It is very difficult to express how I feel about this trip in words! Simply amazing, stunning, and a trip of a lifetime. Views got better and better by the minute honestly. I joined 4 other friends on this trip, and we were joined by 2 others assigned by Ace. This was a great group size, not too big and not too small, and we all got along so well together.
Nimesh, our guide, was our fearless leader and was no less than perfect. His >10 years of experience shows. Yes, he knows the mountains (and “hills”) like the back of his hand and his knowledge of them is vast, but his love for them is obvious, and being around that energy is just simply fun! 🙂 He answered so many questions, including the classic “can you see Everest?” about 100 times. Sundeep was our sherpa / guide-in-training, and was a very helpful and so fun addition to our crew!
I will not lie, the altitude is difficult, but most of our group of 5 did not take part in serious training for the trek (acknowledging we are in our late 20s/early 30s). All of our crew took diamox starting before or in Namche Bazaar. One of our crew had a good case of altitude sickness the last couple of days (headache, nausea/vomiting, exhaustion), but we always felt safe in the hands of Nimesh, and he provided great guidance. This member did not make it to Kala Patthar the last day, but made it to base camp!
If financially possible, would recommend helicopter ride from Gorak Shep to Lukla, as it takes off the last few days of long treks (although altitude does get better!). But we were pretty exhausted by day 12 (kala patthar), so it was really nice to skim off those last few days.
Bucket list, breath-taking, jaw-dropping Everest sunrise views from Kala Patthar on the last day. We had the most clear day of the trek on this day, and it was beautiful. This particular day, although short, is very difficult given elevation (>5000 m) and elevation gained (think >300 m in a few hrs). Stay safe and take breaks as needed. Worth the views if able to complete!
I would say one of the most impressive parts of this trip was the seamlessness and not having to take on the brunt of decision making/figuring things out. We had a bit of a hiccup in the first portion of the trip that due to weather conditions/smog, there were no flights out of Ramecchap to Lukla. There were not any the next day, so we did pay additional $ for a helicopter flight from Ramecchap to Lukla. Also ended up doing additional helicopter on the way back (helicopter from Gorak Shep to Lukla [part of the 12 day trip booked], then also Lukla to Kathmandu), as we were worried that catching a flight from Lukla to Rhamecchap would be too risky. Given these hiccups, I would recommend either leaving a least a FEW additional days of wiggle days at the end of the trip in case travel is delayed or just planning for helicopter in and out. We had only left 1 wiggle day room, which we used up at the beginning. All this is to say, Nimesh made this whole process clear and smooth for us. We did make the decisions about whether and when to do the helicopters, but he figured it all out for us once we came to a decision. In addition, there was no pressure to do the helicopter bookings. He figured everything we needed to do in the airports (which is a hectic crazy place!). Along these lines, the entire trip was seamless. Ace and Nimesh figured everything out for us and provided us great guidance – what time to get up for the morning, what tea house we were staying in, what to wear for the day, what and when to eat – it made it easy to just be able to focus on trekking, friends, the beautiful views, staying warm, and eating delish food!
I was suspicious of all the amazing reviews when booking our trip, but now I understand! Highly recommend Ace for a trip of a lifetime!
