Avis des clients - Swiss Family Treks and Expedition GmbH

Lucy and Alain Family
4 persons (2 Adults and 2 Children)
Canadian

In 2001, my husband and I visited Nepal to trek. We did not have children at that time, but we said that if we ever did have kids we wanted to come back as a family. In 2014, we decided to travel back to Nepal with our 11 year old and 8 year old sons. Travelling on such a big adventure with children, we wanted to go with a company who would understand our needs as a family and ensure that everything was safe, secure and enjoyable so that we could have an amazing experience with our kids. Swiss Family Treks helped us have the trip of a lifetime! Our memories of our month in Nepal have filled our hearts and souls for many years to come.

The countryside of Nepal is breathtaking and stunning, but some of our best memories are of the wonderful people we met along our treks. I still smile when I think of us walking through the Himalayas with our amazing guide singing in Tibetan as we travelled along. We made great friends with the porters and I have memories of my children trekking along with them side by side chatting about their lives. All of the staff that we met through SFT were amazing, professional, kind and spoke highly of the company they worked for. While we did not know it at the time, we feel even more pleased that we chose SFT to help us on our trip when we heard the people who work for them speak so proudly of the company. Limits on the weight of porter loads and only using local guides from the areas to encourage employment in their home region were just some of the initiatives that we heard the guides and porters talk about. We felt proud to use a company who treated their amazing employees with respect and fairness.

Our children made us proud with their ability to travel with their eyes wide open and their heart accepting of everything around them. They travelled with ease and I believe they will be better people because of this rich experience. I thank SFT for giving us the comfort and confidence to embark on such an enormous and profound family experience!


 

Thomas Beckmann and Family
3 Persons (2 Adults and 1 Child)
Germany

Hallo Stephan,
 
es hat ein wenig gedauert, da wir im Moment viel um die Ohren haben, aber nun endlich unser Bericht und ein paar Bilder zur Veröffentlichung:
 
"Im August 2014 waren wir gemeinsam mit unserer 9-jährigen Tochter in Nepal. Wir hatten uns im Vorfeld entschieden, zunächst an einer mehrtägigen Trekkingtour teilzunehmen, um anschließend noch einige erholsame Tage in Chitwan zu verbringen. Aufgrund der Sommerferien mussten wir den Urlaub in den August verlegen, obwohl uns dies wegen des Monsuns nicht unbedingt als geeigneteste Reisezeit erschien. Aber es gibt bekanntlich kein schlechtes Wetter, sondern nur schlechte Kleidung...
 
Nach einem stundenlangen Flug über Nacht mit Aufenthalt in Dubai kamen wir schließlich in Kathmandu an und wurden herzlich von Stephan, seinen Töchtern und unserem Guide empfangen. Zunächst standen wir natürlich ganz unter den vielen Eindrücken, die in Kathmandu auf uns einströmten. Die vielen Menschen, die so andersartigen Farben, Gerüche, das ganze Durcheinander, was man aus Europa gar nicht kennt. Unsere Tochter staunte nicht schlecht. Sie hatte im Vorfeld kaum eine Vorstellung, was sie hier erwarten würde. Es gibt nicht viele europäische Kinder in Nepal, sodass sie zudem stets im Mittelpunkt stand. Viele Einheimische wollten sich mit ihr fotografieren lassen, um eine Erinnerung zu haben. Das war nun wirklich gewöhnungsbedürftig, sorgte aber für einige amüsante Szenen.
 
Am zweiten Tag ging es auch schon los. Wir hatten uns für den Langtang-Treck entschieden, da wir im Grunde gleich losmarschieren und nicht noch innerhalb des Landes weiterreisen wollten. Der Einstieg in den Treck ist am Stadtrand von Kathmandu. Es ging zunächst nur bergauf und es war heiß. Wir kamen gut ins schwitzen, es ging aber gut voran. Unsere Tochter musste zwar einige Pausen mehr einlegen und hat auch zuerst ein bißchen gejammert. Später packte sie dann der Ehrgeiz und wir waren über ihre Kondition erstaunt. Schließlich waren wir 5 Tage stets zwischen 7 und 10 Stunden unterwegs. Es ging so einige Male bis zu 1000 Höhenmeter rauf und wieder runter. Leider hat es dann ab dem zweiten Tag zunehmend geregnet, wodurch einhergehend mit dem aufziehenden Nebel nicht viel zu sehen war. Es gab jedoch immer wieder lichte Augenblicke mit sehr schönen Aussichten auf Berge und in Täler.
 
Wir hatten einen sehr guten Guide, der sogar schon einmal auf dem Mont Everest war, und zwei nette Träger. Es gabe viele interessante Begegnungen mit den Einwohnern vor Ort, die stets freundlich und zugewandt wirkten. Insgesamt trotz des Regens für uns alle ein tolles Erlebnis.
 
Anschließend verbrachten wir erneut zwei Tage in Kathmandu, um dort zu relaxen und Sehenswürdigkeiten anzusehen. Anschließend ging es per Flug in den Nationalpark nach Chitwan. Dort konnten wir dann Krokodile, Elefanten und Nashörner in freier Wildbahn sehen. Ein Höhepunkt war das Elefantenreiten.
 
Am letzten Tag folgten wir dann noch einer Einladung Stephans zu sich nach Hause. So konnten die Kinder dann noch einmal gemeinsam spielen und es gab köstliches Essen und gute Gespräche.
 
