How to choose a trekking company?

Deciding on a good trekking agency is a very important component of any trekking, climbing or hiking plan. The choice of agency can make or break a trek. So, it is important to do your research on the required Trekking Company. After deciding to do trekking in Nepal for your next holiday, you may have got into a dilemma of choosing between more than 1000 trekking agencies in Nepal. It’s very crucial and vital to select a good trekking company in order to gain a proper satisfied trek as the entire trekking experience will vastly depending on the Trekking Company. But before looking for the Trekking Company to trek with, you might want to know what the trekking company is willing to provide. It is best to write it down so that, it becomes the basis for your future selection and short listing. Some key questions that you would need to reflect on are as follows:

1-Do I need an experienced guide or do I just need porters?

2-Do I need a shared or a one-to-one guide?

3-What is the level of support i need on the trek?

4-Do I prefer an international group, a private one-to-one experience?

5-What are the facilities that i am going to bring on my own?

6-What do I expect the agency to provide in terms of facilities?

7-What is the kind of food that I am capable of eating?

8-Can I share a tent with another person or do i need a separate one for myself?

After deciding what facilities or services you want the trekking company to provide you with. We can now start the process of finding and choosing a good trekking company for you. So, here are a few tips on some key aspects of selecting a good agency.

Reliability
It’s not easy to understand before experiencing it which companies are reliable and which are not, before having met anybody from the team. Good that nowadays there is Internet, so that it’s easy to verify if a company has good or bad reviews on the web. The best places to search for such information are the forums of Lonely planet and Trip Advisor: be careful thought, because some of the posts or reviews are fake or paid, so use your brain to select the helpful content from the advertisements. Another good source of information is given by blog reports, easily found with a Google search, that are usually more impartial and descriptive.

Prices
Compare prices from different companies, to understand which one fall within your budget. But it’s still important to ask for a quote at least to 3 different companies, to understand the real market price and make sure they are not overcharging you.
AFFILIATIONS, REGESTRATIONS & LICENSES
A good Trekking Company needs to have a proper Registrations and Licenses that is approved /registered by Nepal Government, TAAN & Nepal Tourism Board. Not only that but knowing if the Trekking Company is affiliated with recognized organizations, Government or Non-government will be a major factor in deciding if the company will provide a good trekking experience or not.

Credibility
Are they well known in the industry? Do they belong to any associations or organizations in the industry? Who is the owner? What are the credentials of the owner? Is there are accreditation or certificates?

Equipment
What are the equipment that are to be used? What will be provided and what is to be brought? Some agencies provide everything from tents to harness, crampons, ice axe and oxygen cylinders. Others only provide certain items and expect you to bring them with you or rent them out at the start of the climb. Get a list of such items. If there is any misunderstanding, now is the time to clarify it with a straight “yes” or “no” answer.

Once you have gone through the whole selection process, it is now time to choose the Trekking Company that you best find suitable for your trek. This is a very tricky part and there is no science to it. No matter how systematic your selection and filtering criteria is, there will mostly be a situation where more than one agency will be suitable for your needs. Take your time and wisely choose the company you most likely feel of providing you all the necessary services or facilities you want. And most importantly don’t rush your decision.