Testimonials
RECOMMENDATION LETTER IN GERMAN LANGUAGE:
I'm happy to write a recommendation fro Niru and his trekking agency. I know Niru since 1994, when I mad my first trekking with him arround
Dhaulagiri and to Mustang.In this time he worked for a big German trekking agency - Henkalaya and was its best guide. Later Henkalaya solved his contract with Gorkha Trekking (the old agency
for which Niru worked - this was a problem of the chief of the agency and not of Niru.Since this time Niru started to work with a own agency. We had a lot of very nice trekking tours together. Niru has very big experience, because he started as porter, worked as guide assistent, cook (he is a excellent cook) and guide for trekking groups and mountian climbing (Everest, Pumori, Ama Dablam, ...). His trekking tours have a excellent service (good tents, very soft matrasses, good dining tent, ....and many things, where I think it isn't necessary). But he provides also for Nepalesian relation good equipment for his stuff (tents, clothing, ...). He has good relations to his stuff. Many come from his village in Solu area or this reagion. Often I walked with the same people, they like to work for Niru, because he pay a fair price. Neverless Niru makes good trekking prices, because he know very well the market and isn't interested to earn the big money. In Dolpo we met a French group, which lost their porters. Our porters helped them oin their rest day. Next day all were back to go with us.From his income Niru supports the school in his village and pay the teacher.Trekking with Niru and his stuff is like trekking with friends. Also his other guides are excellent - trained by Niru, some are coming from his village.
They and Niru speak quite good English.For our last tours aside of the normal trails Niru or one of his friends went to check the way. Niru has become a really good friend of me. I was lucky
to invite him also to Germany. What I believe, there is no other agency in Nepal with this experiences which offer such a good service for a very
good price and with such very kindly people.You can find other cheap agency, also some good, also some kindly people, but not this combination.
All guests of Niru, which I know were very happy with his tours.With Niru you can't make a mistake. I wish you nice vacations in this wonderful country with these nice people.
If I can do something for you, you need more information about trekking in Nepal ... let it me know.
Best regrads
Holger
Germany
I have been asked by my friend Niru Rai to tell you something about my experience with his company. It's my pleasure to inform you accordingly
even many of my very good feelings are not easy to describe:I am 40 years old, live and work in Germany and I love Nepal.
I've made three treks (2001Dolpo, 2003 Katchenjunga, 2004 Manaslu) with him and his team. Those treks have become the most beautiful
experiences I have ever made so far. The people are one of the gentlestone I got to know yet. Trekking along the Himalaya you meet people who
still live many years behind present, but you find them very kind and hearty. They don't need a lot of things to be happy and free.
The countryside is very nice and the best I could see yet. Even though I have been to a lot of other countries as well. I love the mountains and the
altitude. Niru did his best to give us a deep touch of all the local specialties. He and his guides always have been available to help us and to please us
with their sense of humor and cheerfulness. They offered us every kind of assistance and we all felt safe and best guided. My next trek will be organised by Niru again; I can not imagine a
better all round service.I hope this will help you for your decision. I strongly recommend this experienced and warmhearted friend and his company. No doubt about it.
If you have further questions please don't hesitate to contact me. Best regards and best experiences in Nepal
Peter Desing
German
RECOMMENDATION LETTER IN GERMAN LANGUAGE:
Hallo Greet und Kurt aus Belgien,
ich möchte mich wieder bei euch melden,
um einige Sachen von Nepal und einige Erfahrungen zu schicken.
Ich war bereits viermal in Nepal.
2001 Tibet - danach am Everest
2003 am Kangchendzönga
2004 am Manaslu
2006 im Humla-Gebiet mit Kailash
Seit 2003 reise ich mit Geo Adventure Treks,
der Trekkingfirma von Niru Rai aus Kathmandu.
Ich habe mit dieser Agentur sehr gute Erfahrungen gemacht,
angefangen vom Super-Service über die herzlichen
Beziehungen, auch privat, zu den Mitarbeitern,
den Guides, dem Küchenpersonal und den Trägern.
Empfehlen kann ich unbedingt, Zelttrekking zu machen,
auch am Everest,
weil dann die Erlebnisse am intensivsten und besten sind:
Man ist autark, unabhängig von den Lodges.
