Hiring Guides Porters in Lukla

Hire Guide and Porter from Lukla for Local Empowerment and Sustainable Eco Tourism!

Are you looking to hire trekking guides and porters from Lukla for Everest Base Camp? Hiring a guide and porter from Lukla and Surke is the best way to ensure a safe, cost-efficient, and flexible journey in the Himalayas. The guide not only leads you on the trekking trail but also arranges accommodation and food for you. Moreover, he/she is a trustworthy friend of yours in the Himalayas who acts as a guardian by interacting with local people regarding weather forecasts and ensuring the current condition of the trail. We at Nepal Mother House Treks ensure well-equipped guides and porters while you hire them from Lukla, and they are insured according to Nepal’s government rules.

Recently, the Tourism Board of Nepal informed the press, "Trekkers no longer trek in Nepal without a guide." It believes that the new provision will help create more jobs for the guides and porters, which will indirectly help run their families and provide great support for the schoolchildren's bright future. Likewise, the trekkers are safer while trekking in such high Himalayas and get the right information about culture, people's livelihood, and trekking trails.

However, the local government of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality claims that the Everest Region Trek does not implement the new NTB provision.  Trekkers can go without a guide and porter on the Everest Base Camp Trek and other treks, although they may hire a guide and porter for their safety and more pleasant experience.

A guide usually carries his backpack, and the porter carries your belongings. Besides that, the guide will tell you about religious faith, tales, information about temples/monasteries, geography, vegetation, and wildlife; teach you the Nepali language; and share culture and festival values. For more than ten people in a group, they will provide an assistant guide whose job title is known as SHERPA; during the peak season, if a phone network is not available, he will run ahead in the morning to secure accommodation and will assist you in carrying your daypack while struggling and in any needy situation. The assistant guide/sherpa looks after logistics, registers your name details in each checkpost, reconfirms and organizes all your transport whether you go by bus or plane, orders meals, liaises, directs the porter, etc. The guide will do all the work for the small group of eight to ten people.

Hiring Trekking Guide vs. Porter-Guide vs. Porter in Lukla

While trekking in the Khumbu Region, if you have already visited Everest Base Camp Trek, the Everest Three Passes Trek would be best for the next adventure test in the high Himalayas, or you may visit the Gokyo Valley to enchant your soul in the tranquil lakes and surrounding natural harmony. Before making a decision, you should understand the difference between the job titles of a guide, a porter, and a porter-guide.

Trekking Guide Hire from Lukla

According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a guide for Everest Base Camp is also mandatory, like other trekking routes; however, the local government of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality has postponed the rule of the NTB and allowed FIT trekkers. Therefore, trekkers are no longer required to hire a guide; they are free to trek independently. Although for the trekker's safety and more comfort, it is highly suggested to take at least a guide or porter, such as in the high-elevation trek. 

A trekking guide is only qualified when they have participated in 5 weeks-long theoretical and practical training courses organized by the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM), and he or she should have a 10+2 academic level or equivalent with 2 years of working experience in a registered trekking agency or an S.E.E. academic level graduation with 3 years of field experience from the registered trekking agency of Nepal, or if his academic qualification does not meet the standard, then he/she should complete Trekking Porter Guide Training from NATHM with 4 years of experience in Nepal’s trekking agency. A certified professional trekking guide has excellent communication skills and tackles every condition occurring in the mountains. As they are experts in the region, they have excellent relations with tea houses, hotels, air ticketing agencies, transportation agencies, and porters to ensure smooth operations. The guide will provide you more information than they can about trekking trails, local culture, lifestyle, norms, and values; he describes the main attraction of tourists in the town and introduces the mountain peaks. He/she helps you get in the permit line, ensure safety, and handle crises.

A guide will help you acclimate and avoid altitude sickness with first aid skills. The guide will teach you useful daily Nepalese words and phrases if you're interested. Nowadays, you can get various guides who specialize in culture, climbing, wildlife, food, birdwatching, etc. However, you should notify them several months in advance before hiring them, as the number of guides is limited, and they can be costly and difficult to locate at the same time. flight

The cost of the guide hired from Lukla for the Everest Base Camp Trek will be dissimilar according to their experience, expertise, and language skills. 

