Before I traveled to Southeast Asia, I never hired local guides. My travel had been confined almost entirely to Europe (excluding Canada, Mexico, and Cuba), so all the cities I had been to were fairly navigable on my own. However, in Asia, there were quite a few instances where a guide was not only necessary but required. Today, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite guides that I’ve worked with throughout my years of travel. Here are the top 3 (in no particular order).
1. Namgay – Bhutan
Bhutan is a country that tourists cannot visit without a guide. Dan and I visited Bhutan for 3 days at the end of September and the beginning of October 2019 (before we were dating). Our guide Namgay was with us for a good 12+ hours a day (bless him), and he was such a great addition to the trip. We still talk about him to this day, and we joke now about how much we hope we can find and want to invite him to our wedding. Here are some pictures he took during our trip together.
One of my favorite Namgay moments was when we all hiked Tiger’s Nest together. He told us that we were the fastest group he’d ever done it with. Now, we certainly weren’t slow, but after doing it, I found it laughable that we were the fastest. I was slipping and sliding all over the place because it had rained the night before. Dan was able to get himself up and down the mountain by himself (only slipping a time or two), but I was helpless. Namgay was so calm and basically carried me down the mountain. I held onto him the entire time — poor guy. To this day, whenever we’re hiking and I need a hand, Dan will ask if I “need a Namgay.” He’s an icon, he’s a legend, and he is the moment.
We worked with Namgay through Breathe Bhutan. And yes, Dan did get his head shaved by a monk.
2. Sam – Sri Lanka
Sam was such a great find as far as local guides go. I had a 17-hour layover in Sri Lanka when traveling from China to India. Based on the preliminary research I did, it didn’t look like I’d be able to do much myself without a guide and transportation. I found Sam on With Locals. I was drawn to his profile because of his interests (namely photography — I love a guide that can take photos!). We ended up being a great match. We’re right around the same age. He had worked for PWC for a time but left because of his interest in travel, and we aligned with our ethical tourism opinions. It was a short trip, but I can’t wait to go back to Sri Lanka soon to see Sam again! I’m thinking it could be a great spot to visit for an anniversary trip because of our new anniversary islands tradition.
Check out Sam’s tour agency Trips Lanka.
3. Kim – Cambodia
We found Kim through our hostel in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Hostels will help you organize tours complete with guides and tuk-tuk drivers for early morning trips to Siem Reap. It’s so simple and easy to do this through your hostel that I don’t recommend trying to book something in advance. I’m sure you could do it, but I feel confident you’d be paying more than you’d pay on the ground, and I don’t think it’s necessary.
Kim greeted us bright and early at 4 AM. She was knowledgeable about the history of all the temples we went to, and she had great photography skills. Everywhere we went she was ready to pose us for pictures. You could tell she had been guiding people through temples long enough to know exactly how to make people happy. She also got this great picture of me in a tuk-tuk!
Honorable Mention: Win – Myanmar
Win was another great guide that I hired in Myanmar to tour me around Bagan. I had a limited amount of time in the city to see a lot of temples, and we accomplished a lot the day we were together. He also turned out to be quite the photographer himself. That was simply luck, but I love looking back at the pictures taken by my guides. I honestly think it makes the tour experience more memorable, and it’s also a lot less awkward when they offer to take pictures they know you want and are committed to taking good pictures.
Final Thoughts
Hire a local guide next time you’re in a city you don’t know! It’s one of the best ways to see a city. Another favorite hack of mine is taking a free walking tour with a local guide. Happy travels!