The Mountain Company Traveller Reviews

Five days into my Trek around Manaslu I tested positive for covid. I was in a tiny, remote mountain village with no signal on my phone. My trekking guides supported me to contact both my insurers and Roland, Mountain Co CEO. Roland gave me support and reassurance as my insurers dallied over my request for helicopter evacuation. Indeed, Roland chased them for me numerous times before the heli arrived 30 hours after my first request. Holiday insurance has a job to do and eventually, it did what I'd paid for, but without Roland, who went the extra mile, Id probably still be in a remote mountain village drinking ginger tea1

From first contact to my next booking (yes, I'm going back to Manaslu with The Mountain Company - unfinished business) Roland couldn't have been more informed and supportive. But I'd expect that really...... nevertheless it wasn't always the case with other companies I approached for this trip. When disaster strikes you really find out if a company can back up its promises. The Mountain Company most certainly did and Roland followed up, visiting me in hospital and providing some non-essential treats that were most welcome, demonstrating a personal touch to go with the high standard of professionalism I found in every interaction I had with the Mountain Co.

We trekked to Annapurna Base Camp via Ghorepani and Poon Hill. Spectacular views and lucky with the weather. The teahouses we stayed in were very good and so was the food. Also the itinerary was well planned so that the days were not too long and we had time to acclimatise.

I highly recommend The Mountain Company if you want a great trekking experience. Having used them for multiple treks they are consistently excellent with their pre and post trek communications as well as their professional guiding and support throughout the trek.

The trek offered a combination of challenge (we reached a summit of 4,300m), glorious landscape filled with rhododendrons, and wonderful visits to monasteries. The trip was tailored to our group of three, allowing for our moderate level of fitness and, most importantly, giving us time to adjust to altitude. The start of the trail was a day's drive from Kathmandu - yet although this is a fairly accessible route, we saw few other tourists either on the trail or at the seven teahouses we stayed in. We drank copious amounts of mint tea and ate wholesome meals of dhal bhat (rice and lentils with veg) at the teahouses - some accommodation more comfortable than others. We had two porters along with two guides who took patient care of us and gave us charming insight into the region.

Even choosing which trek to take in Nepal can be daunting. We were very impressed by the care taken by The Mountain Company over preparing us for the trip. We had many email exchanges with Roland Hunter, who was very thorough and meticulous in assessing our needs and putting together an itinerary. We also enjoyed an extremely helpful Zoom session with him The result was that we had exactly the right gear for the trek (some of which we hired in Kathmandu thanks to Roland) and the holiday very much met all expectations. Having a tailor-made trip was a great boon, giving us flexibility to change a day's route and walking distance - and enabling us to take in a local festival.

There and back trip to Makalu Base Camp

An amazing experience finely curated by TMC. A raft of operators offer similar packages but it was Roland (and TMC’s) expert knowledge and experience that builds confidence of risk management, operational ability and client support. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again!

We've done four treks with TMC. Through no fault of TMC, the last one was a little disappointing, since a very unusual cyclonic event meant that we could do the full trek. TMC did a very good job of adapting and rerouting.

We've now done four treks with The Mountain Company -- two short, two long. If we ever go back to the Himalayas, I'm fairly certain we'd use them again. They really seem to be head and shoulders above the competition, particularly on the less-traveled routes. Perhaps the best thing about them is their local guides. TMC seems to pay well and supported them through the pandemic. They've all been personable, knowledgeable, and skilled. The Western guides have also been very good. They're all pretty hardened, almost to a fault, which means that they were sometimes a little unaware of some of the group dynamics (so, e.g., more aggressive trekkers weren't reined in to keep the group together and moving at a safe pace), but they were (both) very skilled, experienced, and resourceful. TMC's logistics, safety measures, and knowledge of trail conditions are also excellent. The only reason I took off a point was that their medical protocols were disorganized and inconsistent, which for me detracted from the experience.

Well organised lodge trip to Ama Dablam base camp. The guide was very capable and knowledgable and great company. We felt in safe hands at all times and he was very attentive, ensuring we were well looked after.

Very clear pre-trip comms and very responsive to questions about the trip and adjustments to the plan. They have a good team and very respectful and collaborative relationships within the team. We always felt in safe hands.

