Raj Gyawali

Raj and Bipin organized an 11 day trek to Langtang and Gosaikunda for me. Raj was responsive and patient as he worked with my preferences and scheduling constraints and made sure that I was prepared for the trip before I left home. Once I arrived in Kathmandu, Bipin briefed me before the trip as well as debriefed me afterwards. I appreciated their professionalism, responsiveness, and friendliness throughout. Thanks to them, the trek itself was exactly what I wanted: long days of hiking... read more

Raj and Bipin organized an 11 day trek to Langtang and Gosaikunda for me. Raj was responsive and patient as he worked with my preferences and scheduling constraints and made sure that I was prepared for the trip before I left home. Once I arrived in Kathmandu, Bipin briefed me before the trip as well as debriefed me afterwards. I appreciated their professionalism, responsiveness, and friendliness throughout. Thanks to them, the trek itself was exactly what I wanted: long days of hiking through alpine terrain with enough moments to appreciate the surroundings.

Hotel Review

Hotel Holy Himalaya

Kathmandu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Free day | Kyanjin Ri Hike

Kyangjin Gompa

Many thanks to KimKim for Raj of Social Tours (Nepal) & Sherab of Bhutan Travel Club & their addressing all of the details of this glorious trip. Leki Tshering, guide (for hiking as well) in Bhutan, was exceptional, full of life, an educator & ambassador. I was immersed in nature, social & religious learning. Our driver, Kim, was always helpful & courteous. In Nepal I hiked from village to village, (all steps) through beautiful farmlands & traveled through different parts of the country,... read more

Many thanks to KimKim for Raj of Social Tours (Nepal) & Sherab of Bhutan Travel Club & their addressing all of the details of this glorious trip. Leki Tshering, guide (for hiking as well) in Bhutan, was exceptional, full of life, an educator & ambassador. I was immersed in nature, social & religious learning. Our driver, Kim, was always helpful & courteous. In Nepal I hiked from village to village, (all steps) through beautiful farmlands & traveled through different parts of the country, lodging in locally owned home stays, a pleasant experience. Some of the properties for lodging were an oasis…just what is needed after an arduous few days of trekking. & then there was a hiccup in Bhutan which Sherab tended to with care and immediacy. His dedication to providing an over the top travel experience is greatly appreciated. I am so thankful for such a lovely experience.

Raj planned a 11 day trip to Nepal for us. During the planning stages he provided quick and very detailed responses to our questions and also made himself available for a couple of video chats. He has a great team of local guides. Our trekking guide Rabin was exceptional. After we landed in Nepal the itinerary had to be modified a bit but Raj and team took care of it and everything went well without a hitch. His team was very easy to reach during the trip - we always got a response in a... read more

Raj planned a 11 day trip to Nepal for us. During the planning stages he provided quick and very detailed responses to our questions and also made himself available for a couple of video chats. He has a great team of local guides. Our trekking guide Rabin was exceptional. After we landed in Nepal the itinerary had to be modified a bit but Raj and team took care of it and everything went well without a hitch. His team was very easy to reach during the trip - we always got a response in a timely manner.

Looking forward to a return visit!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ambassador

Kathmandu

Well located, great people, great restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Temple Tree Resort & Spa

Pokhara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Buddha Maya Garden

Lumbini

Authenticity & Character

Lovely facility - like a huge old bungalow. Could use a bit of updating but definitely recommend.

Location

Staff

Very helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset Walk at Soyambhu

Kathmandu

Could have used more time here - did not last 3 hours.

Transport

Kathmandu Heritage Tour

Kathmandu

The tour was done in about 4 hours, even after we added Patan Durbar square which presumably was not in the plan. Felt rushed. So many things to take in. Could have definitely used more time.