Man kommt kaum mit den anderen Touristen in Berührung.
In den Lodges sitzt man meist gedrängt zwischen
vielen Touristen und wartet stundenlang auf sein Essen.
Beim Zelttrekking kocht ein eigener Koch
jeden Tag andere feine Menüs in mehreren Gängen.
Es ist auch garantiert, dass das Essen so zubereitet ist,
das man keine Magenprobleme und keinen Durchfall bekommt.
Wasser wird immer abgekocht, die Teller und Bestecks über Dampf sterilisiert.
Das ist in den Hütten meist nicht der Fall.
Siehe auch Anhang.
Ich lege euch einige Anhänge ins email,
hoffe, ihr könnt alles gut lesen und verstehen.
Wanderkarten sind in Kathmandu in bester Qualität erhältlich.
Und noch eins, zu den Preisen:
Ich habe oft Preise verglichen zwischen den großen Reisebüros,
den Ein-Mann-Reiseveranstanstaltern aus Deutschland,
sowie Adventure Geo Treks.
Die Unterschiede bei den großen Reisen von 30 Tagen
sind da schon mal bei 1000 Euros und mehr.
Lege auch die englischen Empfehlungen von meinen Reisebegleitern
Peter Desing aus Bonn und Holger Bischoff aus Karlsruhe bei,
auf dem Foto 301-11A im Anhang sind wir drei 2003 am Manaslu-Trek zu sehen.
Wenn ihr noch Fragen habt, bitte meldet euch.
Ihr werdet die Reise mit Niru´s Organisation nach Nepal an den Everest
nicht bereuen, sondern in ewiger Erinnerung behalten, das verspreche ich.
Mit herzlichen Trekking-Grüßen
Teuchi aus Deutschland
Klaus Teuchert
Bahnstr. 27
09116 Chemnitz
In last october we have spend 3 weeks in upper Dolpo region with the crew of Adventure geo trek. They have demonstrated an extreme professionality and skill even in tough situations. Excellent comfort and food compared to the severe conditions we were.
We hardly recommend them and wish you a happy trek.
Luigi and Lella Borroni,
9 via villa della Regina,
10131, Turin, Italy
Niru Rai is the director of Adventure Geo Treks in Nepal, who organized our expedition to Tibet and West Nepal. naturally, Niru is also keen to take advantage of any good ideas that will be of benefit to the business and would be interested to take up discussion with you and G&M to see what can be done.
as a personal note from myself:
i am aware that there are many trek/adventure/expedition companies out there whose main interest is to pocket a client's money and then forget about him as fast as possible. my experiences on our Kilimanjaro and Tibet expeditions proved Adventure Geo Treks and Gane & Marshall to be very professional and we were very well taken care of and very satisfied! i believe that if you are able to work out some good ideas and are able to put them into action together, these are definitely two companies that show character worthy of working with eachother and i'm sure that clients doing business with either you will come out very satisfied. (otherwise i would not have mentioned the idea of introducing you.)
I wish you best of luck and success and if there is anything you think I could be of assistance with don't hesitate to contact me. ...and of course I'd be interested hear if there are any positive developments.
Ken
United Kingdom
We can recommend Niru Rai and his Firm highly. They are very reliable and give an individual and personal service. We felt they were very concerns about giving us a pleasant holiday. They are skilful and experienced, knowing a lot about the mountains. They made our trip to Kalapattar and the stay in Kathmandu very successful. We will use Niru next time going back.
If You have any questions, don't hesitate to make an inquiry.
We wish You good luck.
Per Reidar Andersen
Norwey
In last october we have spend 3 weeks in upper Dolpo region with the crew of Adventure geo trek. They have demonstrated an extreme professionality and skill even in tough situations. Excellent comfort and food compared to the severe conditions we were.
We hardly recommend them and wish you a happy trek.
