Hello Sonam,
We had a great time trekking to and in Tsum.
We were especially very happy with Ang. We really liked his gentle character. He took good care of us and we felt very comfortable with him. His smart and quiet way of guiding (and more than that, e.g. cooking) is just great. He was sensitive to our needs and wishes. Cooked healthy food for us, did extra trips with us and was interested to find the best iteniary for us. He made sure we always get the best rooms. The best guide we ever had.
We were also happy with the two porters Supom and Ramez (?). Ang treated them very well. I think all members of the group enjoyed the trip, the porters as well. Also, when we saw other porters carrying double the load of ours, we were very satisfied with our arrangement.
So, for me doing this trek with this guys was just perfect. We were lucky to visit a 2-days-celebration at the gompa near Chakongparo. Also, staying in Angs house was a very nice experience.
To give you a proper feedback, there are only few things to add:
- It gets pretty cold - so please recommend other guests to bring a down jacket with them.
- We had the idea that there are lots of homestays but slept almost every night in a lodge, because there are lodges almost everywhere. That was ok, but just to give the information.
- The only thing we were not happy about was the Jeepdrive. On the way to Soti Kola the gearbox broke down. On the way back to KTM the driver drove very slow (almost all the time in the second gear) so we would have been faster with the busses, which overtake us. That a car breaks down can happen. No big deal. But the thing is that we paid a big amount of money for the Jeepdrive. For that money we expect a proper working and comfortable Jeep.
So, next time we would rather go by bus.
Or cheaper price or better service. - Just for me personally I would have liked to stay a couple of days longer in Tsum. So if you ever have customers who want to take their time, I think it's nice if you would mention some places were it is worth to stay for rest days or to do side trips (e.g. Mu Gompa or Chumling/Chumchet) in the itinery before the trek. For me it was quite difficult to get an idea before the trek. But that is just a recommendation. In our group not everybody shared my ideas...;)
We didn't meet any Tibetan Mastiffs but lots of cute tame doggies. :)
At times it has been quite busy on the trek. We didn't expect that and Ang said this season is the busiest ever.
I appreciated the quick and reliable communication with you and will recommend your agency.
We had a wonderful unforgetable time.
Thanks and all the best to you!
Jüte
Hello again,
what I forgot: the first days in the mountains (instead of the maintrail) were just perfect. We really enjoyed that. Nice villages, nice views and with every mountain you come closer.
Much better than the maintrail...
We bought your book in KTM.
So long,
Jüte
(Note: Jüte and 3 of her friends Susanne, Dörthe and Bernhard trekked in Tsum Valley in the month of November 2018)