How to share a guide and porter in Nepal

What a guide is for, legally and in practice

In restricted areas a licensed guide through a registered agency is part of the permit, so the guide is not optional. In national parks and conservation areas the Nepal Tourism Board April 2023 rule requires one and a guide also handles navigation, lodge booking, altitude monitoring and rescue calls. Whichever applies, the fee is per group.

How many trekkers can share one guide

Agencies commonly quote groups of two to four on open routes, and restricted-area permits have been reported to allow up to seven trekkers per guide. Check the limit with your agency. Bigger groups need a second guide or an assistant guide.

Porters: capacity and splitting

Plan one porter for every two trekkers, with the combined load kept within the weight limit your agency sets. Splitting a porter between two partners halves the cost per person and keeps each trekker's daypack light.

What to agree before you book

Write these down and send them to the whole group:

• Start and end dates, and what happens if flights or weather move them.
• The guide and porter fee, who books them and who pays what to whom.
• The tip split, for example a fixed percentage divided equally.
• Pace, rest days and who decides on turning back.
• What happens if one person drops out: who keeps the guide and how costs are re-split for the days already used.

Payment and tips

Pay the agency or guide directly and never send money to a partner in advance. Agree one person pays the agency and everyone else pays them back after the trek in a way you have already written down. Tips are usually split as a group and given at the end.

If someone drops out

Decide in advance. A common rule: the guide stays with the group, the person who leaves still pays their share for the days used, and the remaining partners split the rest. If a partner has to descend for health, the guide's priority is their safety, so agree a plan for the group.