In Erinnerung werden wir eine spannende, abwechlungsreiche Reise behalten, die sehr gut organisiert war."
 
 
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland
 
Victoria, Nastassja und Thomas

Review at TripAdvisor on April 2020

My family (daughters ages 10 & 13 ) did a 3 week trek, and 6 week overall Nepal trip, with Swiss Family. We trekked Manaslu and Tsum valley and toured Kathmandu, Pokhara and Pharping. Swiss Family took absolutely incredible care of us through some extremely varied and challenging circumstances. We had the unique experience of trekking when the corona pandemic broke out. When we emerged from the mountains, Stephan was in daily contact and was able to provide very valuable contacts and resources while the entire country was locking down. We were well supported and felt extremely safe throughout our unplanned adventure. After seeing them respond to this emergency, I am so glad we were traveling with Swiss Family. We were in a much better position than many of the other travelers we encountered.

Our trekking was completed prior to pandemic changes and included our guide, two porters, and two horsemen (with horses). Everyone was a joy to be with and balanced professionalism with personal connection. Even though we had to amend our schedule due to excessive spring snowfall and then the corona pandemic, the changes were made with good communication and professionalism at every step. We loved the remote scenery and culture we encountered. Our group was full of smiles, energy and happiness each and every day. Our kids said it was a highlight of our 6 months of world travel.

We now feel that Stephan, Pasang, Ashta and all our other Swiss Family connections are part of our Nepali family. Any future trips to Nepal will definitely include them. Look no further for an organization that is committed to clear communication, personalized planning, high caliber guides and staff, incredible emergency response (if needed) and a commitment to Nepal itself. I cannot express how wonderful they made our Nepal experience.

Cornelia and Cedrec (2 Adults)
Switzerland

We read about the Manaslu Trek and Swiss Family Treks in a local newspaper in Switzerland and we knew immediately that this would be our trek.
During the planning phase, Stephan and his team replied patiently to all our questions and gave us some useful hints about Nepal. Once we arrived in Kathmandu, we felt right away that the SFT Team really cared about us and that our trip went well. The beautiful mountain scenery, the tiny villages high up in the mountain and the friendly Nepali people let us quickly forget our problems back home. We were spoilt by our guide Kharma Sherpa, the cook and the friendly porters. Even after a long hike carrying heavy bags on their backs (or rather on their heads) they were always smiling at the end of the day and prepared the campsite for us. The highlight of the trek was definitely the crossing of Larkya La pass at 5100m with the huge peaks everywhere around us.
 
After our 16 days trek, we wanted to "relax" a little bit in Chitwan National Park. We soon realized that the jeep safari and elephant riding with an outside temperature of 40°C was not really relaxing though...but so worth it. Where else can you see rhinos 5 meters away from you.  And the elephant bath was quite refreshing.

Thank you SFT for the great time we had in Nepal. It was the time of our life...

Cornelia and Cedrec
 

Stephan and Natasha
(2 Adults)
Swiss

Lieber Stephan, wir haben dank eurem  Guide Birendra den Larkya-La Pass trotz Schneesturm überqueren können und so eine unvergessliche Umrundung des Manaslu erleben können! Birendra zeigte viel Einsatz und Willen während des ganzen Treks. Den Abstecher in das Tsum-Valley mit wilden Affen an Ufern von reissenden Flüssen und zahllosen weissen Gipfeln werden wir nicht vergessen! Besten Dank für alles und herzliche Grüsse aus dem Appenzellerland.

Beste Grüsse aus der winterlichen Schweiz,
Stephan und Natasha
 

 

Thank you Stephan and Ashta,
We really did have such a fantastic time. Beautiful landscape, quiet trek and lovely people to spend the journey with. We are very thankful for your time to put this trip together so nicely for us. I will most definitely write a review for you although it may take a little time to put together.
Thank you as well for welcoming Sierra and I into your guest home, we really did have such a nice stay and enjoyed the food and the company along with the quiet.
Kind regards,
Carla and Austin from Canada

Ian Beckett and Family
5 Persons (2 Adults and 3 Children)
Canadian


Good day,
 
Thank you for a wonderful trekking experience in Nepal.  The trek you proposed was everything we had hoped for and very appropriate for our three young children. Your staff was execellent and made the trip one to remember.  My seven year old even said at the end of the trek "when I am a father, I will bring my family to Nepal to go trekking"!
 
Thank you again!
 
Ian Beckett

Stephanie and Hugo Family
4 Persons (2 Adults and 2 Children)
France


Hello,
As promised here is a blog retelling our adventure with Ashta, Ronik and the 2 others in lower mustang.
They are chapter 14 and 15 of my blog.
http://hugolalonde.wordpress.com/

You can use this link to inspire people that are interested in this particular itinerary.
http://hugolalonde.wordpress.com/le-trek-lower-mustang-partie-1/
http://hugolalonde.wordpress.com/15-le-trek-lower-mustang-partie-2/

Cheers
 
Hugo Lalonde

Rob Chad and Todd Bell
2 Adults
Canadian

Hello Stephan, Ashta and Deepak

Thank you for the note and thanks to all of you for an exceptional experience in Nepal. Both Todd and I were absolutely overwhelmed by the beauty of the country and the culture. It has been sad to have left all that behind.

Take care, and say hello to everyone.

Rob