of experiences I am looking for while  trekking. Shiva listened well, better  than any other guide I have hired, so he developed a great sense of what I wanted to see and do.  He was always  thinking about finding those kinds of  experiences for me, so it was a wonderful, personalized trek. Shiva's  interactions and involvement with local  people along the way helped bring me  closer to them, and have a lot of fun, too. He was also great about  translating interesting little exchanges that he  had with people, and adding in cultural  context and insight when appropriate.

 Shiva is a thinker, his  knowledge of the culture is deep, and his English skills are strong, so  conversations with  were very interesting and a big part of  the experience.  This and his fun and positive attitude make him great  company, but he also knows when to allow space and quiet. He also has great integrity, so a single woman will  have no worries with Shiva as her guide.

 The pacing was just right for my needs, and Shiva always was vigilant about health and safety. In my trek this  primarily meant being very careful to be sure that food preparation and sanitation standards were appropriate in an area not all that used to Western  tourists. This particular route was an easy one, but Shiva has many  years of  experience and very good training so I  would not hesitate to recommend him for a trek of any length or  difficulty level.

His website is www.treknepalwithshiva.com , Jo Foster (American), Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=765315649&ref=search

he is also recomended by dutch ladys

October, 2005, we (3 elderly ladies 69,  60, 57 years old) came to Nepal to walk the Annapurna circuit. Two of us had made treks before in Nepal, but without a guide and porters.
This time we decided to walk with a  guide and porters and it really was a fantastic trip! The guide, Shiva  Thapa,  speaking fluently English, made the  country become much more alive by his knowledge of the background of the culture, fauna, and flora of the  Himalaya’s. On the way to Manang there was suddenly a heavily snowfall,  so we had  to return. We were very glad to have  Shiva with us to lead us safely through the places where avalanches were coming down and to know where the trail is in heavy snow!
Due to this fantastic experience we  decided to ask him to guide us again for another trek in spring 2007 to  the Tamang Heritage Trail, Langtang, Gosaikunda and Helambu.
Again we had a wonderful time and the  same great experience as the other trek with him. He also became a very  good friend of us.
He really is a very, very responsible  guide and takes care of everything you need or is important for you.  Besides that he is a very modest and lovely person!
He also is a very experienced guide: he  guided more than 150 treks in the last 12 years!  Both trips made such  an impression to all of us; thanks to  the expertise of Shiva. We warmly recommend him for being your guide! He simply is great!

If you want to know more about him or contact him, please logon www.treknepalwithshiva.com 
 

Martha Bisselink-Bakker
Miek Dornseiffen (dornseiffen(at)hotmail.com )
 

And recomended by David and Simona Melviez:on 1/09

We wanted to recommend Shiva on your website with the following :
Our trekking with Shiva was more than an amazing experience and Shiva is  more than a wonderful guide. He will  help you choose the best trek for you,  by taking into account your interests as well as your physical  condition. He  will show you all the hidden beauties  which caracterize Nepal and its mountains. Consequently, at the end of  your  trek,  you will recognize all the  plants, trees and animals and will have incredible experiences to tell  your friends.
Thanks to Shiva, we have been able to  experience few evenings among native Nepalese people with whom we have  shared a glass of the local alcool and food.
We recomend you to get Shiva's help if you are planning to trek in Nepal, as he is the best!
Have fun,
David and Simona

Radka wrote in 2011:

Last October/November, my boyfriend David (38), our friend Karel (45) and me (34) travelled to Nepal to trek  around  Manaslu. Thanks to Andrees de Ruiter s (www.nepal-dia.de) recommendation, we hired Shiva as our guide. We were very happy with   this choice! Shiva also  hired two porters Netra and Nabaraj, who we grew totally fond of.Shiva was very honest about not having been to  the area, we wanted to visit. But he was a great organizer, he  communicated well with the locals.
He focussed on our needs and wishes,  even if it didn´t exactly fit the original plan.As he spent a lot of  time in Europe, he adapted very well to European mentality.If  you are interested in nature, in seeing  animals, we highly recommend Shiva! He is amazingly tuned to nature´s  noises. He would hear and see animals, we would never have
detected. It was awesome! He also owns  big knowledge of plants. "Trekking with Shiva" was an exceptional  experience for us, we would go trekking with him anytime again.
Radka Pfister-Schnirchova, Switzerland/Czech republic

Max Barabash wrote in 2011 I would like to recommend Shiva Thapa who was my guide for 4-day  Punhill trek in February 2011 . I contacted Shiva through his website http://www.trekkingwithshiva.com . Shiva was very responsive and fast in his replies to my queries.
Everything was arranged in just a few  days. Shiva bought me air ticket from Kathmandu to Pokhara, picked me at the airport, booked all hotels and perfectly organized everything for  the trek.
Our trek was well planned with good  balance of walking and rest stops, and Shiva chose cozy places for the  night  stops. Shiva speaks excellent English  and during our trip I enjoyed his stories about the local culture and  previous trips in Himalaya.
Shiva is a very good guy, 100 percent reliable with an extensive experience in guiding.

