Trek the Himalayas (TTH) is a very popular name in organizing adventure trips in India. They specialize in trekking in the Himalayan region. I have been to two different treks with Trek The Himalayas and the experience is awesome.
Many people ask me about my experience on safety, security and trekking with Trek The Himalayas. In a single word I tell them “Superb”. This blog is a detailed and honest review about the different arrangements made by them on a trek.
Table of Contents
- Ease of booking a trek with Trek The Himalayas
- Assistance from the nearest city or town to the base camp
- Facilities and security at the base camps managed by Trek The Himalayas
- Review on trek guides, trek leader and safety measures on the slope
- Accommodation, hygiene and food provided on the slope
- Expedition cost
- Others
A few years back, I was looking for a trek to Kedarkantha in the month of February. Beginning of February is the peak of winter in India. Most of the trekking organizations do not schedule any treks during this time. The organization with whom I was trekking earlier did not had any batch schedule too. This is how I got in touch with Trek The Himalayas for the 1st time.
Reserving a Himalayan trek with Trek The Himalayas
Trek The Himalayas runs a wide range of treks in different himalayan regions starting from Himachal to Sikkim and West Bengal. The treks are of different categories like easy treks, moderate treks and so on.
Suggested Read: Beginners Guide To Himalayan Trekking-I
You can book the treks easily through the website of Trek The Himalayas, specifically for the batch you want to join. The user interface of their website is quite appealing displaying the duration, price, itinerary, and required fitness for each trek. The most appealing are the mind blowing pictures related to the treks. Even the people receiving customer calls at their office are also very helpful. Based on your fitness level, they will guide you on the treks suitable for you.
Cancellation or Rescheduling of Trek
For cancellation, change in batch or change in trek location, please read the instructions on their website or take advice by directly calling them. Since I did not have to go through any of these, I am not very sure about the policy relating to these facts.
However, in one of my treks with Trek The Himalayas, we booked for 8 people and paid advance accordingly. Because of a sudden change in plan of one of our team members, he couldn’t join us. Trek The Himalayas adjusted the advance amount made on behalf of the trekker with the total due amount.
MY RATING ON UI & EASE OF BOOKING A TREK: 10/10
Transportation from the nearest city to the base camp
Based on the trek you are attempting, you need to travel to the nearest city to the base camp at your own cost. Cabs arranged by Trek The Himalayas will pick you up from the city and drop you at the base camp. At the end of the trek, the same cab will again drop you at the city from where you had started. This road journey to the base camp for most of the treks ranges between 8 Hours to 10 Hours duration. The trek fee charged by TTH includes this travel cost. This is a good gesture by Trek The Himalayas which offers you a peace of mind and you need not bother about the vehicle and its payment. However, the expenses on food on the way to the base camp, has to be borne by you.
In certain organizations, this travel cost is not included in the trek fee, although the arrangement will be made by them.
MY RATING ON TRANSPORTATION: 10/10
Batch Size for a trek
Trek The Himalayas operates with limited number of candidates in each batch. In the two treks that I attempted with them, the number of participants did not exceed 15. This is another good gesture by Trek The Himalayas as managing the team of 15 trekkers by the professionals (1 trek leader and 2 trek guides) becomes easy. In my trek to Dayara Bugyal, we were only 7 trekkers in the batch and the trek continued.
I have trekked with an organization consisting of 28 people in a group, keeping the count of trek leaders and guides to 3. This is acceptable till the time no untoward incident happens. But to be frank, this is a threat to the safety of the trekkers on the trail especially in the high altitudes.
MY RATING ON BATCH SIZE: 10/10
Facilities at the Base Camps of Trek The Himalayas
All base camps are in picturesque locations where you will meet the trek leader and trek guides. After a warm greetings by the trek management team with a cup of hot black tea and snacks, you are required to undergo a small mandatory process involving
- Submission of the self declaration form and doctors certificate
- Undergo a blood pressure check
- Undergo a check on oxygen level using a pulse oximeter.
The trek leader will then introduce the trek trek guides and brief you on the trek essentials, itinerary, and the do’s & don’ts on the trek.
