How to Choose a Reliable Tour and Trekking Agencies in Nepal?
There’s no doubt that Nepal is a dream destination for travelers as it consists many attractions like Himalayas (especially the world’s highest mountains eight among fourteen that includes the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest too), mesmerizing nature, idiosyncratic culture of 125 different ethical groups, local lifestyle, and cuisine, and many more.
This heavenly country do have the world’s highest located lake; Tilicho lake, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the world’s deepest George (Kali-Gandaki George), Brave Gurkhas which motivates different kinds of travelers to explore this amazingly diversified nation. similarly, it is also the first country having 7 UNESCO listed heritage in the same city out of 10.
Not only for nature and culture, but Nepal is also famous for adventurous activities like white water rafting, bungee jumping, expedition, climbing, sky diving, and many more that makes this destination more attractive to the enthusiastic travelers.
But before planning for a memorable trip to Nepal, there will surely be some questions in everyone’s mind about safety, places to visit, things to do, and most importantly how to choose reliable tour agency in Nepal.
Let us jump into the most important topic i.e. how to choose a reliable tour agency in Nepal?
- Is the Agency Authorized?
You must make sure if the agency is properly legalized or not. Before choosing the agency, check if they are authorized by the Nepal Government, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) / Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN). Similarly, check the website of the agency profoundly as it is also found that some of the websites have been performing illegally.
- Are they destination expert?
This is one of the important points to keep in mind. The agency has to be experts in every destination to make your trip full of new experiences and memories. They should know everything about the place like weather and climate, locals, their culture and lifestyle, safety and security, accommodation, and many more. Moreover, it is also significant for you to check if the information on the particular destination provided by the agency is correct or not.
- Is the agency experienced?
It is strongly believed that how much experience the agency has, it serves the best. In some conditions, it may differ as the new agency also may have good knowledge. But is only having knowledge enough? Experience is the key factor as obviously the people having experience of many years have a lot of knowledge about every step of the trip and they have been serving more, so it’s better to choose the agency having experience.
- Have you checked the reviews/ feedback?
Go deep into the reviews and check if the agency is genuine or not. There are many social platforms where you can check the reviews of the previous clients like Facebook, Trip Advisor, Google, and many more. Likewise, don’t perceive the quantity instead go for the quality.
- Does the agency have a professional and experienced guide?
It is important to check if the guide is authorized by Nepal Government sanctioned institutions like NATHM (Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management), Nepal Mountaineering Association, and others. Having the company of a smiley and professional guide makes your trip more fruitful and unforgettable. A guide must know everything about the destination, its history, the major attractions there, locals, culture, and cuisine, etc. Similarly, he must make sure about the safety and security of the clients. Likewise, a good guide must have the skills to interact very well with the locals as well as the clients, and at the same time, he should be able to make quick good decisions.
- Does the agency provide you reasonable price with the best services?
One of the most queried questions while traveling is whether the price is reasonable and is the destination worth the price? So, researching prices is another important thing to do while searching for an agency. Don’t always fall for very cheap prices as it may result in spoiling your trip and not being as expected because quality decreases in cheap prices. On the other hand, it also doesn’t mean that more expensive the price is the fancier your trip will be. Hence, research and find the best reasonable prices with the finest services.
- Is the agency local-based?
This is one of the important things to keep in mind while searching for the tour agency as it is always convenient to choose the ones who are locals because the local people have more experience and knowledge about the destination. Similarly, the local-based agency will provide you a more reasonable price as well as it will also help to lift up the economy of the country you are traveling to and it is always better to provide employment opportunities to the locals.
- Does the agency consist of a professional and friendly team?
This is another significant thing to be cognizant of as it is very necessary for the team to be very helpful, friendly, professional, experienced, knowledgeable, easy-going, and capable of creating memorable moments. Likewise, it is also requisite for the guide and the agency owner who is organizing everything to stay in contact throughout the trip and make sure if your trip is going smoothly.
- Safety and security
Safety and security are the first priority especially while performing trekking and other adventurous activities like climbing, rafting, paragliding, and many more. You must ensure with the company if they carry first aid kits, have an insurance policy, and have service of an emergency helicopter rescue operation.
- Be careful of the fraud helicopter rescue
Due to unhealthy competition, the fake rescue has been in practice of some agencies. Thus, plaid properly if the agency you’ve chosen is listed on the list of fraud rescue guides, team leaders, and agencies.
- Responsible travel and social concern
Check whether the agency/authorized representative of the agency is actively participating in social aids like sustainable and eco-tourism, charity works, and environmental as well as social contributions.
- Does the agency provide customized/tailor-made trips?
It is always expedient to choose an agency that provides you customized trips as the agency puts on an effort to organize your trip in accordance with your time, interest, and budget.
