Kundenstimmen - Swiss Family Treks and Expedition GmbH

Claire Barnsley and Family
2 Adults and 1 Child
Australia

Hi Stephan 

Thanks so much for organizing such a fantastic holiday - the Annapurna trek
was amazing and Sarah loved the elephants at Chitwan.

We will definitely be back.

Claire, Phil and Sarah
PS : Ashta was such a great guide and always there when needed.

 

Christopher Frim and Family
3 Adults and 2 Children
Germany

Hi Steve,

ja, wir sind nach 24 Stunden Reisezeit wieder zu Hause angekommen und der Alltag hat uns seit heute
wieder. Es bleiben die Erinnerungen an einen supertollen Trek (wir sind immer noch alle sehr stolz),
an das Faulenzen und Reinigen im Begnas Resort und an den sehr schönen Abschiedsabend bei Euch
in Pharping. Vielen Dank nochmals für die Einladung...freut uns, wenn die Wurst gut war;
als wir 2006 in Indien gelebt haben, waren die besten Mitbringsel aus Deutschland
Hefeweizen, Fleischsalat und Wurst ;-)

Liebe Grüße auch an die Mädels,
Chris, Anja, Jakob und Levi

 

Heinz Egli and Friends (Swiss-Hong Kong Group)
6 Adults
Swizterland (Live in Hong Kong)

Dear Stephan
 
here some pictures for your file.
Thanks a lot to all!
 
 
Just returned from an unforgettable trip to the mountains of the Himalayas
 
 
Greetings from Hong Kong
Retired..................tired yesterday and tired today
 Heinz

Liebe Freunde!!
Habe meine Nepal bilder nach tagen sortiert und untenstehend sind die links zu allen bildern.
Ich hatte eine supper zeit und die errinnerungen bleiben ewig !!!
Liebe Gruessli aus Hong Kong
Urs

 

Sandra Anna Scalfo
Swiss (1 Adult)

Review at TripAdvisor on May 2019

Meine Tochter (8) und ich hatten das Glück, einen ganzen Monat in Nepal verbringen zu dürfen. Swiss Family Treks hat unseren ganzen Aufenthalt perfekt organisiert. Mit Sunita hatten wir eine tolle Guidin und Anik hat nicht nur unseren Rucksack hochgetragen, sondern auch stets für gute Stimmung gesorgt und mit meiner Tochter Spiele gespielt. Auch Purna, den Pferdeführer im Annapurna möchte ich erwähnen. Ganz toll, wie er mit seinem Pferd umgeht und meine Tochter miteinbezog und sie mithelfen liess oder in den Pausen mit ihr zusammen mit dem Taschenmesser schnitzte! Wir hatten dank Swiss Family Treks einen unvergesslichen Urlaub und in unserer kleinen Trekkinggruppe eine richtig schöne, familiäre Stimmung. Wir haben in diesem Monat unglaublich viel erlebt und möchten Swiss Family Treks dafür ganz herzlich danken! Und ja: Trekking mit Kind funktioniert, es hat uns beiden supergut gefallen!

Let me start by mentioning an observation in a blog post by a young German couple we more or less trekked with, because they stayed at the same villages we did. They wrote that they didn't see the need for a guide on the trek to the ABC. I thought about how much they probably missed out on, compared to what Madan added to our experience.
One of the personal benefits for me in travel is seeing how other people's lives differ from mine. So, in addition to what I observed along the way, I had lots of questions for Madan about how the Nepali people subsisted in the often-narrow canyons and steep hillsides that surrounded us. He greatly enriched our experience with his familiarity of the country, the customs, the people and their subsistence agriculture, and the trail, itself. For example, starting out each day he gave us a summary of how many ups and downs we would have, with his hand motions. We had many questions for him and he always answered them with information that helped me understand the lives and history of people who live along the ABC trek.

Some examples: he explained that the dogs in the mountains at least have something to earn their meager keep (unlike the dogs in Kathmandu): they help keep the monkeys out of the rice fields during harvest time. Although he said a ratio of five monkeys to one dog will keep the dogs away. He explained how the monkeys strip the kernels from the plant, and spit out the husks or shells. He pointed out what plants or grains the villagers were drying in the sun. He noted the landslides/mudslides that have occurred along the steep canyon walls because of heavier-than-normal rains in recent years. He introduced us to rakshi, which the drinkers among us found rather enjoyable. So much so, in fact, that Madan led me into a tiny still, with the permission of the women cooking outside, of course.
In addition to the trek itself, and the scenery, some of my strongest impressions are of the porters. How these people make this ascent sometimes carrying almost half their body weight -- I might be thinking of the men in flaps making the ascent with provisions for the Tea Houses -- but Anik and Tika also did amazing work. As you know, Anik is a very charming, intelligent young man with ambition to do more in his life. We would like to help him do that, which I believe Ted and Jan talked to you about.
Finally, there was Dipak and our chauffeur, whose name I can't quite spell. Dipak was the equivalent of Madan in Kathmandu, answering all our questions and sharing his insights about Hindu and Buddhist traditions and beliefs and taking us to areas and merchants that casual visitors would never find.
I am very impressed by Swiss Family Treks. Your services along the ABC trek and in Kathmandu freed us from concern about logistics, whereabouts and whether we would see the places and sights that would be of most interest to us.
As someone who has hired and managed many co-workers over the years, I must say your team in Nepal speaks very well of your business.
I will send photos and, no doubt, our group will send more.   

