FAQs
Welcome to the LMG Treks & Expeditions FAQ page — your go-to guide for everything you need to know before joining one of our adventures. Whether you're preparing for your first overseas trek, eyeing up a high-altitude summit, or simply curious about how our trips work, this page brings together the most common questions we’re asked by trekkers and climbers alike. From fitness and kit, to safety, accommodation, and what to expect day-to-day, you'll find clear, honest answers designed to help you feel informed, confident, and ready for the journey ahead.
Please note, each individual trek page holds more specific FAQs too.
ABOUT LMG TREKS & EXPEDITIONS
Why should I trek with LMG Treks & Expeditions?
For over a decade we've provided fun, educational and safe adventures in the UK through Lakeland Mountain Guides. We've taken our experience and academic education and created a company that has the sole aim of providing amazing, personal adventures abroad. Yes, we're just a small company, but this has two big benefits for you. Firstly, we really appreciate each and every booking we get, and you are not one in a few thousand. Secondly. we're able to, and want to, put the time into helping you get mentally and physically prepared for your adventure.
We pride ourselves on being compliant to UK Package travel regulation laws, diligent with safety, and environmentally sensitive. What's more is we create our trips with the customer experience, safety and chances of success at the very fore of our minds. We will often add in extra days for acclimatisation or contingency to achieve these three major factors, even if it makes our trips a bit more expensive.
What is a trek manager, and why do we need one?
In short, our trek manager is the 'fixer'. They are the connection between you and our in-country team. They have the role of solving problems when they arise, monitoring the team, and providing that all important leadership and support. You can read more about our trek managers here
What are your success rates?
Our success rates are really good, but we don't like to post them as a percentage or anything similar for numerous reasons. Some of these reasons include unwarranted pressure on the trekkers and guiding team alike, the fact they don't tell the whole story, nor do they equate for factors outside the control of our abilities as a company (i.e. Weather, client fitness / motivation). With all this said, if you wish to speak to us directly about the success rates on a trip we will happily have this conversation with you.
Are you environmentally responsible?
As a company, although small, we will operate responsibly, giving back where we can. One of our best partnerships is that with Trees4Travel. We will plant 2 trees on the behalf of every booking we get, and we will plant enough trees to offset the travel of our trek manager too. Click here to see our Responsible Tourism Policy
We discourage the use of single use plastics on expedition where possible, and are continually thinking of ways to become even kinder to the planet we operate in.
Do you book flights too?
We don't book flights on behalf of our trekkers, but we can advise which flights would suit.
BOOKING & PAYMENTS
How do we justify the price of our trips?
There's no doubt about it, if you went online you'd likely find a cheaper alternative, but you can't be certain you're buying a like for like product. We get it, these trips aren't cheap, but there are numerous reasons why the price amounts to what it does. Please click here to read deeper into the reasons why.
Do you offer consumer financial protection?
Yes! This is all part of being fully compliant to UK Package Travel Laws. When you pay your deposit / and or final balance, this is paid into a trust account run by Protected Trust Services. In the unlikely event we were to 'go bust' as a company between your booking and the expedition, your money would remain protected.
Being fully compliant isn't a cheap thing to achieve, which is potentially why you'll find some companies offering cheaper trips, but operating illegally (if UK based anyway)
How can I pay?
We currently only take payments via Bank transfer into the PTS Trust Account. Most of our trips require a £300 deposit to secure your place. This deposit is non-refundable. The final balance is then due 8 weeks prior to the trip departure date. You are welcome to pay off a trip in small increments up to this point, just let us know if you intend on doing this. Our full T's & C's can be viewed here.
How far in advance can I book onto a trip?
If there is a date on our website for a trip, you can book it! We try and schedule our trips with at least 2 years notice.
How late can I book onto a trip?
The chances are, we can take bookings quite late, so don't hesitate to ask if you're looking for that last minute getaway!
Can I book my flights as soon as I've paid my deposit?
You should only book your flights if you know the trip is guaranteed to run. In order for it to be guaranteed we must have met our minimum number of participants.
What happens if a trip doesn't look like it'll meet the required minimum number?
Unfortunately, this can happen. Fortunately, it doesn't happen often! Sometimes we feel like we couldn't have picked a worst set of dates and we just don't get the numbers. We will appraise the situation and make a decision to either run the trip anyway, or we will call the trip off. This will lead to a refund or transfer of your deposit as you wish. We will always endeavour to make a decision on this within a sensible time-frame to enable you to make further arrangements.
What happens if I want to cancel my place on a trip?
As per our booking conditions, your deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel after paying the final balance but before the trip departs, the amount refundable will depend on how close the cancellation is to the start date. The nearer it is to departure, the lower the refund is likely to be.
What happens in the event of unrest, terrorism etc?
We will always take our lead from the FCO, as well as our in-country agents.
PERSONAL DOCUMENTATION
Do I require Travel Insurance?
Most certainly. Travelling, let alone adventure travel, can throw up all sorts of incidents or circumstances that need to be covered by insurance otherwise you could face a very hefty bill. As a minimum your insurance must cover the dates of the trip, the altitude you are trekking to and helicopter evacuation if applicable to the trip. Our recommendation for travel insurance is Campbell Irvine. We will require evidence of your confirmed insurance before the trip departs.
