How to tell a reliable Nepal trekking company from a risky one: checking the licence, licensed guides, porter welfare, safety and evacuation plans, honest pricing, payment safety, reviews, written itineraries and cancellation terms.
11 min read
To choose a reliable trekking company in Nepal, check five things: that it holds a current trekking agency licence, that your guide is licensed, that porters are paid, equipped and insured, that it has a real safety and evacuation plan, and that its quote is itemised, in writing, with clear payment and cancellation terms. Reviews and good communication then help you choose between the companies that pass.
There are hundreds of trekking agencies in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and on paper most promise the same trek. The differences show up on the trail: a guide who knows when to turn back, a porter with proper boots, a lodge booked at Gorak Shep in October, an evacuation that happens fast and is billed honestly.
We are a Pokhara-based trekking company, and this is the checklist we would use if we were booking a trek ourselves. It applies to any company, including us.
Shortlist companies that are licensed, use licensed guides and look after their porters, then compare their written quotes and itineraries line by line. Ask each one the same questions. The company that answers clearly, quickly and in writing is usually the one that runs a good trek.
A practical order:
Shortlist three or four companies that run the trek you want.
Ask each for its company registration and licence details.
Ask who your guide will be and what licence they hold.
Ask how porters are paid, equipped, insured and loaded.
Ask for the safety and evacuation plan and the insurance they require.
Get an itemised quote, a written itinerary and the cancellation terms.
Read recent reviews, then decide.
Ask for the company's registration certificate and its trekking agency licence, then check that the name, address and licence dates match the company on your quote and the bank account you pay. A trekking agency in Nepal needs both company registration and a tourism licence to operate legally.
Licensing is handled by government tourism offices: since 2019 the issue and renewal of trekking agency and guide licences has been delegated to the tourism offices of Nepal's seven provinces, under the Department of Tourism's rules. There is no single public online register that we can point you to, so the documents themselves, and how readily a company shares them, are your best check.
A legitimate agency can show its company registration, its trekking agency licence, its tax (PAN or VAT) registration and recent tax clearance. When it applies for restricted-area permits, the Department of Immigration also requires the tourism licence, a Nepal Rastra Bank foreign-exchange licence and insurance documents for trekkers and Nepali staff.
That last point is a useful test. Only registered agencies can obtain restricted-area permits for treks like Manaslu, so a company that regularly runs those treks must keep its paperwork current.
These are associations and public bodies, not licences. The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) is the industry association for trekking companies; the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) issues permits for its listed climbing peaks; the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) promotes tourism and runs the TIMS system with TAAN.
Membership of TAAN can be a sign that a company is established, and NMA matters only if your trip includes a climbing peak. But membership is not the legal requirement; the licence is. Do not treat a logo on a website as proof of either.
Yes. Your guide should hold a government trekking guide licence, and since 1 April 2023 foreign trekkers in Nepal's national parks and conservation areas must walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency. Licensed guides have completed government-approved training and carry a photo licence card.
Ask the company for your guide's name and licence before you travel, and ask your guide to show the card when you meet. Every one of our treks is led by a licensed guide; see do you need a guide to trek in Nepal? for what a guide does beyond finding the way.
A porter-guide carries some of your kit and guides on easier routes, and holds a different, lower grade of licence than a trekking guide. They are cheaper, which is why some low quotes use them. On a high-altitude trek, ask specifically for a licensed trekking guide with experience on that route.
Also ask about altitude and first-aid training, how many times the guide has walked this trek, and their English. A guide who has been to Gorak Shep or the Annapurna Sanctuary many times recognises altitude sickness early and knows which lodges to book.
A responsible company pays porters fairly, gives them proper clothing, shelter and food, insures them, keeps loads sensible and looks after them if they fall ill. These are the five standards set out by the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG), and they are the right questions to ask.
The IPPG standards are:
Adequate clothing and footwear for the season and altitude.
Adequate shelter, food and drink.
Medical care and life insurance.
Care on descent if ill: a sick porter is never sent down alone.
A load of an appropriate size.
The Department of Immigration's own conditions for restricted-area trekking also require daily wages, safety gear, suitable clothing and personal accident insurance for Nepali guides and porters.
Porter guidelines based on the IPPG standards put the maximum load in Nepal at 30 kg, less at high altitude or in bad conditions. Many responsible companies set a lower limit. On our treks one porter carries for two trekkers, up to about 20 kg in total, so your own bag should weigh around 10 kg.
If a company is vague about loads or crams three trekkers' bags onto one porter, that is a sign of how it treats staff. Pack light: the Lukla flight limit of about 15 kg in total is a good target anyway.
At minimum: a licensed guide trained in first aid, a first-aid kit, a pulse oximeter for daily checks, an itinerary with proper acclimatisation, a clear evacuation plan and a requirement that you carry insurance covering helicopter rescue. Ask how the company decides to descend and how it contacts its office from the trail.
