Kamzang Journeys | About Us
Kamzang?
‘Kamzang’ is the greeting which resonates throughout the Tibetan Buddhist regions of Ladakh and Zanskar in the Indian Himalaya (‘kamzang-in-a-le?’) and roughly translates as ‘Is everything ok with you?’
Namaste and Tashi Delek from Kim, between Himalayan treks, travels or cycling trips in Nepal, the Indian Himalaya, Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia and Myanmar (Burma). Kim spends much of her time researching and creating unique, challenging, remote and ‘off-the-map’ trips, and personally answers all emails when not trekking or cycling on our Kamzang Journeys trips. On the computer in Kathmandu, Leh, Lhasa (or elsewhere around the world) is where Kim spend the majority of her somewhat nomadic life …
Each of our Himalayan treks, cycling trip, boutique travel, horse trips, jeep safaris or yoga journeys are specially crafted, run during the best month of the most appropriate season. We don’t farm out our treks to other companies, instead personally leading our groups to regions that we have experience, contacts and many friends. Join us and see why our trekkers and cyclists become our good friends, coming back year after year to spend a month with us in our Kamzang Journeys yellow dining tent!
Kamzang Journeys | Himalayan Expertise!
Soulful journeys to far-flung destinations in the Himalaya, unique and adventurous guided Himalayan camping treks, bicycle trips, yoga retreats, heritage tours, and personally crafted travels in Nepal, Ladakh & Zanskar (the Indian Himalaya), Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar and elsewhere in Central Asia!
Our Featured Journeys are the Himalayan treks and cycling tours that we most recommend, almost all personally led by Kim, Lhakpa, and the Kamzang Journeys team. These Himalayan trips are run in our boutique (and unique) Kamzang style, at the perfect time of year, always eco-friendly, and always awe-inspiring and life-changing experiences. Our Himalayan journeys focus on exploring remote trails and cycling routes, challenging ourselves, real cultural interaction, having time to decompress in idyllic campsites, enjoying delicious, healthy and generally organic meals, and epic opportunities for mountain, people and wildlife photography. Throughout, we stress safety, as well as serious fun and plenty of adventure! Extraordinary travel, life-changing experiences, a personalized approach to leading our diverse groups, and truly off-the-map journeys ….
Let us inspire you! Explore the world, experience everything (at least once), seek adventure, joy and beauty, challenge yourself, enjoy life’s mysteries, be open-minded, compassionate, curious, and sample all craft beers and street food. Kamzang Journeys specializes in customizing your perfect Himalayan experience …
GET IN TOUCH!
Kamzang Journeys
info@kamzang.com
Nepal: + 977 9803414745 (WhatsApp)
India: +91 9419981715 (WhatsApp)
CHECK US OUT!
5-Star Trip Advisor Reviews
Read our TripAdvisor 5-star reviews of our clients’ treks, hikes, bicycle trips, boutique tours and heritage travels with Kamzang Journeys.
KAMZANG JOURNEYS
Kamzang Journeys is a small, experienced, mountain-based adventure travel company with an infectious enthusiasm for trekking, cycling and boutique, heritage journeys. Kamzang Journeys is owned and operated by Kim Bannister, an American traveler rarely in her home country, is based in Kathmandu, Nepal (spring, autumn and part of the winter) and Leh, Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya (summer). Kamzang Journeys has been leading unique, soulful, safe, adventurous and knowledgeable treks, bicycle trips and heritage journeys through some of the most far-flung regions of the Himalaya for 20+ years. Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan are our back doors, and we have close friends and connections in the most remote villages, including the nomads of the Nepal and Indian Himalaya.
Kamzang Journeys specializes in ‘off the map’ treks, bicycle trips and travels in the Himalaya – Nepal, Tibet, the Indian Himalaya, Bhutan. Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma) – and occasionally other colorful destinations such a cycle trips in Rajasthan, India. We also venture across the Silk Route countries and sometimes wander through other continents in search of adventure and new designs for the Kamzang World Design collection. Kim works closely with her trekking partner Lhakpa Dorji Sherpa of Khumbu Adventures, who lives in Kathmandu but comes from Thame in the Solo Khumbu (Everest) region of the Nepal Himalaya. Kim and Lhakpa lead their own treks and cycling trips with the help their invaluable staff, who work only with Kamzang Journeys. Based in the Shangri La of Kathmandu, Nepal (although somewhat more tainted than it was when trekking and mountaineering first ‘discovered’ it), the Kamzang Journeys staff divides much of its time between the mountains of Nepal and the Indian Himalaya.
