We went to Nepal September 2022, to trek the EBC route. What an experience, great fun, all alive would go again in a second. We decided to chose Sherpa Expedition & Trekking because they were head and shoulders ahead of the other companies we contacted in Kathmandu. Criteria simple: 1) Must have a clear website, with good detail. 2) Communications to be by email and WhatsApp 3) Competitive pricing but more importantly great customer reviews. Ram is in charge in Kathmandu, cracking guy really efficient, he never seems to sleep, answers WhatsApp messages immediately (joy). We felt very relaxed pre-trip because we knew exactly what we were doing. EBC Trek: Arriving in Kathmandu is delightfully hectic, the roads are worse than West Sussex, I am amazed that 50 motorcyclist’s didn’t meet there maker on route to our hotel. We stayed for 2 nights in the Thamel district which is the trekkers hippies paradise, of course we found the Irish Bar and had a Guinness after all we wanted immerse ourselves in cultural activities. We had an interesting day going around the heritage sites which was organised by Ram and then packed for the big day. We flew from Kathmandu to Lukla and survived, brilliant runway out of the clouds and down we went, safe and sound. It is here we met Lhakpa Sona Sherpa and Porter Ngima and one other. Lhakpa was a very experienced guide, great company and always smiling and at hand to encourage us and or answer any questions however ridiculous they might be. Having a good guide really does make the trip, Yes you could do the EBC in perfect weather without a guide but it’s SO much better to have an expert there to guide and support. Lhapka’s logistics were always spot on, he had a six sense on when we needed breaks and I/We felt completely safe throughout the adventure. There was no language barrier, just remember ‘Nepali Flat’ may not be quite what you may feel flat is…… The lodges were ALL very comfortable, the food was a lot better than we thought. Annoyingly there was high speed WI-FI which meant my teenagers did not collapse with anxiety and general stress without engaging the thumbs of titans to open snap chat and endless drivel on TikTok. Clothing and footwear: It was mostly fairly warm not above 4,500 metres you will need a 4 season sleeping bag and a hat. We wore pretty basic shoes in fact I wore my usual everyday shoes. None of us got one blister at any point on the trip. Trekking poles actually really useful for when your feeling a bit tired. We used camelbak water filter 2 litre worked really well. In general: Very friendly people, wonderful culture and of course the most kind blowing mountains. I would very highly recommend both the trekking company and also as Ram if Lhakpa is available with his team. You can’t go wrong, enjoy your adventure best of luck.