HIRING PORTERS OR GUIDES IN NEPAL
One question that most of the travelers have while trekking in Nepal is do I need to hire a guide or a porter while trekking in Nepal?
The simple answer is NO. Let me explain, you do not really need a porter or a guide if you are a travel-savvy person and can carry all your trekking luggage for 5 - 14 days in Nepal. The trail is marked pretty clearly in most of the famous trails and you can always ask people for help. So, if you are traveling on a budget and you are ok with carrying your loads of 15 -20 kgs with a wanderer spirit and have this confusion of whether it is compulsory to hire a porter/guide, it is not. But do make sure you get a permit to trek and which is a must. You can apply it at the office. (click here)
We do not recommend trekking alone on routes like Dolpa, Makalu without a guide or a porter service. The reason being these are one of the less trekked routes and for a long stretch of trekking days there are no places to stay and you will have to set up tents and have your own water and food supplies. This is why at Namas Adventure we arrange staff to carry all the rations and tents for these long haul trekking. But most of the trek routes are very well facilitated in Nepal. Trekking Nepal on your own, below are some pros and cons
Cons
Safety concerns
Carrying your own luggage of 15 - 20 kgs
You have to sweat the details of your itinerary
No level of guarantee for hotel stay during peak season
Pros
You choose your own pace of adventure.
Saves costs on porter/guide service
Freedom with schedule
Hiring a porter
Hiring a porter is one of the cheapest ways to trek the great Himalayan adventure. Now how to get a porter without proper connections? It depends on which region you are trekking. If you are trekking the Everest region, once you land in Lukla there are a group of porters lining up for a job, so you can get one there. But for most of the other treks asking your hotels to make the arrangements is a safer option. Bear in mind the hotels will not be responsible after that. Another thing to be aware of is that do not expect a higher level of English from porters. Porters speak less to non-English. Their main job is to carry your luggage for your entire journey. They might help you find a hotel on your stops and you will be responsible for their food and accommodations. The standard wage for porter service in Nepal is $12 for every 30Kgs per day but we ask all our readers or travelers, once you hire them please pay them $20 per load of $30 kgs per day. Also, do resist hiring any children to carry your luggage. So, hiring a porter will free you from worrying about the load and you can enjoy the trip load-free and instead enjoy the adventure and beauty of the trails. Maybe you would want to take great selfies and landscape pictures. Also to be aware that they might not be able to keep up with your pace every-time so be patient and eventually they will catch up.
Cons
Extra expenses of $30-$40 per day ( including Porter charges with food and accommodations )
Communication barriers with porters being less/non-english speaking
Sweat the detail of your itinerary
Consider porters walking pace
Pros
Load free and enjoy the trekking
Some level of porter-led guidance
Some level of safety and local guidance
Hiring a guide
If you are looking for an immersive level adventure then guided service trekking in Nepal is the one for you. Hiring a guide will mean various services but make sure you are clear on it once you have made the agreement. Essential like your permits, local transport ticketing, and even porters. The costs do add up but at least someone is there to take care of it for you. Make sure your guides are TAAN licensed and most of the guides in Nepal have a good level of English and most senior guide leaders having least 5 - 10+ years of guiding experiences. They know the ins and out of the routes and with their relations in every village they will make sure you are well-taken care of. They will explain to you about different places, cultures, people and local lifestyles. Depending on your budget you can ask your guide to arrange a porter for your trekking days as most of the guide will only help you with guidance service. Some may help you with your luggage but be aware they have their own stuff and it is out of their own goodwill.
As a company, we arrange 1 guide for every 4 customers so if you are a group of more than 4 people we recommend you to hire a guide on that basis. As they won’t be able to guide everyone at once and having that extra person in a large group will definitely help with guidance service. If you want them to also arrange your local transport like domestic flights and hotels them, I ask you to do at least 1-2 month in advance especially for the well-known routes (i.e. Everest or Annapurna region). It can be hard to get tickets and hotel reservations.
Cons
Expenses on Guides $30 - $40 per day
May need extra expenses for porter services
Consider the pace of adventure with the guides
A credibility check has to be done on your own.
Pros
Guidance and local knowledge
Safety and guidance for your entire journey
Well English spoken
Booking with travel agencies or tour operators
This is where Namas Adventure as a company comes for all-inclusive services. Once you book through us everything is taken care of for you. From the very minute, you arrive and until your departure day. Through our network and key relationships with the locals, we make sure our best level of quality service is provided in all our adventure tours. We are careful from hiring the best mountain and trekking leaders to being responsible for treating our porters ethically and respectfully. Details are key and we make sure all our Sherpa leaders are licensed/trained and are well English is spoken or preferred language speaking guides can be arranged with the request in advance. We keep checks on the type of hotels that are used in the cities to make sure our clients do not fall ill into any health conditions. We also have a strong relationship with the network of rescue teams/helicopters and hospitals to provide assistance if anything is to go wrong. This is where we stand out on our services and we are committed to being one of the best service providers.
Cons
Expenses for the services
Consider other travelers in groups
Note: We are careful with local employments and at Namas, all our trekking Sherpa leaders are locals and most of the Mountain Leaders so far but with the level of expertise in different areas in mountaineering there will be international mountain leaders working with local expedition leaders.
Pros
Fully serviced tours
You don't have to sweat the details of your travel
Confidence and accountability
Safety and trust
Experiences in the mountain of Nepal and a great network with logistics and emergency service partners
Written by - Bisesh Gurung