Nepal Now / Guides / Choose an operator
Decision guide · Operators
How to Choose a Trekking Operator in Nepal
Twelve questions, each with the document that answers it. Then, if you want, one enquiry to operators that have already answered them.
How we vet
Nepal Now sells no treks. When you send an enquiry through this site it goes to partner operators, and those operators pay us a fee for it. That fee is how the site is paid for, and it does not change a word of what is published: the route pages, the cost figures and the archive quotes read the same whether an operator pays or not. We name no operator as a recommendation. Where a company's name appears on this site, a dated diary in the archive mentioned it, and the words are the diary's.
The archive records how the site began. A July 2015 brief for the site's logo said: "NepalNOW.org is going to be the official ONE STOP Nepal Tourism Recovery website which will have a maximum life of about one year. It will have Nepal Tourism Board endorsement. It will go live in early August 2015." The earliest dated story is from 9 August 2015.
Recorded undated · sushil · NepalNOW logo competition
Recorded · thomas schleutker · The Himalayas from 20,000 feet
The about page of the same month named the builders: "Nepal Now is brought to you by a collaboration of tourism experts (national and international), the Nepal Tourism Board with support of CBI, the Government of the Netherland’s export support mechanism."
Recorded · About NepalNow
At ITB Berlin in March 2016 the builders looked back: "Nepal Tourist Board (NTB) worked jointly with private sector tour operators volunteering their time to develop the campaign website nepalnow.org with the objective to bring back the positive image of Nepal in the international tourism markets. The Netherlands government programme CBI supported with minimal the Nepalnow.org platform". The plan was to fold the site into NTB's own.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Lessons learned from tourism recovery in Nepal post-earthquakes
That did not happen. Dated articles thin out after January 2017 and resume in 2019. A homepage captured on 26 December 2019 carries the line "News, Stories and Status from Nepal. An initiative from Nepal Tourism Board". Status updates ran through 2020, and the last recovered article is dated 9 June 2023. The site is now independent, and does what the 2015 brief asked without the one-year deadline.
Recorded · Relove Gyawali · site homepage as captured
Recorded · Everest Base Camp Cycling in "Fastest Known Time"
Before an operator receives a single enquiry we ask for the twelve items on the checklist above, in writing: the agency licence with its number (1), TAAN membership (2), the licence of the guide who will lead (3), staff insurance with the sum insured (4), a porter weight limit and staff equipment list (5), an altitude policy with a turnaround rule (6), an evacuation procedure and who pays first (7), inclusions and exclusions (8), group size and staff ratio (9), a Lukla flight fallback (10), deposit and refund terms (11), and a dated reference from this year (12). An operator that will not put one of these in writing is not listed.
Paper says what a company intends. A desk check cannot tell us whether the porter on your trek carries the weight in the policy, whether the guide on the licence is the one who meets you at Lukla, whether the policy is in force on the day you walk, or whether the turnaround rule holds when a client wants to push on. The archive is blunt about the gap between rule and trail. On Everest the rule was 17 kg, and an operator told the site: "There are a couple of organisations that should not be there because they don’t follow the rules and send people up with 35-40 kg on their backs".
Recorded · Isha Balla · A Call to Make Everest Safer
So we ask you to confirm four things yourself before you pay the balance: the guide's name and licence, the insurance dates, the weight limit, and who decides to turn back. If an answer changes between the quote and the trailhead, tell us, and we will ask the operator.
The archive itself holds no description of how to verify a licence or TAAN membership. TAAN appears in the record as an issuer of TIMS cards in Kathmandu and Pokhara, as a training venue, and as a party to a dispute with NTB over TIMS funds in December 2015. Where the record is silent we say so.
Recorded undated · FAQ
Recorded undated · Nepal will be focusing on domestic tourists as well in 2016
Nepal Now sells no treks. When you send an enquiry through this site it goes to partner operators, and those operators pay us a fee for it. That fee is how the site is paid for, and it does not change a word of what is published: the route pages, the cost figures and the archive quotes read the same whether an operator pays or not. We name no operator as a recommendation. Where a company's name appears on this site, a dated diary in the archive mentioned it, and the words are the diary's.
