reviews
Read holiday reviews by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
Trekking in the Langtang Valley was undoubtedly one of the best things I’ve ever experienced! Flanked by high peaks, I followed the trail along the valley from Sybaru Besi to Kyanjin Gompa where the panoramic mountain views were truly incredible. Each night we stopped in simple tea houses where we received the warmest of welcomes from the lovely local people, as well as some very tasty dal bhat! The Langtang region was devastated by the 2015 earthquake, with many lives lost and houses destroyed, but the indomitable people have done wonders in re-building their homes and villages, and re-opening the trails. Now they just need trekkers to return to help them restore their livelihoods. I encourage anyone looking for a Himalayan trek, away from the popular trails, to go and experience Langtang – you may even have it all to yourself.
The trip was everything we had hoped it would be and more! Cycling meant we saw the countryside and village life at close quarters, away from the standard tourist routes, and learned so much about the country from our local guides. The range of cycling conditions made for some interesting experiences, from sharing a road with cattle to off-road country tracks, all of which were great fun. Mixing up the cycling with a hill trek, train travel with the locals, wine tasting and sightseeing provided variety and some great photo opportunities. The Balloons over Bagan experience was one of the highlights, seeing the sun rise over countless monuments from the sky!
This holiday lived up to all my expectations - and more. An excellent guide; a trek that took us into truly spectacular, remote areas and such an interesting, exciting country to visit at this stage in its development.
Mustang truly is Shangrila-la. The scenery is beautiful - something new around every corner. The Tibetan culture teaches you many many new things daily.
A very challenging trek. Extremely remote although well worth it to appreciate the amazing scenery and closeness of the mountains. The Gunser valley and river are simply stunning. The viewing point at Janu was well worth the climb, with the frozen lake and surrounding peaks simply stunning. Be prepared for long days walking and some very diverse conditions. It is worth it though - Nepal at its best for sure.
MK's Nakasendo Trail's gentle trekking trip gave us a taste of a few cities and staying in hotels, the challenge of reducing luggage to what we carried on our backs (letting our main bags be transferred very efficiently for occasional access, and which enabled such easy luggage-free public transport travel everywhere); and then what seemed a real privilege to be trekking in alpine countryside, with accommodation in small privately owned minshukus, inns, ryokans and even a Buddhist temple (surprisingly luxurious!). We were blessed with good walking weather, and the beginnings of autumn foliage, and could hunt out the occasional chrysanthemum display. Learning the etiquette of onsen-use involved ditching British reserve(!), but those hot communal baths offered a great way to relax after a day's walking, and we would then all assemble dressed in our yukatas and slippers for dinner. Thanks, MK, for another really well researched trip, and also for organising our Hiroshima extension, to which travel was easy in that we were by then public transport experts!
This trek takes you away from the well worn and busy paths of the Everest and Annapurna regions into quieter more remote locations. The are several long days on this trip on rocky paths which some other members of the group found unexpectedly demanding. As with other Himalayan treks we had an excellent local crew.
Outstanding in every respect...fantastic guide, stunning scenery, great group, perfect weather, smooth logistics made this a holiday to cherish.
This was my first solo trip without family and friends so I was excited and nervous. I loved Japan and the people, experiencing the very modern working alongside the very traditional. The mix of trekking, visiting temples, cities and seeing traditional crafts was great. Staying in the Minshuku and Rayakans was a real experience and gave us a flavour of the past. Overall an amazing adventure that I shall treasure.
This was a wonderful experience which I would recomend to anyone who is reasonably fit [I am 77]. It opened my eyes to many important matters, social, environmental and personal. The scenery is breath takingly magnificent, the people wonderful, friendly and kind. The whole trip was perfectly organised. The guides excellent Good value.