Cost of hiring a guide from Lukla: USD 25 to 30 (Includes wages, food, and lodging)

Porter-Guide/Assistant Guide Hire from Lukla

A porter guide is someone who will help carry your bag weighing 8 to 10 kg and lead you along the trails in the mountains. Sometimes, Porter-Guide is known as the Porter Come Guides or Guide Come Porter. Normally, they are joining you at the trailheads, as they are from the local area. All porter guides have not achieved certificates and training from government authorities due to a lack of academic qualifications; however, they are well-experienced in finding trekking trails. They can assist you in obtaining trekking permits and ensuring proper check-in and check-out procedures. The porter guide has inefficient communication ability and limited first-aid skills, although they have a well-mannered guiding capacity. However, if there are any emergency situations, injuries, or need to arrange a rescue, they will be prepared to assist you. Trekkers who are enthusiastic to see nature's beauty without losing the trail and aren't concerned about widely available information can hire a porter-guide from Lukla for their trip to Everest. To fulfill various trekkers’ requirements, the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM) provides training courses for the porter-guide. Those who have basic communication skills in any one international language and 2 years of working experience in the trekking field as a porter or S.E.E. Pass academically qualified candidates can participate in the Porter-Guide fifteen-day course.

Here is the cost of hiring a porter-guide in Lukla: USD 25 to 30 per day (Includes wages, food, and lodging)

Hiring a Porter in Lukla

Porters are very essential for the trekking industry; the journey cannot be complete without their support. They are responsible for carrying food and supplies in the mountains. Most porters only speak their native language and the Nepali language. Some porters can communicate in English very limitedly, but they are professional enough to carry your luggage the entire trek. You hire a porter not only to carry your loads but also as a paired partner in times of need.

While hiring a porter, you are not just supporting a person as a porter; you will also increase the number of children going to school. Providing jobs to Porter is a significant contribution to the local economy and empowers the locals. Normally, in the teahouse basic trek mode, a porter will carry up to 25 kilograms, including four tofive kg of his gear load, from one place to another for the night stop on the track. A porter generally carries the backpacks of two trekkers in baskets or tied together by rope and strapped to his back. They carry heavy loads, usually walk at their own pace without communication with the trekkers, and live overnight at porter shelters. Usually, the guide arranges the porter and manages the bags.

Mostly, the independent porters at Lukla are not well equipped, nor do they get insurance. So, we do not recommend you hire porters on your own in Lukla. In case you need to hire them, you may contact the hotel's owner in Lukla, talk to your guide, or email us at Nepal Mother House Treks.

The cost of hiring a porter from Lukla is USD 20 to 25 per day (including wages, food, and lodging), except for the Everest Three Passes Trek. 24 to 28 USD per day charge for the Everest 3 Passes Trek and Chola Pass.

5 Most Popular Treks in the Everest Region

1. Everest Base Camp Trek: -12 Days
2. Everest Base Camp Trek and Fly-Back Helicopter: -9 Days
3. Everest 3 Passes stays—21 Days
4. Everest Base Camp Trek—8 Days Trek:
5. Gokyo Chola Pass Trek—19 Days

Trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp: 11 Days. Hire a Guide and Porter

Day 00: Arrival transfer to the hotel; trekking preparation; and paperwork day in Kathmandu.
Day 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,800 m) in -30 minutes, trek to Phakding (2,640 m) in -3 to 4 hours 
Day 02: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,430 m)—5 to 6 hours 
Day 03: Acclimatization in Namche Bazaar and visit Khumjung Village (3,790 m), Everest View Hotel 
Day 04: Namche Bazaar to Tyangboche (3,867 m)—5 to 6 hours 
Day 05: Tyangboche to Dingboche (4,300 m to 6 hours) 
Day 06: Acclimatization day at Dingboche; visit Nangkartshang peak (5,615 m). Nangkartshang Peak (5,083 m) 
Day 07: Dingboche to Lobuche (4,930 m)—5 to 6 hours 
Day 08: Lobuche to Gorakshep (5,140 m, 3 hours) & Everest Base Camp (5,364 -2 to 3 hours 
Day 09: Gorakshep to Kalapater (5,550 m)—2 hours & Stroll back to Pheriche (4,240 m)—5 to 6 hours 
Day 10: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar (3430, 7 to 8 hours) 
Day 11: Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2,800, 6 to 7 hours)
Day 00: Fly back to Kathmandu and enjoy the rest of the day

