“Lakpa Rita Sherpa and his Khangri Experience team was THE perfect choice to lead our trek through the Khumbu region in May of 2023. There is simply nothing else as powerful as a journey through along the rooftop of the world! And in my opinion, no one else could have helped create, facilitate, and bring to life our long awaited Himalayan adventure nearly as well as Lakpa. 

It was important for me to have a guide who has the Khumbu in his blood… who from childhood has been walking those same paths… whose feel and passion for the region would give us a deeper understanding and richer experience. Lakpa told us stories and shared wisdom that went well beyond the peaks and passes we climbed.

From our first introduction, through a mutual friend and climbing pioneer, Lakpa was receptive and responsive to our wishes by creating a custom route that took us far from the crowds on the well worn path to Everest. Many companies will just copy and paste the same predictable plan for clients year after year. This was my second visit to the region. I wanted something different and distinct. Lakpa understood and delivered.

Lakpa is a legend. His experience and incredible achievements on the world’s highest peaks command respect and would inspire confidence in any group. Everybody seemed to know him and greeted him with a smile. That counts for something.

But he guides with humility, patience, and a collaborative spirit that allowed us to remain flexible and adapt our plan when we desired. He was ready for anything. The whole trek, with its’ many moving pieces, was organized flawlessly!

I give the Khangri Experience team the highest possible recommendation and will explore potential future trips with them in other regions.”

Chris F.

Such an honor to climb with Lakpa Rita Sherpa. His knowledge, expertise, and kind/fun demeanor made climbing with him one the best experiences of my life. I felt beyond safe and well taken care of. He is the sole reason I still have all ten of my toes. His love of the mountains shines through in everything he does. This is the man and the company you want to climb with.

Dianette Wells (Dianette Wells is an elite member of the fewer than 400 individuals, including Lakpa Rita Sherpa, who have climbed each of the Seven Summits: Kilimanjaro, Vinson, Elbrus, Denali, Everest, Aconcagua, and the Carstensz Pyramid.)

I did a trip with Lakpa to Mt. Rainier. We cruised down from high Camp all the way and had the best time sharing life stories! Lakpa made sure we were adding layers with an ongoing downpour to stay dry and warm. It was a great experience, and I was very honored to meet him!

Lenka F.

I worked with Lakpa for almost 10 years on Rainier. Over his long career, he has earned the respect of new climbers and experienced guides many times over from his professionalism and peerless conduct on high peaks around the world. I have been through many smooth trips with Lakpa, but I remember him most, when [I reflect on] the few hard trips we had. Lakpa's experience and rock steady leadership carried the day and got us all down safe.

Don N.

I am happy to provide my highest recommendation for Lakpa Rita Sherpa. I have shared many evenings with Lakpa in San Francisco at the American Himalayan Foundation dinners over the years. I also had the good luck of running into him in Kathmandu at the Yak and Yeti. He is always gracious and kind.

A few years ago, I climbed Mount Rainier with the Juniper Fund and Lakpa was my guide. We ended up descending together to the parking lot … a long fast hike. He kept me out of trouble, and we had great conversations!

Frederick D.

I have climbed with Lakpa on two occasions for a total of nearly three months. He is one of the nicest people I know, one of the most competent climbers I know, and excellent company for a long trip. A thorough professional, thoughtful, highly competent, and he makes your adventure a great holiday.

John Z.

I had the pleasure of experiencing several amazing trips and classes with Lakpa Rita Sherpa. The most memorable - and trip of a lifetime - was our Nepal trek to Everest Base Camp in 2023. Lakpa was our trek leader, along with three other very experienced local guides he hired for our group. Lakpa is not only a deeply humble and very kind human being, but he is also a very experienced guide and mountaineer. At all times, I felt truly taken care of. It was an overall extremely positive experience. I would not choose any other company than Khangri for a trip to Nepal.

I also worked with Lakpa in various local mountaineering classes. He is equally caring and knowledgeable. His wealth of experience and expertise is unmatched. I am looking forward to many more adventures with Lakpa and Khangri.