Traditional Welcome Dinner

Kathmandu

Lovely dinner in a lovely place. Enjoyed chatting with Bipin and Rabin.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Trailhead & Trek to Ghandruk

Pokhara

We changed our trek. But the whole experience was just amazing. Can’t say enough about Rabin - super nice guy and extremely knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every aspect of our trip was fantastically good - it was a trip I had been dreaming about for many, many years and it surpassed every expectation. Delayed by Covid, Raj and his team were endlessly patient in planning and re-planning our trip, and I felt at every point he really listened to and understood what I wanted - and delivered it. Every activity - trekking, rafting, sightseeing and more - were well-organised and truly memorable. Every transfer (there were many!)worked seamlessly. Big... read more

Every aspect of our trip was fantastically good - it was a trip I had been dreaming about for many, many years and it surpassed every expectation. Delayed by Covid, Raj and his team were endlessly patient in planning and re-planning our trip, and I felt at every point he really listened to and understood what I wanted - and delivered it. Every activity - trekking, rafting, sightseeing and more - were well-organised and truly memorable. Every transfer (there were many!)worked seamlessly. Big shout-out to the legend that is Kumar, who guided us on our Mustang trek and who was generous in sharing his huge knowledge and expertise, meticulous in looking after us and with a great sense of humour too. If he is available, book him. Another big shout out to Bipin who took such great care of us in Nepal and made sure we always had what we needed and was again endlessly generous in sharing his knowledge with us. If you are thinking about traveling to Nepal, you would be in no better hands than this team - just go! We are already thinking about our next trip - as a destination, its highly addictive.

Yogesh has been very good and helpful, he made my whole trip. Everything went exactly as in the itinerary, except for a minor mistake on Temple Tree Hotel check out and pick up time. The hotel staff told me the wrong time which was one and half hour earlier than the arranged. The last day photograph tour was the best, far beyond my exception. The guide was a super kind and knowledgeable gentleman. He was the best during this trip.

Overall, great experience. I will surely consider Social Tour next time in Nepal.

I had a great time and appreciate the professionalism and flexibility with my trip schedule.
Everybody from Social Tours did a great job.
I will highly recommend Social Tour for anybody looking to do trekking in Nepal.

What a fabulous introduction to Kathmandu ! Raj of Socialtours arranged for us the perfect exploration of the city and its surrounding areas. He understood that we were looking for contacts with the locals and this is exact what we did in the few days ( too few) we spent in Kathmandu. From the Aarthi ( sitting in the midst of the Nepali faithful) at Pashupatinath to the exploration of the local markets , and the walk in the Newari villages of Bungamati and Khokana we really felt the... read more

What a fabulous introduction to Kathmandu ! Raj of Socialtours arranged for us the perfect exploration of the city and its surrounding areas. He understood that we were looking for contacts with the locals and this is exact what we did in the few days ( too few) we spent in Kathmandu. From the Aarthi ( sitting in the midst of the Nepali faithful) at Pashupatinath to the exploration of the local markets , and the walk in the Newari villages of Bungamati and Khokana we really felt the connection with the locals . We especially enjoyed the dawn walk of Bhaktapur ( not to be missed !) . In all of our travels , we never had a similar experience : we tasted street food breakfast , witnessed the morning prayers and offerings in the street and in the temples and got the major sightseeing spots all to ourselves. I especially want to commend Raj , Sarita and Bikram our extraordinary guides , not only did they explained to us what was happening but we also shared many laughs and had a lot of fun with them . Bikram in particular knows everyone in Bungamati and Bhaktapur and was able to introduce us to a lot of the locals. Naturally our experience would not have been the same without the kindness and the warm welcome we received from the Nepali people . We will be back !

We were a group of 4 adults and 4 adventurous children (age 7-10) and had a really great introduction to Nepal covering trekking, wildlife in the Chitwan National Park and an immersion to Kathmandu which included a very insightful market visit and a brilliant cooking lesson - supported by Raj and the team.
In the run up to the trip we found the team to respond quickly, answer a host of questions and adapt the itinerary to meet our changing requirements. We took a couple of internal flights... read more

We were a group of 4 adults and 4 adventurous children (age 7-10) and had a really great introduction to Nepal covering trekking, wildlife in the Chitwan National Park and an immersion to Kathmandu which included a very insightful market visit and a brilliant cooking lesson - supported by Raj and the team.
In the run up to the trip we found the team to respond quickly, answer a host of questions and adapt the itinerary to meet our changing requirements. We took a couple of internal flights to cut down travel time on the road that were delayed several hours - come to the airport prepared for delays, and many of the roads were very bumpy - again be prepared! The t-shirts and water bottles which were gifted to us were appreciated as well as the briefing session on arrival so we could ask any unanswered questions face to face e.g. how much to tip the guides/ porters, how cold it would be up the mountains etc.
My only advice would to be very clear how far you wish to trek each day and how able/ active your party are. We felt we could have gone further and seen plenty more - and having briefed this in we were disappointed that our trekking was over much earlier than we had hoped each day with limited possibility to make changes while en route.