The archive records how the site began. A July 2015 brief for the site's logo said: "NepalNOW.org is going to be the official ONE STOP Nepal Tourism Recovery website which will have a maximum life of about one year. It will have Nepal Tourism Board endorsement. It will go live in early August 2015." The earliest dated story is from 9 August 2015.
Recorded undated · sushil · NepalNOW logo competition
Recorded · thomas schleutker · The Himalayas from 20,000 feet
The about page of the same month named the builders: "Nepal Now is brought to you by a collaboration of tourism experts (national and international), the Nepal Tourism Board with support of CBI, the Government of the Netherland’s export support mechanism."
Recorded · About NepalNow
At ITB Berlin in March 2016 the builders looked back: "Nepal Tourist Board (NTB) worked jointly with private sector tour operators volunteering their time to develop the campaign website nepalnow.org with the objective to bring back the positive image of Nepal in the international tourism markets. The Netherlands government programme CBI supported with minimal the Nepalnow.org platform". The plan was to fold the site into NTB's own.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Lessons learned from tourism recovery in Nepal post-earthquakes
That did not happen. Dated articles thin out after January 2017 and resume in 2019. A homepage captured on 26 December 2019 carries the line "News, Stories and Status from Nepal. An initiative from Nepal Tourism Board". Status updates ran through 2020, and the last recovered article is dated 9 June 2023. The site is now independent, and does what the 2015 brief asked without the one-year deadline.
Recorded · Relove Gyawali · site homepage as captured
Recorded · Everest Base Camp Cycling in "Fastest Known Time"
Before an operator receives a single enquiry we ask for the twelve items on the checklist above, in writing: the agency licence with its number (1), TAAN membership (2), the licence of the guide who will lead (3), staff insurance with the sum insured (4), a porter weight limit and staff equipment list (5), an altitude policy with a turnaround rule (6), an evacuation procedure and who pays first (7), inclusions and exclusions (8), group size and staff ratio (9), a Lukla flight fallback (10), deposit and refund terms (11), and a dated reference from this year (12). An operator that will not put one of these in writing is not listed.
Paper says what a company intends. A desk check cannot tell us whether the porter on your trek carries the weight in the policy, whether the guide on the licence is the one who meets you at Lukla, whether the policy is in force on the day you walk, or whether the turnaround rule holds when a client wants to push on. The archive is blunt about the gap between rule and trail. On Everest the rule was 17 kg, and an operator told the site: "There are a couple of organisations that should not be there because they don’t follow the rules and send people up with 35-40 kg on their backs".
Recorded · Isha Balla · A Call to Make Everest Safer
So we ask you to confirm four things yourself before you pay the balance: the guide's name and licence, the insurance dates, the weight limit, and who decides to turn back. If an answer changes between the quote and the trailhead, tell us, and we will ask the operator.
The archive itself holds no description of how to verify a licence or TAAN membership. TAAN appears in the record as an issuer of TIMS cards in Kathmandu and Pokhara, as a training venue, and as a party to a dispute with NTB over TIMS funds in December 2015. Where the record is silent we say so.
Recorded undated · FAQ
Recorded undated · Nepal will be focusing on domestic tourists as well in 2016
The 12-point check
Twelve things to ask before you pay a deposit. Each one has a document, a number or a written answer behind it. If an operator will not show it, that is the answer.
- Licence certificate with number and expiry
01Are you a registered trekking agency? Show the licence.
Nepal licenses trekking agencies through the Department of Tourism. A licence number can be checked; a logo cannot.
- TAAN membership number
02Is the company a TAAN member?
The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal lists its members. Membership is not quality, but it is accountability.
- Guide licence card
03Is my guide licensed, and by whom?
Trekking guides hold a government licence after training. Ask for the guide's name and licence before departure, not on the day.
- Insurance policy naming staff, with the sum insured
04Are your guides and porters insured, and for how much?
Staff insurance is the operator's duty, not yours. Uninsured porters carry the risk you are paying to avoid.
- Written weight limit; equipment list for staff
05What is the porter weight limit, and what do porters get to wear and sleep in?
Loads over about 20–25 kg and no warm gear are the two failures the archive records most often.
- Written policy: rest days, symptom checks, turnaround rule
06What is your altitude policy? Who decides to turn back, and when?
