Upper Mustang Trek

My wife and I went to Upper Mustang in October of 2016 with Prem Pandit from Mountain Hawk Treks. I can only say that it was the most remarkable trip we've ever been on. Mustang is vast, stark, raw, remote, and to date, unspoiled.  

The landscape is most reminiscent of the old American West--just bigger, and with the Himalayas as the backdrop, and more spectacular. It is high desert with altitudes ranging from 2800 to 4000 meters (9000 to 13,500 ft).  Daytime temperatures were a comfortable 15C (60F), nighttime approaching 0C (32F).

The culture is Tibetan, and the entire area is dotted with Buddhist monasteries, stupas and chortens. Beautiful works of religious art are found within the monasteries (which are dark inside: a flashlight is a necessity) and the chortens.    The villages themselves are small, with people living traditional Tibetan, Buddhist lives.  You feel that you are looking back in time.   I suspect this will begin to change as adventure tourism continues to grow.
Our guide Prem was indispensable. He not only planned our trek with us in mind (we are in our sixties), but he is very flexible and made wonderfully thought-out changes to our plans when circumstances dictated. Our impromptu trek to Muktinath comes to mind as one of the highlights, and it was added because we needed an extra day in Lo Manthang which changed the original itinerary.
Prem is passionate about what he does. He is very well informed about the wildlife, the cultural and the religious aspects of this region.  He loves trekking and it shows.  His thoughtfulness and insight made sure we had a successful trip.  I recommend him highly to anyone who wants a real adventure. Prem is honest, considerate, and highly respected in the villages and among his peers. He will not let you down. This was our second trek with Mountain Hawk, and we'd go again with Prem.

- Thomas and Marian Corbyons

USA, Florida

Best trekking Company for Gokyo valley

Only 2 members of our team of 18 had been to Nepal before and both times with Prem and his team at Mountain Hawk (MH). The fact that we chose  MH again is a testament to their excellent organisation and ability to manage such a large group. There was a lot of correspondence before the trip which was very efficiently handled by Prem and his guidance in preparing us for the expedition was invaluable.  As you can imagine, looking after each one of a group of 18 with diverse needs is not easy but throughout the trip, the entire crew was superb and attended to all our needs with patience and a smile.  There were some tricky moments as weather conditions were testing but their encouragement and support got us through.  Above all, we all had a lot of fun and laughter with them as we felt they were like a family to us.  Thank you MH from all our hearts and look forward to more trips with you.

- Team Libra

UK and Kenya, London and Nairobi

Cho La high pass from EBC to Goyko third time in 2016.

We first used Mountain Hawk Trekking in 2010 when we completed a short 8 day Annapurna circuit and the Everest Base Camp Trek - see previous testimonial below.

We came back to Nepal in January 2014 and once again relied on Prem and his team at Mountain Hawk Trekking. This time Prem looked after us on two treks: Kanjing Gompa and Goyko - Goyko Ri.

Once again, his level of planning, care and attention was simply outstanding. Both treks were simply awesome. Given that it was winter with freezing temperatures overnight, Prem made sure we had additional blankets to ensure that we were warm and comfortable at night. There were days when the temperatures fell to well below freezing whilst we were trekking and to ensure we remained warm and well looked after, Prem made sure the porter trekked with us so that if needed we could raid our packs for additional supplies.

The scenery on the way to Goyko was quite simply majestic and upon reflection I believe it was a better trek than Everest Base camp. The panorama from the top of Goyko Ri is breathtaking with 360 degree views overlooking the Ngozumpa Glacier which is the longest glacier in the Himalayas.

We are planning to return for a third time in 2016 and if weather permits undertake Cho La high pass from EBC to Goyko and thus complete a loop. If you are planning to trek in Nepal, do yourself a really, really huge favour and use Mountain Hawk Trekking; we highly recommend them.

- Vladimir and Trisha Prpich

Australia, Melbourne

Best Trekking company in Nepal

Our guide Prem Pandit (Managing Director / Owner of Mountain Hawk) was outstanding from the time we booked with Mountain Hawk over the internet to the time we flew out of Nepal. He provided immediate responses to any questions we had over the internet. Once we arrived in Nepal we had some additional request and asked Prem for his assistance with these matters and as with all things he was more than willing to help. On the mountain he was guide, mentor, motivator and best of all a good friend having snowball fights and playing cards with our group. Prem certainly made our trip enjoyable and one that we will certainly not forget. Well will go back to Nepal one day to trek again and one thing you can be sure of is we will be using mountain Hawk and Prem again.

- Rob Hyde

Australia,

Truly memorable trip

This was our second trek with the Mountain Hawk team and it was just as well organised and fun as the first. We were in regular contact with Prem via telephone and skype during the build up to our trek. He designed the trek entirely around our schedule and the overall organisation was superb. He advised us on what to equipment and clothing to take, what physical training to undertake in preparation for the trek and what to expect from the trek itself. He was spot on! Prem, Badry and his team were a great laugh along route, they always kept our team motivated and went out of their way to make sure we were happy and comfortable. They are excellent mountain guides and always put our teams safety first. I can't thank the Mountain Hawk team enough for all of their efforts and making our trip a truly memorable one. We have already recommended Mountain Hawk to many friends back in London and will continue to do so. I will definitely be using Mountain Hawk again the next time i go trekking.

- Mukesh, Varsha and Sunny

UK, London