On our treks your guide carries a first-aid kit and a pulse oximeter and checks your oxygen saturation and pulse every day. Our Everest Base Camp itinerary has acclimatisation days in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche; above 3,000 m, standard advice is to raise your sleeping altitude by no more than about 500 m a day, with a rest day every three or four days, so be wary of an itinerary with no rest days at all. Read altitude sickness in Nepal before you go, and see our trust and safety page for how we work.
If you need evacuating, your guide calls the office, the office arranges the helicopter, and your insurer pays. The company should agree the evacuation with your insurer, use a reputable operator and send you to a proper hospital, not wherever earns a commission.
This matters because Nepal has a documented problem with fake rescues. A government investigation in 2018 found helicopter firms, hospitals and agencies overcharging insurers, and in March 2026 a case was filed at Kathmandu District Court against 32 people in a fake rescue scheme. Never let anyone push you onto a helicopter you do not need, and be wary of a company that seems keen to evacuate you.
A reliable company will insist on travel insurance that covers trekking and helicopter evacuation to the highest point of your trek, and will ask for your policy details before you start. On our treks that is 3,500 m for Poon Hill, 4,500 m for Annapurna Base Camp and 6,000 m for Everest Base Camp.
A company that does not ask about insurance is not planning for things going wrong. Check your own policy covers the altitude, names helicopter rescue, and does not exclude trekking without a guide or above a certain height.
If a quote is far below the others for the same itinerary, something has been left out or someone is being underpaid. Common cuts are no porter, a porter-guide in place of a licensed guide, no meals, missing staff flights or insurance, overloaded porters, or a shorter itinerary with less acclimatisation.
Compare quotes line by line using our trekking package checklist, and use our Nepal trekking cost guide to see what each item realistically costs. The costs are real: permits, Lukla flights, staff wages and teahouse meals do not get cheaper because a quote does.
Watch for permits, staff food or flights, sleeping bag rental, airport transfers and "service charges" that appear after you have agreed a price. Agree in writing what is included and excluded before you pay anything. Extras such as drinks, showers and wifi are normal; surprise charges for the core trek are not.
Other red flags: pressure to pay a large sum immediately, refusal to name the guide, a company that cannot explain its evacuation plan, and pressure on the trail for tips or changes of route.
Pay a deposit, not the full amount, to the company's own business account or by card, and get a written receipt that matches your quote. Avoid paying cash to someone who approaches you in the street, or paying into a personal account that does not match the company name.
Card payments often carry a surcharge of a few per cent; ask in advance. Keep the payment schedule, receipts and all messages together. Our how booking works page explains how payment works with us.
Reviews help, but read them carefully: look for recent, detailed reviews that mention the guide by name, the route and how problems were handled. A page of short five-star reviews posted in the same week tells you little. Mixed reviews with clear replies from the company are often more useful.
Compare reviews across more than one platform, and check that the company's name and trek match. If you can, ask the company a few specific questions and judge how they answer.
How a company communicates before you book is the best preview of how it will handle problems during the trek. You want quick, specific answers, honest advice about whether a trek suits you, and someone who tells you when a plan is a bad idea.
Be wary of a company that agrees to everything, promises guaranteed views or summits, or cannot explain what happens if a flight is cancelled. Good companies ask about your fitness, altitude experience and insurance before they quote.
Get a day-by-day itinerary, an itemised list of what is included and excluded, the payment schedule and the cancellation and refund policy, all in writing. These protect both sides and settle most disputes before they start.
The itinerary should show overnight stops, altitudes and acclimatisation days, like our Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill trip pages do. The cancellation policy should say what happens if you cancel, if the company cancels, and if flights or weather change the plan. Ours is on our cancellation and refund policy page.
Both can be good. Booking directly with a licensed Nepali company means you deal with the people who run the trek and who will be on the phone if something goes wrong. Check the same licence, guide, porter and safety points either way.
Since 1 April 2023 the rules require foreign trekkers to book a licensed guide through a registered agency in national parks and conservation areas, and restricted-area permits are only issued through agencies. A freelance guide working outside an agency also leaves you without office support in an emergency.
Start with the company itself, in writing. If that fails, you can contact the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, the Department of Tourism or, for serious matters, the Tourist Police on 1144 within Nepal. Keep receipts, messages and your written itinerary as evidence.
For October and November, or for treks with Lukla flights, book two to three months ahead if you can. Restricted-area treks need time to process permits. Short treks from Pokhara can often be arranged at shorter notice outside peak weeks.
Travel advice
How much to tip your trekking guide and porters in Nepal in 2026, in US dollars and rupees, for group and private treks, with sample totals for Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and Everest Base Camp, plus when and how to hand it over.
No reputable company needs the full amount months in advance. A deposit to secure your dates, with the balance before or at the start of the trek, is normal. Make sure the payment schedule is written into your booking.
Smaller groups are more flexible and easier to manage at altitude. Our treks run for 1 to 12 people, as a group or privately. For larger groups, ask whether an assistant guide is added.
Not always, but a quote far below the others usually means something is missing: a licensed guide, porter insurance, acclimatisation days or meals. Ask what is different before assuming it is a bargain.
Yes, tell them about any heart, lung or other conditions, medications and previous altitude problems. A good company uses this to advise on the right trek and pace, and your guide needs it in an emergency.