Our contact in Nepal, Anura was wonderful. She was extremely organized & efficient. Her expert planning covered every single detail of our trip.
Our guide, Jangbu was extremely knowledgeable & very attentive to our individual needs.

This trip was amazing!!
Raj and Anura were excellent help prior to trip. Anura very patient with all of my questions!
Jangbu, Anura, Robin, and the entire Social Tour’s team were terrific during the trip. Anura took us to two really delicious restaurants and made us feel very comfortable.
Well organized!
Very good value.
Jangbu Sherpa was excellent guide for trekking. Modified the trip as needed for me. Wise and professional, warm and caring. Exactly the kind of person I need to guide me! Our porter was just terrific as well.
Would definitely recommend Kimkim and Social Tours.

Great guide, great porter, great trip!

This worked out great!

We got to have input into where we went and what we did and it was easy. I worked on line with Anura before the trip to set our schedule and work out what we wanted to see.

When we arrived they meet us at the airport and every thing worked really well. My wife's suitcase as delayed and they helped with getting it sorted and getting us back out to the airport to pick it up.

The best:
1. This was not a group tour. We did not ride a round on a bus and get herded from... read more

This worked out great!

We got to have input into where we went and what we did and it was easy. I worked on line with Anura before the trip to set our schedule and work out what we wanted to see.

When we arrived they meet us at the airport and every thing worked really well. My wife's suitcase as delayed and they helped with getting it sorted and getting us back out to the airport to pick it up.

The best:
1. This was not a group tour. We did not ride a round on a bus and get herded from place to place. This was very individual (my wife and myself).

2. We felt cared for and looked after. We knew that if we needed help we had a local resource. Travel in Nepal is wonderful but very a different experience. Just knowing that we had someone working for us was wonderful.

3. The value was great. Transportation (including in county flights), hotels and many of the meals, were all included.

4. We really liked the approach of Social Tours. They want to show you the real Nepal and believe they can be socially responsible as well.

Highly recommended.

We spent 6 days hiking around Annapurna with Sabin and it was an absolutely incredible experience! I take home memories and friendships that I expect to last a lifetime.
This was my first trekking experience and I have never had to challenge myself so much. But it was worth every painful step. The area and sights and views are absolutely stunning! My experiences meeting people from all over the world along the way will stay with me forever.
Sabin was an amazing guide!!! I don't think the... read more

We spent 6 days hiking around Annapurna with Sabin and it was an absolutely incredible experience! I take home memories and friendships that I expect to last a lifetime.
This was my first trekking experience and I have never had to challenge myself so much. But it was worth every painful step. The area and sights and views are absolutely stunning! My experiences meeting people from all over the world along the way will stay with me forever.
Sabin was an amazing guide!!! I don't think the experience would have been the same without him. His knowledge of the area and people seem unparalleled which made everything go smoothly and made me feel very comfortable visiting a place where I knew nothing of the language and customs. He went above and beyond in making our experience memorable, such as entertaining us with and teaching us card tricks, making lots of jokes, and serenading us with songs on the guitar. He was so much fun to be around and I look forward to our continued friendship! I cannot say enough good things about him and I hope to come back and it trek with him again!

I had a very good time in Nepal thanks to the Social tours team (Anura & Raj), everything went smoothly and they were very flexible with my plans even dealing with changes to fit my preferences once in Nepal. This tour included the key cultural highlights of the Kathmandu valley as well as a trek from Pokhara. All guides provided were very knowledgeable and left me some free time to explore by myself as well. My only suggestion is to make sure you have the direct contact details of your... read more

I had a very good time in Nepal thanks to the Social tours team (Anura & Raj), everything went smoothly and they were very flexible with my plans even dealing with changes to fit my preferences once in Nepal. This tour included the key cultural highlights of the Kathmandu valley as well as a trek from Pokhara. All guides provided were very knowledgeable and left me some free time to explore by myself as well. My only suggestion is to make sure you have the direct contact details of your guides to keep them posted on your arrival time outside of working hours, as this has been required during my trip due to my flight to Pokhara being delayed early morning. Luckily we could reschedule the trek to the following day. I could not recommend Social tours enough, thanks again for the amazing experience! :)

It was great to have a personalised tour and the fact they ensured I was able to access it by providing a Nepalese Sign Language Interpreter. I enjoyed my time in Bhaktpur the most.

