Reviews

I met Jay in April 2007, who guided me on the Gokyo – Cho La pass – Everest Base Camp Trek. As well as wanting to do this trek, I was also out there with a work colleague who was climbing Everest that season (he succeeded with Alpine Ascents). Jay more than met my expectations and assisted me in my needs for the trek, ensuring I could meet up with my colleague at specific places, as we had different itineraries. My personal highlight was meeting him at Base Camp, where his group was carrying out a Puja ceremony, something I hadn’t seen before. Jay found good accommodation in all of the villages and as a bonus I paid extra to get us into the Eco Lodge at Lobuche. In addition he will take into account your physical condition, primarily thinking about your walking speed and not allowing you to ascend the trail too quickly in order to aid acclimatisation.

He noted that I had some time left in my holiday, which I had set aside for sightseeing and collecting souvenirs in Kathmandu. He asked if I would like to trek to his village, just south of the Ganesh Himal. It gave me a further insight into Nepalese culture, a different way of life in comparison to the ‘commercialised’ regions of the Khumbu and Annapurna.

He is very friendly and is open, honest and understanding with a great sense of humour. He always seems to be happy, but then he loves his job, which you can probably understand! He has a great knowledge of Nepal’s rich history and culture and was always quick to point this out along the way.

Jay will pick you up from the airport and will ably assist you in looking for extra gear you may require for the trek.

Jay is not just a guide to me, he is also a friend. We have stayed in contact since the Everest Base Camp trek and I visited Nepal again in October/November 2010. We first trekked in the Ganesh Himal area back to his village, this time via the start of the Langtang route, catching a bus to Syrabru Besi and west over two passes. A further two days trekking, a Jeep and two buses then led me to the Annapurna Circuit. It also gave me the opportunity to visit Pokhara and carry out some sightseeing in Kathmandu’s districts of Bhaktapur and Patan.

In March/April 2015 I undertook a long held ambition in trekking the Kanchenjunga region. Jay was unable to accompany me due to other commitments and he assigned me a fantastic guide and porter. I had an amazing time with them and I came back and met up with Jay to do some other things for a few days.

I can thoroughly recommend Jay as a guide and if you enjoy your trek as much as me, then you will have had one of your best experiences of a life time.

Jay was incredible for the month he served as my guide as we trekked through the Tsum Valley and Manaslu regions, which included some of the most mind-blowingly spectacular scenery I have ever seen in my life. I should note that this was my very first trek in Nepal so, every sight, sound, and experience was that much more special....

Always prepared, always confident, always on top of things, and always smiling, Jaya made sure that I had everything I needed at any given time. He was also quick to share information, history, and interesting facts about his beloved Nepal.

If you're looking for a competent, caring, kind, and professional guide, who will look after your every need, Jaya is your man. I would highly recommend him to anyone...

I went on a 14-day trek to Everest Base Camp and Jaya was an absolutely fantastic guide throughout. His knowledge of landmarks, locations, his stories and his outgoing nature were a delight during my journey. I was completely inspired and floored by the scale and grandeur of the region, and I could have asked for no better companion during my trek. Food and accommodation were all taken care of for me, so I could concentrate on the marvels of the Nepalese Himalayas. I will happily return and attempt a more challenging climb with Jaya.

My husband and I traveled to Nepal to trek to Mt. Everest BC for our honeymoon.
We were met at the airport by Jaya and from then on everything was taken care of by him.
It was an experience for sure! We had some great times and some challenges along the way.
Jaya made sure our 2 week trek was as smooth as possible by keeping us on time, hydrated, fed and rested.

If we ever get the chance to travel to Nepal again I'd definitely choose to travel with Jaya.

After a friend had to pullout the day before our planned trip to Nepal to participate in the Everest Marathon I was left to travel alone. I'm 50 years old and this was the first time I had travelled alone to a country like Nepal. I was introduced to Jay by a friend who had met him earlier this year.

We corresponded by Whats App and Jay arranged my hotel, a tour of Katmandu in a private car, a porter guide for the trek to Everest Basecamp, planned my itinerary and sorted out my trekking permit.

