I and three friends traveled in India and then headed to Nepal. Hem met us in Chitwan the evening before our trip to Pokhara. He introduced himself and put us right at ease. The next day, we headed to Pokhara on a very bumpy rode full of construction. It was a long ride, yet Hem had a way of entertaining us. He gave us some history of the region, some Hindi mythological stories of Vishnu, and enthralled us with his poetry. If it wasn't for his passion for traveling and being a great communicator, I think that would have been a very hard trip, but it wasn't. The next day, he picked us up at the hotel and took us for a ten minute hike to see the sunrise with the Annapurna Range. It was one of the best moments from my trip. He was able to determine our abilities for physical endurance and did not push. He then accorded the plans for the day to involve less uphill and more downhill. The following day was supposed to be his day off. I had wanted to meet a friend from a nearby village. Hem offered to go pick up my friend (about an hour away) and bring him to the hotel. This went above and beyond my expectations, but also speaks volumes as to Hem's personal character. It is all about making sure the traveler has the best experience possible. It was sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful person. He wrote a poem about our group, too! How often do you get service like that? I think Hem Raj is the top guide in Pokhara and probably also in Nepal. When I return, I will seek his services personally!

Overall, I and my friend are more than satisfied with our guide, Hem.

First of all, a) PunctualWe were collected from our hotel exactly at the time agreed in the email.  We had a great first impression when we met him.

b) Professional and informativeAlong our hike from Sarangkot to Nounanda, we were given lots of information on the history of the villages and also detail descriptions on Himalaya Mountains. 

C)Interesting guideWe laughed all the way during our trek. Trek could be boring if your guide didn’t talk, but we were so lucky to have Hem as our guide this time.

Definitely, i would recommend Hem if you would like to trek around Annapurna regions. For me, i would ask for his service again if i have the chance to come again.

Hey, my name is Simon, Im 18 years old and from Germany. Today, I recommend you the best guide of maybe whole Nepal, and of the whole world in my opinion.I have rarely met such a great, friendly, honest, modest and intelligent person. Together with Raju (or Hem) we did the Annapurna Circuit from Besisahar to Muktinath. He is very professional, he can tell you so much about the culture and the people of his region. He planned our daily steps really well, there was just one day which was maybe a little bit to long (we arrived in the dark). The whole trek was one of the best experiences in my whole life, and a big reason for that was Raju. Back in Pokhara, we visited his sweet family (his wife, his parents and his two kids). With the earnings of his guiding his kids can now go to a private school. I hope that will be not the last time I met Raju! I will be back.Thank you Raju, for having guided us well, took us safe through the Himalaya, for being such a great friend! And for one of the sweetest poems I have read. See you soon!SincerelySimon

A super guide. Hem took us for a 5 days trekking  to Ghorepani and Poon Hill, Tadapani and Gandruk 

He is a great personality, very professional , a man with the heart on the right place, who always took good care of his group. It was a pleasure to be guided by him. 

As a group of 4 friends we spent 9 days with Hem doing the ABC trek via Poon Hill. He was friendly and always on the ball, doing his utmost to ensure everything was arranged and organised. He helped us to customise our itinerary and was a good source of knowledge and conversation throughout, even when subjects went beyond trekking! Thanks Hem for putting up with us and keeping us in order, and for helping make the trip memorable.