Sunny:local guides in nepal |
In most countries, independent guides and agency guides alike are required to be registered with government authority. Have your guide provide valid, up-to-date informations they comply with local regulations. This is a small point that shows your guide is a professional and not simply someone making extra cash on the side.
In addition to credibility, this information is valuable in the unlikely event you run into any problems on the trek. Knowing your guide is on the radar of government authorities and has insurance will give you peace of mind.
Many guides start out as porters, learn the trail, improve their language & client-facing skills, and then begin leading their own treks. Knowing how many times they’ve guided a trek helps in two regards – confidence and connections.
You want a guide confident with the trail, direction, distances, and most importantly safety. An inexperienced guide may be unable to spot AMS in their clients, spot weather changes, or estimate distances. There are few things worse than a guide that unsure of the correct response to a given situation. An experienced guide brings this confidence to the trek and can be the leader you need.
Connections are valuable because they’ll make for a smoother trek. Guides who know which restaurant ' teahouse 'guesthouse ' camp they’ll use make evenings easier and likely will lead to higher quality. If the trek runs into logistical challenges, the depth of their connections will be the speed and ease in which they are resolved.Ask potential guides how many treks they lead per season and how many are this particular trek. A guide leading more than twelve trips a season with more than four in your particular route should be appropriately experienced.
It seems obvious, but too often people trek with guides and lack the language skills to communicate with each other. Sometimes the agency or guide oversell their ability to speak a language or maybe you’ve been tempted by a low price. Be warned, this puts a serious cap on your ability to maximize value from your experience. Guides share knowledge of the land, people, and culture you’ll experience during your trek – don’t miss out on this!
Many professional guides go to great lengths to learn languages. Unfortunately, the language skills typically fall on the guide but they certainly don’t have to. Learn some words and phrases in their language and force yourself to use them on the trek. You’ll improve your communication & win the respect of your guide. Ask your guides what their favorite part of the itinerary is and why? You’ll get a sense for how descriptive and articulate they are in your language.