Luigi and Lella Borroni,
9 via villa della Regina,
10131, Turin, Italy
Niru Rai is the director of Adventure Geo Treks in Nepal, who organized our expedition to Tibet and West Nepal. naturally, Niru is also keen to take advantage of any good ideas that will be of benefit to the business and would be interested to take up discussion with you and G&M to see what can be done.
as a personal note from myself:
i am aware that there are many trek/adventure/expedition companies out there whose main interest is to pocket a client's money and then forget about him as fast as possible. my experiences on our Kilimanjaro and Tibet expeditions proved Adventure Geo Treks and Gane & Marshall to be very professional and we were very well taken care of and very satisfied! i believe that if you are able to work out some good ideas and are able to put them into action together, these are definitely two companies that show character worthy of working with eachother and i'm sure that clients doing business with either you will come out very satisfied. (otherwise i would not have mentioned the idea of introducing you.)
I wish you best of luck and success and if there is anything you think I could be of assistance with don't hesitate to contact me. ...and of course I'd be interested hear if there are any positive developments.
Ken
United Kingdom
We can recommend Niru Rai and his Firm highly. They are very reliable and give an individual and personal service. We felt they were very concerns about giving us a pleasant holiday. They are skilful and experienced, knowing a lot about the mountains. They made our trip to Kalapattar and the stay in Kathmandu very successful. We will use Niru next time going back.
If You have any questions, don't hesitate to make an inquiry.
We wish You good luck.
Per Reidar Andersen
Norwey
Reference letter from Robert.
Dear Niru,
I gave Jeff my opinion on your company and your skills. You find the text
below. I hope you are fine.
Best wishes
Robert
Dear Jeff,
my friends and I have been several times trekking in Nepal and before we met
Niru 2004 we had two agencies who organized our treks. 2001 we did the
Dhaulagiri circuit. On the way it turned out that our sirdar had not enough
food to allow us to gain hight slowly. Thus one porter and one of my friends
had quite severe problems with the high altitude in hidden valley. Another
time with a different agency when surrounding Manaslu the Sirdar did not
really know his way around und the the only mountain he could name was
Manaslu.
So it was a new experience to have the trek oranized by Niru. 2004 we
trekked the Everest region by going from Lukla via Renjo La and Cho La to
Island peak. Our Sirdar was Ganesh, a nephew of Niru. He knew every stone on
the way and organized the trek very well. Our groop was trekking during the
daytime on its own with two guides, but the kitchen crew always was waiting
for us to serve us a late breakfast and a meal in the early afternoon. The
porters always reached the campground in time and were well equipped. The
two-men tents as well as the rest of the equipment were in a good shape(we
especially appreciated the hot water bottles before going into the cold
sleeping bags). Ganesh did a very good job when we climbed Island peak. Here
you have the possibility to go up there from base camp, which means an
ascent from 5000 m to 6200 m and back in one day which can be very hard. A
better alternative is to go to high camp which is at 5500 m. If you start
early you can be alone on the top of the mountain. One problem is that quite
a lot of people want to go to high camp, but there is only space for a few
tents. Somehow Ganesh managed to set up our tents plus kitchen tent (!!) in
time and in addition fixed ropes for us along quite a steep slope which is
situated below the peak. The kitchen crew managed to cook a good meal in the
evening before our ascent.
In summary, I don't think you can do wrong if you let Niru organize your
trek.
Best wishes and have a good trip
Niru,
I have now sent the message below to over 300 friends. I hope you
enjoyed it and that it may help to develop future business for Adventure
Geo Treks. Jeff
To: friends in address book
We anticipated arriving in the midst of a country in civil war,
if our flights would get us into Nepal. Instead, our group of 5
middle-aged men arrived in Katmandu on Apr 28, two days after King
Gyanendra gave up absolute power and recalled the Nepalese parliament.
In the preceding weeks hundreds of thousands of demonstrators had daily
taken over the streets to protest the King's abuse of power. The King
had ordered the military to shoot demonstrators, and 17 pro-democracy
demonstrators were killed by soldiers. The massive street demonstrations
were the culmination of a growing hostility of the people toward the
King's antidemocratic practices and his inability to quell the Maoist
insurrection, which had spread from certain rural provinces to most of
the country.
By the time we arrived in Ktm the demonstrations had ended, the
Maoists had declared a 90-day truce, and the major democratic parties had
agreed to reconvene Parliament. We found a people delighted with the
prospect of lasting peace and excited about the restoration of democracy.
