FAQ’s

Yes - any luggage and valuables you don't require on the expedition can be left at the hotel. All the hotels we use have luggage storage rooms and a safe for small valuables. We can't take responsibility for the things you choose to leave behind but in over 10 years of expeditions, we haven't had any problems.

We recommend you only bring the kit you require whilst up on the mountain, it's also a good idea to leave a fresh clean set of clothes at the hotel/lodge for the celebration evening!

Occasionally airlines will misplace luggage in transit. We have found that 99% of the time it turns up later that day or exactly 24 hours later.

Our local in-country agencies are very familiar with the airport processes and will manage the arrival and collection of any delayed luggage. They will either bring it to the hotel or, if we have began the expedition, they will get it to you either via porters, mules or helicopters.

If required, we can visit a local hire kit shop and pick up the necessary pieces to get going and cover the first few days of the expedition.

We appreciate it's a pain for you but on the rare occasion it happens it has always worked out just fine in the end.

You can book by using our secure online payment facility….just click ‘book now’ next to the trip and dates that suit you. After paying a 25% deposit you will gain access to our members area of the website and all the trip details and joining instructions for your trip will be here.

You will need to have paid the remaining balance no later than 6 weeks before the start of the trip. For full payment structure for our UK Courses and Overseas Expeditions please refer to our Terms & Conditions at the very bottom of the website.

Once you have filled in your basic details and paid your deposit you will receive access to the participants area on our website.

Here you will be able to:
- Update personal details and your medical history
- Add flight, insurance and passport details
- Check your bookings
- Check your payment history
- Make payments
- Access trip documents, kit lists and itinerary
- Leave reviews

If you are booked onto a Worldwide Expedition with us then we offer 10% discount off all our Expedition Specific Training Courses (which are tailored specifically to you!). We offer Expedition Specific Training in both summer and winter - feedback shows that these private days add huge value to you before you embark on your expedition.

All our expeditions are priced on a 'land only' basis. The expedition starts at the in-country airport where you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. On many of our expeditions we send out a suggested flight with the day of arrival, but we leave it up to you to arrange and book your own flights. This offers you more flexibility; if you fancy taking those extra few days before on safari or some chill-out time on the beach after the climb, you can!

All of our open expeditions have a definitive maximum number of members, for example, for Aconcagua, Elbrus and Mera Peak this is 8. This is smaller than our competitors which offers a much more personable experience and higher success rate on the expedition. You will feel an involved and integral part of the team from the start and you will get to know all your fellow team members well.

We run smaller expedition teams with higher guide ratios – this is really important to us and we’re proud of this.

We have lots of individual members join us so that is not a problem. The price you see is based upon a twin room with two people sharing. If you would like a room to yourself you can select 'single supplement' at the checkout/payment page. The cost of this is different on each trip. The single supplement applies to the hotel accommodation only.

If you are happy to share we will room you with another individual member of the same sex and match you in age as closely as possible.

BMC Participation Statement: The BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.

It is a requirement of our booking Terms and Conditions that you have insurance cover and that you provide us with a copy before you travel (Worldwide expeditions only). The policy must include suitable cover for search and rescue, as well as repatriation and emergency medical expenses.

Insurance in the UK: Although insurance is not mandatory in the UK we strongly recommend that you obtain personal accident insurance prior to the start of your course, such policies are available from the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) along with lots of good advice.

Insurance for expeditions: When on expedition, it is your responsibility and in many cases mandatory to have specialist mountaineering rescue, medical and repatriation insurance to cover the dates, areas and activities involved. A policy that includes cancellation insurance at point of booking may help you recoup costs if you incur cancellations charges.

Appropriate mountaineering insurances are available from providers such as: Dogtag, Snowcard and The BMC.

We advise you take out your trip insurance as soon as you have paid the deposit. This way you are covered for cancellation if you sustain an injury prior to departure or are unable to join the expedition due to unforeseen circumstances.

As a small specialist mountain company delivering the highest standards, we take great pride employing the very best, most experienced instructors, expeditions leaders and guides in the UK. All of our staff are highly qualified and experienced and all have excellent people skills (this is very important to us!). For our expeditions, our policy is that wherever possible, the Expedition Leader will have previously delivered the same expedition – we believe this results in an even better expedition for you.

Yes - in order to deliver the very best expeditions we believe the leader should have lead that expedition before. This will undoubtedly result in a smoother, more effectively lead expedition for the team.

