Mosaic Adventure

So prompt on all their emails. Thank you so much Madhav!!

And i cant say enough of Rudra, our guide. He was so patient with my girlfriend and i who was going through some knee trouble. Thank you guys so much!!

And to everyone... you CAN do it. Long but amazing and worth every muscle ache!! Your porters are amazing and will help you. Make sure to tip good. They all deserve it!!

A large group of us (about 25) recently went on a trek with mosaic to Everest base camp. Our guides (Ramesh and Pralhad) were amazing every step of the way. Ramesh was always offering words of encouragement and would play cards with us at the end of the day and answer any questions we had- truly a great man! Everything was always taken care of and if there were ever any issues they were resolved quickly.

Absolutely loved my time hiking from Lukla to Everest Base camp and up Kala Pather. Our guides we’re extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable; could not have done it without them! We love you Ramesh!

Rajan Nepal is the best guide out there!!! Please request to have him! Because of his leadership and experience it was one of the best experiences anyone could ask for. He was very professional throughout the whole trek and I highly recommend. He was willing to give from his own pocket just to make sure that you had the best experience and did so without wanting anything in return. Who does that anymore?! Even though he has guided EBC over 50 times he still treats your trek as if it was his first time and was very positive the whole time. He barely had three days between my trek and the one before yet acted excited as if I was the only trek he was guiding that year.

So, I must say that because of my guide experience with Rajan I had the best experience one could ask for doing the EBC trek. I have never been so impressed and I must say that Rajan deserves a raise or bonus because I never expected to have experience such excellence as I did with Rajan!! I rate A+++++++++++++!

Words of mouth from people we know was how we chose the trekking agency for our wonderful 16-day Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley trek in April/May 2019 (send me a private message if you are interested in latest trek info).

We were recommended by 3 different friends to 3 different agencies. We ended up choosing Mosaic mainly because Madhav (the key contact we dealt with) has excellent communication skills, is very efficient and patient, always responds in detail to our numerous questions in a timely manner. Besides, for the 2 of us accompanied by a guide and a porter, their price is in the reasonable mid-range bracket.

We were looked after well by our professional and knowledgeable guide Pralhad and our always smiling young porter Prakass. Pralhad always checked on us to make sure we were doing fine, and did his best to get us everything we need on the trek. We were very impressed when we realised that they took the trouble to carry a heavy load of fruits from Kathmandu, so we could enjoy an apple and a mandarin every evening. This is a real treat because fresh fruits are such a rarity in the mountains.

Pralhad is a very nice company because he speaks good English and is well educated, so we can chat about almost anything. During the trek, he tended to walk ahead of us, letting us take our time to enjoy the scenery; while Prakass was always behind us (despite he is definitely able to pass us with ease even carrying our heavy stuff), making sure that we were doing alright. When Pralhad found out we are a little forgetful, he began to check our room every morning to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind before starting a new day.

When it came to crossing streams, passing tricky paths caused by landslide, going down a steep hill, etc, Pralhad was always there readily to offer his strong helping hand if I needed it. We were very fortunate that we didn’t suffer from high altitude sickness, we could party thank this to almost 3 litre of water we drank every day. And we can’t thank Pralhad enough for his tireless reminders of the importance of hydration in high altitude.

We greatly appreciated Pralhad and the agency’s flexible and accommodating approach. Pralhad discussed with us then modified our itinerary according to our pace, interest, weather and updates from the locals he gathered along the way. When we realised that we were able to save 2 days in completing the trek, the idea of using the extra days going to Pokhara instead of going straight back to Kathmandu became very appealing. Pralhad was supportive and promised to call Madhav as soon as there was mobile reception. Madhav was also very accommodating, he helped with arranging all the logistic without charging extra (they said the cost saving of the last 2 days in the mountains was enough to cover the changes, probably right but we still think it’s a kind gesture of them). Since Pokhara was not in our original itinerary so we didn’t expect Pralhad accompany us there, we were happy to part at the town where we could get the bus to Pokhara while he could return to Kathmandu. However, Madhav insisted Pralhad accompany us all the way to the hotel in Pokhara, so as to demonstrate the quality of their customer service. Although we are independent and experienced enough to make our own way to Pokhara, we won’t deny the benefit of having Pralhad escorting us.