Christiane Z.

I’ve been on two awesome trips with Lakpa Rita Sherpa. One was climbing Mount Rainier. The first trip was in June of 2014, shortly after he had returned from Mount Everest*. We asked him about his latest experiences on Mount Everest. He was open and honest about what had happened, along with telling us about the Sherpa community itself. It was one of those conversations you remember for the rest of your life. It’s also the reason why, when I have extra money to send to a charitable foundation, I send it to those foundations who help the families of the Sherpas left behind.

When you are with Lakpa, you are with a very experienced and very confident man who you know can handle anything that may happen on the mountain. He easily explained to us all the things we needed to know about climbing, including how to use the ice axe to belay a fall, the safest way to cross a ladder, and what to do if we fell into a crevasse.  When he saw me having issues breathing heavily at altitude, he taught me how to purse my lips while I exhaled. This helped me tremendously and I still use this technique today. Lakpa also makes the absolute Best Avocado breakfast burrito I’ve ever had.

When you climb with Lakpa, you are truly climbing with royalty. On both trips, as we ascended and descended the mountain, other climbing groups would stop when they saw it was Lakpa. Their climbing guides would run over to meet and greet Lakpa. This showed us that we were truly climbing with the best.

The next year, the trip was a charitable climb for the Sherpa families. When Lakpa saw me, he greeted me with a big smile and even remembered my name. This showed me that he truly is a people person and that he cares about those he’s with. All in all, Lakpa is one of the best, and when I climb again, it will only be with Lakpa Rita Sherpa.

Chris B.

* Lakpa was at Everest in April 2014, and part of the recovery team, when the unprecedented tragedy of an avalanche occurred killing 16 climbing sherpas in the khumbu icefall.

I have had the pleasure of being on several expeditions with Lakpa: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Vinson, Mt. Cho Oyu, and Mt. Everest. Every time Lakpa was totally focused on making the experience enriching personally and truly developmental skill wise. When you have those hard moments, he was always there to encourage and guide you. I could not recommend a guide or company more highly.

Malcolm A.

I climbed with Lakpa to Everest Base Camp as the first all-female and first Khangri Experience (KE) expedition in 2023. I simply cannot recommend KE enough! The route was well thought out and accommodated time for acclimatization for all team members. The guides were experienced and knowledgeable, ensuring the safety of all participants throughout the journey.

Despite the challenges, everyone was able to reach their personal goals and enjoy the breathtaking views from 19,000 feet! Lakpa, his wife, and our guides were patient and extremely kind, not to mention hilarious. They are truly insiders, often greeted with smiles and open arms along the trail and at each lodge we stayed in. Along with knowing the best lodges, they also know the best places to stop and take it all in. Each day provided a challenging yet amazing adventure, and I hope to come back for the Three Passes and Gokyo Lake soon! I highly recommend this trek to anyone looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in the Himalayas. The memories made will last a lifetime.

Ellery P.

I went on an Everest Base Camp trek with Lakpa, and it was absolutely wonderful. Every step of the way was well planned out. He and his entire crew were amazing. I enjoyed that we got to hike to his home village and meet his family on this hike. Each village we hiked to along the way was so special. The people are nice and friendly. I enjoyed eating local food, and having this adventure while getting to know local people who live in the region. This is probably one of the best experiences I have ever had outdoors.

Everest base camp is an adventure of a lifetime for a mountain climber like me. Doing this with Lakpa, who is local and an incredible human, made it even more special. I highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Becky V.

My husband and I had the privilege of going on our first mountaineering trip with Lakpa and it was phenomenal. We did a two-night, three-day climb of Mount Baker via the Easton glacier. Going in, I was terrified as the weather forecast showed high winds and low visibility. I almost backed out due to my inexperience and fear of adverse mountain conditions, but in the end, hearing Lakpa describe his safety-first plan in his calm and measured style, I decided to go ahead. From patiently reviewing basics such as how to layer clothing, putting on crampons, practicing self-arrest skills, roping in and out, to cooking hearty and delicious meals, to expertly guiding us safely up and down the mountain in high winds and rain when other groups struggled, he was simply wonderful. It was the best introduction to mountaineering and we will always be grateful to have had Lakpa guide us on our inaugural mountaineering trek. He is a treasure trove of experience, wisdom, and humility. We hope to summit more mountains with him!

