It was my dream to trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC). I wanted to hire the best local company in Kathmandu for this. I started my research in November 2022 by carefully reading the content on the websites of multiple top high-end trekking companies in Kathmandu. After hours of conversation and exchanging multiple emails with various companies, I luckily stumbled upon Footprint Adventures on Instagram.
Footprint Adventures is owned by Sharan Karki who we felt incredibly fortunate to have as our guide during the trek. My husband and I opted for a helicopter trek (Going to EBC on foot and coming back by helicopter).
Pre-booking assistance - With a lot of patience and always with a smile, Sharan spent numerous hours over 6 months answering the thousands of queries I had. He helped with deciding 1) Camera model 2) Lens model 3) Travel insurance policy 4) Hiking gear (jackets & shoes) 5) Travel dates 6) Exercises and Yoga poses 7) Currency. The payment process was super smooth. (This demonstrates Sharan's dedication for his work and the top-notch customer service Footprint offers).
As both me and my husband are not fitness freaks, we wanted to opt for a privately customized tour so that we can get some extra rest days if required while on the trek. Sharan customized 1) the itinerary wherein extra rest/acclimatization days could be added 2) Lodges which came with a privately attached bathroom and hot showers were booked for us 3) Restaurants which offered healthy vegetarian meals were chosen as per our desire (this demonstrates Sharan's flexibility and the desire to go above and beyond).
Pre-trek assistance - We left for Kathmandu in the month of May 2023 and Sharan was at the airport at 9 pm to receive us with garlands (We felt so welcomed!). The Kathmandu hotel was top-notch with all the luxuries. He has got the best local driver and guide who helped us with Kathmandu sightseeing the next day. Sharan later joined us for a few hours and personally took us to the best hiking gear shops where he helped us purchase trek pants, down jackets, head lamps, Nepal SIM card etc. He also helped us take sleeping bags on rent. He suggested the best Indian restaurants and gave us EBC trek maps, Footprint T-shirts, and clean brand-new duffle bags to pack our stuff for the trek. What stood out for us was he offered us his hiking poles for free so that we don't have to buy new ones. He even let me bring the hiking pole he gave to me back to India as a token of my memory from the EBC trek. This really touched me! He also helped us set up our new camera before the trek. Apparently after we made the booking/payment, the helicopter cost increased by $300 to $500. Sharan did not even ask us to pay this extra cost. Such strong are the work ethics and professionalism of Footprint Adventures. All the required permits were pre-arranged by Sharan and we had to worry about absolutely nothing.
Assistance on the first day of the trek - Sharan is a super punctual and organized person and was present at our hotel early in the morning to pick us up for the airport as we needed to catch the flight to Lukla. On his request, the hotel staff agreed to keep our luggage/suitcases in their cloakroom till we return from the trek. At the airport, during the check-in process, Sharan lifted both our duffle bags himself even without us asking for his help. Such a kind soul he is! He secretly told us which seats to choose in the flight to get the best aerial view, can you believe this!!! Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla is considered to be the bumpiest flight in the world. Sharan gave me moral support and diverted my attention by clicking pictures when I was super scared because of the turbulence. After landing in Lukla, he took us to the best European style bakery with great views, clean toilets and which served the yummiest burgers and hot chocolate. Trust me, the hot chocolate here was even better than the one I had at Mt Titlis in Switzerland. He also made us buy neck gaiters when he realized we were not carrying those. It was such a blessing to buy these gaiters as it protected us from the freezing winds later during the trek. Sharan introduced us to our potter "Chhiring" here who is a very hard working, polite and genuine guy. We are forever grateful to him for safely carrying our duffle bags throughout the trek. Sometimes Chhiring even came back to help us with our backpacks after dropping our duffle bags in the hotel/teahouse/lodge.
During the trek - Unfortunately TripAdvisor has a word limit constraint otherwise I would have loved to write 10 pages on how easy and memorable Sharan made this trek for us. During the trek, Sharan exceeded all expectations by providing exceptional service and care to ensure that we had a memorable experience. Some of the highlights -
1) Some of the days the weather was extreme (rain and snow) and the terrain was very rough with continuous walking on uphill-downhill big and small stones. Sharan actually kept holding my hand and sometimes even gave me his arm strength so that I could walk and not slip or fall. I did not see any other guide offer help to this extent during the whole trek. He is truly the BEST.
2) Sharan offered to hold our very heavy camera and my backpack whenever it became difficult for me and my husband to carry it. He is genuinely a very caring person.
3) Sharan never had any of his meals or drinks until he made sure that we had been served proper hot meals on time. He kept running from pole to post in extreme weather conditions to make sure we get everything from hot soups, milk, puddings, hot chocolates, coffee, tea, Fanta, Coke, burgers, sandwiches, Salad, Deserts, Daal-bath, hot rotis, rice, curry, pickles, chutneys and what not! He made sure that our food did not have any eggs, meats, and mushrooms. He even arranged hot popcorns and Aloo Parathas for us which are truly a luxury up in the Himalayas. He would always take the breakfast order for the next day the previous night so that we don't have to wait for the breakfast. Sharan took hospitality to an incredibly new level when after every meal he himself chopped fresh juicy apples and pomegranates for us (As we were vegetarians, he voluntarily carried kilos of these fruits and dry fruits and nuts for us from Kathmandu for the whole trek!).
