How to choose a trekking company in Nepal
There are thousands of registered operators in Nepal, and on a website the good ones look much like the bad ones. Six questions tell them apart.
By the Lakeshore team · 7 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
We're a trekking company writing about how to choose a trekking company, so read this with that in mind. It's still the advice we'd give a friend, including the parts that don't favour us.
Nepal has thousands of registered agencies, and their websites all look alike, with the same photographs and itineraries and the same line about experienced local guides. The differences are there, but you'll barely see them until you ask directly. Put these six questions to any operator, including us.
1. What do you pay your guides and porters, and what weight do you cap porters at?
This question sorts the field. A good operator answers it straight away and in detail, without looking anything up.
Our answer: porters carry 9 kg per trekker, with two trekkers to each porter, so about 18 kg once their own kit is in. Our guides and porters are insured. That's a legal requirement in Nepal, and not every company honours it.
A vague answer here is the clearest warning sign in this industry. When a trek costs far less than everyone else's, it isn't a bargain somebody missed. The money comes from somewhere, and usually it comes from the person carrying your bag.
2. What happens if you cancel, and what happens if I do?
This question tells you as much as the first. Get the terms in writing before you pay any deposit.
Ask what you get back if you cancel at different points, and what happens if they cancel for weather, a closed pass or a guide's call on the day. An operator with a clear answer has thought it through. One who goes vague on the second half hasn't. The money isn't the main reason this matters. An operator with no cancellation policy has a financial reason to keep a group walking when it should turn around.
3. Is the itinerary built around acclimatisation or around days?
Ask why the trek is as long as it is, and where the acclimatisation days fall. On the Annapurna Circuit that means two nights at Manang. On Everest it means two at Namche and a second at Dingboche.
If someone offers to cut two or three days from a standard route for the same price, what they're cutting is acclimatisation. That's a safety cost dressed up as flexibility.
When someone asks 'can you do Annapurna Base Camp in four days', the right answer isn't yes.
4. Who will my guide be, and can I know before I arrive?
Reviews of Nepali operators overwhelmingly name the guide. People write about Paban or Sudip, not about the logo, and that tells you where the value sits.
Ask whether the guide is licensed, how many seasons they've walked that particular route, which languages they speak, and whether they're on the staff or hired freelance for your trip.
Freelance doesn't rule anyone out, because most of the industry works that way in peak season. Not knowing who it will be until the morning you leave is another matter, especially if you're travelling alone.
5. Are permits and fees listed separately?
Government permit fees are fixed, and they're the same whoever you book with. An operator who lists them on a separate line is showing you which part is fee and which part is margin. One who buries them in the package price isn't.
Ask what isn't included. Drinks, hot showers, charging, wifi and tips are normal exclusions, and anything else that turns up at the last minute is a red flag. Get a written breakdown before you pay anything. Every reputable operator will give you one without complaint.
6. Where is the company based?
Most Nepali trekking is sold from Kathmandu, including treks that happen entirely in the Annapurnas. That works, but it can mean a Kathmandu leg you may not need, and guides who travel out with the group instead of living near the trailhead.
For Annapurna routes a Pokhara company is usually cheaper and knows the local trails better. For Everest, a Kathmandu company has the edge on logistics. Neither is right for everything, and anyone who claims otherwise is selling something.
We're in Pokhara, with our office in Lakeside. On Annapurna routes that's an advantage, and we'll say so. On Everest it isn't, and we'll tell you that too.
What doesn't tell you much
Registration and association memberships. They're required and almost everyone has them, so they don't set anyone apart.
Awards and certificates on the office wall. Some mean something, but most are paid listings.
Years in business. A twenty-year-old company with a brand new set of guides isn't clearly better than a five-year-old one that has had the same three guides from the start.
Review counts on aggregator sites, which can be gamed. Read what the reviews say instead, and notice whether they name people and describe decisions or just read like a brochure.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Should I book before I arrive, or once I'm here?
Either works. Booking ahead secures your permits, dates and a specific guide in peak season. Walking in gets you a face-to-face conversation, which is a better test than any website, and plenty of our clients do it that way.
Is a more expensive company safer?
Not reliably. Price follows city hotels and group size as much as guide quality. The six questions tell you more than the price does.
What if I get a bad feeling in the office?
Walk away. There are thousands of operators and you don't owe anyone a booking. That instinct is usually picking up on something.
Do you mind being asked all this?
No, we wrote the list. If any operator, us included, gets defensive about these six questions, that tells you what you need to know. Put them all to us on WhatsApp or by email. We usually reply within a few hours, always within a day.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether Permits & TIMS Service is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830