My friend and I had the BEST experience with booking through kimkim, as well as, working with Raj to plan out our adventure. We had many questions before and after arriving to our destination and Raj and team were so helpful throughout the entire experience. We gave an idea of things we would be interested in doing while in Nepal and Raj, Anura and team planned it out flawlessly. Our only complaint is that we didn't stay longer to experience more of what Nepal has to offer. We had no worries... read more

My friend and I had the BEST experience with booking through kimkim, as well as, working with Raj to plan out our adventure. We had many questions before and after arriving to our destination and Raj and team were so helpful throughout the entire experience. We gave an idea of things we would be interested in doing while in Nepal and Raj, Anura and team planned it out flawlessly. Our only complaint is that we didn't stay longer to experience more of what Nepal has to offer. We had no worries traveling while in the hands of this team. They transported us where we needed to go and we had a guide at each destination. We spent a day visiting the local temples, a couple days trekking through the mountains ending with camping out at a beach resort as we prepared for a white water rafting trip. But our last destination was one of my favorite stops, the city of Bhaktapur. We toured the city from sunup to sundown with our guide. I feel like we had a behind the scenes look at the culture and lifestyle and loved every minute of it. The guide was superb, the places he took us were amazing- I couldn't have asked for a better experience! Thank you Raj and team! This entire trip was definitely a memorable one thank to your team and I am definitely looking forward to visiting again one day!

After a week back in the Netherlands I look back after a huge experience in the Himalayas.
Supported by a special team with Raj and Anura, who provided me with information from the booking of the trip, I was received in Kathamandu with a greeting dinner and an afternoon where I got all the explanation and what my responsibilities are during the 19-day trek . Especially because I am no longer one of the youngest (69 years), Raj has gone into great depths about pulling at high altitudes. The... read more

After a week back in the Netherlands I look back after a huge experience in the Himalayas.
Supported by a special team with Raj and Anura, who provided me with information from the booking of the trip, I was received in Kathamandu with a greeting dinner and an afternoon where I got all the explanation and what my responsibilities are during the 19-day trek . Especially because I am no longer one of the youngest (69 years), Raj has gone into great depths about pulling at high altitudes. The meeting with Indra my guide was very cordial and familiar. This all supported fine for the coming trek. Planned was a 19 days trek over the 3 passes, but after the stage from Namche to Thame I got a headache, necessarily a day waited but from Thame to Lumden happened exactly the same. Switched to drink a lot of water and use Diamox and of course I had to wait another day, I was rid of the headache and I could bridge the first pass Renjo La. Great view my first goal was achieved, but I also realized that I was against my physical limit and in consultation with my guide we changed the program and left Everest BC behind and opted for Ama Dablam base camp and Dingboche attempt to see the Makalu. Unfortunately, it got worse in the last week and was hardly visible.
My advice if you like my age and you want something seen from the Himalaya Asia choose Raj and Anura, everything is negotiable and the team is very correct and when you have Indra as guide your are a happy man.

We wanted a hassle-free trip and Raj and his team had certainly delivered. Everything was executed as communicated ahead of time with positive surprises threw in here and there. One certainly has to pay for this kind of service but it's nice that the result is as advertised. We had a short and easy trip and would really love to go back to Nepal to explore her natural beauty in the future.

We had the best time on our honeymoon to Nepal, completely planned by Raj at his team at Socialtours. From our first interaction on KimKim, we knew we had found something special in Raj--he listened to us regarding our budget, activity level and timing. We loved that once we arrived in Nepal, everything was taken care of for us. They booked all our ground transportation, in-country flights and tour guides. All we had to do was show up with our passports. Raj and Socialtours were excellent... read more

We had the best time on our honeymoon to Nepal, completely planned by Raj at his team at Socialtours. From our first interaction on KimKim, we knew we had found something special in Raj--he listened to us regarding our budget, activity level and timing. We loved that once we arrived in Nepal, everything was taken care of for us. They booked all our ground transportation, in-country flights and tour guides. All we had to do was show up with our passports. Raj and Socialtours were excellent with communication via KimKim and I could not thank them more for taking away all the stress of planning a vacation to an unfamiliar country and making it so fun! Highlights included a 4-day trek in the Himalaya with our wonderful guides Kancha and Badal, "Cook Like a Local" class at Socialtours, mountain flight to see the Himalaya, Jeep safari ride in Chitwan, tours of Bhaktupur and Kathmandu. Thank you Raj and Socialtours for a trip of a lifetime!