Jharna J.

I cannot say enough about Lakpa Rita Sherpa. We successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (in ’22) under his leadership and had a wonderful time. I can still see him dancing and laughing with the locals, like we all were.  Such incredible memories! Lakpa gave us excellent advice every evening to prepare us for the next day, so we knew what to expect. Any question we had, whether it was regarding the mountain, our health, trekking, etc., he had good advice that he willingly shared with us. We were so impressed with him and wanted his business to be a roaring success, so we went to Mt. Everest Base Camp with him in 2024.

Lakpa is kind, humble, generous, and knowledgeable about mountaineering, Sherpa culture, Nepal, Buddhism, and Mt. Everest history. When we passed young Sherpa guides on the trail, they stopped and stared at him like I would if I unexpectedly saw Chris Evert. Others would stop, shake his hand, and bow to him. The tea house owners baked cakes for him and then took pictures to prove he was there. He is a national treasure. 

If you are considering trekking in Nepal, either to base camp or otherwise, or any other climbing adventure, please do not miss an opportunity to travel with Lakpa and Khangri Experience. Under his watchful eye, you will achieve your goal and you will create lifetime memories!

Kristin M.

I was lucky enough to travel to Nepal in 2024 with Lakpa Rita Sherpa, a native of Nepal who has summited Everest 17 times and was the first Sherpa to summit all seven summits. What makes traveling and trekking with Lakpa so different than other experiences I’ve had is three-fold:

• He loves what he does, he’s generous in his knowledge and experience (which makes you feel safe and confident on the mountain), and he’s always smiling or laughing, making the trip so much more enjoyable.

• He’s a climbing legend that you feel honored to share in his experience and yet, he’s so humble, approachable, and encouraging.

• He is constantly guiding, taking the pulse of individuals to make sure they are comfortable, have enough layers, are eating, etc., that the trip appears easy and seamless, but it is because of his attention to detail that things go so smoothly.

Honestly, I cannot say enough about Lakpa or Khangri Experience. If you are considering a mountain climbing or trekking trip, you will NOT be disappointed by traveling with Khangri Experience.

Angel D.

We first met Lakpa Rita Sherpa almost 20 years ago in Argentina. We were climbing Mt. Aconcagua and he was guiding there as well. Due to unforeseen circumstances (one of our guides had to depart early), our team needed an additional guide in the middle of our climb. Lakpa was down at base camp, and without any disruption to the climbers on our team, he met us at Camp 2 and accompanied us for the remainder of our time on the mountain. Lakpa's knowledge, skills, and humility ensured that he became part of our group immediately and allowed all of us to reach the summit successfully. On descent, we were met with extreme weather and Lakpa individually assisted me on the way down, in extraordinary wind conditions. He was able, at the same time, to be serious in what we needed to do, funny in laughing at the conditions that kept literally knocking us down, sharing education and experiences, thus making the overall day tolerable and never allowing me to become too discouraged.

What makes Lakpa so special, on top of the obvious climbing knowledge and skills, is his ability to relate to everyone - those that want to tackle the technical challenges and those that want to trek and learn the basics and the cultural aspects of the many areas around the world. We will be trekking with Khangri Experience this Fall - introducing new friends to this amazing climber, friend, and human.

Jen and Mike Greer

I had the pleasure to climb with Lakpa a few years ago on Mount Baker. I found his skill and grace climbing matched by his humor and kindness in camp. We're the same age and when I asked him his secret of keeping up with the younger guides and clients, he confided in me that he was "a little tired because I was on Rainier yesterday.". What I found out that evening from another guide was that he was on the summit of Mount Rainier the day before. After descending the entire mountain, he drove home, changed clothes and headed for Baker. Lakpa is a marvel. 

Mike B.