Acute mountain sickness is the main cause of evacuation. The guide must be able to stop the trek without asking head office.
- Evacuation procedure; confirmation your insurance covers helicopter rescue to the trek's altitude
07How does an evacuation work, and who pays first?
Helicopter rescue is charged up front. Know whether the operator arranges it, how it is paid, and what your own insurance must cover.
- Inclusions and exclusions list in the quote
08What exactly is included, and what is not?
Flights, permits, meals, hot water, charging, a second porter, tips: each missing line is a surprise on the trail.
- Group limit and staff ratio in writing
09What is the maximum group size, and how many staff per trekker?
One guide for twelve people cannot watch twelve sets of symptoms.
- Written flight-cancellation plan
10What happens if the Lukla flight is cancelled?
Weather holds flights for days every season. The fallback — extra hotel nights, helicopter option, who pays — should be decided before you book.
- Payment and cancellation terms
11What is the deposit, the balance date and the refund rule?
Deposits of 20–30% are normal. Read what happens if you cancel, if they cancel, or if the trek is cut short.
- A recent, dated reference
12Can I speak to someone who trekked with you this year?
Reviews with dates beat star counts. A recent client will tell you about the guide, the food and the day it went wrong.
Checklist· built from the archive's operator, guide and porter records and the Source Context's vetting criteria
Local agency or international operator
The archive holds diaries written under both kinds of operator. It holds no comparison between them, no client review of one company against another, and no price list beyond a single package figure. What follows is what the diaries said, with their dates. It is not a ranking.
The most-recorded international company is Intrepid. A September 2015 profile called it "one of the largest tour operators in Nepal", headquartered in Melbourne, with 25 Nepal itineraries resuming after the earthquake. A 2016 review described how it staffs a trek: "Usually, the tour is lead by a group leader who spends time with each traveler to build rapport. They employ skillful local guides who act as a mediator between guests and local people."
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Man on a mission
Recorded · Raj Thapa · Trekking in Nepal with Intrepid
A trekker on an Intrepid Everest Base Camp departure in September 2015 named the staff on the ground: "We were accompanied by our assistant guide- Sanjay, our lead porter- Surya and of course Ram. 3 of them were our guiding lights for the next 11 days." The same diary records the group had shrunk from 16 bookings to 5 after the earthquake.
Recorded · Isha Balla · Trekking in Nepal-An experience of a Lifetime
The archive also records a marketplace model: kimkim, "a new online travel company, based in California, started in December 2015", connecting travellers with local experts. A Three Passes trekker in July 2016 wrote: "I used a tour company called socialtours (a member of the kimkim travel network) and they really went out of their way to put me at ease and take care of any hassles." The booking was international; the company on the ground was Nepali.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Silicon Valley travel company sets its sights on Nepal
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · High passes of the Solu Khumbu in July
The diaries that name a Kathmandu agency mostly describe how the choice was made. One Everest Base Camp trekker, writing in 2016 about a 2014 trip: "Of course, I sent queries to several trekking companies in Nepal, researched like hell, but as finally I ensured my trip with Icicles as I felt him genuine and was also recommended by my friend." Her guide then handled the permits at Jorsale and packed her bag to the 15 kg Lukla limit.
Recorded · Te Awhi · My Everest Base Camp Trek Diary with Icicles Adventure Treks
Another, in November 2015, booked through the company's managing director: "Ganga Raj Thapa, managing director at Nepal Hiking Team convinced me that Nepal now is a safe place to travel." A Kanchenjunga trekker the same autumn "set off with our guide, Raju, coordinated by our fabulous trekking agent, Kanchenjunga Trek." On that trek the diary also records seeing "young trekkers carrying almost 50 kg each" who "were paid only approximately $50 for a total of 5 day walk". Praise for the agent and alarm at the porters' loads sit in the same diary.