10) Trekking Guide Jagat Lama -  from the Trekking guides Cooperative
Antje Kharchi from Arlington, Virginia, USA recommends Jagat Lama
I did consider trekking when I first  arrived in Nepal with only vague plans for my Indian visa break. But  after having battled touts too often, the prospect of  finding and hiring a trekking guide  seemed daunting. Through a string of fortunate coincidences a mutual  friend introduced me to Jagat Lama, an independent government-licensed  guide with lots of experience. After  considering my desire to see mountain  village life, and my limited time span, he suggested the comfortable  entry-level Ghorepani trek in the Anapurna  region. Together we arranged the  logistics, such as bus tickets, trekking license etc. At every step he  showed me the tricks of the trade, and made sure that I paid fair prices for everything.
During the trek itself he took the lead  in his quiet, unassuming manner, observing my physical abilities and  adjusting the pace accordingly, never  making me feel uncomfortable for my slow ascents on steep climbs. Instead, he encouraged me to find my groove  and stick to it, so that even the hardest hikes were a joy.
His itinerary was perfect, a good  balance of walking and rest stops, and he chose lovely places for the  night halts,  never the sleekest ones, but inexpensive places with lots of charm and hospitality. It was very cold during this pre -season, and every night we found  ourselves sitting by the kitchen fire, chatting with the proprietresses  and eating  delicious Dal Bhats. Once we encountered a festival in a Gurung village along the way and decided to stay,  adjusting our plans accordingly to enjoy an afternoon of singing and  dancing.
Jagat is everything I could have wished  for in a guide. He is professional, respectful, courteous, kind, and  knowledgeable, has a subtle sense of humor and is a great travel  companion. We had wonderful conversations  along the way, as well as long stretches of comfortable silence. His second profession as a singer is an added  bonus because on many occasions he lent  his voice to an entertaining evening by the fire. He taught me many  Nepali words and phrases and gave me a  great introduction to the various cultures we encountered along the way. Already halfway into our trek I decided  to return in April to tackle the Annapurna circuit with him. His prices  are very  reasonable, and in fact, he decided to  work independently to avoid exploitation of both client and guide by  agencies. He renews his license every five years after undergoing  additional training.
I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. My e-mail address is ntjekharchi(at)yahoo.com .  please remove the stars before sending the email Better yet, you can contact Jagat at jagatlama(at)independent-trekkingguide-nepal.com on his Kathmandu mobile number at 98510-76386

Jeff Lam wrote:
I used the  services of Jagat Lama in October 2008 and found him to be excellent.   He has been guiding for over  15 years, so everything he arranged went smoothly, his local knowledge was extensive and he really looked after  our group (this included making sure that our food was
cooked properly, that the slow walkers  were kept company, and that our accommodation in teahouses was secured  in advance).
Jagat speaks excellent English and is  exceptionally outgoing by Nepali standards- during our trip he ould  describe the local culture and history which added to our experience.
Importantly, Jagat also looks after his  porters.  He was quite firm about the maxiumum weight they could carry,  and  ensured that they had packs that also  used shoulder straps rather than just the older-style head straps.  This was in  sharp contrast to groups that I saw  organised by better known Western guiding companies, where the porters  had much larger, heavier and more primitive packs.
Jagat's site is: http://www.independent-trekkingguide-nepal.com/

About  the Trekking guides Cooperative
We have been very successful Guides team of Nepal and trying to keep sustaining our own. We are more than happy to self sustaining in Nepal through this kind of Guiding works and we all safe and insured Guides and we have emergency supports funds from our profits. We are kind of independent Trekking Guides cooperative team for this works who works self to sustain our life from our works. We are Guides and all owners. Our contact address and email account all are same and we have been using since in the beginning. 

contact him at gofortrekking@yahoo.com

Sue MacRae
Toronto, Canada
suemacrae(at)hotmail.com

Bijay Rai has founded his own trekking agency :Beauty Nepal Adventure ( P ) Ltd
Lakeside Pokhara-6 Pokhara 00977, Nepal
Email ; info@beautynepaladventure.com , www.beautynepaladventure.com
Phone +977 61 464404

further recomendations:

Wendy Smith from Kent wrote in May 2009:
I strongly recommend Bijay Rai as a guide having trekked with him to  Annapurna Base camp  in 2005 and with his company Beauty  Nepal Adventure on The Annapurna Circuit in 2008.  I was extremely  impressed with the logistics and organisation of both trips and Bijay’s  reliability. When travelling on your own it is important to feel secure and confident with your guide, that they have excellent knowledge of the mountains and the trek is planned and  organised accordingly with safety being  the main priority.
Both occasions have been unforgettable experiences and unique journeys exploring the  amazingly beautiful landscape that Nepal has to offer. In addition Bijay has great integrity, excellent  communication skills and a deep knowledge of the varying cultures,  plants, birds,  animals, natural habitats and land  formations. He is very happy to answer any questions you may have. He is great company and has excellent interpersonal and social skills. Being a good  communicator he imparts knowledge easily and with clarity but also knows when to give space and your own time,  for reflection.
I work as an artist and enjoy  identifying and observing plants, so spent much time stopping to  photograph and sketch.  Bijay was always very patient with me and I  never felt rushed,  this only added to the immense enjoyment of the trekking experience.
I do not hesitate to highly recommend Bijay and his company Beauty Nepal Adventure and I am happy to answer any questions.

Wendy Smith Kent, UK Contact: wendyart(at)gmail.com

Amir Dror from Israel wrote me in Nov. 2011
For the last two months I have been traveling in Nepal, trekking  through the Dhaulagiri circuit and the Manasulu & Tsum valley circuit.
Arriving to Pokhara, I was looking for treks that will take me to less toured  areas and to places rich with culture and sites. I ran  into
Bijay Rai who guides tours all  over Nepal. He was the one to provided me with the names of the off the  beaten routes of Dhaulagiri circuit
and Manasulu & Tsum valley trek. He showed great deal of  knowledge about the diverse cultural aspects of the regions in which I traveled
and of course of the trail and available side trips. He took me through an amazing trek  through the nearly "untouched" by tourism Tsum Valley,
and also through Manasulu circuit and the extreme trek of Dhaulagiri. He is reliable, honest and above all- professional.
He can provide good porters who speaks  English (two of them are his own sons!) and arranged all the needed  logistics for a camping trek and
a tea house trek. He is a licenced guide by the Nepali tourist board, unlike many other guides you run into  around here.