Lhakpa Dorji Sherpa hails from Thame in the Khumbu (Everest) region and now lives in Kathmandu with his wife Doma and son Nuru, soon to be our technical advisor. Lhakpa and Kim have led treks together since 2004, and are a nearly perfect team, the right and left hands of Kim's Project Himalaya treks. Lhakpa Dorji and his wife Doma have their own Kathmandu-based trekking company called Khumbu Adventures, and organize the logistics, permits and flights for many of Kim's treks. They also organize their own treks, and work on such community projects as the Yeti Magic Library in Thame.
Lhakpa has been guiding treks in Nepal, India and Tibet for more than a decade, and has been working in the trekking industry for even longer, so knows all the ins and outs of the trekking world. His passion for life and trekking is infectious, and he has friends from all over the world. He has lived and worked at different times in Jackson Hole, Colorado and in Chamonix, France (where his brother lives and where he acquired his love of wine).
Lhakpa is a diverse and modern Nepali in some ways, and a traditional Sherpa in others. He celebrates Losar, the Sherpa New Year, playing cards, eating dal bhaat and drinking with other Sherpas, visits his mother and sister in their traditional Sherpa dwellings in Thame and Mende, has pujas at Buddhist gompas and goes for blessings from the high Tibetan Buddhist lamas. He also designed his Khumbu Adventures website and helps Kim with the Kamzang website and the Kamzang Fund. Lhakpa loves photography, and never leaves camp without his camera bag strapped around his waist. He also has a passion for all things electronic, which often gets him in trouble with his wife and endears him to his son!
Lhakpa is a truly wonderful and professional trek guide and like Kipling's Kim, a friend to all ...
Lhakpa Dorje above the peaks on our Spring High Manaslu trek - Kim
What an amazing trek it was! You can not go wrong by trekking with Kim and Lhakpa. Their professionalism, friendliness, efficiency, expertise and unflagging good cheer and able assistance can not be overstated.
Lhakpa is the epitome of the ideal Sherpa host. Nothing we Westerners could conjure up would budge his smiling, courteous, and unflappable countenance. Exhausted and struggling on the trail? Lhakpa will carry your pack. (Not to be left out, Kim was quick to relieve us of our packs on steeper sections of the trail - two of them plus hers on one memorable day.)
Lindsay H, Arun & Gokyo 2009
Lhakpa & Tashi, on a Christmas Gokyo Lakes trek in the Everest region ...
Kim, Lhakpa and the crew will put on a great trip and will take good care of you! The food is exceptional and Kim's attention to detail especially in the dining tent, adds a great personal touch. Having done trips with other trekking companies before, it's the small details such this, combined with Kim's obvious passion/empathy for these places and their people/culture that has drawn me back again and again. However, what really sets them apart for me, is that they provide a fantastic off-the-beaten track experience and do truly exploratory trips in an amazing part of the world!
Celesta, Remote Villages & Wild Canyons of Ladakh 2009
I think about you and Lhakpa and everybody a lot; and I miss the trek, the beautiful mountains, the amazing sceneries and rich culture there. Every time when I go through my trekking photos, the memories of those great moments come back to me, speaking to me and asking me why I haven't packed my gears and signed up for my next Himalaya trip ...
Summer T, Wild Zanskar 2010
Taking photos on our Nomads, Lakes & High Passes trek in Ladakh, incredibly scenic ...
Kim is a pleasant and exceedingly competent trek leader; Lhakpa, the cooks, and the porters are special people and in my experience, a pleasure to travel with. They looked after us cheerfully and with care, but never intrusively. They are a warm and fun group, and pound for pound, physically the strongest people I've ever been around. The people we encountered were fascinating, and the beauty of the place is beyond my ability to describe, it's photography heaven. The cultural differences between rural Nepal and my town are enormous, yet I felt welcome, secure, and at home the entire time we were trekking. The food was good and plentiful, the tents were sturdy and comfortable, the staff happy and helpful, we had very little sickness, the other trekkers in our group were friendly and intelligent, and believe me I slept like a log every night (except when I got up to view the night sky which is like nothing I've seen).
Steve C, Wild Everest 2008
Please also let Lhakpa know how grateful I am to him for staying with us on that last hike to Jagat. You both inspired me along, step by step.
Andrea C, High Manaslu 2012
Hiking along stony riverbeds in Ladakh with Kim, with trekkers following closely ...
Trying the Lawrence of Arabia look on a sweltering Ladakhi day ...
At the border to Tibet, on top of a high pass on the High Manaslu trek ...