Recorded · an unnamed contributor · Completed Everest Base Camp Trek with full of joy
Recorded · Isha Balla · Trek to Kanchanjunga
The trade-offs, as far as the record supports them. Who employs the guide: with a local agency the guide is the agency's own; with an international operator the archive shows a group leader over local guides, or an overseas booking handled by a Nepali partner, whose wage, load and insurance terms the archive does not record. Accountability: the 2015 site FAQ advised, "You’ll find it easier to work with a reputable agency to help with any permits and TIMS etc that you’ll need for trekking areas." A 2017 post quoted Rough Guides: "choosing independent homestays and grassroots tour companies ensures money ends up in local pockets." Price: a Nepali guide warned in 2016 of "the declining price of travel packages which has eventually affected the income of people involved in it."
Recorded undated · FAQ
Recorded · Isha Balla · 10 Things About Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · Story of a Nepali Guide
The only package price the archive holds is a 15-day Everest Base Camp trek "from $1296 (excluding international flights)", undated. For 2026 figures see the Nepal trek cost guide and the operator pages for Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit.
Recorded undated · Recalling my trip to Nepal
The archive holds diaries written under both kinds of operator. It holds no comparison between them, no client review of one company against another, and no price list beyond a single package figure. What follows is what the diaries said, with their dates. It is not a ranking.
The most-recorded international company is Intrepid. A September 2015 profile called it "one of the largest tour operators in Nepal", headquartered in Melbourne, with 25 Nepal itineraries resuming after the earthquake. A 2016 review described how it staffs a trek: "Usually, the tour is lead by a group leader who spends time with each traveler to build rapport. They employ skillful local guides who act as a mediator between guests and local people."
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Man on a mission
Recorded · Raj Thapa · Trekking in Nepal with Intrepid
A trekker on an Intrepid Everest Base Camp departure in September 2015 named the staff on the ground: "We were accompanied by our assistant guide- Sanjay, our lead porter- Surya and of course Ram. 3 of them were our guiding lights for the next 11 days." The same diary records the group had shrunk from 16 bookings to 5 after the earthquake.
Recorded · Isha Balla · Trekking in Nepal-An experience of a Lifetime
The archive also records a marketplace model: kimkim, "a new online travel company, based in California, started in December 2015", connecting travellers with local experts. A Three Passes trekker in July 2016 wrote: "I used a tour company called socialtours (a member of the kimkim travel network) and they really went out of their way to put me at ease and take care of any hassles." The booking was international; the company on the ground was Nepali.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · Silicon Valley travel company sets its sights on Nepal
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · High passes of the Solu Khumbu in July
The diaries that name a Kathmandu agency mostly describe how the choice was made. One Everest Base Camp trekker, writing in 2016 about a 2014 trip: "Of course, I sent queries to several trekking companies in Nepal, researched like hell, but as finally I ensured my trip with Icicles as I felt him genuine and was also recommended by my friend." Her guide then handled the permits at Jorsale and packed her bag to the 15 kg Lukla limit.
Recorded · Te Awhi · My Everest Base Camp Trek Diary with Icicles Adventure Treks
Another, in November 2015, booked through the company's managing director: "Ganga Raj Thapa, managing director at Nepal Hiking Team convinced me that Nepal now is a safe place to travel." A Kanchenjunga trekker the same autumn "set off with our guide, Raju, coordinated by our fabulous trekking agent, Kanchenjunga Trek." On that trek the diary also records seeing "young trekkers carrying almost 50 kg each" who "were paid only approximately $50 for a total of 5 day walk". Praise for the agent and alarm at the porters' loads sit in the same diary.
Recorded · an unnamed contributor · Completed Everest Base Camp Trek with full of joy
Recorded · Isha Balla · Trek to Kanchanjunga
The trade-offs, as far as the record supports them. Who employs the guide: with a local agency the guide is the agency's own; with an international operator the archive shows a group leader over local guides, or an overseas booking handled by a Nepali partner, whose wage, load and insurance terms the archive does not record. Accountability: the 2015 site FAQ advised, "You’ll find it easier to work with a reputable agency to help with any permits and TIMS etc that you’ll need for trekking areas." A 2017 post quoted Rough Guides: "choosing independent homestays and grassroots tour companies ensures money ends up in local pockets." Price: a Nepali guide warned in 2016 of "the declining price of travel packages which has eventually affected the income of people involved in it."
Recorded undated · FAQ
Recorded · Isha Balla · 10 Things About Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · Story of a Nepali Guide
The only package price the archive holds is a 15-day Everest Base Camp trek "from $1296 (excluding international flights)", undated. For 2026 figures see the Nepal trek cost guide and the operator pages for Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit.
