How xTrekka Works
We are a directory of licence-verified Nepali guides — not a tour operator. We check who you are trusting with your life, then get out of the way so you can plan the trek with them.
Every Licence Checked by Hand
Hiring a guide online has historically been risky, because anyone can claim a licence. No guide appears on xTrekka until a compliance officer has read their government trekking licence and citizenship documents and matched them to the person. It is not automatic, it is not granted on upload, and it is free on every plan — a verified badge is never something a guide can buy.
- Government licence and identity documents reviewed by a person, not a script.
- Reviews come from trekkers who actually travelled, and are moderated before they appear.
- Profile changes go back through review, so a verified badge stays earned.
You pay your guide directly
When you arrange a trek directly with a guide — which is how xTrekka works — we take no cut and are not a party to it. You agree the price, itinerary, deposit and cancellation terms with your guide and pay them directly, so they keep all of it, and so refunds and changes are settled with them rather than with us. Ask for those terms in writing before you pay anything. Some treks can still be booked and paid through xTrekka itself; where that option appears, the platform fee is itemised in the checkout breakdown before you pay. The full statement is in the terms.
Written by trekkers who went
A review can only be left by someone whose trek actually happened, and every one is read by a moderator before it appears. Guides cannot buy them, edit them, or have a bad one taken down because they pay us. The star rating on a profile is built only from reviews you can read for yourself on that page.
You Talk to the Guide, Not to Us
Send an enquiry from any guide's profile — where you want to go, roughly when, how many of you. It lands in that guide's portal inbox and their email, and they reply to you directly. No agent rewrites your itinerary on the way through, and no one marks up the price before you see it.
- Enquire with as many guides as you like before deciding.
- Guide profiles show how reliably they reply, so silence is visible.
- Nothing is committed until you and the guide agree it between you.
Permits and Restricted Zones
Restricted zones in Nepal (like Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo) require specialised tourist permits ranging from $100 to $500 per trek, and some cannot be issued to solo trekkers at all. Every trek page on xTrekka lists the permit costs up front, so you know the real number before you talk to anyone — and your licensed guide files the paperwork with you.
- Permit and national park entry costs (ACAP/MCAP/Sagarmatha) shown per trek.
- Your guide files with the Department of Immigration and carries the TIMS card.
- Restricted-area rules flagged before you commit to a date.
Restricted Areas:
Standard zones are free or ACAP-only (around $30). Restricted zones such as Manaslu run about $100, and Upper Mustang or Dolpo about $500. These are government fees paid to the Department of Immigration — xTrekka charges nothing on top of them.
What an SOS actually does
The moment your guide raises it, the alert is written down and emailed to our operations team, and texted to an on-call phone when that is configured. It names the guide and the trek. A person then coordinates. We do not dispatch a helicopter, and this exists only on a trek booked through xTrekka.
Check-ins and Emergency SOS
Your guide carries the xTrekka Guide Portal on the trail. They log GPS check-ins as you pass each milestone, and can raise a one-tap emergency SOS that reaches our operations team immediately. Both are available on treks booked through xTrekka — if you arrange your trek directly with your guide, agree a check-in routine with them and leave your itinerary with someone at home.
- GPS check-ins logged by your guide, timestamped and kept on the booking record.
- One-tap SOS for severe AMS or injury, recorded even if a message fails to send.
- Alerts reach a person, not just a dashboard — email plus an on-call phone.
Still Have Questions?
How enquiries work, who arranges permits, what verification covers, and what happens in an emergency — answered in the FAQ.