Nepal

A quite unique and interesting visit to Nepal and Bhutan. Overall the trip was two weeks of peak experiences although arrival and departure at Kathmandu airport were quite chaotic. The guided visits to key sites in Kathmandu were very high quality and informative. But without doubt the highlight was a week in Bhutan. Our guide, Rinzin, personalised the visit in so many memorable ways. There was a lot of time on the bus but there is no other way of getting to visit the myriad of historic places

We used Encounters Travel as the organizer for our Dec 2019 Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. They handled everything from the flight booking to the airport shuttle to the guide/porter arrangements. Their planning was well organized which allowed us to focus solely on getting through the physical challenges of the trek.
We were booked on Qatar Air which was nice for our 30+ hours of traveling each way. The hotel they had booked for us in Kathmandu was clean and comfortable with a very nice staff (and great location). Lastly, the guide & porter for our trek were absolutely fantastic. Dipesh (our guide) was professional and took time each day to discuss how we were feeling and address any concerns or questions that we had. I honestly do not think we would have made it to Base Camp if not for the expertise of Dipesh.
Encounters Travel made this trek much less stressful than it could have been, and on a trek that is stressful & difficult by its very nature, that was a relief. I don't often book travel with a tour company, but I will likely be coming back to Encounters Travel in the future. HIGHLY recommended.

I have just returned from the Nepal on a Shoestring Tour and I can highly recommend it. A fantastic, non-stop way to be introduced to Nepal; Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara in 8 days. I added on an additional day at the start which did mean I had some quiet time before the action began! Our guide, Dipesh, who escorted us for the trip entirety was brilliant and very patient with our relentless questions! The bus trips between locations were long but a fantastic way to see the Nepalese countryside, you do need to be patient with the Nepalese roadways! I loved every minute and would highly recommend Encounters Travel and this tour. Now looking at my next trip with Encounters Travel!

My husband and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Encounters Travel for giving us the opportunity to experience the 10 Day Nepal Exposed Tour. Encounters Travel was great from even before the trip began in planning the trip, answering all our inquiries and providing us information in a timely matter. We would like to say this trip was phenomenal and left us both with memories and adventures that will last a lifetime.

We would like to give special recognition to our tour guide Ram Hari Aryal, who is a real professional and gave us individualized attention from the beginning of the trip when we arrived at the Kathmandu Airport to our departure back home. Ram really made this trip special for us and has such great knowledge of Nepal’s history, culture and geography. He also became a friend to us by the end of the tour.

The driver that accompanied us throughout the entire trip and drove us through the country deserves praise as well. He is polite and got out to open the door for us every time we stopped somewhere. He is a very good driver and we felt safe throughout the entire journey through the countryside.

In Kathmandu, we were assigned the same guide twice to show us through a few cities. His name was Prakash Luitel and he is wonderful and very knowledgeable of his country. The fellow who was our guide in Chitwan National Park was also very professional, energetic and friendly.

The accommodations were fabulous. All the hotels that we stayed in were great. We especially were impressed by Apsara Boutique Hotel in Kathmandu for their splendid rooms and exceptional staff. Another favorite of ours was Gaun Ghar located in Bandipur. We loved the décor of the hotel with stone floors and walls it gave us the feel that we were back in the 19th century. Also, great manager and staff that really made you feel at home. Not to mention the view of the mountains from our room that made us feel like we were in heaven.

We traveled through Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara, Bandipur and Nagarkot. My husband and I asked each other at the end of the trip which city did we like the best. The both us could not pick one. We liked all of them. They all had their unique and individual charm and beauty. These are a few of our many favorite highlights of the trip:

1. Everest Mountain Flight
2. Tour of Lalitpur aka Patan
3. Monkey Temple (Kathmandu)
4. Chitwan National Park wildlife safari
5. Boat ride on Phewa Lake (Chiwan)
6. World Peace Stupa (Pokhara)
7. Devi Falls (Pokhara)
8. Boudhanath Supa (Kathmandu)
9. Durbar Square (Kathmandu)
10. Pasupatinath (Kathmandu)

Every day was wonderful on this tour and a real adventure. We would love to take another tour again in the future and we would recommend Encounters Travel to our family, friends and coworkers.

Some (hopefully) constructive criticism: we recommend that you advertise to potential travelers the option of extra days in Kathmandu more prominently and frequently in your literature. We didn’t realize until much later that we could’ve extended our stay for such little cost. We would’ve done it if the option had emphasized.

Under Day 12, the “upgrade to an [sic] domestic flight” is misleading. We assumed that if we took the flight we wouldn’t miss anything on the agenda. Big mistake! Thank God we called your office and clarified that we’d not see Nagarkot, Bhaktapur, Pasupatinath and Boudhanath. What a loss that would’ve been!

Nepali toilets are not up to Western standards. A tip to bring one’s own toilet paper (and lots of it), and to prepare for horrific sights and smells, would’ve been appreciated.

We strongly urge you to include Lalitpur (Patan) in the Class Exposed itinerary. It doesn’t take so long to see and it’s well worth making time for. We also were a little disappointed that we couldn’t see Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace.

Thank you again for an epic experience!

Nicholas and Yvonne Towasser

Encounters Travel/Uncover the World in the UK organised a trip to Nepal and Bhutan for me during Nov 2016.

When reviewing the various options out there I was impressed with their knowledge in the area and they were able to put together a good itinerary covering a good many sites across a number of regions. They organised hotels, transfers, guides and drivers as well as Bhutanese visas and flights between Nepal and Bhutan. Everything worked well and despite being a solo traveller I had a driver and guide during all my time in both countries. Hotels were good, comfortable, well located and entirely appropriate to this type of trip. The overall itinerary was excellent and I was able to see much of Bhutan - Thimpu, Paro and Punakha valleys - and some very interesting parts of Nepal - Kathmandu, Bhaktaput and Nagarkot - within some 11 days.

I booked the major international routes myself and used Oman Air who had by far the best connections to Kathmandu and a reasonable business class fare and Ant at Encounters booked the rest. Not a particularly cheap visit - Bhutan is possibly the most expensive country in the world to visit - but I can't see how I could have done it better or cheaper.

I'd certainly use these guys again for this type of trip - they really know their business.