Recorded undated · Recalling my trip to Nepal
What a fair package includes
The archive describes packages only as trekkers met them. An undated page lists a 15-day Everest Base Camp trek that "includes return flights from Kathmandu to Lukla as well as guesthouse accommodation, some meals, and local guides. Prices start from $1296 (excluding international flights)." A 2016 review of a 15-day group departure drew the line on food: "Meals eaten as a group are included; meals during free afternoons are at the guest’s expense." The 2015 site FAQ noted that group TIMS cards were obtained "only from registered trekking agencies in Nepal".
Recorded undated · Recalling my trip to Nepal
Recorded · Raj Thapa · Trekking in Nepal with Intrepid
Recorded undated · FAQ
The fullest exclusion list in the archive is for a race, not a trek, but it shows what a quote should spell out: "Not included in entry fee – International flights; Equipment including bike, helmet, clothing, sleeping bag, etc; Lunches, bottled water, soft drinks or alcohol; Insurance; Private medical services or treatment, emergency medical treatment and emergency evacuation fee; Entry visas".
Recorded · Yak Attack Nepal
Operator pages this year give a package figure and price the rest by line. One Kathmandu operator lists a 16-day EBC trek at US$ 1,595 for one person, falling to US$ 1,350 for a group of eleven to fifteen. Another lists 14 days at USD 1,550 for one and USD 1,380 for ten to fourteen. An international operator's 15-day trip is "From USD $1,610".
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Quoted 2026 · Ace the Himalaya · EBC trip page
Quoted undated · Intrepid Travel · EBC trek page
Lines the same pages price separately from the package: the Lukla flight (USD 238 one way from Kathmandu on one page, "$360–$450 USD" return on another), tips (guide "USD 8 to USD 15 per day", porter "USD 5 to USD 10 per day"), travel insurance ("USD 100 and USD 250" for 30 days), the visa (USD 50 for 30 days), hot showers ("USD 5 to USD 15"), charging ("USD 3 to USD 10 per charge at altitude"), Wi-Fi ("USD 5 to USD 15 per session or prepaid card"), a single room for the trek ("approximately USD 150"), an extra personal porter ("USD 220") and uninsured helicopter evacuation ("USD 4,000 to USD 6,000"). Ask which of these your quote carries; checklist item 8 exists for this.
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Quoted 2026 · Follow Alice · EBC cost page
A fair package also pays for the porter's load limit, clothing and insurance, and the archive shows why those must be written down. On the Everest trail in December 2015 a diarist passed "porters carrying 80-100 kg loads, bent over double with the sheer weight of it". A porter recalled his first Annapurna Base Camp trip: "Carrying about 40 kgs on my back, I was really drained and was in no condition to enjoy the mountains or night sky." In 2020 a contributor wrote that porters "are forced to sleep and eat separately from paying clients, are turned back alone when ill or injured".
Recorded · Supriya Rai · Return to Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · From being a porter to becoming an Everest Summiteer
Recorded · an unnamed contributor · Another American Works as a Porter
On clothing, the archive's one direct record is a family caught in a storm on a Ghandruk trek: "Our guide and porters offered their equipment, but we didn’t want them to get wet." On porter insurance the archive holds nothing, and the only load rule it records is the 17 kg expedition limit above Everest Base Camp, not a trekking limit. Checklist items 4 and 5 ask for what the record cannot supply. Whether you need a guide, a porter or both is covered in guide vs porter; every figure above sits in the Nepal trek cost guide with its date.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · A Family Trek in Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · A Call to Make Everest Safer
The archive describes packages only as trekkers met them. An undated page lists a 15-day Everest Base Camp trek that "includes return flights from Kathmandu to Lukla as well as guesthouse accommodation, some meals, and local guides. Prices start from $1296 (excluding international flights)." A 2016 review of a 15-day group departure drew the line on food: "Meals eaten as a group are included; meals during free afternoons are at the guest’s expense." The 2015 site FAQ noted that group TIMS cards were obtained "only from registered trekking agencies in Nepal".
