Testimonials
Dear Ram
Forgive the delayed message - we found ourselves becoming very lazy on these Thai beaches!!
On behalf of Jenny and myself I wanted to say a BIG thank you for the amazing time we had in Nepal - the whole two weeks was just perfect and we cannot wait to come back to Nepal and savour some more!!!
We both felt (and still feel) that the whole itinerary you created was absolutely spot on. We really feel we got to see/got a taste of everything Nepal has to offer. As you know we are 'travelling/on holiday' for 1 year and it was a real bonus for us to have everything taken care of by someone else, which allowed us to really relax and enjoy the experience. I must also stress how fabulous all of your representatives were (guides, etc) and they played no small part in ensuring we had such a wonderful time.
The trekking was without doubt one of the highlights of our lives - the view across the Himalaya was majestic and will stay with us forever.
We look forward to coming back again soon and doing some extended trekking and rafting - it was just sooooo much fun!
I would be more than willing to offer my recommendation to any of your prospective clients' who may wish to have some first hand knowledge of your exemplary business and tours.
Kind regards, and thanks again.
Richard Abbott and Jenny Riede
London , May - 2008
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Richard and Jenny visited Nepal after 5 years in December , 2013 , we had the pleasure to organise a trek to the Annapurna Base Camp ( Annapurna Sanctuary ) combined with a tour to Chitwan National Park for them . Here is what they write about their second trip with us .
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Dear Ram
On behalf of Jenny and Myself I just wanted to send you a short email thanking you for arranging, once again, a truly sensational and exhilarating holiday for us in Nepal.
We had such an amazing time in 2008 courtesy of your ‘Best of Nepal’ itinerary that we swore we would be back to Nepal as soon as we could. With work and other commitments getting in the way it sadly took us 5 years to return, but as they say: “good things come to those who wait”.
From the moment you met us at Kathmandu airport and took us to our hotel we knew that once again our every need would be taken care of, in fact you exceeded the wonderful professionalism and warm hospitality we experienced in 2008.
What we love about booking our holidays with you is the fact you understand exactly what we are looking for and never fail to deliver – that and the fact that once we arrive in Nepal everything is so seamless and simple for us thanks to your exemplary organisation and the incredible team you have taking care of us. Talking of the team, Dawa (Guide) and Lakpha (Guide) couldn’t have been more perfect and they ensured our two weeks in Annapurna were even more sensational than we could have dreamed. They make a great team, and when I had my ‘scared of heights’ moments they really worked together to get me through it, helping to build my confidence to the point where once ‘terrifying’ moments for me became child’s play!
Our transport across country, by car and plane, was- in stark comparison to some of the experiences of other holiday makers we met - extremely relaxing. The same can be said for our hotels in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan.
Our time in Chitwan was pure bliss, and having the chance to wash elephants again was an absolute joy.
So, Ram, once again many thanks for everything – and please do post our message and let other prospective holiday makers know it would be our pleasure to answer any questions they may have with regard having you take care of them. Also, we’d be very happy to recommend people consider visiting during December.
Best regards
Richard Abbott and Jenny Riede
London , December , 2013
US writer Byron T Dormire trekked with us to Everest region on October 2012 and he wrote his travel memoir on his book Dallying in Nepal, where he mentions about us . Alo you can find references about our company in the back of the book. He mentions about our trekking company Shizen Treks on his book.
You can go to the "Version for Kindle" link and see it on Amazon.
An article about our services was featured on a prominent US newspaper the BOSTON GLOBE on
Sunday, Sept 4th, 2011 . We had the pleasure of organizing a fully supported camping trek for the couple Mrs Kyle Carney and Mr Chris Gregory from the US, they had trekked in the non touristy , virgin area of Everest region .
You can read the article here
http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-04/travel/30113163_1_katmandu-porters-villagers#.TmYYFCHBpEg.email
For photographs from this trip, please visit the link below http://www.kylecarney.com/gallery.php?gallery=4%20Nepal
Dear Ram,
I just got back into Rome after my extended tour in Nepal and Bangladesh. I just also wanted to thank you and all at your company for everything you did to ensure we had an absolutely fantastic time in Nepal. The time was all too short for me but an amazing experience and I loved every minute. Hope we can return again soon. Attached are a couple of photos that might be useful to promote the tours to families - we would certainly recommend it!