 Jerry Mahoney
Gabrielle Mathieu
Ted Moorman
Jan Moorman

From USA

 

Jenty Kirswood and Family
4 Adults and 4 Children
Germany and American

Dear Steve,

I enjoyed the trip a lot and next time we will be better prepared what to bring. We certainly look forward to using your services again.

It was really fun.

See you again.

Jenty, Andreas, Jakob & Delphine

 

Natasha Conlon and Family
4 persons (2 Adults and 2 Children)
Canadian
 

With two young children (6 and 10 years old) the potential for a seven day trek in Nepal to go seriously wrong is fairly high. However, with Swiss-Nepal family organising the trek, our holiday in Nepal turned out to be a great outdoor adventure that our family will remember fondly for a long time.

The fact that Stephan, a Swiss national and one of the two owners of Swiss Family Treks, has lived in Nepal for many years and has four children of his own means that guests get a service which is perfect for families with young children.  He and his partner's Nepalese national, backgrounds mean that they understand the needs and expectations of Western families travelling in Nepal and are able to offer a fun, safe, and exciting outdoor experience in Nepal.   

We undertook a six day trek, starting near Pokhara across the Annupurna mountain range (4-7 hours trekking each day) followed by two days of water rafting on the Trishuli river.  Stephan and his team allocated a terrific guide (excellent English and a very patient and flexible attitude) along with two porters who were also very capable and strong!  My wife and I wanted to carry our own backpacks, and initially thought that a guide plus two porters was overkill. However, when my wife came down with a fever, she had to hand her back pack to one of the porters, and we were grateful that we had the extra person to help carry the load.  We thought that the 6 year old might struggle with the trek and would need a bit of carrying herself, but she turned into quite the trooper and walked every inch of the way.    

With two young children, one of my wife's main concerns was safety; our porter had been trained in basic first aid and was very conscious of safety during the trek. He stayed with us, never walking ahead.  My wife quizzed him, and he explained what they would do in the event of an emergency (broken bone, altitude sickness, etc).  Moreover, the group that Swiss Family Treks organized to take us rafting was again very safety conscious, and at one point had us leave the raft to walk around a particularly dangerous set of rapids.  

Another great thing about Swiss Family Treks was the routes they chose were “spot-on” for our abilities, and I got the sense that they knew the mountain passes inside out and could vary the route accordingly.  They also picked excellent spots for lunch and for the overnight stays.  This is a real advantage; spending time trying to pick a good lunch option or a good overnight place (from all tea houses on offer) is really ‘pot luck’ for most travellers, and one is bound to make some bad choices.  With Swiss Family Treks, the places chosen were universally the best on offer as far as we could tell (although I hope the team does review new options that arise, and continue to evaluate existing places).

All of this made everything so much smoother and gave us the ability to just relax and not worry about logistics at all during the trek. We could take our ease and mentally relax without having to organise anything (we have enough organising to do at home and in our day-jobs!). One might do this experience somewhat cheaper, but for the extra cost involved, choosing Swiss-Nepal family was more than well worth it.  A brilliant team and a great overall experience.

The Green bus service to Pokhara is really good by the way, if you don’t like flying on those tiny airplanes.  The green-line bus driver was punctual and safe and not taking the crazy risks that everybody else is taking. Better than a car and ten times cheaper.

 

Ana Bertelli and Family
2 Adults and 1 Child (3 pax)
Brazil

"Swiss Family Treks and Expedition was our partner for the trip to Nepal from the beginning. Their advice on where to go, how long to stay and the trek stays were invaluable. As was the service when we go to Nepal. From their driver, ever so patient and smiling, to our trek guide, Lalu, who became our friend away from home, with our two porters, we had wonderful support since the day we landed to the day we left Nepal.”

“While we were planning the trip and trek, Swiss Family Treks was of great help. They understood exactly what we were looking for and were not afraid of reworking the trip plan a few times until we got what we wanted. We made a fantastic trip, including a few days in Kathmandu, a challenging enough trekking, a couple of days in Pokhara, so beautiful with its lake, a few days in Chitwan, a great National Park worth visiting."

“We started exchanging emails months before the trip. The advice regarding hotels, such as the Pokhara Temple Tree Resort, was excellent. The lodges chosen in our 4 day trek, the Gandhruk Loop, were all good, some better than others, but all full of character and fun.”

“This trek, the Gandhruk Loop, is just amazing. Every corner of the dirt roads so staircases bring a new flash of wonderful mountains. The Annapurna massif is just a marvel to the eyes. Waking up at a lodge and having a peak to one of this mountains is a bless from heaven.”

“We went in January; it was very cold, but dry and sunny. We really enjoyed it, but be prepared for very very cold nights.”

Warm regards,
Ana, Ronaldo and Gabi - from São Paulo, Brazil