Recorded undated · Recalling my trip to Nepal
Recorded · Raj Thapa · Trekking in Nepal with Intrepid
Recorded undated · FAQ
The fullest exclusion list in the archive is for a race, not a trek, but it shows what a quote should spell out: "Not included in entry fee – International flights; Equipment including bike, helmet, clothing, sleeping bag, etc; Lunches, bottled water, soft drinks or alcohol; Insurance; Private medical services or treatment, emergency medical treatment and emergency evacuation fee; Entry visas".
Recorded · Yak Attack Nepal
Operator pages this year give a package figure and price the rest by line. One Kathmandu operator lists a 16-day EBC trek at US$ 1,595 for one person, falling to US$ 1,350 for a group of eleven to fifteen. Another lists 14 days at USD 1,550 for one and USD 1,380 for ten to fourteen. An international operator's 15-day trip is "From USD $1,610".
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Quoted 2026 · Ace the Himalaya · EBC trip page
Quoted undated · Intrepid Travel · EBC trek page
Lines the same pages price separately from the package: the Lukla flight (USD 238 one way from Kathmandu on one page, "$360–$450 USD" return on another), tips (guide "USD 8 to USD 15 per day", porter "USD 5 to USD 10 per day"), travel insurance ("USD 100 and USD 250" for 30 days), the visa (USD 50 for 30 days), hot showers ("USD 5 to USD 15"), charging ("USD 3 to USD 10 per charge at altitude"), Wi-Fi ("USD 5 to USD 15 per session or prepaid card"), a single room for the trek ("approximately USD 150"), an extra personal porter ("USD 220") and uninsured helicopter evacuation ("USD 4,000 to USD 6,000"). Ask which of these your quote carries; checklist item 8 exists for this.
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Quoted 2026 · Follow Alice · EBC cost page
A fair package also pays for the porter's load limit, clothing and insurance, and the archive shows why those must be written down. On the Everest trail in December 2015 a diarist passed "porters carrying 80-100 kg loads, bent over double with the sheer weight of it". A porter recalled his first Annapurna Base Camp trip: "Carrying about 40 kgs on my back, I was really drained and was in no condition to enjoy the mountains or night sky." In 2020 a contributor wrote that porters "are forced to sleep and eat separately from paying clients, are turned back alone when ill or injured".
Recorded · Supriya Rai · Return to Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · From being a porter to becoming an Everest Summiteer
Recorded · an unnamed contributor · Another American Works as a Porter
On clothing, the archive's one direct record is a family caught in a storm on a Ghandruk trek: "Our guide and porters offered their equipment, but we didn’t want them to get wet." On porter insurance the archive holds nothing, and the only load rule it records is the 17 kg expedition limit above Everest Base Camp, not a trekking limit. Checklist items 4 and 5 ask for what the record cannot supply. Whether you need a guide, a porter or both is covered in guide vs porter; every figure above sits in the Nepal trek cost guide with its date.
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha · A Family Trek in Nepal
Recorded · Isha Balla · A Call to Make Everest Safer
From the record
-
Another American Works as a Porter
“They are forced to sleep and eat separately from paying clients, are turned back alone when ill or injured, and their fortunes depend solely upon the generosity of the trekkers they serve.”
Recorded · an unnamed contributor
-
An Epic Clan Wander: Lockdown Trek to EBC Part 3
“Without Kevin’s local knowledge, his sheer determination and his contacts as a guide we wouldn’t have achieved any of this trek. Amazingly, many teahouses along the way opened specially for us!”
Recorded · an unnamed contributor
-
High passes of the Solu Khumbu in July
“I used a tour company called socialtours (a member of the kimkim travel network) and they really went out of their way to put me at ease and take care of any hassles.”
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha
-
“There are a couple of organisations that should not be there because they don’t follow the rules and send people up with 35-40 kg on their backs,”
Recorded · Isha Balla
-
My Everest Base Camp Trek Diary with Icicles Adventure Treks
“I had little trouble in breathing while walking up the hill; that was when my guide helped me. It was due to thin air pressure on high altitude and he requested to take a rest.”
Recorded · Te Awhi
-
Lessons learned from tourism recovery in Nepal post-earthquakes
“Nepal Tourist Board (NTB) worked jointly with private sector tour operators volunteering their time to develop the campaign website nepalnow.org with the objective to bring back the positive image of Nepal in the international tourism markets.”