The trek was amazing! What was even more amazing was my guide. I was quite ill on the first day - but Parbati was so understanding and patient with me from the outset and made sure I was at ease. On the second and third days, she pushed me to do better than I thought I could and I really appreciated this. The greatest part was that towards the end she was less of my guide and more of my friend whilst still maintaining a professional and courteous relationship. Hats off to her and the Social tours team for providing such an incredible experience for me!!

We wouldn't have changed a thing, except maybe that I lost the sole of my shoe five minutes into hiking!! Ha No but seriously, everything was perfect. Raj, Anura and team really put together a trip that included a little bit of everything, which truly gave us a clear taste and feel of Nepal. They were able to put together a full and comprehensive trip for us within our week timeframe, and I couldn't be more grateful!! We love Nepal!!! And I'll definitely be using KimKim for future trip... read more

We wouldn't have changed a thing, except maybe that I lost the sole of my shoe five minutes into hiking!! Ha No but seriously, everything was perfect. Raj, Anura and team really put together a trip that included a little bit of everything, which truly gave us a clear taste and feel of Nepal. They were able to put together a full and comprehensive trip for us within our week timeframe, and I couldn't be more grateful!! We love Nepal!!! And I'll definitely be using KimKim for future trip planning!!!

Raj was always responsive and even downloaded a Marco Polo app so that we could communicate better, since our timezones were so different, which was very helpful. He was great from the beginning on and was very patient will all my million questions and worries. He was really great!!!

It was definitely an amazing trip. Except for Day 4, the continuous trek, which could have been split. We walked/hiked/climbed down for almost 12 hours that day and it is quite possible that the time extends considering most of us are not professional climbers. Rest everything was really very good. I thank social tours for our guide Robin who was so courteous and well mannered throughout. Thank you Team kimkim for making this happen for me. Cheers!

Guide and porter were both great. Very friendly, calm and understanding.
The trek itself was ok as well but the 3rd was just too much.
As we already knew beforehand that it will be a long day, we couldn't really enjoy the view at the peak because we had the feeling that we need to rush in order to get all the distance covered within daylight. Although we hurried, we did not manage to arrive Junbesi by daylight. The last 2 hours we were trekking in the dark. Further the trek on this day was... read more

Guide and porter were both great. Very friendly, calm and understanding.
The trek itself was ok as well but the 3rd was just too much.
As we already knew beforehand that it will be a long day, we couldn't really enjoy the view at the peak because we had the feeling that we need to rush in order to get all the distance covered within daylight. Although we hurried, we did not manage to arrive Junbesi by daylight. The last 2 hours we were trekking in the dark. Further the trek on this day was really hard and there were several Situations where i was really scared to death. The Trek was full with stones, it was tight and slippery and next to some really high cliffs. I spent 4 hours of the day Just praying to survive. I know this might sound a bit dramatic but I was really facing big fears. Our Guide was really helpful and supported us best possible. I would split the 3rd day and only walk till Lunch. There is No need for a full restday in Junbesi, if the day before is devided into 2 days..

The guide and porter were fantastic and we had an amazing time. Raj did a good job responding to our questions. Anura Rai, however, was absolutely horrible at communicating really all details for the trip. The bulk communication we received from her was VERY last minute...we were already at the airport enroute.

Raj was good but we were very disappointed with the lack of information provided by Anura.

The planning and booking of the trip were top notch.

Having read up a little bit about KimKim before hand it seems like a great tool to allow clients like my sister Renee and myself as well as others from around the world to connect with outfits like yours. It gives a chance to see and experience Nepal, its people, and its culture with the guidance of a great local guide and support staff.

Raj, and the rest of his staff were great and extremely helpful. They went out of their way to... read more

The planning and booking of the trip were top notch.

