About Us
Brief history
In 2008 Mountain Kingdoms became the new name for Himalayan Kingdoms - 21 years after the company was first formed. Himalayan Kingdoms was founded in October 1987, when two mountaineering friends, Steve Berry and Steve Bell rejected conventional careers to make a living from the love of their life – the greatest mountain range in the world. The reputation of the company as the Himalayan, trekking, touring and mountaineering specialist quickly grew, and in 1993, Himalayan Kingdoms were the first British company to guide Everest, putting seven paying clients, six Sherpas and two guides on the summit.Read more
Financial security
The air inclusive holidays we arrange are ATOL protected (ATOL number 2973) providing either the person who pays for the booking is present in the UK when the booking is made or the first leg of any flight or flights we arrange for you commences in the UK. Visit here if you would like to know more. Our "Land Only" holidays and holidays that include international flights booked by us which originate outside the UK are covered by a bond secured with the AITO Trust. We are members of AITO and are bound by their Quality Charter
Value for money prices with an emphasis on quality
We are not in the business of cutting our
itineraries and services to the bone to offer
eye-catching cheap prices. Our well thought out
trips do, however, offer fantastic value for money.We use some of the best airlines, and typically 3 or 4 star hotels in main cities. We include the majority of meals and use private transport for road travel. We use excellent equipment and appoint well trained staff and leaders. In 2011 98% of our clients rated their Mountain Kingdoms holiday as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’
Small group travel
For the vast majority of our holidays, we have a maximum group size of only 12, plus leader. This provides more contact with your leader, readier access to off-the-beaten-path areas, greater interaction with local communities and a reduced environmental impact.Our family holidays have a maximum size of 20 people to allow several families to participate, and Gentle Trekking, Luxury Lodges in Nepal has a maximum of 16 people as the lodges each have 8 rooms. A small number of our treks have a maximum number lower than 12.
Award winning responsible tourism
We feel strongly that all our holidays should benefit local communities, protect the environment by minimising pollution and respect local traditions, religion and heritage. We support a number of charities and projects and have previously been awarded the AITO award for Responsible Tourism Operator of the Year.For the latest information on the projects we support and the work we are doing please see our Responsible Tourism pages.