Thanks again
Dave, Sarah & Emma
March , 2011
ITALIAN FEEDBACK UPPER MUSTANG TREKKING:
Il viaggio è stato organizzato benissimo nei minimi dettagli dal signor Ram Hari Koirala: personalmente è venuto a prenderci e riportarci in aereoporto,alle fermate dei bus, insomma si è preoccupato personalmente di noi, in maniera perfetta, telefonando anche durante il trekking alla nostra guida Tika per sapere come stava proseguendo il trekking. Un'attenzione ai dettagli e al nostro giudizio che abbiamo apprezzato molto.
Il nostro trekking nell'Upper Mustang è stato fantastico per molti motivi: innanzittutto avevamo una guida preparata e competente sia per l'aspetto 'montagna' che per quanto riguarda gli usi e costumi dei villaggi incontrati, a qualsiasi domanda aveva una risposta e nota importante: Tika è una persona straordinaria che ci ha insegnato molto.
Avevamo scelto il tea house trekking e ne siamo stati entusiasti in quanto ci ha consentito di vivere a casa delle persone e conoscere le loro abitudini, parlare con loro,giocare con i bambini, tutte esperienze che arricchiscono un viaggio e permettono di vivere al meglio il luogo. Per quanto spartane fossero le tea house abbiamo sempre avuto acqua per la doccia,coperte per la notte, buon cibo e ottima accoglienza.
Ringraziamo il signor Ram Hari Koirala e la nostra guida Tika che ci hanno fatto trascorrere in Nepal giorni stupendi.
Michela e Alessio, Settembre 2011
I recently got back from a fantastic trip in Nepal. We really had an amazing time and I cant say enough good things about the team at Great Holidays led by Ram Hari Koirala. From the initial planning stages, Ram worked with us to design a custom made trip which included all the highlights we wanted, but within our limited time (I work for a well known bank and had only 10 days available). We had such a diverse rangof experiences from flying around Mt Everest to white water rafting with camping outdoors along the way. Everyday was a different unique and fulfilling experience. In terms of logistics, the airport pick ups and transports all went totally smoothly, as did the booking of internal flights, the accommodation etc. There was not a single problem and Ram personally made sure everything ran perfectly. I was so impressed that I have told Ram that I am happy that he use me on his website as a reference. It is a first class operation and I do recommend it to anyone wishing a great Nepalese adventure. The photo attached is me bathing with the Elephants in Chitwan.
Matthew Fowler, June , 2011
I would like to use this opportunity to thank Ram and his team at Great Holidays for helping us make a dream come true. Since the 1st e-mail I sent him regarding a short trek in the Himalayas his service was prompt, professional and VERY accommodating. He gave us excellent advice and customized a trip to suite our needs.
From the moment we arrived at the Kathmandu airport, Ram took very good care of us, and we knew we were in caring hands. Our guide, Govinda could not be better – his wisdom, sense of humour (which helped on the last stretch to Namche), knowledge and caring persona made our trip really memorable and one of the highlights in our lives.
Thank you for your excellent service and if we ever decide to visit Nepal again, we will definitely made use of your service, and we will also recommend your company to anyone planning to visit Nepal and the Himalayas. Please feel free to give my contact details to any prospective client who needs a reference.
It really was the trip of a life time and we could not recommend Great Holidays enough!
Thank you once again for the personal, professional and caring service.
Fanie and Engela Cronje
Pretoria – South Africa
May 10 , 2010
Thank you for making my experience in Nepal such an amazing one. Your country is filled of beauty in every sense of the word and it's a place I will always hold close to my heart.
Meghan Powell - Nov 2009
Dear Ram and Govinda,
We are now back to the every-day work in Sweden but our minds are still up in the Nepal mountains.
Our group consisted of six people, four of us 60+ in age and two sons around 25 – 30 years. The preparations started in the fall of 2009. We didn´t want to spend the whole 2010 vacation time, so we were glad to find Great Holidays Mini version of Everest Base Camp Trek which takes You to Namche Bazaar and make day trips from there. During the whole preparation Great Holidays has given very rapid response on our mails and shown great flexibility, particularly when the volcano ash-cloud forced us to delay the trip. Now, after having completed the trip, the delay may have been positive for us since we had excellent weather during the whole 6 days of trekking.
Anyway, we arrived in Kathmandu on a Saturday and were welcomed at the airport by Ram and Govinda (our guide). The next morning we flew to Lukla, and started the walk after an exciting landing. The first night we spend at See You Lodge in Phakding, a simple place but with very nice host people and excellent food. Next day was our first challenge, climbing the mountain up to Namche. We learned that cramp is better cured by Red Bull than by liniment. In Namche we stayed at Buddha Lodge, a “luxury” place with hot shower and a western type toilet.