Having read up a little bit about KimKim before hand it seems like a great tool to allow clients like my sister Renee and myself as well as others from around the world to connect with outfits like yours. It gives a chance to see and experience Nepal, its people, and its culture with the guidance of a great local guide and support staff.

Raj, and the rest of his staff were great and extremely helpful. They went out of their way to help us with all of our questions before and during our stay in Nepal. I would gladly recommend them to friends and family who are looking to do similar treks in Nepal in the future.

Our trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area (9/10-15) was just the getaway my brother Mark and I wanted/needed. It was very well organized, simple and peaceful. Our guide (Arjun Kulung) and porter (Bazdowz- sp?) were lovely- very personable and gracious. They made everything easy for us. Arjun’s knowledge of the area and the tea house proprietors/community members was fantastic. They both provided a perfect first impression of Nepal. I would recommend them and this trek without... read more

Our trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area (9/10-15) was just the getaway my brother Mark and I wanted/needed. It was very well organized, simple and peaceful. Our guide (Arjun Kulung) and porter (Bazdowz- sp?) were lovely- very personable and gracious. They made everything easy for us. Arjun’s knowledge of the area and the tea house proprietors/community members was fantastic. They both provided a perfect first impression of Nepal. I would recommend them and this trek without hesitation to friends interested in discovering Nepal. Sharing a meal with Anura our last night in Kathmandu was also great. All of the staff we interacted with (drivers in addition to the three named above) helped to make us feel very welcomed in Nepal.

Timely, informative responses to our emails; patience when we needed time to get organized on our end after prices were provided. The only thing I might have liked more directed information about was the need for waterproof boots (to keep leeches out!). I had listened to my friend who had lived in Nepal a few years ago and done more or less the same trek before. She said, one could do it in trainers. Maybe she'd gone at a drier time of year!

Raj and the team Social Tours couldn't have been more helpful. It was an expensive trip but we saved a lot of time that we would have otherwise spent finding out about places and organizing trips. The 4 guides who took care of us were very knowledgeable and specialized in their work.
Raj is very knowledgeable with a lot of contacts and is highly respected within the Nepalese tourist industry.
Anura is intelligent and sparkly, and a tremendous asset to Social Tours.
Social Tours helped make... read more

Raj and the team Social Tours couldn't have been more helpful. It was an expensive trip but we saved a lot of time that we would have otherwise spent finding out about places and organizing trips. The 4 guides who took care of us were very knowledgeable and specialized in their work.
Raj is very knowledgeable with a lot of contacts and is highly respected within the Nepalese tourist industry.
Anura is intelligent and sparkly, and a tremendous asset to Social Tours.
Social Tours helped make this our trip of a lifetime!!!

There was only one night where the accommodation was noisy, poky and uninviting, but all our other accommodation was exceptional

Raj planned a great trip for us. He took our interests & priorities into account really well.

In Pokhara, the local restaurant we visited for lunch was not really nice. Also it was a shame that the manager of the permaculture coffee farm we visited wasn't home when we went there So we didn't gain much insight into the process.

I have never really been much of a "tour" traveler. I can't thank Raj's team at Social Tours for all the high level of detail planning and caliber of guides, drivers and information by his group. Amazing!

Responsive, well planned, all of Raj's staff were beyond excellent and professional. We now consider them friends.

It was a last minute thought about trip, however the tour got planned by Raj of Social tour through kimkim so well that it gave feel of well planned one. The tailor made trip of four day was planned perfectly with A/C car , excellent guide Mr Sushil and versatile driver Suman. It was extremely pocket friendly despite mountain view flight thrown in the package by Raj. Exposure to genuine singing bowls was a mesmerising experience among other events.

