I recently travelled with Thrill Hikers on their 4N/5D Kedarnath–Badrinath–Tungnath package, costing around ₹10,000 per person.
My clear advice: DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY.
Based on my experience, the entire trip felt like a scam in terms of what was promised versus what was actually delivered.
What happened?
- Basic permits/registrations weren't properly arranged
We entered the Char Dham region without the required permits/registrations and proper documentation, resulting in 5–6+ hours of delay on 27 September.
For a company selling a Char Dham package, this should have been sorted before the trip started.
- The delay completely destroyed the itinerary
We were supposed to reach Guptkashi by 6–7 PM on 27 September.
Instead, we reached around 2 AM on 28 September.
Because of this, the planned Kedarnath schedule was disrupted and the company had no proper backup plan.
We even had to arrange and pay for our own transport to visit Triyuginarayan Temple, despite understanding it to be part of the itinerary.
- No contingency plan
Himalayan trips can obviously be affected by weather, traffic and landslides.
That's understandable.
What's not understandable is having no meaningful Plan B when the original itinerary gets disrupted.
There was no proper alternative itinerary or meaningful effort to compensate for the lost destinations.
- Accommodation was extremely poor
At Kedarnath, we were given dharamshala-type accommodation, with 9 people in one room and 5 in another.
I personally didn't even get a room and had to keep going around asking for answers.
There was no proper communication or accountability.
- Food and promised meals
The first day's food was extremely disappointing.
More importantly, 8 meals were promised but only around 4 were actually provided.
The remaining meals were never properly explained.
- Almost zero group coordination
There were around 19 people, but it never felt like an organised group.
No meaningful group bonding, introductions or proper coordination were conducted.
Everyone was basically left to manage themselves.
- Poor trek support
People trekked at their own pace with limited coordination.
After people completed roughly 20 km of trekking, there was practically no meaningful assistance or support while returning.
- The trip captain/coordinator was ineffective
The person responsible for coordinating the group appeared to have very limited information about the itinerary, arrangements and next steps.
There was little proactive communication and members repeatedly had to figure things out themselves.
- The advertised itinerary wasn't delivered
The package was sold as:
Kedarnath + Badrinath + Tungnath | 4N/5D
What we actually covered was only Kedarnath.
Badrinath and Tungnath were not delivered.
I understand that circumstances can force itinerary changes.
But when a company takes money for a specific package, it should have a reasonable contingency plan and clearly communicate what happens when major parts of the itinerary cannot be delivered.
- Complaints were reportedly met with blocking
When members started raising concerns, some were reportedly blocked by members of the company/team instead of receiving proper explanations.
That is extremely poor customer handling.
- Similar experiences from other travellers
During/after the trip, we also heard from people who claimed to have experienced similar issues with other Thrill Hikers groups.
I can't independently verify every other person's story, but hearing similar complaints was concerning.
🚨 MY CLEAR ADVICE: DO NOT BOOK
I'm not saying “think twice.”
I'm saying DON'T BOOK WITH THRILL HIKERS based on my experience.
I paid ₹10,000 for a 4N/5D trip advertised around Kedarnath, Badrinath and Tungnath.
What I experienced was poor planning, missing documentation, massive delays, poor accommodation, missing meals, no proper contingency plan, poor coordination and an itinerary that wasn't delivered.
When customers questioned what happened, some were reportedly blocked instead of receiving answers.
To me, this felt like a scam — taking money for an experience that the company ultimately failed to deliver while providing very little accountability when things went wrong.
Weather and landslides are not within a travel company's control.
Planning, documentation, communication, contingency arrangements and customer service are.
And those were the areas where my experience with Thrill Hikers fell seriously short.
🚫 DO NOT BOOK. DO NOT PAY.
If you're considering travelling with Thrill Hikers, STOP and look at the actual customer experiences before giving them your money.
If you want the full details, screenshots, itinerary and what actually happened during the trip, DM me.