Our Dhaulagiri circuit was cancelled 36 hours into the trek due to agreed safety concerns re landslips and avalanches higher up. We retreated back to Beni, regrouped and then did Plan B. The staff communicated with us excellently all through this experience. We were kept safe and accommodated and fed well. Our extension was worthwhile and very adventurous. The guides were excellent. .

The Mountain Company led by Roland Hunter is a brilliant tour operator. The communication with travellers before, during and after the holiday was excellent. Roland gave all the time we needed despite being very busy. The guides kept us up to date and checked out if we were ok. They were very helpful with health issues. The office got back to my children when they were concerned. The kit, porters, kitchen crew also worked well. This is the best tour operator that I have experienced.

I embarked on the Lunana Snowman trek with the Mountain Company in October 2022. I had already been converted to trekking with the Mountain Company and had wanted to do Snowman for some time. The trip was exceptional on every way. It is an amazing trek but my appreciation of it was enhanced in so many ways by the planning and care of the Mountain Company before and throughout the trek. Through their years of experience they had put together a wonderful team who, together with our great leader Nat, looked after us every inch of the way so all we had to do was push ourselves to get over the passes, wonder at the scenery and eat incredibly well in the remotest of locations. My thanks to all of TMC for this.

Brilliant organisation and attention to detail which gives you a feeling of complete confidence. So important when you are approaching something both unique and challenging. Roland the MD is great in providing all necessary pretrip information and keeping one informed to the moment of departure

Having recently returned from a wonderful trip round the Manaslu Circuit, I found The Mountain Company to be extremely well organised with great communication from from first contact right through til we got home. Feedback was sought and taken into consideration using each client to improve for the next. The guides and porters used were of the highest quality with each having proper equipment and were all extremely attentive. The guide spoke excellent English making communication easy and we had a lot of fun as a group. It was also very reassuring to have an assistant guide too despite being a small group and is something that sets The Mountain Company apart from other outfits which take much bigger groups with only one guide. Having two meant that we could all walk at our pace safely. We appreciated that the porters were well kitted out, included at meal times and came (voluntarily!) on acclimation walks with us. Again, many groups kept their porters separate which made us feel very uncomfortable so it was nice to be able to share a drink altogether every day. Due to inclement weather and many landslides just before we started, the trail was considerably changed from the itinerary but this just demonstrates the unpredictable nature of trekking and couldn’t be helped. The trip was pretty well paced with ample time for acclimatisation. We saw many other groups struggling over the landslides and coming down from the high pass and we were grateful to always feel safe and comfortable with our guide who we all trusted. I would say that microspikes as a minimum are absolutely crucial on this trek. We saw some nasty accidents and falls of people who didn’t have the proper equipment so make sure to read the kit list properly and utilise Roland who is always willing to help with kit advice - take it!! As this was a tea house trek, the lodges were basic but safe and food was plentiful if a little repetitive. Taking some snacks from home was welcomed along the daily trail! The Manaslu trek is a real treat, moving through many different cultural areas and giving opportunity to interact with local people. The scenery changes every day from the lowland gorge, the to highland villages up to the Tibetan plateau and finally the high pass. The views each day of the big peaks are spectacular! I would say that it is a physically challenging trek with the unpredictability of the trail. I appreciated having a high level of fitness level and a lot of walking experience on this trek. Definitely use all your kit before you go so that you know it’s comfortable and that includes being used to carrying a daypack! Overall I would recommend the Manaslu circuit to anyone looking for a varied and spectacular trek. I am already looking forward to my next Himalayan trek which will be with The Mountain Company as I’m not sure how they could be bettered.

I would highly recommend The Mountain Company to anyone looking for a well organised and high quality trekking trip. Their repeat clients are a testament to the quality they offer and having been recommended them I was not disappointed.

My friends and I went on an 11 day trek up to Ama Dablam. It was my 1st trek to Nepal. All I can say is I was blown away and can't wait to get back. The people were so kind and respectful. The trek itself left me speechless. The mountains just leave you going WOW!!!

The Mountain Company was awesome. From the discussions prior to the trip right up to the end they made seamless. The guides and porters we super friendly and accommodating.