hi there: Our guide and porters were excellent! The first night accommodation was 1 star and that's being generous. I was under the impression that it was going to be a 3 star. Apparently our family of 7 cost $20 USD total to stay there, which is no surprise, as camping would have been more glamorous. I don't know why the tour company went so cheap on us, obviously to save money, but it wasn't fair, given we weren't told we were going to be in a 1 star of less, and if I had known this, I... read more

hi there: Our guide and porters were excellent! The first night accommodation was 1 star and that's being generous. I was under the impression that it was going to be a 3 star. Apparently our family of 7 cost $20 USD total to stay there, which is no surprise, as camping would have been more glamorous. I don't know why the tour company went so cheap on us, obviously to save money, but it wasn't fair, given we weren't told we were going to be in a 1 star of less, and if I had known this, I would not have booked with this company, as all the others who I inquired with were all going to put us in 3 star for the same price. The second night accommodation was HORRIBLE and would be given a negative 3 star rating! My family all said (and that's our 5 kids) that it was the WORST place we had ever stayed. There was vomit filling the bathroom sink when we arrived and no one cleaned it until I complained. The kitchen facilities were SO dirty, I refused to have food cooked in it for dinner, and instead bought chocolate bars down the street for my kids to eat. The food for that night was supposed to be included. We ended up paying for it ourselves. Breakfast left us no option but to eat white toast and have a few hard boiled eggs each. It was so disappointing. The beds had dirty sheets on all beds, and the toilet did not flush. There was no running water in the sink for brushing our teeth or cleaning up. Like the first night, our sleep was freezing cold, like we were camping outside. Windows were broken, or didn't shut properly. We could see our breath while eating our breakfast and dinner on both nights. For the price we payed to do this trip, we were ripped off. The third night was the only night that was acceptable with a proper three star hotel. Honestly, if the trip company we were introduced to through your sight told us we would be in 1 or negative star ratings for the first two nights, we would have gone with another company. As I said, the guides were excellent, helpful and very personable, and the last night of our stay was great, but the first two nights really left me no choice but to NOT recommend this company to any of my many, many expat friends. We were NOT satisfied, and very uncomfortable in our stay for the first two nights, and feared for food poisoning, catching a disease from the uncleanliness of the second place, with the vomit, other body fluids present, dirty bed sheets, as well as general uncleanliness. (cigarette burns in carpet, non functioning toilet ( already soiled when we got there) and non functioning water taps in our bathroom sink. Please understand as diplomats, a 3 star rating is a minimum, and if we had wanted to stay in a hovel, we would not have gone with this company in the first place. Though they get an A + on service on a personal level, the accommodations on the first two nights were completely , and utterly NOT acceptable and the second night, completely disgusting in all respects.

Raj was amazing. He hosted us lunch at the office, gave us t-shirts, took us to an outlet store to buy gear and arranged safe transportation, gave us his best guide ( wonderful!) and great porters, the first two nights accommodations were - first - 1 star and second night, - negative 3 star rating, as in "we wanted to leave, but were stranded" and no choice but to stay. I felt like I was a hostage.

Raj was extremely helpful from the very first day. He was very approachable. He was also very hospitable after we arrived in Nepal. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our trip and will definitely be recommending both Raj (Social Tours) and Kimkim to future travellers.

I had to follow up a pick up time and itinerary several times. The first guide was late, thought I was being transferred to a different hotel, because he had his bike we walked for a decent while before being able to get a taxi which would take us and the bike.

The cycle tour was quite good. But the ending was disappointing being a festival there was no pizza and a drink. We found a place to have a drink and I was left to pay for my own taxi back to the hotel.

The following day the... read more

I had to follow up a pick up time and itinerary several times. The first guide was late, thought I was being transferred to a different hotel, because he had his bike we walked for a decent while before being able to get a taxi which would take us and the bike.

The cycle tour was quite good. But the ending was disappointing being a festival there was no pizza and a drink. We found a place to have a drink and I was left to pay for my own taxi back to the hotel.

The following day the monkey temple and the monastery were great. The monk was very illuminating and spoke very well. It was disappointing however that we could only talk for an hour and the monastery and library closed 15 minutes after finishing our discussion with the monk.

The welcome dinner was very nice and the social tours consultant (the young girl) she was very friendly and nice to talk to.

I enjoyed my time with Juman over the next few days hiking. The villages and scenary were nice even if majority of the time we were walking on the road.

I was disappointed that the hiking times were advertised 3.5-4.5 hours every day when the first day I walked for 2 hours and 10 minutes only and was eating lunch by 10am in an effort to stall time. On the second day we walked to Bhaktapur and again I was there much earlier then expected.

Juman was great company and the local guide in Bhaptapur had a lot of knowledge of the area.