Our conversations with Nepalese revealed a deep distrust of the King and
hope that the Maoists will be integrated into the political process.
We learned that tourism was down by 75%, and there had been
cancellations of 50% of booked expeditions. (Two members of our original
group of 7 had cancelled out of security concerns just before the
declaration of peace.) There were fewer Westerners in Ktm than I'd seen
in my 6 expeditions to Nepal, and other than a few intrepid Israelis, our
members were the only non-locals on the trails. The fewer trekkers on
the trails made narrow bridge crossings quicker and easier, and finding
times & places to pee along the trail without being seen by others was
less challenging. With fewer customers in the teahouses and our group
monopolizing campsites, our all-male group also enjoyed unrestrained
farting & belching, which is always enhanced by altitude and unfamiliar
foods.
After settling in at the Katmandu Guest House and sharing tea
with my friend Uttam, the hotel manager, we spent a couple days
sightseeing in Ktm, led by Sangha, a guide supplied by our Nepali
expedition co., Adventure Geo Treks. We viewed cremations at Pashupati
on the banks of the Baghmati, ate lunch overlooking the giant stupa at
Bouddhanath, and walked among the monkeys in the high temples of
Swoyambho. Particularly interesting to me was an audience at Pashupati
with the Milk Baba, a Hindu holy man who has consumed no food or drink
other than milk for over 25 years. He is slim, healthy, an engaging
conversationalist (thru an interpreter), and offered to prepare a meal
for us and his disciples, although he wouldn't partake.
We flew up into the high Himalaya and landed on the airstrip in
the Sherpa village of Lukla. While the views from the twin-prop plane
are spectacular, the landing is always a big thrill as the runway begins
above a sheer drop-off of hundreds of feet and ends at a cliff-face, so
there is no room for pilot error.
In Lukla we met up with our crew of porters, cook & kitchen
staff, sirdar (head guide) and climbing guide, 17 in all, provided by
Adventure Geo Treks, who would tend to all our needs over the next 15
days of hiking, camping & climbing. Nepali expedition companies run
treks and mountaineering expeditions in the British tradition, which
assumes that clients will engage in challenging hiking or climbing but
expect to be well fed and pampered at the end of the day. While our
porters carried 60 to 80 lbs of supplies up steep and hazardous trails,
we carried only day packs with as much or as little as we chose. One of
our members even had our sirdar, Ganesh, carry his day pack each day due
to a flare up of low back pain.
We spent the first two days trekking the Everest Base Camp trail
through the lower Khumbu region, spending the nights at the Sherpa
villages of Phak Ding and Namche Bazaar, the trading center of Sherpa and
Tibetan commerce along the Base Camp trail. On our "rest day" in Namche
Ganesh led us on a 4-hour day hike up to the Everest View Hotel for
lunch, then through the village of Khumjung, where we viewed the
famous/infamous Yeti skull and the first Hillary school for Sherpa
children. [I gave pens, colored pencils and magic markers to all the
children I met, partly as bribes for photo ops, as I hope to create a
photo exhibit of the children's faces of Nepal with Bateman Photography.]
That evening we visited the most famous resident of Namche, Gheylsan
Sherpa, who served as one of the three high altitude porters on the first
summit of Mt. Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. I
had met and interviewed Gheylsan in 2003 for an article I was writing,
and had brought him a copy of the April 2003 edition of Outside Magazine,
which had his picture on the cover, but which he had not seen. He had
kept the worn and tattered copy of the magazine by his side these three
years. His family was delighted with our visit, and served us salted yak
butter tea (which we politely choked down) and cookies. Gheylsan and his
wife are quite old for Sherpas (late 80s in a country with average
life-span of 49), and he has hearing problems. As we left, Mark & Vitto
asked me whether we ought to offer them a gift of money, which I
summarily dismissed as inappropriate. But then we conferred as a group
outside the house, and Ganesh told us that it would be well received.
Ganesh and I returned with a gift of 2,000 rupees (just under $30 US)
from our group, and Gheylsan was so touched he leaped from his seat to
present me with a kata (traditional silk scarf) in appreciation.