The first day in Namche is normally a resting day, but with limited time and fine weather we decided to go for the Everest View some 500 m above Namche. It was a magic experience to sit on top of the hill and watch Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. When the day had finished we had also passed Khumjung, seen the yeti skull in the monastery and spend 8 hours walking. The funniest memory from that day was some school girls running past us on their way to school asking us “Why do You walk so slow, when You have such long legs”. No one had a good answer.
As no one was feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness, we decided to use our last day in Namche for a walk to Thame (where Tenzing grew up). That walk offered marvelous views walking up the valley and we even got a look towards Tibet on the hill above Thame. However, the walk was long and hard and it was a tired and quiet group that finished the 10 hour walk. But extremely happy!
The last two days we went back the same way down to Lukla, and sometimes we wondered how we possibly could have walked up these steep paths. Finally we spent a couple of days in Kathmandu, shopping and sightseeing arranged by Great Holidays. The last event was a farewell dinner with traditional Nepalese food and dancing.
The whole trip was very well organized and Great Holidays were always helpful. We found the arrangements very price worthy.
Our guide , Govinda, taught us all about the mountains but also about plants and animals and the friendly people we met. He was a strong guy with a lot of humor, and there were many laughs along the road. Leaving him was like leaving a lifelong friend and I hope we can stay in touch.
This was the perfect trip for a first visit to Nepal and we all felt that we must come back.
Håkan Lindell
Linköping, Sweden
May 24 , 2010
On September 2009, we had the opportunity to organize a trek to Annapurna base camp to Mr Christoph Meister ( with Mrs Meister and a friend ) , a German professor with noble heart and great knowledge . Here is his comments on the trips organized by us. Click
http://www.zauberberg.co.za/yoga/india-nepal-2009/
My family and I engaged Great Holidays Pvt Ltd to organize a Ghorepani/Poon Hill trek and
Chitwan safari holiday in Nepal in September, 2013 and I can heartily recommend them to anyone contemplating a similar journey.
It was not without some reservation we embarked upon such a trip as our party included my
two young grand-daughters who are just 10 and 12,my son and daughter-in-law and my wife and myself(I am 70).
I should not have worried, as thanks to professionalism of the Company’s organization and to our
caring and fun-loving Guides and Porters we had an absolutely marvellous time.
Everything ran to plan with seemingly effortless ease.
Thanks Ram and Staff,can’t wait to return.
Richard Condon and Family.(Australia).
Sept, 2013
Such a amazing holiday Ram, Thank you!
We loved every minute. from the trekking to the sights of Kathmandu and Chitwan national park.
Such a beautiful country to visit.
Donna, Nic, Indigo and Lili Condon
Sept, 2013
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I had the best holiday ever!
It was amazing, we saw beautiful mountains on the Ghorepani trek and enjoyed every second of the adventure.
I would do it all over again any day!
Thank you Great Holidays, Nepal.
Lili Condon ( aged 10 years)
From our initial contact with Great Holidays, we were very impressed with their level of service and quick follow-up. They were very helpful in planning a trip suitable for our family and 3 children under the age of 12. We had some concerns but they provided all the information and support necessary to make for a wonderful trip.
Upon arrival at the airport, they were there 100% of the time to help us, answer questions and guide us. We were well taken care of the entire trip.
They took extra care for us during the trek to insure our children's safety. In fact, the guide and porters played with our children and made it a fabulous experience. We felt that we were in good and caring hands. We hated saying good-bye to them.
Nepal is not an easy place to travel solo so we were very happy to have hired the services of Great Holidays. Their commitment to service and customer satisfaction are above and beyond what we normally experience living in Asia. We whole heartily recommend them for future clients.
Debbie and Brian Eisenach
Americans Living in Singapore - Jan 2010
Ram & Shuk Bir,
I want to thank you for an AMAZING adventure in Nepal. We enjoyed every minute of our trek and our time in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Thanks for the excellent planning and we hope to be back in the future.
Shuk Bir – Thanks for the laughs!
Shawn Fletcher & Hannah Rico
USA, Nov, 2009
"We selected Great Holidays after talking to many trekking companies and asking a lot of questions about the base camp trek to everest. We are absolute amature trekkers and had many trepidations about taking on such a big challange and we initially went with Great Holidays because of the honest, thorough and reassuring answers they gave to our many questions. The actual trek itself totally exceeded our expectations. While the scenery was stunning the standard of service and professionalism that both Ram and our guide Tika made the whole experience even better. It really was the trip of a life time and we could not reccomend Great Holidays enough if you are thinking of trekking inNepal."