I was to be picked up from the airport but unfortunately due to there being local elections this was not possible. Also Jay had returned to his village and was unable to meet me and had to fend for myself. I found this quite stressful and ended up paying much more for a taxi into Katmandu (actually I'm not sure it was even a taxi). The driver was not able to find my hotel and we ended up driving around in circles trying to find it. Fair play to the driver he did actually get out and walk around and made several phone calls to locate it.

The hotel, Katmandu Guest House, was adequate but best described as budget. The bedroom and bedding were clean but the bathroom and toilet left a lot to be desired. There was no food available at the hotel for the first few days as the chef had returned to his village for the elections. All the staff were friendly and helpful. I didn't sleep well due to dogs barking outside all through the night.

The next day I was picked up at the hotel by Jays nephew who was to be my guide for the day. Communication was difficult and his knowledge of the places I was taken to was poor. Regardless I still had an enjoyable half day visiting the Great Boudha Stupa, Monkey Temple, Durbar Square and Bhaktapur.

Prior to arriving in Katmandu I had booked my onward flights to Lukla where my trek to EBC was to commence. Unfortunately these did not fit in with the itinerary that Jay had planned. We discussed this and Jay cancelled and rebooked the flights.

I was collected on the day of my trek by Jay and his driver and taken to the airport as planned. As things turned out there were no flights to Lukla on the rescheduled date due to poor weather. As a result I lost 2 days of acclimatisation, which unfortunately caused me problems later in the trek. Jay dealt with rebooking my flight for the next day. I organised my own hotel for the night and a taxi to the airport the next day, where I caught my flight as planned.

At Lukla I was met by Tek who was my porter guide for the trek to EBC. Communication with Tek was much better. To be honest we didn't talk very much and I spent a lot of time walking alone but always knowing the Tek wasn't too far infront or more often behind. Tea house accommodation and food along the way fine and within my budget. I should say that I set Jay a fairly tight budget to work with as I had never planned to employ a porter guide.

It was a shame that due to the elections I was not able to have Jay himself as my guide. I enjoyed the limited time that I spent with him and found him very helpful, friendly and most knowledgeable. Having spoken to my friend who referred me to Jay and read the other reviews I have to say I think it would of been a much more enjoyable experience with Jay as my guide. The itinerary that Jay planned was excellent and took a route via Gokyo Lakes and over the Chola Ridge, which I very much enjoyed despite the headaches from the lack of proper acclimatization. I would have really struggled without Jays help in rearranging flights due to the poor weather and a plane crash at Lukla a couple of days before I was due to fly back.

we (family with two kids aged 10 and 8) were trekking for a week in the Anapurnas with porters and a guide called Jay Gurung. It was a perfect experience with great logistics and very nice staff. Jay was a brilliant guide with a great sense of humour and we loved spending the days with him. We could trust his expertise and he his full of very interesting mountain stories. In difficult situations he is a top decision maker. We were in a critical hail storm situation and he knew exactly how to deal with it. He also carried our younger son down hill for long distances as he was complaining of knee pain! Amazing@!

We hiked with Jaya in 2011, doing both Everest Base Camp and Upper Mustang (Lo Manthang). Both of these hikes were absolutely amazing, and we couldn't have asked for a better guide! Jaya is friendly, organised and lots of fun to hike with! Would recommend Jaya to anyone looking for some excellent trekking in Nepal!

Tom and Emily

I heard about Jay from a friend who had hiked with him twice. I came to Kathmandu with only a few days to spare for hiking but Jay had meticulously helped me to customise the itinerary so that the hike would take 5 days instead of the usual 6 or 7 day hike. He was also flexible to accommodate any changes or suggestions. During the hike, there was no doubt that Jay was experienced and had an extensive knowledge of the area and the mountains, something that he was generous in sharing. I also learned some things about the Nepali culture and gained information regarding the areas and mountains in the trek. He felt more of a personal guide/tour guide rather than just a guide that you follow up into the mountains.

My phone had gotten wet during the trek because of the rain, and once the trek had ended and we were back in Kathmandu, Jay was kind enough to take me on his motorbike to local phone repair centre. Unfortunately for me, my backpack was stolen during a volunteering placement in Kathmandu (this was a few weeks after the trek had ended) and Jay willingly came to the local police station to help me settle the report. He was more than just a company owner and a guide but such an amazing person as well.

Would highly recommend Jay for a personal and memorable experience in Nepal!