Will I require a Visa?
Not all our destinations require a visa, but you need to check the government website as to whether you need one from where you are travelling from or due to your nationality.
What if I don't have a passport at the time of wanting to secure a place?
No problem! As long as you get one within 6 months of the start of the trip then you're OK. All passports must have at least 6 months until expiry from the final date of the expedition.
Will I need vaccinations?
Again, it all depends on the trip, and your vaccination history. If you've not travelled much before, then it's quite likely. The best bet is to get an appointment with your local travel nurse to gain an understanding of what is required / recommended.
TRIP INFORMATION
Do your trips have a minimum required number of participants to run?
Our scheduled trips do. Most trips require about 6-7 people to be guaranteed to run. We will let you know when it is guaranteed to run and from this point you can book flights.
How big are your groups?
Each trip lists the maximum, but they tend to max out at 14-16 people. We find this is a great number to work with without being too onerous.
Do you organise bespoke trips?
Of course, just get in touch with your group size and we'll offer you a quote.
Do you have many solo travellers book on?
We do! Very quickly, everyone seems to become one big family, so don't worry about travelling solo as it won't last long!
Can we arrive early, or extend our trips?
Of course. It is fairly common for people to arrive a day or so early in order to shake off the travel before the expedition commences. Depending on the trip, we may still be able to sort your airport transfer. If you want us to organise any additional nights in our expedition hotel and just add it to your final balance we can also sort this.
Do trekkers travel together to the destination country?
Quite often there are multiple people on the same flight. The expedition WhatsApp group, which is set up in advance of the trek, helps the logistics of find people in the airport etc.
What's Included and Excluded in your trips?
Each expedition page lists what is and isn't included. We have tried to be as transparent as possible when it comes to additional costs so you can budget effectively.
How do the airport transfers work?
If they are included on your trip, we will make sure you're collected by one of our in-country representatives. For some of our trips, this even includes if you arrive earlier than the expedition start date. Likewise, if included, we will get you back to the airport in good time at the end of the trek.
Can I get single supplement?
This is possible for some elements of some of the trips, but not all elements on all of them! For example, if you wish to have your own room in the hotels at the start / end of a trip we can arrange this at additional cost. If you wish to have your own tent on Kilimanjaro, or your own room in a Nepalese teahouse, we can likely sort this too. Where we can't offer single supplement is where we use mountain huts such as on Mount Toubkal, Mount Meru, Mount Olympus and Mount Triglav.
Can you cater for dietary requirements or allergies?
We will do our very best to ensure you get varied / safe options. The best thing to do is to speak to us directly before booking and we will provide additional information on what this will look like.
Does the group get to meet before the expedition?
For our expeditions to Nepal and Tanzania we do run a 'Meet and Greet' walk in the Lake District. This will likely be with your trek manager too, so you can ask any extra questions you may have about your trip.
Do I get a kit list so I know what to pack?
Upon booking, we will send you a trip dossier which highlights everything you need to know about the trip, including what to bring. All the trip kit lists can also be found in our resources section.
TRIP SELECTION - DIFFICULTY, MEDICAL, SKILLS & FITNESS
How do I know if a trip is for me?
Each trip has a grade, and the full description of what this means can be viewed here. Further to this, we are always more than happy to organise a call with you individually to give you more information on the trip which may help alleviate any concerns you have on your suitability.
Do I need specialist skills?
Again, each individual trip description makes it very clear what skills you may or may not need to join. Some of our trips even include Lake District based training weekends to help upskill you.
How do I know if I'm fit enough?
Always a tricky one to answer until you get on the trip itself. On each trip, we have given an answer to this in terms of your hiking ability. Getting prepared for a trek is all part of the journey too, so even if your intended trek is currently out of your reach, it doesn't mean you can't get yourself there! If you want some help and advice, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via Summit Push Fitness
What happens if I need to turn back on a trek?
This could happen due to illness, fitness, or many other reasons. If you have to turn back we will ensure you're supported in doing so. Depending on the actions taken, as per our booking conditions, there may be additional expenses to pay (For example, if you're taken back to the expedition hotel for the intervening nights, this would not be covered)
Do I have to carry everything?
This is detailed on each individual trip page, but the majority of our trips require you to only carry your daily essentials. With water, this means your pack will likely weigh in the region of 6-8kgs depending on trip.
What if I have a medical condition, can I still come?
We have a Doctor and Expedition Medic in our team. When you want to join a trip we will get you to complete our online booking form, which includes the opportunity to divulge all medical information. Our Doctor will review this information and will advise on any actions that may need to be taken in order to join the trip or to optimise your chances of success.
What about Altitude Sickness?
Having concerns about altitude sickness is very natural and it is unfortunately a bit unpredictable too.
There are however factors we can control to enhance our chances of success, and one of these is by designing the right itinerary. Our trek manager / guides will equip you with the knowledge to give you the best possible chance of getting altitude sickness, you just need to trust the process.
Although we've never had to use it, we do take a Portable Altitude Chamber (to help if someone becomes very poorly thanks to AMS) on all trips which go above 4,500m.