Asley Munday and Heidi Hinchliffe
London UK.
Nepal – a trip for the senses!
Whilst sitting in the airport of Latvia I had absolutely no idea what I was to await from the journey to Nepal. It turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life!
The main aspect of my visit to Nepal was to go trekking in the Annapurna region which I found to be a pretty hard thing to do, and I am no couch potato! But the hard work – dragging my body up the mountains was rewarded well with the most beautiful sites that I have ever seen in my life, thus fir recommendation – a camera is your best friend over there!
The things and culture of that part of the world were something completely new to me because I have been always traveling west, but this came as a pleasant surprise. I can say only that a longer review would last 4-5 pages, but for anyone who would like to go there, but hasn’t made up his/her mind, I can say go for it and you will not regret it! I went for it I am completely overwhelmed by this trip and am planning to return in two years time!
I would really like to thank all the people at Great Holidays P. ltd. You made my experience what it was!
Ugis Briedis (Riga, Latvia)
I want to thank you for an AMAZING adventure in Nepal. We enjoyed every minute of our trek and our time in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Thanks for the excellent planning and we hope to be back in the future.
Shuk Bir – Thanks for the laughs!
Shawn Fletcher - USA - Oct 2009
"Be it replying our online enquiries or selecting the services or staffs for us, Ram was very professional , but always in a friendly and helpful way, never impersonal. Our guide Tika showed himself to have vast experience in guiding and one of the highlights of our trip was having lunch and dinner chats with him on all aspects of Nepal . This made our trip go way beyond oggling at the mountains, and gave us a deep appreciation of the beauty and resilence of the country and its people. We always felt taken care of and successfully completed our Annapurna trek even with prior injuries to both knees. The service was really high quality as promised to us before the booking, all programmes went perfectly smooth and we had a wonderful time . We would definitely be back."
- Coral Toh & Terence Teo (Hong Kong), March , 2008
Dear Ram,
It took me quite a few days to put my mind together and step back into my daily life after we arrived back home in Hong Kong. I had so many great impressions about everything we saw on the trip, as well as the whole organization of it, all done by you and your staff. The entire organization was very professional, all the information was correct and accurate, and it was also very pleasant to prepare the trip with you in advance.
Nepal is a truely amazing country. Nature is overwhelmingly beautiful, the mountains are breathtaking. The people are very "warm" people. They made me feel relax and good to be with them. The hiking trails were great, the lodges were fine, the food was good, and we were very lucky to be looked after by Sukbir and "his crew". The sherpas and porters did an excellent job, were very attentative, always ready to help out. They made our trip in a perfect one, a great experience for each one of us. Also Kathmandu was amazing. I will never forget. Many many thanks. I hope to return to Nepal one day with my family, and hope to see you back then! Also, say hi to Sukbir from me!
Warm regards,
Ann Wagemans
It was a fantastic trip to Nepal, extremely well organised and very professionnal, guides and porters very attentive to everybody, I was really impressed by the way they took care of everybody with so much kindness. I always felt safe wherever we went, a no worry trip!!! Even when we had to sleep in Pokhara, everything was handled perfectly. I was overwhelmed by Kathmandu, I still need to cope with it, a very special city.
1000 BRAVO FOR GREAT HOLIDAYS & SHIZEN TREKS
I definetely want to come back to this amazing country and I will definetely use Ram Hari Koirala's services again
Carol Bragagnini
Nepal has been one of my favorite countries that I have ever visited in Asia. It has the perfect combination between nature, with spectacular scenery of the Himalaya view, and the history of all these stunning monuments of Kathmandu. People are very respectful, kind and quiet. It has been a pleasure to have spent few days knowing more about Nepal. In the other hand, my feelings of Nepal after those few days are that the country doesn't move. It looks stuck in the past with few opportunities for its children to have a better future. You don't see the dynamism of Asia in Nepal.
Thanks for your help and Best Regards,
Lurdes Hernanzes
I liked the trip very much, it was so far the best asian experience I've ever had. Your country is wonderful; the scenery is fascinating and the people genuinely warm.
Everything was excellent organized and the teahouses were very clean. Our guide Soubit was concerned about everybody's wellbeing and even though we missed the flight from Pokhara to Katmandu due to the bad weather, he managed to organize a nice restaurant and a decent hotel to stay. Unfortunately he didn't speak enough English to explain more about the trip and his country. The guide in Kathmandu was excellent!