The next day we branched off the main trail onto a trail new to
me; the Gokyo trail. The altitude and wear on middle-aged bodies began
taking their toll on our group, as Greg developed severe cold-like
symptoms and migraines and I started suffering pressure headaches. Greg
and I spent a recovery day in the stream-side village of Machermo, while
the others trekked on to Gokyo. The following morning, Bill, Mark &
Vitto hiked to the top of Gokyo Ri (5360 me; 17,581 ft), while Greg and I
caught up with them for lunch in Gokyo. Beautiful blue lakes -- water on
top of the world -- surround Gokyo.
We camped in a yak pasture, called Dragnag, the following night.
Vitto confessed over breakfast he'd acquired a severe case of yak-phobia
-- he'd spent the night with a trekking pole in his hand convinced that a
giant yak would break thru his tent and gore him. In the morning we
scramble climbed up the Cho La, one of the highest and steepest passes in
the region (5330 me; 17,482 ft). I was the weeny of Cho La as I'd
developed a sinus infection, which sapped my strength, and I had a very
difficult time reaching the pass. Our cook, Dorge, showed great patience
and sensitivity by staying near me as I struggled to the top of the pass,
but without humiliating me with offers of assistance.
We were tested severely with two consecutive very long and
difficult days of hiking and scramble climbing. Mark, a reserve colonel
in the USMC, attested that the two days were the most physically
challenging of his life and more difficult than Marine boot camp. When
asked how hard it would be to climb Lobuche East (our planned climbing
peak), Ganesh replied with a cheery laugh, that it would be at least 150%
harder than Cho La. Mark and Vitto decided that their goal to experience
the Himalayas had been met, and they preferred to pass on attempting the
climb. In the morning they trekked out with our climbing guide, Norbu,
and part of the crew to head back to Lukla. Bill had not intended to
attempt the climb of Lobuche, so he took our English-speaking porter,
Gopal, and headed up to Everest Base Camp, which was his ultimate goal of
the trek having previously visited the Tibetan side of Chomolungma
(Everest). Greg and I decided we would lower our sights from Lobuche
East (6119 me; 20,070 ft) to the less difficult Pokalde Peak (5806 me;
19,044 ft), which I had climbed in 1998.
To reach Pokalde base camp, the rest of the crew, Greg and I had
to scramble up yet a higher pass, Kongma La (5535 me; 18,155 ft).
Although Greg's cold symptoms returned, he and Ganesh went out on the
snow fields and practiced with ice axe & crampons after we arrived in
base camp. I spent about 18 hrs. huddled in my sleeping bag trying to
rest & regain strength for the climb. In the morning Greg decided not to
chance it, so Ganesh and I went up Pokalde at sunrise; the only ones on
the mountain. It was partly cloudy, so our views of the Everest Massif
and the other 8,000 meter peaks in the area were a bit disappointing, but
the final fifty feet of free climbing rock at over 19,000 feet was one
hell of an adrenaline rush.
I collapsed into my tent totally exhausted after our descent,
requesting only a wash bowl & puke pan. I wanted to lie in my tent the
rest of the day, but, unfortunately, our climbing permit was for Lobuche,
not Pokalde, and another team had crested Kongma La just after Ganesh and
I descended, and Ganesh wanted us out of base camp before the other group
set up its camp and came over to ours asking questions. [We could be
fined and Ganesh's guiding license would be at risk for climbing without
a permit.] So, after 1/2 hr rest we hurriedly broke camp and began the
trek out to Dengboche. Ganesh and I fell behind the rest of our crew as
I was laboring at such a slow pace. We got lost in dense fog and had to
navigate by listening for the roar of the rushing Imja Khola river, fed
by the glacier runoff from Everest. What should have been a 3.5 hr
descent to Dengboche turned into 5 hrs of blindly picking our way down
rocky mountainsides. While I got grumpier by the hour on exhausted legs,
a sweet smile reposed on Ganesh's face and words of encouragement and
jokes spilled from his lips -- so typical of the strength and sensitivity
I have experienced in Nepalese guides. I rewarded myself with my 2d
bucket shower of the trek in Dengboche.
Reunited with Bill and Gopal, we trekked through a vast and
blooming rhododendron forest to the Buddhist convent at Deboche and then
to Tengboche Monastery. We camped on the monastery grounds from where
one can see the majestic white peaks of the greatest mountains in the
world, Everest, Lhotse, Lhotse Shar, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Pumo Ri, etc.
