Our guides

How we hire

Guides are recruited locally, licensed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and paid a salary rather than a per-tour fee. That matters: a salaried guide has no incentive to take you to a gem shop.

Every guide does a season with a senior colleague before leading a trip alone, and we pay for language training — English, German, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

What they bring

Nok has been guiding in the north since 2011 and can tell you which temple is quiet at 7am. Anan drives the Kanchanaburi road twice a week and knows which raft house has hot water.

They are also the reason people come back. Ask for a guide by name when you book — it is usually possible.

Licensing and languages

Every guide we use holds a Thai guide licence, which requires a formal course, a written exam and a regional specialisation — a northern guide is licensed for the north. The licence number is on the guide's badge and you are welcome to check it.

Languages: English across the board, with French, German, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin available on request and subject to availability. We do not use freelance translators as guides, and we will tell you honestly if the specialist for your region does not speak your language rather than substituting someone who does.

How they are paid

Guides are on our payroll or on annual contracts, not paid per trip and not dependent on tips or commission. That is deliberate: a guide who earns commission on a gem shop or a restaurant takes you to a gem shop or a restaurant, and the whole trip bends around it.

Tips are welcome and not expected. The guideline we give travellers is 300–500 baht per day for a guide and 200–300 for a driver, offered at the end rather than daily. Nobody on our trips will ask you for one.