Thank you for a great experience! I will keep the memories about Nepal alive.
gabrielle bischof
Dear Ram,
The trip with our hiking group to Nepal was a very good experience. It's actually still sinking in.
From the side of Great Holidays Nepal everything was very well organized and it's difficult to think of something which was not ok.
Since I cannot think of any complaints or what so ever I would like to take this opportunity to make a few remarks which you could maybe use for future reference.
We stayed in Gorephani in 'Hotel Snowland'. Although a very nice place and just the right spot to be if you want to climb Poonhill to see the sunrise, we found it extremely crowded over here with (too) many other tourists. Maybe it's the best place in the village to stay, Sugbir told us it was the oldest place, more atmosphere etc. but with so many teahouses around there might be an alternative.
Regarding starting the day very early to see the sunrise (in Gorephani), maybe better to start the day even a bit earlier so people have a chance to get some coffee or tea before the climb. For me personally this climb to the top in the early morning was the hardest part of our trip. Having nothing to eat or drink in advance did not make it easier…This is not a complaint, just something to consider.
Probably for many tourists the same, it's overwhelming to see the beautiful nature but at the same time you experience that local people are very poor, kids do not go to school and are not always in good health, no clean water etc. Although many from our group brought little treats for especially the kids, could it be an idea to inform groups in advance about what is best to bring to try to support the local people. I did see that kids really preferred sweets but this does not help at all to improve living standards.
This is it from my side; it was an unforgettable trip with many impressions. I hope to come back in the near future with my family.
Please give also my warmest regards to Sugbir who was a very pleasant guide for our group.
With respect for you travel agency,
Warmest regards,
Alida Blijdorp
Hong Kong, 20 April 2008
We did Annapurna sanctuary with Great holidays in April 2005 .It was one of the best holidays we had ever had .The mountains were more beautiful than we had expected.The service was professional and well organised .The guide and porters were very friendly and worked hard. We would be happy to recommend Great holidays for any one thinking of a Nepal trek.
- Mark and Susane , Uk
Testimonial in Bhasa Malaysia
Pada bulan December 2008, baru baru ini, saya dan keluarga saya seramai 6 orang dan 3 lagi rakan rakan saya telah melancong ke Nepal. Kami telah diberi nombor telefon Agency Great Holidays, Pvt.Ltd oleh rakan kami yang telah menggunakan perkhidmatan Agency ini. Kami berhubung dengan tuan punya agency, Mr. Ram Hari Koirala yang telah mencadangkan kami tempat tempat pelancungan yang amat menakjubkan. Kami pun bersetuju dengan itinerary yang telah disyorkan oleh kerana tempat tempat yang disyorkan adalah amat popular dan mempunyai pandangan scenery yang amat mengkagumkan. Perbelanjaan yang dibentangkan amat memuaskan dan tidak membebankan kami.
Di Nepal, kami tidak menghadapi apa apa masalah kerana perjalanan kami mengikut itinerary yang diberikan dan menepati masa. Hotel yang diberi untuk penginapan kami amat memuaskan dan kami juga diberi tour guide yang mengetahui sejarah tempat yang kami melancung dan semua tour guide kami amat peramah.
Saya dan keluarga saya amat berpuas hati dengan perkhidmatan Mr. Ram Hari Koirala dari Agency pelancungan Great Holidays Pvt. Ltd dan kami mengesyorkan kepada sesiapa untuk mengambil perkhidmatannya apabila ke Nepal kerana perkhidmatannya boleh diberi tahap A+++.
Hardev Kaur , Pradip and the Family
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dear Ram,
It’s a great experience in Nepal and it’s one of the best trips I have ever had. Thank you very much for your good organization. Even though we experienced a strike and nearly all transports were suspended, you were able to make us go through it smoothly. Without your good planning, our trip would have been in a disaster. People in Nepal are really nice and the foods are pretty delicious. The spectacular scenery of the Himalaya view will stay in my memory forever. Ram is an efficient and smart person and he can reply your e-mail in a very short time.
他們的價錢亦十分合理.
With best regards,
Lap Ming & wife from Hong Kong
January , 2010
Testimonial in Chinese
MS Ruth Huang
Shanghai , China October 2009
Sightseeing Tours
Other Adventures
Nepal is best known for the world's highest mountains and beautiful trekking trails but we have a great variety of experiences to offer to the visitors .Kathmandu and the nearby towns of Patan and Bhaktapur are regarded as open museum of medieval arts and architecture , boasting a total of seven UNESCO world heritage sites.