4) Sharan has an excellent knowledge of mountains, weather, trails, terrain, altitude sickness, lodges etc. He brilliantly calculates your strength, speed and the distance and gives you the exact amount of time in which you will reach your destination while on the trek! He has amazing contacts throughout the trek and can arrange any kind of help. He also carries a proper first-aid kit with all the medicines to encounter any injury or altitude sickness.
5) Sharan was super thoughtful when he let me use his mobile phone daily to call my parents over whatsapp. He kept sending timely info and daily photos to my parents over whatsapp throughout the trek as my sim card was not functioning up in the mountains. I called, pinged, and sent voice notes to my parents using his phone and we used the hotspot of his phone to check office emails.
6) Sharan is also a professional photographer and after he realized that I am crazy for pictures, he happily clicked 1000's of photos with his Sony mirrorless camera and his iPhone. He didn't hesitate to take out his hands from his pockets in the freezing temperature just to click good photos. At the end he collated all the pictures, edited/color corrected them and even made some videos out of those photos before handing them over to me in my memory card. Have you ever seen such customer service? Yes, it is unbelievable but true.
7) Some lodge owners agreed to burn a bonfire in the freezing cold only because Sharan requested them to.
8) Our Namche hotel had a big group who were creating noise. When Sharan realized our discomfort because of this, he immediately changed our lodge and moved us to a better lodge in no time.
9) When we needed lemons to fight altitude sickness, Sharan went to the market and got dozens of them for the whole trek.
10) When our lodge at Debouche did not have a water outlet, Sharan arranged a big hot bucket of water and a Dettol liquid soap for us in our room.
11) Sharan arranged extra blankets and 1–2-liter flasks of hot water for us in every lodge for the night.
12) Sharan offered us his "water-purifying tablets" so that we don't fall sick.
13) He also offered us his sunscreen cream till we could purchase our own at Namche.
14) Sharan took us to a celebrity restaurant at Namche where we were served tasty pizzas and pastas (getting this kind of food at this altitude defines luxury).
15) Our duffle bags were always picked from our rooms and dropped in our rooms daily and we did not have to carry them till the lodge lobby unlike trekkers who booked with other trek companies.
16) Sharan had the patience to walk with me at my "tortoise speed" throughout the trek and kept saying his magical words "take small baby steps". These words actually made me do this very tough trek. He also made us take deep breaths and drink a lot of water so that we can fight altitude sickness.
17) It was extremely difficult to take pictures at the EBC stone on the final day as a group of uncivilized youngsters kept photobombing us. Sharan still managed to take some amazing pictures of us holding the Indian Flag and this made our trip really memorable.
18) Under Sharan's guidance we stayed so healthy and fit during the trek that we actually skipped the rest day at Dingboche and completed the one side trek to EBC in 7 days instead of 8 days!
19) Sharan has amazing contacts, and he arranged a helicopter from Gorak Shep to Lukla and then Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu on the same day! He has the caliber to make any process smooth.
20) You will be amazed to know that Sharan actually picks up wrappers thrown by others on the trail to keep the trail clean (he lives by the motto - leave only footprints, no thrash).
Post-trek assistance - 1) As we finished the trek earlier than the stimulated days, Sharan not only arranged accommodation for us in Kathmandu but also upgraded the hotel room. 2) He gave us a warm farewell on our last day by giving us trek completion certificates, Nepali "Khada" (a traditional ceremonial scarf which symbolizes purity and compassion) and 2 coffee mugs which had our EBC stone final day pictures printed on it. I can't express in words how happy I felt when Sharan gifted us those mugs. 3) His driver dropped us at the airport as we said a teary good-bye to our host, guide and now friend for life Sharan Karki.
The purpose of writing such an elaborate review is to help all those who are currently struggling to find the best trek company for EBC the way I was struggling 6 months back. I have done weeks of research before finalizing Footprint Adventures and I am super happy that I made the decision to choose Footprint for this once in a life experience. They are not only the most economical but also highly prompt, proactive, professional, ethical, and knowledgeable - And I say this after taking the service of multiple tours and travel agencies across the USA, Europe, and India over 10 years now! Footprint Adventures is indeed the top market player in the trek domain in Kathmandu.
If people like us (who hardly walk, exercise, practice yoga etc.) could successfully trek to EBC in 7 days instead of 8 and that too without falling sick and without taking help of horses, then the complete credit goes to the facilities, comfort, flexibility, help, guidance, moral support, and customization provided to us by Sharan. My dream of trekking to EBC would have never come true if not for Sharan. I feel truly grateful and lucky to have chosen Footprint and to have Sharan as our trek guide.
With an incredible amount of patience, an ever-smiling face, a polite and assuring voice, a thoughtful, proactive, flexible, and kind nature, vast ocean of knowledge, customer centric behavior, a strong business ethic, amazing network and proficiency in English, Hindi & Nepali, Sharan Karki is truly at the top of his game. He indeed believes in understanding customer requirements and delivers excellent service accordingly. Consider yourself lucky if you can finalize a booking with them. I have heard that their group treks to EBC and Annapurna region are equally good, and I highly recommend Footprint Adventures for any trek/tour/travel across Nepal. You can never go wrong with Footprint Adventures. I wish them all the best!
