Reviews

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 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

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@!

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!

It is really hard to fight through all the internet sites offering trips in Nepal and there is almost no way to tell the good from the not-so-good. I was talking via email with three trip organizers but chose Unique Nepal Adventures, and I am glad that I did. I chose this team because of the speed of response from Jay, his honesty and experience.

As others have said in reviews, Jay gives a total plane door-to-plane door service, collecting me from the airport, organizing everything for me while I was in Nepal/Kathmandu, and even allowing me to share a dinner with his family. Jay is flexible to meet your trip needs, regardless of how many last-minute changes you make.

My guide for my trek was Om. He was quiet but experienced, and he seemed to know and be friends with almost all the other guides on the trail. He organized the rooms in the tea houses, provided food and was also flexible to change plans and routes.

I have no hesitation in recommending Jay and Unique Nepal Adventure Treks and will use his service again for future trips.

Thank you Jay and Om for a very memorable, well-organized, and safe trip.