Nirmala Subedi
Annapurna Region, Nepal

Nirmala
Based in Pokhara, Nepal
Trek Rate
$25 per day
Sightseeing Rate
$25 per day
Languages
English, Nepali
Experience
over 10 years
Ratings
great (8 reviews)

Read Reviews

Nirmala is from Pokhara, a beautiful Nepali city on the shore of Phewa Lake beneath the high mountains of the Annapurna range. As the gateway to the famous treks of the Annapurna region, Pokhara is one of the centers of tourism in Nepal. Nirmala became exposed to various trades within the tourism industry growing up. After much thought about her future, and because she enjoyed learning about the culture and lifestyles of the people who visited her city from all over the world, she decided to be a trekking guide. While she has been working in the industry since 2011, Nirmala got her official license after completing the required training in 2015. As an independent trekking guide, Nirmala enjoys working with her clients and providing them with quality service. Nirmala has a background in management, and when she has free time she enjoys working with local social organizations. She wants her clients to know that “I am glad that you visited Nepal and recommend it your friends. . . this place which is full of natural beauty.” Nirmala is available for short treks in the Annapurna Region and sightseeing in the Pokhara Valley and city tours of Pokhara. In 2018, Nirmala got her official Pokhara City guide license after completing a course from Nepal Academy of Tourism & Hotel Management.

Previous Treks with Sherpana
  • Poon Hill (Nov 2017)
  • Ghandruk Loop via Australian Camp (Oct 2018)
  • Ghandruk Loop (Sep 2017)
  • Ghandruk Loop (Apr 2019)
  • Mardi Himal (Mar 2019)
  • Mardi Himal (Apr 2019)
  • Poon Hill (Jul 2019)
  • Mardi Himal (Oct 2019)
  • Ghandruk Loop via Australian Camp (Feb 2022)

Availability & Upcoming Treks

Note: Guides marked as available indicates that they have no known conflicting treks, and have not indicated that they are not available. However, many guides may have personal commitments or treks outside the Sherpana network that may not be reflected their Sherpana availability calendar. To assure the guide you choose is available you can select the after the trek is confirmed from the guides that confirm they are both available and willing to lead your trek.

  • March 2024

Reviews

by Christina (United States)
on Feb 27, 2022

Ghandruk Loop via Australian Camp
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala was a great guide and did a lot of good communication before our trip. Pleasure working with her.

by Allison (United States)
on Aug 20, 2019

Poon Hill
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala was phenomenal and made the trek a fantastic experience. She was always thinking ahead and making sure things would go well. It may sound weird, but she is excellent at planning and logistics. She is extremely experienced working as a guide, knows what her clients generally want, asks the right questions, and listens to what her clients say. She is very focused on customer service and sharing her country and culture with her clients. Trekking with Nirmala is much more than just a "hike," it's an unforgettable experience. This trek started from Pokhara, but I was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara the morning the trek started. Having not been to Nepal, I did not realize that the local/regional Nepali airlines are very skittish when it comes to flying in any type of weather. My flight was supposed to arrive at 8am and did not arrive until noon. This could have been a serious problem for the trek, but Nirmala handled it like a pro, everything went smoothly, and we didn't lose any valuable trekking time. During the 4 days, she was completely on top of the lodging and food requirements, which was mostly transparent to us because she just took care of it. On the last day, she again fixed a logistical issue with trying to get from Pokhara back to Kathmandu. Instead of flying or taking the day bus, we decided to take the night bus, which is very difficult (or impossible) without the assistance of locals. She made it happen and we got back to Kathmandu on time. I have zero complaints from the trek. It was fantastic and so much of that was due to the efforts of Nirmala. I can't imagine doing that trek unguided, which is allowed, but I would not recommend it. This site is true to the mission statement posted and it was 100% worth hiring a guide (and porter) for this trek. I'm seriously considering another trip to Nepal to do another trek and would plan to have Nirmala as a guide and book it through this site. When I found the Sherpana site, it was so unique, I wasn't sure if it was legit. After doing this trek, I know for sure it is and huge thank you to the folks that make it happen!