Getting back to Kathmandu was very unorganised. I had to insist that the Peacock guest house organise and pay for the taxi back to Kathmandu as I was having trouble with my bank cards so couldn't get money out of the ATM's.

I was supposed to stop off at the coffee plantation on the way back which never happened, and the taxi driver asked for money when I arrived at the hotel implying that he hadn't been paid. He called the Peacock guest house and thank fully they sorted it out for me.

I thought that a transfer to the airport was included on the final day but this was not.

Whilst I liked the accommodation and it was very nice compared to the hostels I had been staying in, it was apparent that there was lots of other options (cheaper options) in the areas where I stayed which would have drastically reduced the amount which I paid for the trip, and I was disappointed that despite my request that this wasn't looked into.

Social Tours couldn't have been better - we'd recommend them to anyone. They pulled together a fantastic trip and were very accommodating of requests we made whilst out there. The guides were great, too.

Kimkim made this such an easy trip to book. I could log into kimkim and ask questions about anything and everything whenever they came to mind. Things related to trekking or Nepal in general. Kimkim would respond within 24 hours with great information. They were attentive to catering the trekking to what I wanted to do and see, kimkim worked with my budget and time frame to make sure I was getting the best deal possible.

Raj and everyone at social tours was super welcoming! They went out of... read more

Kimkim made this such an easy trip to book. I could log into kimkim and ask questions about anything and everything whenever they came to mind. Things related to trekking or Nepal in general. Kimkim would respond within 24 hours with great information. They were attentive to catering the trekking to what I wanted to do and see, kimkim worked with my budget and time frame to make sure I was getting the best deal possible.

Raj and everyone at social tours was super welcoming! They went out of their way to make sure things ran smoothly and that I was properly prepared for the trek. They checked in with me during the trek to make sure everything was ok. Once back in Kathmandu they were still very helpful and made sure I had everything I needed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Raj and his team to other travellers looking to come to Nepal. Even if you just wanted to stay in Kathmandu, these guy have so many options for things to go and see and they really put the effort in to making sure you feel welcome and have an awesome stay in Nepal.

Day 1: really great. Nice walk up to a very cool hotel. Got away from the city and really got a feel for the country side.

Day 2: hike back down to Bhaktapur was ok. The second half of the hike was on a main road with lots of traffic, so not that enjoyable. I would have been better if we could have walked in more rural setting like the day before. We ended up catching a bus to get to the hotel. The hotel was noisy, and not very modern bathroom. I would have changed the... read more

Day 1: really great. Nice walk up to a very cool hotel. Got away from the city and really got a feel for the country side.

Day 2: hike back down to Bhaktapur was ok. The second half of the hike was on a main road with lots of traffic, so not that enjoyable. I would have been better if we could have walked in more rural setting like the day before. We ended up catching a bus to get to the hotel. The hotel was noisy, and not very modern bathroom. I would have changed the hotel.

Day 3: very intense day. Early morning tour of Bhaktapor. Then move to Patan and tour and lunch and shopping there. Then Kharma Cafe, and finally goodbye dinner. Probably too many moves around on this day. Maybe would have been better to do Bhaktapor tour previous afternoon. Plus Kharma Cafe was not that interesting. I appreciate the concept of sustainable, local business, but driving 20 minutes there and 20 back for a coffee did not add significant value to the day...

I'm pleased with the support and service. I had no idea what to expect as I had never visited Nepal, so had some different thoughts in my head around what to expect. Organization and service was good, but now that I have a better idea of the urban Nepal, I would ask for some different options and focus things differently....

Namaste to all at Social Tours,
Thank you very much for all doing your best on this very special trip. My cousins and I are leaving Nepal with the highest opinion of its people due to your infallible attentions, flexibility and enthusiasm.
All of our tour guides were extremely nice and helpful.

We will do our best to recommend your services and hope to be back in the future

Raj was amazing.
We didn't get to meet him while we were there but we was incredibly helpful throughout the whole planning process and left us in very good hands!

Did a great job booking a trekking tour on very short notice. Everything went very smoothly and Alex and Raj were very responsive. In hindsight, I would have appreciated a more detailed price breakdown, but I didn't think to ask for that while booking.

Social Tours did a great job of getting me settled into my hotel in Kathmandu, and the trekking guide that they had hired did a wonderful job of making sure I was safe and that all my needs were taken care of during the trek.