Kim also founded The Kamzang Fund 15+ years ago to give back to the Himalayan regions that Kamzang Journeys has explored for the past 20+ years. The Kamzang Fund sponsors 25+ children, and has aided in many social and medical projects.
Join us and find out about our yellow dining tent, our spectacular food and our Kamzang style of boutique yet remote and challenging trekking. We’ve opened up many of the trekking routes in the Himalaya, and, most importantly, have a deep passion and love for the people of the Himalaya and for what we do. See our Featured Journeys page for our Western AND Sherpa led (Kim and Lhakpa) treks, bicycle trips and boutique journeys. We consider these are THE best treks during the best seasons, and include all the perks and amenities!
FEATURED JOURNEYS
THE COMPANY
Kamzang Journeys is a registered LLC in the USA
Khumbu Adventures, based in Kathmandu, Nepal, is our local Kathmandu company.
THE KAMZANG FUND
The Kamzang Fund was started many years ago in the Indian Himalaya when Kim and Joel Schone discovered a young boy dressed in a torn pink t-shirt who we later discovered to be the amazing Singge. We run this (non-registered) non-profit organization to give something back to the Himalayan people who have made our lives so wonderful over the past 15+ years.
100% of money donated goes towards the education & health of individuals who have ‘fallen through the cracks’.
Nothing could be more rewarding!
THE KAMZANG FUND | 100%
KAMZANG WORLD DESIGN
Kim has been collecting and designing ‘tribal’ jewelry & textiles since her travels right after university.
Supporting indigenous artisans and weavers and tribal crafts.
KAMZANG DESIGN ETSY SHOP
KAMZANG DESIGN INSTAGRAM
KAMZANG WORLD DESIGN (FACEBOOK)
WHY CHOOSE KAMZANG JOURNEYS?
A TRAVELER’S FEEDBACK …
“After researching all the registered trekking companies in Nepal (1000+) I finally stumbled onto Kamzang Journeys. Out of all of them they are the only one to mention you need prior experience to trek on the remote Sacred Upper Dolpo to Mustang Trek. This to me meant someone with the travelers best interest at heart rather than their own. As a first time, scared of heights trekker my mind was instantly made up.
Kamzang Journeys also ticked all the other boxes:
– A smaller company which guides their own treks in Nepal + India
– Environmentally conscious
– Permanently employed staff
– Fantastic trip itineraries with enough time to acclimatize, explore and some flexibility
– The very appealing sounding ‘of the beaten track’!
– NO singles supplement for your own two-person tent
The Ladakh and Zanskar trek was challenging and spectacular. Our guides Kim and Lhakpa genuinely enjoy what they are doing. They speak the local language and we had lots of opportunities to interact with the locals. We got invited into people’s homes, shared cups of tea, were offered fresh yogurt, got to taste roasted barley and dried cheese, played with the kids and every one was happy to pose for our cameras. Thanks for a wonderful trek Kim and Lhakpa! I will be back next year!”
A TRAVELER’S HIGHLIGHTS
“After a hard day of walking though spectacular mountain scenery, we were joined by two local women (in their 80s) in the dining tent. With the help of tea and biscuits, lots of laughter and our young Ladakhi translator we connect despite our cultural differences and ages. The staff went above and beyond, twice carrying all our equipment up the hill when the horses couldn’t do it! They still sang or hummed a tune afterwards. The food was amazing with a 3-course meal every day, fresh coffee and unlimited tea and biscuits. There is always someone to walk with you if you where last and keep you going.”
ABOUT US
There are so many more reasons. Join us and find out why our repeat clients rate is well over 75%!
ABOUT US
KAMZANG JOURNEYS
Kamzang Journeys | Facebook
Kamzang Journeys | Instagram
Kamzang Journeys | Blog
Kim | Facebook
Kim | Linked In
Kiim (Women Explore Outdoors) | Instagram
Kamzang Design | Etsy Shop
Kamzang Design | Instagram
WHY TRAVEL WITH KAMZANG JOURNEYS?