The base camps are neat and clean, normally accommodating 2 people in a room with attached bathrooms. In some larger rooms, 3 people can be accommodated. I have seen some dormitories too. Availability of hot water is based on the availability of electricity. The blankets provided were clean and warm enough to resist the negative temperature at night.
Apart from the trek leader and guides, there is a team of chefs who prepare real delicious foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the base camps. The dinner serves simple vegetarian food with some dessert.
Overall, the services at the base camps of Trek The Himalayas are excellent considering you are on a trek and not on a holiday expecting 5 star facilities.
MY RATINGS ON:
FOOD IN BASE CAMP: 10/10 | ACCOMMODATION: 9/10
Safety measures on the slope
The entire trek team moves in a queue in a particular pattern. One trek guide moves in the front and all trekkers follow him. Another trek guide moves at the last ensuring that none of the trekkers are left behind.
Trek guides are local guys who know the terrain better than anybody else in the group. The trek leader moves along the group ensuring all trekkers are comfortable in the hike. He is a certified mountaineer equipped with the basic knowledge of first aid and having quick decision making ability.
The team of these 3 people carry an oxygen cylinder, rope and axes with them to overcome any emergency situation. In the higher altitudes, every evening your oxygen level will be measured. If there is a drop in oxygen level with anyone, proper advice will be given by the trek leader and corrective measures will be taken. The language spoken by them includes English and Hindi apart from their native language.
You may be interested in reading: Brahmatal-Trapped in a Blizzard
MY RATING ON SAFETY MEASURES ON THE SLOPE : 10/10
Accommodation on the slope
On the trail, all accommodations are in tents. Each tent accommodates two people which makes the stay quite comfortable in the subzero temperatures. In both the treks, the tents and sleeping bags provided to us were of good quality and clean with all zips working properly.
Caution: If the zips of the tent and sleeping bags do not function, it will be impossible for you to sleep at night because of chill winds blowing and temperature remaining much below zero degree centigrade.
The food in the camp sites are again awesome. On the slope, each day, they will provide you with different snacks and desserts. Snacks include samosas, pakodas, maggi etc. The sweet dishes included gulab-jamun, kheer, custard etc.
MY RATINGS ON :
ACCOMMODATION IN TENTS: 10/10 | FOOD IN THE CAMP SITES: 10/10
I will rate food quality best with Trek The Himalayas when compared to other trekking organizations with whom I trekked till date.
You may be interested in reading: Kedarkantha- A Marvelous Winter Trek in India
Cost of Expedition
I have personally compared the trekking rates for the same trek with different organizations. In my experience, the cost of the trek charged by Trek The Himalayas is very reasonable considering the quality of the services provided by them.
Feedback on other services
I want to mention this section particularly because of the following incident.
We were a group of 7 trekkers on a trek to Dayara Bugyal. The day we reached the base camp at Raithal after travelling all the way from Dehradun (10 Hours by road), heavy snowfall followed by an avalanche was reported in the upper Himalayan region, thereby cancelling all treks to Dayara Bugyal. Trek The Himalayas quickly arranged for an alternate trek to Brahmatal with base camp at Lohajung which is approx. 330 Km from Raithal. Although we lost one trekking day for the extra journey, the action taken by Trek The Himalayas was commendable.
In every step with Trek The Himalayas, with every team member, you will find professionalism. May it be the trek leader, trek guides or the cooks in the camp sites. Everybody is helpful, well mannered, friendly and professionally deals with all issues.
MY RATING ON TEAM Trek The Himalayas: 10/10
Guys, if you have not been to any trek with Trek The Himalayas yet, I hope the above review will help you understand the functioning of Trek The Himalayas in a better way. In the reviews section of their website, you will find a lot of reviews summarizing the overall services provided by Trek The Himalayas. My purpose of writing this blog is to ensure that you get a proper step by step review on the services and not an overall review.
In the forthcoming days, I will keep updating this blog with my experience with Trek The Himalayas as and when I complete more treks with them.
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The content is amazing and very informative.
Wow, great article and thank you for providing great article.
Great article and helpful article, thank you for sharing.
Brahmatal Trke is one of my favorite treks in Garhwal Himalayas. I Visited last year during monsoon and now I am planning to explore to witness Snowfall. Thanks for sharing about this place !!!