About Alta Nepal

2009

Founded in Kathmandu

We guide mountains
we call home

Alta Nepal was founded in 2009 by Pemba Sherpa and Dawa Nuru Sherpa, two brothers from Khumjung village in the Khumbu region who grew up watching expeditions pass through. They learned their craft from their father, himself a high-altitude porter on the 1979 German Expedition to Lhotse, and later a sirdar for American trekking groups throughout the 1980s.

"We don't sell a destination. We share the place we know best."

From one guide and two teahouse contacts, Alta Nepal has grown to a team of 28 — all Nepali nationals, all from the mountain regions we operate in. Our guides are not freelancers: they are employees who carry pension contributions, health insurance, and the kind of job security that long-term relationships require.

We are NTB-registered, TAAN members, and hold a technical climbing permit for 12 peaks above 6,000 m. Our emergency protocol connects clients directly to the Himalayan Rescue Association in Kathmandu, and every group above 4,000 m carries a satellite communication device with a dedicated emergency line.

How we operate

Safety

The protocol doesn't negotiate

Our acclimatisation schedules are built on the "climb high, sleep low" principle and are non-negotiable. We have turned groups around at 5,200 m when the weather changed. We do not apologise for this.

Community

Wages that stay in the valley

All guides, cooks, and porters are from the regions we operate in, paid above the national government minimum rate, and carry insurance. A percentage of every trek fee goes directly to trail maintenance in Sagarmatha National Park.

Honesty

What we tell you before you book

We will tell you if your trek is not suited to your fitness level. We will tell you if the route you want has flood damage. We will not take your money for an experience we believe you won't be ready for.