**Note: (If you wish to introduce changes to the itinerary during the trek, you are free to speak with your guide.). The itinerary is flexible according to your requirements.

Everest Base Camp Trek Map

Cost Detail to Hire a Guide and Porter in Everest Trek

Find the cost of hiring a professional guide, a guide-cum-porter, and an experienced porter in the Everest region for various trekking routes.

*Note: Government VAT/tax (13%), guide, and porter insurance are subject to the cost.

FAQs

Q. How much is the transport charge from Kathmandu airport to Ramechhap airport, one way?

It will be USD 180 to 234 from Kathmandu to Lukla, including drive transport.

Q. I like your quick replies and useful information, so I will recommend your company to my hiking friends.

Thank you very much for your email and for recommending your Trekkers friends to us. Your recommendation will greatly assist our team and help us send our children to school. You could recommend Nepal Mother House Treks.

Q. Finally, a separate question: if I didn't hire guides/porters for the three-pass trek, how easy is it to pick porters/guides up on the trek? For example, if we needed assistance on one of the three passes, could we find a local porter or orguide for those sections?

Well, it is very difficult to pick up a porter where you need it; sometimes you may find them. However, the cost of a porter will be costly by the middle of the trail. We recommend hiring a porter or guide from Lukla. If you need help, we are here to organize for you.

Q. Why did you hire a guide and porter from Lukla?

The locals are ambassadors of the country; they have been practicing indigenous knowledge in various sectors; they grew up playing with every part of the territory directly and indirectly, and now they are doing so professionally as trekking guides and porters per their ability. The trails, rivers, streams, jungles, glaciers, lakes, and mountains bear the marks of their frequent visits. The guide and porter are well-informed about the trail conditions, weather, and temperature updates every monsoon and winter.  They know which hotels and teahouses are excellent for overnight stays and meals. Likewise, they are capable of explaining their culture, beliefs, and traditions in a better way than any scholar or writer. The locals are the real source of information about Everest territory.

We at Nepal Mother House Treks focus on local people to guide the Everest Base Camp Trek and other related trekking routes to empower the locals through their jobs and direct and indirect means to support their families and schoolchildren for a bright future. Similar to this, by forgoing purchasing Lukla Air tickets, you can reduce the cost of your trip while using the porter and guide from Lukla. If you are considering an Everest Region trek and wish to hire a guide and porter from Lukla, please review all the details and make an informed decision. If this is your first trek in Nepal, then these Top 10 Tips for Beginners in Nepal 25–30 will help you a lot. Likewise, a complete guide for the Everest Base Camp Trek gives some 25–30 ideas on how to save 30–35 money during the trek.

*Note: Service charges and VAT (13%) are subject to the cost

**Note: Regarding the office service charge and VAT/tax, if you are hiring only a guide or porter for up to 10 days of trekking, then it will be USD 50 per person for up to 2 trekkers in a group and USD 30–50 per person if the group size exceeds 10 people at one time, depending on the difficulty level of the trek and trek duration.

Note: USD 35 to 55 per guide and porter's insurance (one-time) will be an additional charge.

If you need any further information for your Mt. Everest Base Camp Trek, Gokyo Chola Pass Trek, Everest 3 Passes Trek, Gokyo Renjo La Pass Trek, or Everest View Trek, hire a guide from Lukla, a porter-guide, or a porter from Lukla and Paiya in this spring and autumn of 2025 and next spring of 2025. You are welcome to contact usany time. We at Nepal Mother House Trek are ready to organize for you.