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10 Reasons Why Guides Make Adventures Better

Let the experts lead the way.

By: The Outbound Collective + Save to a List

We're all about discovering your own adventure and being your own guide, but sometimes having a guide can really take an experience to the next level. In many cases, an experience truly wouldn't be possible without the exceptional leadership, skillset, and knowledge of a professional guide. On these types of trips, whether it's a trek halfway across the world or a rafting adventure just a few hours from your home, guides have a way of creating experiences that leave lasting memories and help you form lifelong friendships.

When it comes to experienced and skilled guides, you can't beat MT Sobek. For the last 50 years, they've held an all-star roster of guides taking adventurers on trips to every corner of the world for hiking, backpacking, camping, rafting, and everything in between. They know that a good guide makes every adventure better. Here's why:

1. Local Knowledge

Guides have extensive experience of the route and the region for all MT Sobek Trips (most are locals) which helps make the trip run smoothly and gives you an immersion that you otherwise might not experience. If you are going to see Mont Blanc only one time in your life, who would you rather show you around? Somebody from the US or somebody who was born and raised at the foot of Mont Blanc and has hiked and/or climbed it hundreds of times? MT Sobek guides are option #2.

2. Success

If you've planned a big trek or a summit climb across the world, the last thing you want to happen is to come close to reaching your goal and fail due to some unforeseen hurdle. With expert guides, very few things will come up that they haven't already experienced. You are much more likely to achieve success with a skilled guide whether you're summiting Kilimanjaro or hiking 192 miles on England Coast to Coast.


3. Leave No Trace

MT Sobek guides adhere to exacting standards in the field including Leave No Trace and other local standards. We all do our best to do this when we're adventuring without guides, but having a leader in the party who will hold everyone accountable ensures that nobody cuts corners.

4. Adventure the Right Way

Leave No Trace and other environmentally-focused regulations aren't the only way MT Sobek guides do things the right way in the field. They also respect and adhere to local license and certification laws and don’t find work-arounds. You won't find your group stuck halfway through a trip because the guide tried to pull a fast one.

5. Professional Big Kids

Guides have a certain way of bringing out the kid in everyone. When you think about it, they spend most of their lives "playing" outdoors, so it's only natural they are able to get a good laugh out of adventurers regularly. From jokes on the trail, to songs around the campfire, and picking up everyone's spirits when tough situations inevitably arise, guides keep things light and fun. 

6. You Can Do It

When you adventure on your own, it can be pretty easy to talk yourself out of making the final push when your energy starts to drag or conditions deter you. Not with MT Sobek guides. These folks are trainers. They can stretch your limits with a "you can do it" attitude every step of the way.

7. Friendship Guaranteed

MT Sobek guides are super interesting, friendly people themselves--it comes with the territory--but they also have a way of enabling the whole group to interact in a comfortable, fun way. They offer built-in camaraderie and friendship with the whole group.

8. Guides Are Teachers

Guides have extensive knowledge of local flora, fauna, history and culture and have been trained to educate you every step of the way. On adventures of your own you've probably noticed wildlife or plants and wondered what they might be, but can't remember what they looked like when you get home. On an MT Sobek trip, you simply speak up with a question and chances are your guide has an answer for you. 

9. Tailored Adventure

MT Sobek guides know the travel style, preferences, and expectations of MT Sobek adventurers. They tailor the experience to every trip and make sure everyone is having an experience that fits their desires and abilities.


10. Last But Not Least, Food!

As we've mentioned, guides have extensive knowledge about some of the most important aspects of adventure and travel, but perhaps the best thing about any trip is, of course, the food. Whether it's knowing the best street food in a foreign city or grilling up steaks on a river trip, you'll never go hungry on a trip with MT Sobek guides.

 

Discover your next guided adventure with MT Sobek.

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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The Outbound Collective