Michael Starr 🇺🇸
Mera Peak (October 2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Namas do the mountaineeering side of things very, very well. Also, when travel plans go sideways due to unforseen events (weather etc.), the Namas team on the ground really works magic to mitigate any issues and help their clients achieve the best outcomes possible.
Ultimately, the "Signature" prices didn't seem entirely worth it (except to fit my time schedule), so I think I will try to get more time off for my next expedition.
As for my experience, once in the mountains, where it mattered most, Namas was excellent - safety and success seemed the priority, and the credit for that goes to directly Ngima Sherpa.
As far as the entire experience, Namas did better marketing and on-boarding me as a client than some other companies I have used. So kudos to their team for that.
To me, "Signature" means everything is better than the norm, and you pay for it, which I did. As far as my experience with "Signature," the only thing consistently above normal was Ngima Sherpa. He was extraordinary. And the helicopter in and out of the mountain areas was arranged even when communications failed. That was well done.
Other than that, well, the experience was simply not "Signature." Not bad, but not superior.
The Hilton had been destroyed, so I had to stay at a lesser hotel (there are plenty of other Hilton-level hotels) and instead of upgrading my room (I checked, upgrades were available), I was booked to stay in the same level room at this lesser hotel as Namas guests who had not paid for a "Signature" experience. Of course Namas' Staff and Hotel employees were courteous and helpful, but the facility itself was sub-par and definitely not "Signature" by any stretch of the imagination.
Perhaps Namas should rename the more pricy expedition "Time Saving." Because ultimately that's really what it was, and that primarily because of the helicopter use (which is most of the added cost as well).
I definitely recommend using Namas' regular services and expeditions, but don't recommend paying extra for "Signature," unless and only if you need to save time.
Paul Gilmurray 🇬🇧 / 🇹🇭
Mera Peak May 2025
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Namas are a fantastic group of people and helped me realize my dream of climbing to 6000M on Mera Peak.
As many people mentioned, Bisesh is extraordinarily attentive and responsive to every question that is asked in the trip planning process.
On arrival in Kathmandu, the team take care of your every need regarding gear and prep.
Moving up the mountain, Sherpa Paljor and porter Hasti were outstanding in every way - knowledgeable, careful, caring. During adverse weather conditions that prevented other climbers from summiting, Bisesh was engaged from the US to select the best weather window to go high on the mountain. This was happening in parallel with Bisesh managing teams on Everest in bad weather.
Paljor had two-way radios, sat phone and even an oxygen bottle for my safety at 6000m!
Coming back down from 6000m, Bisesh worked his magic to coordinate choppers from Khare to Lukla and Lukla to Kathmandu for a fun and amazing exit!
Back in Kathmandu, I was met by Sushmita and Ngima to take care of everything before departure.
Bisesh runs an amazing organization in MAMAS and it shows in every employee who seem so happy to work for this great team.
Highly recommended ! (6 Stars!)