In the morning Ganesh and I obtained a private audience with the
High Lama, Rimpoche Tenzing, who presides over Tengboche Monastery and is
the most revered lama of the Sherpa people. I presented him with a copy
of The Chrysalis Reader, a book of essays, including one written by me
about the 50th Anniversary celebration of the first summit of Mt. Everest
at Tengboche Monastery in 2003, which Lama Tenzing and Peter Hillary had
hosted. Lama Tenzing seemed quite pleased to receive the book, and spent
an hour in conversation with me (Ganesh interpreting). When asked what
message I might take from him to friends in the US, he replied, "Tell
everyone to cultivate love in their hearts. Tell the truth. And promote
love in the heart and truth telling through religious discipline."
We returned to Namche Bazaar and were lucky in our timing to be
there for the Saturday market. But it was not as lively as I have seen
it in the past, as there were so few tourists and the Tibetan traders,
who hike all the way from Tibet to trade with the Sherpas, were few in
number, we were told, because the Nepal government now refuses them entry
as the Tibetans don't pay taxes.
Our hike back to Lukla ended with the last hour in pouring rain,
a good sign that it was time to go home. We had a final night in a lodge
with hot showers and a final dinner with our crew; dancing & singing led
by Norbu and his 100 verses of "Resper, resper, resperee, sometimes
monkey, sometimes donkey ..."
Back in Ktm we reunited with Sangha for more sightseeing in
Pataan and Bakhtapur, temple cities in the Katmandu Valley. Bill, Greg &
I explored more of Ktm on foot and trawled Thamel, Durbar Square & Durbar
Marg for presents to take home. Our last dinner was at Niru Rai's house
with his family, Ganesh & Sangha. Niru is the owner of Adventure Geo
Treks. The feast consisted of too many courses to count and many glasses
of Mrs. Niru's home-brewed rakshi.
My relationship with Niru began 9 months ago by email, when I
discovered his company in my research of Nepali expedition companies. I
determined that his co. would provide the best experience to our group.
We were not disappointed, as the crew performed above our expectations.
The food that came out of Dorge's makeshift kitchens each day was
extraordinary. Ganesh's cheerful leadership and the crew's typically
happy & considerate Nepali personality encouraged our own good humor
every day. And we were treated with surprising extras like hot water
bottles & liners for our sleeping bags each night and gifts of t-shirts &
duffels at the end of the trek.
Although, all the guys agreed that "the best experiences of the
trek were the hardest days," the next time, I intend to include more rest
days between hard days. And I do regret that none of the other guys were
able to experience the technical climb of a Himalayan peak.
After our dinner at Niru's, Bill and I walked the darkened
streets of Thamel one last time and treated ourselves to a Guinness at
Thamel's "authentic" Irish pub. We remarked on how much safer we felt at
night on streets in Nepal than we would in American cities, noting that
this is a culture in which busy vehicle traffic stops to allow animals
safe passage and only the military & the Maoists have guns.
Namaste,
Jeff Rasley, May 2006
Note: Juno anti-spam rules limits transmission to 25 recipients per
delivery.
"...there is something in man which responds
to the challenge of this mountain...
the struggle is the struggle of life itself
upward and forever upward..."
George Mallory
Namaste Niru,
I just wanted to thank you and all of the fine people in your
organization for the best trek I have ever been on.
I have taken treks all ovver the world and have travelled to 81
countries in my lifetime. Your organization is the VERY BEST travel
company I have ever dealt with. Your attention to detail is
unsurpassed.
The entire group had a fantastic evening at your home and it was most
kind of your wife to cook for us. It was a memorable experience and an
evening I shall never forget.
I was sad when Ganesh took me to the airport as I realized this
wonderful journey through Nepal was coming to an end. I assure you that
you will see me again in 2008 either with a trip Jeff has arranged or on
a trip I will coordinate directly with you.
Thank you again for makiing this a very special trip. I had a
fantastic time. Please have any potential clients contact me for future
references as my experience with your organization was exceptional.
Kind regards from Los Angeles,
Jay Almer
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