Things You Should Know Before You Go

International itineraries reflect the date and time you will need to arrive in country for a program. Mountain Gurus programs begin and end in the country’s destination city. When booking your flight, you will need to account for travel time and crossing the international dateline if needed. It is easiest to give your booking agent the day and time you will need to arrive.

Mountain Gurus will send you all necessary visa information contained within our pre-departure package. It is your responsibility to send in all pre-required visa applications and associated fees. In addition, most countries maintain websites that provide all necessary information and application forms.

As part of your pre-departure information, we will provide you with current recommended/required immunizations for the country where you are traveling. We also suggest consulting your local travel clinic or the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov

Most of our international trip rates are quoted based on double-sharing hotel accommodations. A single room supplement is available for an additional fee. For single travelers who do not wish to pay an additional fee, we will make every effort to pair you with another suitable team member. If we’re unable to pair you, the single room supplement fee may apply depending on the destination.

In most cases additional items can be stored at the hotel or with our ground operator.

On many international programs, Mountain Gurus can arrange (hire) a personal porter if desired for an additional cost. Please notify us in advance if you are considering a personal porter.

Premium & Boutique Hotels
During our stay in international destination cities, you can expect to stay in high quality hotels. When available we opt to stay in smaller boutique style hotels that provide a friendly atmosphere and quality experience.

Camping or Lodges
When camping we provide high quality mountaineering tents. Depending on the expedition or climb, guests may participate in setting up tents and help in establishing camp, as well as participate in cooking. On some treks and adventures, such as Mount Kilimanjaro, Mountain Gurus provides a fully supported experience, your tent will be set up and waiting when you arrive at camp and you will be greeted with hot water and a cup of tea.

For destinations like Nepal, we often opt to stay in high quality lodges (also known as Tea Houses) as an alternative to camping. Due to our local knowledge, we choose from the finest lodges available which provide great food and a friendly environment.

Please see the HOTELS section of each trip page for more details.

For international programs depending on your arrival time, we coordinate ground transportation. We either greet you at the airport or arrange transportation to your hotel. In most cases the program formally begins the morning after arrival day. In some cases, we only provide one group airport transfer or meet in at the hotel in country. Please contact our office or refer to the pre-departure information for specific details.

Mountain Gurus can assist in arranging accommodations before or after the scheduled trip itinerary. We do charge a service fee when booking additional hotel nights or other services outside the pre-planned itinerary. The fee covers credit card fees, the cost of transferring funds internationally and well as our staff time in providing a professional service as a convenience to our customers. Our hotel rates are often not competitive with online booking sites, Mountain Gurus does not utilize internet booking rates, as hotels typically offer more flexible terms and cancellation policies to travel service providers.

Our Mountain Gurus staff will also be happy to recommend additional activities or tours while traveling.

Mountain Gurus highly recommends purchasing trip cancellation and travel insurance. This comprehensive travel insurance provides coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, travel delays, loss of baggage and travel documents, baggage delays, medical expenses and emergency assistance.

Mountain Gurus does not insure you against cancellation. For more info about current coverage plans and quotes please visit.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance
For travel, evacuation and rescue coverage.
Click here for a quote

Global Rescue
We recommend Signature Travel Insurance for travel insurance, or Global Rescue membership
Click here for a quote

For Non-US Residents & Citizens – World Nomads
For Canadians and for other non-US residents (enter your country of origin), World Nomads can provide travel and disaster insurance options for mountaineers.

Make sure you provide yourself adequate traveler’s medical and evacuation insurance for coverage should you have a problem during the trip.

We recommend registering with the United States Department of State when traveling anywhere internationally. Registration is voluntary and is your sole responsibility. Also, the United States Department of State maintains a travel Warning/Alerts list for most countries around the world. www.travel.state.gov

Mountain Gurus provides activity levels to help choose which programs are best suited for your experience level, knowledge of climbing, and overall physical conditioning. Adventure travel can be extremely challenging yet profoundly rewarding. We offer programs of various skill levels and difficulty. Regardless which program you choose we expect our guests to be physically and mentally prepared for the demands of the journey.

We feel that anyone good physical fitness should be able to join us on many of our programs. Mountain Gurus guides will introduce basic trekking and climbing skills needed during the program. Remember your ability to participate in the program is largely dependent upon your overall health and fitness. An expedition, trek, or climb should not be taken lightly, and we encourage you to prepare for it by physically conditioning yourself for the strenuous aspects of the program. We strongly advise anyone who is considering an adventure with Mountain Gurus, who may have a medical condition or medical history that may affect their performance, to first consult with their physician. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact us and our office staff can discuss which program is best suited for you.

We would prefer to talk with you about the program you are interested in and see if it is an appropriate choice for someone under the age of 18.

In most cases, we’re unable to provide rental gear on international expeditions. Please contact our office for details.

The Guide Hut offers a selection of retail items including outdoor clothing, glacier sunglasses, gloves, water bottles, cups, bowls, spoons, sunscreen, waste kits, moleskin, batteries, sports food, freeze-dried meals, Mountain Gurus logo wear, and a selection of climbing equipment, including carabiners, cord and other items. Please visit the online Gear Shop for a list of available merchandise.

Tipping is considered a symbol of appreciation for a job well done. Tipping the Mountain Gurus guide staff is a personal choice. We encourage you to offer a separate gratuity to your lead guide and/or assistant guide based on their individual services. Usually 10-20% of the trip cost.

On International programs where we utilize support staff (porters, cooks, kitchen staff); it is Mountain Gurus practice to take a group tip and divide it among the support staff. Tipping of guides for a job well done is always appreciated. The amount ranges between $200-$500 for the staff, including guides, more for international expeditions like Mount Kilimanjaro where we utilize a large staff to assist in your comfort, safety and success.

Mountain Gurus provides tipping information within the pre-departure information for each individual trip. Please read the PreClimb Departure Book for specific trip guidelines.

After your reservation form and deposit are accepted, you will be provided with a detailed itinerary which will include hotel and ground outfitter contact information for your program. Due to the nature of the wilderness areas in which we travel it is likely you will be out of contact for the duration of the program. Telephone and internet access are available in many destinations at your own expense.

All our programs can be run on a private basis. The beauty of a private program is you climb what you want, with who you want, when you want. We’ll take care of the entire program. We are also able to provide you with a custom itinerary depending on your interests. We may require a $500 non-refundable deposit for custom program planning which will be applied towards your program cost at the time of reservation.