20+ YEARS OF SAFE TREKKING & GUIDING EXPERIENCE IN THE HIMALAYA
The inspiration for Kamzang Journeys originated in Ladakh, where Kim and team have been trekking for 20+ years. This inspiration came from trekking and cycling through sparkling river valleys of sculpted ochre, mustard and moss-green rocks under soaring Himalayan peaks, through green, nomadic pasture lands peppered with nomadic yak-hair tents under a canopy of endless blue skies.
Our passion for these regions inspired us to make a lifestyle of leading treks and bicycle trips through Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan, later adding Mongolia and newly Pakistan to the list. All of our Kamzang team shares our love of these Himalayan regions, of the adventure of trekking, of exploring far-flung villages, sipping salt-butter tea in local houses, of camping with the nomads as they round up their flocks of sheep, goats and yaks, of watching for snow leopard and kiang as we journey through remote plateaus on the border of Nepal and Tibet, of bicycling through some of Bhutan’s most breathtakingly beautiful regions.
Browse our Kamzang Journeys website for profiles of our guides, comments from trekkers, links to photo galleries of regions and specific treks and browse the roster of our diverse treks & travels in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia & Pakistan. Join us for one of our unique treks, bicycle trips or cultural tours, and become part of our Kamzang family!
The best people to ask about Kamzang Journeys are our hundreds of repeat clients. Most of our trekkers and bicyclists come from word of mouth. Read through what our trekkers have to say about us, and keep an eye on our Trip Advisor Reviews in Nepal & India!
‘SIMPLY THE BEST!
As a very experienced Himalayan trekker who just did three straight trips with Kamzang Journeys I can’t imagine booking a trek with any other company in the future!’
– Tom Barrett, Canada
KAMZANG JOURNEYS
Travelers’ Reviews
WHY TREK, CYCLE & TRAVEL WITH KAMZANG JOURNEYS?
Our Unique Boutique Style Trekking
The Kamzang Fund
(Giving Back)
Western AND Sherpa Guided Treks + Cycling Trips
Ecologically Run Treks + Cycling Trips
Great Safety Record + Easy Helicopter Evacuation
PAC Bag + Oxygen
Stay in Touch!
Satellite Phone AND InReach Satellite Messaging System
Solar Charging Set-Up + Solar Lights
Extensive Medical Knowledge + Medical Kits
Personalized Care + Attention on Treks
Sustainable & Ecological Trips
Photography Focus
Our Kamzang Dining Tent – Home Away from Home
‘The Yellow Tent of Eternal Happiness’
Incredibly Delicious + Diverse Meals
Kamzang Menus
Plentiful Food + Hot Drinks
Organic French Press Coffee, Chai + Kashmiri Tea
Catering to All Food Allergies
Comfortable + Relaxed Atmosphere in the Kamzang Dining Tent
Library of Regional Books
A Passion for Himalayan Regions
20+ Years of Trekking Experience in the Himalaya
Close Relationships with Locals in our Trekking Regions
In Depth Experiences in Villages
Local Textile Shopping
Nomadic Expertise
The Nomad Fund
Local Staff (+ our Kamzang Team) in Remote Regions
Ropes + Safety Equipment
Sanitary Kitchen + Training for Staff
Local Shopping
Sustainable Travel Ethics
Knowledgeable + Responsible Staff
Extensive Rescue Experience
Back-up Company in Kathmandu
Attention to Detail + Proactive Trail + Weather Decisions
We LOVE the Himalaya
And we LOVE our jobs!
There are so many more reasons. Join us and find out why our repeat clients rate is well over 75%!
THE KAMZANG TEAM
Our Amazing Crew!
KIM BANNISTER PHOTOGRAPHY
Trip, Country & Region Photos
THE KAMZANG JOURNEYS PHILOSOPHY
‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.’ – Saint Augustine
Live fully, experience everything, seek adventure, challenge yourself, enjoy the mysteries, appreciate the planet’s sublime beauty, travel everywhere, laugh, share, be open-minded + explore the world! We are an eco friendly company that believes in ‘leaving no trace’.