Overall we are very satisfied with Mosaic, it’s a trusted and high standard agency that worth recommending. If I must pick, the only “minus” is that the sleeping bags and down jackets they provided were a little heavy and bulky. Although the gear proved to be very warm, the 2 x sleeping bags and down jackets occupied almost half of the space of our duffle bag (to be carried by Prakass), hence we had no choice but only packed the bare minimum to avoid overloading Prakass and/or ourselves. If their gear could be a little lighter, I would love to pack a little more this or that on the road.

My experience trekking to EBC with guide Santosh was truly incredible. It is difficult to put in to words how thoughtful and caring Santosh is as a guide. He was sensitive to each person in the group and ensured that every member had a good time. We never had a bad day on the trail. Santosh made us laugh, even in the face of touch circumstances (sickness/ weather). His humor, happiness, and personality is infectious. We were always well fed, and our accommodations always perfect. Santosh is well versed in high altitude and local customs, and was happy to answer the millions of questions that we had for him. The porters that Santosh worked with were also the best that I have ever seen (Bishal, Bijay, Mohendra, and Durga). They were always smiling, even when carrying double the load they had planned for (unexpected sickness).
After my trip with Santosh, I am certain that I will return to the Himalaya and I wouldn't do it with any other guiding company. I whole heartedly recommend Mosiac/ Santosh to anyone considering this trip.

Santosh was the best guide I've ever had, he was insightful into the mountains, local culture, and people, while still ensuring the entire group's safety. Not only is he a great guide, but a pleasure to be around and made the trip not stressful, and 100% enjoyable from the second we met him. If I ever have friends go to Nepal for the EBC trek, I will make sure they are going with Mosiac Adventure, specifically with Santosh as their guide!

My base camp trek with mosaic led by guide Santosh was 10/10 incredible.

Starting off with the most important part, our guide Santosh:
Santosh was a PHENOMENAL guide. He really knows how to read a group and adapt to get the best trip for everyone. I could not imagine a better guide in any capacity. All our accommodation was top notch and you could tell it was because of his good reputation that we were getting some extra love at all of the teahouses. The guy knows everyone. He was incredibly knowledgeable about everything on the trail, and gave real answers to difficult questions about culture and the state of things in Nepal. Santosh's sense of humor and down to earthness made it easy to get to know him and become friends. I spent a lot of time on the trail chatting with him instead of with the group. As a photographer I don't get too many photos of myself, and after mentioning this off hand to him, he started sneaking photos of me and sent them at the end of the trip. He made sure to check in constantly with the group to monitor how everyone was feeling, and made sure the women in the group were comfortable with their sleeping situations (mixed rooms). I ended up getting seriously sick at EBC and he arranged a porter to help me down to Lobuche, even though we were supposed to stay at Gorak Shep rather than force me out on a chopper. He was able to also get accommodation for the whole group in Lobuche on same day notice. After the trek, we ended up getting stuck in Lukla for a few days because of weather and he was on his phone nonstop rearranging flights and plans to get people out in time for their tight international connections. Mosaic also bent over backward for us with arranging accommodation and managing connections, they even covered a chopper ride out for someone who got stranded in Lukla. They have a network of guides out trekking so it was fun to hang out with the other guides and their groups such as those led by Rishi, Bhumi, and Purna. One of our group got stranded in Lukla due to some weirdness with the flights, and the other guides took him in as one of their own.

The trek itself was properly paced, I probably could have used a night in Gorak Shep to acclimate, but I was stubbornly carrying 16kg of camera gear. Our porters Bishal, Bijay, Mohendra, and Durga were all awesome as well. All in all, incredible service and professionalism from Mosaic and phenomenal guiding from Santosh made for a once in a lifetime trip I'll never forget.

If you are reading this review, you are obviously looking for the best company to take to Everest Base Camp or a similar trip. Let me save you the hassle of reading a ton of reviews and summarize why Mosiac is the best group to trust with your next adventure.