by Ben (United Kingdom)
on Jul 23, 2019

Poon Hill
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala was absolutely fantastic. I joined her and another trekker on the four day route to Poon Hill. Despite the time of year (we went during the monsoon season), we were incredibly lucky with the weather and had a brilliant time. Nirmala made sure to have all of our accommodation booked well in advance and found places to stay that had amazing views. She was also a great trekking companion, had amazing knowledge of the route and even helped us book tickets for a bus back to Kathmandu. Professional, warm and funny – keep her in mind for your trip!

by Elizabeth (Canada)
on Apr 22, 2019

Ghandruk Loop
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala is a great guide! We had the privilege of trekking with her for four days. Our foster sons aged 14, 16 years and ourselves had a memorable experiene. Nirmala was sensitive to our needs throughout our trek. My husband suffers from hip pain and had to take the route at a slow pace. Nirmala was always patient, encouraging and funny with him. He loved the experience! Hire Nirmala for your next trek. She is a strong guide in a profession dominated by men. Elizabeth Harvey and family

by Christine (Canada)
on Apr 15, 2019

Mardi Himal
led by Nirmala Subedi

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As ABC had weather problems she suggested Mardi Himal. Was fantastic! And Nirmala did a great job of taking care of me- she's so sweet!

by Nicholas (Singapore)
on Mar 25, 2019

Mardi Himal
led by Nirmala Subedi

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My wife and I recently went on the Mardi Himal trek with Nirmala as our guide. Nirmala was extremely organised and conscientious, ensuring that the accommodation for all the nights on the hike were booked well in advance. She made extra effort to get us the tea houses and rooms with better views. Throughout the hike, she was attentive to our needs (like water, physical wellness, etc.) and ensured that we were as comfortable we could possibly be. Unfortunately, she was also extremely cautious - too cautious in my opinion. She was not comfortable trekking through thick snow (which is common in the Himalayas), and tended to shy away from wet conditions. All in all, we still enjoyed ourselves. She also helped us book our bus tickets back to Kathmandu. If you’d like a very risk-averse, organised guide, she’s definitely a good choice.

by Kriszela (Australia)
on Nov 26, 2017

Poon Hill
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala was a great guide who went above and beyond to ensure superb customer service. She even met me on the bus station the day prior, helped me find my accomodation, checked that I had packed items correctly and we went out and bought a few extra things that I was missing. She was great company on the trek as it was just the two of us and also gave great insight on Nepalese culture. Highly recommend her as a guide.

by Marie (United States of America)
on Sep 29, 2017

Ghandruk Loop
led by Nirmala Subedi

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Nirmala is an AMAZING guide and any trekker would beyond blessed to have her! My good friend and I have dreamed of visiting Nepal since our college days and, because of varying circumstances, September 2017 worked out best- which also happened to be when my friend was 5 months pregnant! Nirmala made sure we did a trek appropriate for my friend's limitations, while still ensuring that we got to heights where the snowcapped peaks of the Annapurna range and endless terraced rice fields were visible. She closely monitored how my friend was feeling and if she was dehydrated or injured. She located a porter for us ahead of time and chose teahouses that she was familiar with and could vouch for. She haggled prices, gave information about the mountain ranges and people groups, helped us organize all of our meals and funds at each teahouse, and even got our return-ticket money back from a begrudging bus company that we had had a terrible experience with on our way down to Pokhara! She seriously went FAR ABOVE her trekking guide duties. Additionally, we specifically wanted a female guide through Sherpana's website, as well as to have our permits taken care of in advance, but we wanted to do everything else on the ground as we went along, so as to save on costs. Both the Sherpana website staff and Nirmala herself were extremely flexible and totally honored our wishes. We had an amazing 4 day trek, plus an overnight stay in Pokhara (where Nirmala had us over to her family's house for dinner!) and we wish we'd never left!