Guides and Potter Policy
We employ only local leaders and staff to help sustain the local communities we work with. We provide the following training for all our staff and trek leaders:
- Intensive Wilderness First Aid
- Trekking Guide Training
- Eco Trekking Workshop & Adventure Meet
- English and other major Languages
- Conservation & Biodiversity
- Rock & Ice Climbing & Mountaineering (for expedition leaders)
We've all heard the stories of porters left on the mountainside or freezing outside tents while travellers revel inside. At Ace the Himalaya we really treat our guides and porters fairly. We appreciate the hard work our guides and porters perform, without them no trip would be possible. Therefore we treat and obey the following Guide and Porter Policy to ensure the working conditions of our guides and porters are of a humane and fair standard. We continue to strive towards eliminating avoidable illness, injury and death. Here’s a quick run-through of our company’s policy in this regard:
Insurance: All our porters are insured well and covered for medical and rescue / evacuation services.
Weight limits: We allow a maximum weight limit of 30kg per porter for trekking. Many national and international companies force porters to carry more than 50 kg each.
Health and well-being: Our leading guides ensure that porters are treated fairly and in a hospitable manner. We ask our guests to inform the guide if a porter needs more attention in terms of health, food and sleep during the trip.
Awareness: We educate the porters about our environmental policies during the trip. The guides make sure the porters heed and apply these policies well. The porters, who are in charge of handling the waste generated during the trip, play an important role in proper waste management. Therefore, we pay particular attention to the porters in making the trip as environmentally responsible as possible.
Appropriate Clothes: We equip the porters with warm clothes, good shoes and all the necessary equipment for high altitude trekking. They are also provided adequate shelter, food, drink and wages.
Inspiration: Most of the young porters are future guides and also part time students. Leaders help and inspire the porters to grow as potential guides as all our trekking guides started as porters.
Solidarity: We are the life member of the Porters’ Progress Nepal, an organization that oversees the welfare of porters and guides.