Recorded · Subhasini Shrestha
-
“We were shocked as well as saddened when we saw young trekkers carrying almost 50 kg each. On top of that, they were paid only approximately $50 for a total of 5 day walk carrying such heavy loads.”
Recorded · Isha Balla
-
“NepalNOW.org is going to be the official ONE STOP Nepal Tourism Recovery website which will have a maximum life of about one year. It will have Nepal Tourism Board endorsement. It will go live in early August 2015.”
Recorded undated · sushil
Questions people ask
How do I check a trekking company is licensed in Nepal?
Ask for the licence certificate and read the number and the expiry date on it; that is checklist item 1. The archive holds no description of how to verify a licence from abroad. What it records is where registered companies stood in the system: the 2015 site FAQ listed TIMS cards as issued in "Kathmandu (NTB office, TAAN office and Government registered trekking companies)", the same three in Pokhara, and gave NTB and TAAN telephone numbers for questions. Nothing in the record after 2020 covers registration. Check with the operator, and ask us if the answer is unclear.
Recorded undated · FAQ
Is TAAN membership required?
The archive does not say that it is. It records TAAN as one of the bodies that issued TIMS cards, and that in 2015 a group TIMS card cost "10 US $ equivalent Nepalese Rupees" through "registered trekking agencies in Nepal", against 20 US$ for an individual trekker at an NTB or TAAN office. It also records a December 2015 interview in which the NTB chief executive said: "There is a dispute between Trekking agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and NTB regarding Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) disbursement of TIMS fund." Sources now disagree on TIMS itself: a 2026 operator page says it is "not required at present". Checklist item 2 treats membership as accountability, not quality.
Recorded undated · FAQ
Recorded undated · Nepal will be focusing on domestic tourists as well in 2016
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Do guides need a licence?
Checklist item 3 asks for the guide's licence card before departure. The archive records the training behind it rather than the rule. A 2016 profile of an IFMGA-certified guide noted that "After 2005, only qualified instructors were allowed to teach mountaineering and climbing courses", and quoted him: "going forward guides without certification and practical training will not be able to compete in the adventure market." In June 2016 an eight-day AdventureEDU course at the TAAN facility in Kathmandu trained 22 guides, including 3 women, from over 80 applicants, and issued a Wilderness First Aid certificate valid for 3 years. For mountaineering, a July 2016 draft rule said "every individual climber attempting to scale Mt Everest must take along at least a mountain guide". The archive holds no trekking guide-to-client ratio.
Recorded · Isha Balla · Story of a Nepali Guide
Recorded undated · AdventureEDU Guide Training Held Successfully
Recorded · Isha Balla · New Rules For Mountaineers
Are porters insured?
Only if the operator insures them, and the archive records no requirement that it must. What it records is the cost of the gap. A porter with altitude sickness on his first trip wrote: "Asking the guide to understand my circumstances would be meaningless because that would have left him turned back without any pay." A mountain-medicine conference noted that "most of porters and guides are lowlanders may suffer from altitude diseases at least as much than the tourists or climbers do." Checklist item 4 asks for the policy that names staff and the sum insured. If the operator cannot produce it, treat the porter as uninsured.
Recorded · Isha Balla · From being a porter to becoming an Everest Summiteer
Recorded undated · Conference "A doctor in your pocket"
What should an EBC or Annapurna package include?
For Everest Base Camp the archive's one package record lists "return flights from Kathmandu to Lukla as well as guesthouse accommodation, some meals, and local guides", with international flights excluded. A 2026 operator page puts a 16-day guided trek between US$ 1,350 and US$ 1,595 depending on group size, and prices the Lukla flight, tips, insurance, visa, showers, charging and Wi-Fi as separate lines. For the Annapurna Circuit the archive holds no package inclusion record at all, and the only 2026 Annapurna cost line is an ACAP permit at "$25". Read the inclusions list against checklist item 8, and see the Everest Base Camp cost and Annapurna Circuit cost pages.
Recorded undated · Recalling my trip to Nepal
Quoted 2026 · Nepal Hiking Team · EBC cost page
Quoted · 10Adventures · Trekking Nepal guide
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