Travel Tips

Picking the Right Travel Agent is Important Anywhere and in Nepal Even More so, Why do I say this you may ask?? Well If you have a few minutes I will tell you.
If you go on a trekking adventure, Say Upper Mustang or Tilacho Lakes then your Travel Agent will provide you with your guide and Your Life is in His Hands !!
If you go White water Rafting, Particularly One of the BIG Rivers such as The Western Bend of the Karnali River, Then Again Your Life is in the Hands of the River Guides.
On expedition Your Travel Agent provides All your Food, So you want it to be of a decent quality and well cooked. He provides you with Tents, So you Need them to be water and wind-proof. He provides you with sleeping bags and mattresses, so you Need them to be warm and comfortable.
If you book a trip to a national park such as Royal Chitwan, You want your accommodation to be well located and clean, you want mosquito nets provided, You want your Jungle Guides to be Knowledgeable, Pleasant and have good communicating skills.
If you book a Tibet Trip, You want your Travel Agent to Ensure that All your paper-work, Tibet Travel permits and Visas are in order.
If you book a bus ticket, you want it to be on a reliable, safe and comfortable bus that turns up on time and gets you to your destination safely.
There are many other reasons why you Need to pick you Travel Agent Carefully, The above are just a few to Emphasize how Important your Travel Agent is !!

So, Which one to you pick ??
Nepal is Full of Travel Agents and they All want your business !!
They All Claim to provide Exactly the service that you are looking for, Unfortunately Most of them are unable to deliver this service, and as I have pointed out above, This can be Life Threatening !!
I discovered My Travel Agent 14 years ago in 1994, He has Never let me down, So I ALWAYS use him. I have been to Nepal on Seven occasions now, So I Consider Nirmal Not Only My Travel Agent, But Also a Personal Friend

I have used Nirmal to book the following trips and services over the last 13 years, All have them have worked out well, so he has my Very Best Reccomendation
Fully Supported Trek to Upper Mustang
Overland Trip to Tibet, Including return flight to Kathmandu
Ten Day White Water Rafting Expedition on The Western Bend of The Karnali River
Numerous trips to Royal Chitwan National Park
Numerous Rafting Trips on the Trisuli River
Mountain Flight with Buddha Airlines.
Numerous Internal Flights with Seti, Cosmic, Royal Nepal and other domestic airlines.
Numerous Tourist Bus Trips to Pokhara
+ Lots of other smaller trips, All of which were Trouble Free.

So, What’s the name of this Travel Agent, and Where do you find him.

Nirmal Nakarmi
Himalayan Magic Adventures
G.P.O. Box 7112
Thamel,
Kathmandu,
Nepal

Telephone 00 977 1 4 26 25 24

After Many years f trying to convince Nirmal of the Merits of having an internet connection in his office, and him being understandably reluctant because of the expense of both buying a computer and paying for the internet line to be installed.
However – I am Now Pleased top be able to tell you all that Nirmal now Does have his own Internet connection and computer – His email address is still n2@vianet.com.np
So, with luck he will now be able to answer all Enquiries and reply to his emails a Lot Faster !!

On my 2008 trip Nirmal organised me my support party for a 10 day trek to Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang, as usual he did an excellent job, The people he hired were all Excellent, Tej the cook was the Best trek cook that I have ever come across producing excellent meals often in less than ideal conditions. The cooks Boy and all the porters were friendly and always had a big smile on their faces in spite of the heavy loads that they carried.
Another Important thing is that Nirmal pays his staff well and doesn’t keep the Lions Share of what you pay out to line his own pockets !!
You May find cheaper but you Won’t find Better !!!!!!

The photo is of a little party that we had in Nirmal’s Office after we returned from the trek