My partner and I booked a 16-day Three Passes and EBC tour with Mosaic in May 2019. We were unfortunately not able to complete all three passes because my partner got a slight bit of altitude sickness in the middle of the trip, but after hiking down to lower elevation he recovered and the trip continued.

1. Price- We received quotes from 15+ companies all rated 5 stars on Trip Advisor. These folks came in a few hundred dollars less than most. We did pay for the Porter as well as the guide. Their price includes pick-up and drop-off from the airport, hotel in Kathmandu, breakfast in Kathmandu, all meals on the trek, tea houses (lodging) on the trek, your guide and your porter.

2. Flexibility - Our guide was able to adjust everything to meet our needs. Many of the other companies said that 16 days was not enough time to do what we wanted, but Mosiac worked with us to make a plan that suited our needs. This was perfect. Also- while we were on the trail we heard a few guides from other companies not being very flexible with their clients once they were on the trek. That NEVER happened with out guide Purna. When we wanted to sleep in at Gokyo and drink a whole pot of coffee looking over the lake he was able to adjust the rest of the plans for the day to make that happen.

3. Great Guides - We had the honor of not only traveling for 16 days with Purna but to all meet his brother, Rishie (also a guide), Santos and a few other guides from Mosaic along the way. They are so much fun! They have great English, I mean good enough to understand and make jokes AND have good conversations about culture and religion and such. I have hired guides in other countries and places before, but I have never walked away feeling like I had made a new friend. That's what these guides are like. They really care about you, your happiness, and the experience they are providing you.

4. Photos- This might not be everyone's biggest worry, but I love good photos from my trip. Our guide Purna was taking action shots of my partner and I along the way and sent them all to us after the trek. It is such a little thing to do, but they are some of my favorite photos from the trek!

5. Gluten Free- I am GF and Purna not only understood what that meant but he went out of his way at each Tea House to make sure that my food was GF and to ask for special things that might not be on the menu. In Goyko he was able to get the kitchen to make me GF Pancakes which made my day!

6. Getting out of Lukla- OK- one thing you have to realize is that getting out of Lukla can be a pain in the butt. Flights often don't go because of the weather, or are really delayed. We ended up hiring a helicopter for an additional cost (we knew this might happen going into the trip) because we were afraid of missing our international flight.
Purna was AMAZING at helping us organize this. Helicopter prices vary, like most things it is about the best deal you can work out. We were able to get a helicopter (seats 5) for $2,500. Split that 5 ways with some other folks who also needed to get out of town and the cost was only $500. However, then the Mosaic owners met us at our hotel and reimbursed us the cost of the flight we didn't take - 20% (the airlines' rule) so we got $150/ each back. Purna also called ahead and another guide picked us up from the helipad in Kathmandu and took us to our hotel. GREAT SERVICE! We watched other guides from other companies just abandon their people once they said they were going to get a helicopter. Purna ran around with us putting it all in order until the minute we were on the heli.

7- Well Respected in the Community- When you get into some of the tea houses you will see signs about the registration about the priority of trekking companies. Mosaic is always in the top 3. This means that you get the best rooms, with the best views, and the hot showers before anyone else. It was great! This is a perk that you can't overlook. A room next to a bathroom that smells can keep you up all night, but because they are on the priority list you will always get the best rooms!

I'll try to add some photos from the trek so that you can see how amazing it was. If it was me, I would ask for Purna as your guide. All the guides are great, but Purna is a little bit older than some of the other guides and really takes the time to get to know you as a person. Also- make sure you bring a deck of cards!

I cannot recommend this company enough. At every turn, they were fantastic. They helped arrange exactly what we were looking for in terms of a trek, and did so for a more affordable price than most of their competitors.

Regarding our trek, our guide Purna was fantastic. He was flexible with us and went out of his way to make sure everything was great. It was really a level of service that I haven't experienced many times in my travels.

The management of the company was likewise great. Very responsive and willing to adapt when need be. We had a hiccup trying to get back from Lukla, and both Purna and the management bent over backwards to make sure we got home safe and as efficiently as possible.

Hire these guys. And ask for Purna as your guide. You won't regret it.