Soul Himalaya Treks &Tours Reviews

First Time In Nepal!
Incredible experience heightened by the brilliant guidance and organization of Sarki Sherpa with Soul Himalayas Treks and Tours! If you are in the market for a trip of a lifetime, give this company a go and by all means, try to grab Sarki as your guide as he truly knows his stuff, is hilarious and considers safety paramount. There is your trip of a lifetime in a nutshell! No higher recommendation!

Amazing and unforgettable.
This company is literally the soul of Nepal. The guides and sherpas are caring, professional and highly knowledgable. Their expertise made the trip highly enjoyable and care free for me because they took care of the planning and safety issues. The itinerary was impeccable and took into consideration all our wishes. They handled the logistics- no easy task in Nepal from our arrival right up to our flight departure. I have travelled twice with them including two treks and a safari. Looking forward to a third experience soon. Hands down: the best around!

Outstanding Trekking & Tour Safety
I have been using Soul Himalaya Treks & Tours (SHT&T), for treks and excursions throughout Nepal since their inception. I have found the management and staff to be reliable, with qualified guides, porters, drivers, and other resources. I have traveled with SHT&T in small groups, and on my own, and I can honestly say that safety and my wellbeing has been at the forefront. The guides and personnel at Soul Himalaya are well trained and accomplished in first aid, CPR, evacuation techniques, and treatment for altitude sickness. SHT&T has the clients’ best interest in mind. My guides have always brought any concerns or possible dangers to the table for discussion. I listen to their recommendations as they KNOW the country and the rugged truth of traveling in Nepal. I have never doubted my safety, security, or their ability to seek care for me, whether on the trail or around the city. I am 100% confident that travelers are in great hands with Soul Himalaya Treks & Tours. I would not hesitate to book with this company again and again.

Wonderful experience by a local guide to Mardi Himal Base Camp
It was a wonderful experience. We did the Mardi Himal trek up to the Mardi Himal Base Camp from Pokhara in 7 days. Pemba guided us and anticipated all our needs. He created a friendly atmosphere and such a great spirit within our 4 person group, which was both French and English speaking, although that was not a problem since Pemba speaks both languages. We also had an assistant guide and two porters. We discovered the wonderful balcony of the Annapurna with many explanations on the Himalaya, the different summits and the culture of the area and of Nepal. We could not have asked for more. Besides the trek, we also visited Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan and Pokhara. Every time we were accompanied by a guide who gave us rich and detailed explanations. Every day of the trip brought new discoveries, both cultural and sportive. I can only recommend Soul Himalaya and Pemba and for sure, when back to Nepal, I’ll be with them!

5 stars
I have travelled with Soul Himalaya twice now. They are a fantastic team and they have exceeded my expectations and become great friends. I am pretty scared of heights and they did everything to manage this and I have had two successful Treks as a result. One to Mardi Himal and one to Everest Base Camp. I never thought I’d be able achieve this. Thanks to Balu, my guide and Sarki and the rest of the team for making my experience in Nepal so memorable. Looking forward to the next one.

Find another company
I have thought carefully about writing this review for a few months now. I’ve kept the details down to the key points, but believe me when I say I have far more issues with this company than what I have detailed in this review. I booked Soul Himalaya for an Everest Base Camp trek with one companion. I am a 38-year-old male living an active lifestyle. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week, combining cardio and weights, and I train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at least once a week. I frequently engage in outdoor activities, including day hikes, and I had summited Mt. Kilimanjaro a few years ago, so I am no stranger to trekking. I consider myself a relatively active, healthy person. I had been looking forward to this trek as a bucket list item for quite some time. I booked the trip with a friend who regularly hikes with me and had previously used Soul Himalaya with the guide Balu. From the start of the trek, we maintained a very fast pace, which was somewhat surprising. Perhaps Balu, being familiar with my friend (who is a personal trainer and a very fit individual), assumed the pace would be fine. To put this in perspective, on day 2 we completed what was scheduled to be an 8-hour hike in under 5 hours. This included an elevation gain of 1000m, and we did it without a lunch break. By the time I reached Namche, it was evident something was wrong with my health. I couldn’t recover my breath, and there was an audible crackling/bubbling when I breathed. Balu attributed this to pollen, allergies, and had even suggested it was a lack of fitness. Either way he assured me I would likely sleep it off. The next day, I had not recovered. I was extremely short of breath, especially with minor exertions such as walking up stairs. I visited the hospital in Namche, where it was confirmed I had high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) in one lung. While this is always a risk at high altitude, the risk increases significantly when ascending too quickly. I was frustrated because I was only at around 3400m and had another 2000m elevation and several days to climb to base camp. The doctor suggested an extra day of acclimatization, but Balu took control of the conversation, speaking to the doctor in Nepali and essentially excluding me. Balu then told me we could continue the trek if I paced myself slowly. When I asked the doctor, he advised I needed to look after myself. The hike to the next checkpoint was gruelling. Scheduled for 6 hours, it took me around 8. Along the way, I watched significantly older and less fit individuals pass me with ease. comparatively, it was quite clear to me that I was not in good shape. Upon reaching Phortse, a guide from another trekking company noticed my condition, checked my blood oxygen with his portable device, which was something that my guide did not have in his kit. He not only expressed concern that my blood oxygen was extremely low, but he also expressed concern over my guide Balu and his competency. The next leg to Dingboche was equally difficult, and upon arrival, I insisted on visiting the hospital despite Balu's attempts to convince me to rest instead. At the hospital, I was diagnosed with HAPE in both lungs, with blood oxygen around 80%. The doctor was alarmed I had gotten as far as I had and warned that continuing further could result in cardiac arrest. He recommended helicopter evacuation to Kathmandu for treatment, as hiking my way back to Lukla airport would take several days and would be risky. The helicopter flight was several thousand US dollars; I was lucky I had good travel insurance. Once in Kathmandu, I was then advised to reschedule my flight home cutting my holiday short. The entire trip was a disaster from start to finish. To make matters worse, it took around 6 weeks for my lungs to recover. I can only speculate how everything went so wrong, but one thing I am certain of is that I would NEVER recommend this company. TL;DR: I was diagnosed with HAPE very early in the trip. My guide was either inexperienced or apathetic to my illness. Following his instructions, I continued the hike, leading to severe health deterioration requiring a helicopter evacuation and a long recovery. I believe I would have been better looked after with an alternative company.

Soul Himalaya - my No 1 choice
We have a group of 25 friends trekking to the Mardi Himal Base Camp around Easter holiday. Our group have a big range of ages (several are around 65) and experience of trekking. Soul Himalaya arranged everything for us from flight touch to departure at the Kathmandu internal airport. The whole arrangement (including hotel/mountain huts, transport, meals, schedule, guides and porters etc) are perfect. The key is attention to details, caring, knowing what we want, and observing our ability (or inability), etc. I would rate Soul Himalaya the very top mark in all these areas. I would certainly and strongly recommend friends who are interested to trek the Nepal mountains to engage Soul Himalaya as the tour organizer.

Mardi Himal Basecamp Trek
I have joined many trips before with various travel agents and I must say Soul Himalaya truly is one of the best agents I have had the pleasure to interact with. We thank you very much for all your work and dedication to make this trip happen, especially for a group with 25pax! It’s really a challenging task for them. Congratulations, mission accomplished !