The importance of having competent, high quality guides cannot be overstated when it comes to trekking in the Himalayas. Ultimate Expeditions® has the best local guides, all of whom are fluent in English and have received extensive training in first aid and mountain rescue. All of our guides are registered with the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Our local guides are very experienced. All are professionals who intimately know the routes, customs, and culture:
- Hand selected lead guides for leadership and competence. Our guides are among the most talented and respected professionals in the industry.
- 100+ years of combined experience as trekking guides in Nepal. Our guides are well prepared to handle any situation that one can encounter on the mountain.
- Successful summits of Mount Everest. Several of our guides have successfully summited Mount Everest. All are very strong, capable climbers, certified to guide on peaks.
- 5,000+ clients led on Himalayan trekking expeditions. Our guides have proven expertise on how to lead clients safely and effectively around Nepal.
You can expect the following from our Ultimate Expeditions® guides:
- High Safety Standards - Your safety is the highest priority for us. Our clients put their lives in our hands and trust us to keep them safe; we do not take that responsibility lightly. Our guides receive annual training in emergency first aid and can prevent, recognize and treat altitude-related illnesses. Additionally, they can identify and avoid potential hazards such as slippery trails and loose rocks. Each client's health is monitored very closely while on the mountain.
- Professionalism - We understand that you have many choices when it comes to Nepal trekking. Therefore it is of the utmost importance that your expectations are met or exceeded. Ultimate Expeditions® takes pride in the hard work of our staff and we strive to maintain and grow our reputation of excellence. Our guides uphold a high level of professionalism while still keeping the experience fun for the clients.
- Expert Ability - Our guides have been working on Mount Everest, Annapurna and the Himalayas for a long time. With this training and experience, they are completely acclimatized to high altitude and are adapted to the rigors of mountain life. Leading treks on Everest and in the Himalayas has become second nature to them. Our guides are tough as nails and can teach you everything you need to know about high altitude trekking.
- Knowledge - Our guides are knowledgeable about the region and mountains. They can tell you about the people, lifestyle, culture, geology, flora and fauna. These types of facts increase the enjoyment during the trek by giving clients an idea of what they are seeing and feeling.
Our guides love working with us because we lead small groups on the best routes.
Our guides can effectively manage our clients due to the small size of our groups. A guide can give more individualized attention when groups are reasonably small. We also lead longer trips, which, due to proper acclimatization, increases the probability of successful campaigns, which in turn gives a sense of satisfaction to the guides and staff.
There is a better team dynamic with a small group, which not only makes the days on the mountain more fun, but safer as well, when a group works well together. With a small group, our guides can effectively monitor the progress each individual climber and the collective group. Our guides have the opportunity to interact with each climber to assess how he or she is doing, and to ask and answer questions when needed. Our porters can also provide better service by catering to the varied needs of each member.
Our guides stay busy throughout the trekking season. Therefore, our guides do not need to go outside of their profession to earn a living when they can regularly lead trips for us.
Ultimate Expeditions® Mountain Crews
Our guides have support teams of assistant guides and porters that we have assembled personally. We feel having control of our personnel assignments is the best way to make sure your mountain crew complies with our high standards. Through regular interaction, your mountain crew will perform at its best and offer consistent service trip after trip. We like for things to go smoothly behind the scenes so that our staff can focus on our most important asset - the client.
Our porters take care of you. So we take care of them.
Because of our hardworking porters, all you need to do on your climb is walk. Porters carry nearly all the supplies you need. It is a tough job and anyone who has trekked in Nepal will tell you that their strength, skill and stamina are incredible.
We take porter welfare very seriously and we do our best to ensure that all our staff is treated well. We are a member of the International Porters Protection Group, an independent organization whose mission it is to protect porters from mistreatment on the mountain, and the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC) Partnership for Responsible Travel, which recognizes climbing companies with fair treatment practices. Finally, Ultimate Expeditions® meets or exceeds all Nepal Mountaineering Association standards for our staff's welfare including wages, food, shelter and clothing.