As a small specialist mountain company we have the luxury of handpicking our guides and instructors and matching the best available to the specific course or expedition.

Mountain Expeditions Leaders have spent years on expeditions with local teams, either through their work or whilst on their own personal climbs. Not only have we built an excellent rapport with the local Sherpas, porters, guides, cooks and all involved; these local people have also become our good friends.

We have therefore been able to hand-pick our local teams, so that every trip gets it right in the ways which matter.  The very best team will surround you to look after your needs and your safety. They will also help you fulfil your goals, dreams and ambitions.

We work with reputable in-country organisations to help improve the working conditions and livelihoods of those involved. We also regularly take supplies from the UK to give to our local teams to ensure that they have the correct clothing and equipment for the mountain conditions.

Mountain Expeditions has two specialist expedition doctors who keep a remote eye on all our medical welfare. Both have over 15 years experience and qualifications in high altitude and expedition medicine. Our medical kits and protocols for our trips have been designed by them, and they are able to offer 24/7 remote emergency advice when it's needed. All medical information is treated as confidential.

You are welcome to talk to our doctors prior to the trip to discuss how high altitude can affect any medical conditions you may have.

The final decision to go on a trip – from a medical perspective – must rest with you and your own general practitioner.

Our 'Open' group trips are great fun and popular. We ensure there is a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere at all times. Most of our Worldwide Expeditions are 'Open' and it works really well allowing individuals and small groups to join a trip without having to worry about filling the rest of the spaces.

Yes. If you would like to pay monthly or simply just pay off a chunk you can do this anytime that suits you. Simply login to My Account, click on My Bookings and select Make Payment. You will receive a confirmation email and we'll also see that you have made the payment.

Our normal payment structure is two payments of 50% of the balance each: 12 weeks and 6 weeks prior to the course or expedition. When you book a trip through our website you will get reminders at 12 weeks and 6 weeks about the payments.

You are very welcome to pay by credit card - just choose it from the drop down menu at the Check Out. Like everyone we get charged by our payment merchant for all Credit Cards payments - this is 1.7% of the payment!

If you are able to pay using Visa then we incur much lower fees and it would be much appreciated!

There are many costs associated with organising and delivering worldwide expeditions. From the hard and fast ground costs of delivering the actual days in-country, the admin time taken to liaise, book and arrange everything perfectly through to the company liability and insurances and qualifications our leaders have.

Our prices are what they are because of three things; 1. we choose to employ the UK’s very best Instructors, Expeditions Leaders & Guides (and pay them well!), 2. we choose to have smaller expedition teams and higher guide ratios and 3. we have a fully inclusive pricing policy. All that being said, we know that joining a mountain expedition is a big commitment and we do our best to keep the cost low without compromising on quality.

We don't cut any corners and we include more in our price than anyone else.

We try and offer unrivaled fully inclusive land only packages for our Worldwide Expeditions, with no hidden extras. We will greet you at the in-country airport on your arrival and, until we drop you back at the end of the expedition, almost everything is included*. Generally, you will find no additional meals in the cities or extra transfer costs on our expeditions – wherever possible, it’s all included.

*Every course or expedition clearly outlines anything that is not included. These tend to be costs related to personal matters or the costs incurred if you choose to leave early.

No. A lot of our trips are perfect for raising money for charity if you choose to, but we only ask for our one off trip fee. We are however very happy to offer any help and advice if you would like to raise money whilst preparing for one of our expeditions.

Occasionally a member of the team may need to depart early for personal reasons or illness/sickness. In all cases this is easily arranged and managed at any point of the expeditions. Depending on the severity of the situation there are often options to use snowmobiles, helicopters or mules to speed up the descent/evacuation.

You will always be accompanied during any descent, whether it be the M.E. Leader or one of the senior local team.

As per norm, you would be liable to cover any additional logistical costs for departing the expedition or course early.

We have a number of items for hire such as down sleeping bags, down jackets, warm gloves, walking poles etc. We have also spent time finding the best local hire shops available so you can hire kit in-country too.

On the downloadable Kit Lists it shows which items are available from us. If you are hoping to hire kit, either from us or locally, please let us know beforehand.

We are confident that for each and every trip, you will have an enjoyable time and incredible experience when heading out with us. This is reflected in our unparalleled success rate, return client base and the excellent feedback we receive. We can’t promise you that you will reach the objective every time, but we can promise you a lot of fun along the way.

Please get in touch and ask as many questions as you wish – we are here to help fuel your enthusiasm for adventure and put your mountain dreams into reality.