Northern Enterprise Awards 2025/ 32 High-Altitude Adventure Specialists of the Year 2025 Monkey Mountaineering is a veteran-owned company offering bespoke overseas adventure travel experiences in the world’s mountainous regions, including trekking and mountaineering. The company takes small groups on trips such as the Everest Base Camp trek, ascent of Kilimanjaro, and mountaineering in Nepal on the likes of Mera Peak and Island Peak. It is proud of its extremely high success rate, where industry averages are much lower – 100% on the Everest Base Camp trek and Mera Peak, and 96% on Kilimanjaro! We’re excited to learn more about the company from Founder, Sam Marshall. “There is a trend in high altitude travel for people who want to do things as fast as possible,” Sam Marshall begins. “For elite athletes and the super-rich, this is a viable plan, but for the mass markets, there is no way to accelerate the acclimatisation process. This desire to want to do things in as little time as possible is resulting in cheap trips – because they are shorter – but significant reductions in success, because there is less time to acclimatise and no flexibility to deal with poor weather. This ‘fad’ will, I believe, dwindle away as people realise that you cannot rush at altitude.” He continues, “We will never bow to these trends; we design our itineraries for success and in-line with wilderness medical society guidance on travel at altitude. Whilst this approach appears to go against the current trend, it makes us highly successful when compared to other providers and long-term should stand us in good stead, as we are seen as safe and reliable.” Indeed, in order to do these trips properly, they can’t be rushed. Monkey Mountaineering is all about devoting the time needed to ascend safely, as a shorter trip doesn’t allow the necessary time and can often lead to a poor or even dangerous ascent, resulting in altitude sickness and having to terminate the trip before reaching the goal. The company focuses on sustainable and responsible travel while providing the utmost value. Its travellers know they can trust it to keep them safe, thanks to the expertise of its team, flexible itineraries that allow the time to deal with acclimatisation and poor weather, and a client-centred approach through small groups of no more than eight. Monkey Mountaineering also offers UK-based mountain skills training and private guiding. These activities are designed to create independent mountaineers, equipping them to go off on their own solo adventures, as well as providing experiences for people who wouldn’t normally be able to achieve them on their own. “We believe that everyone can achieve their goals with the right encouragement and leadership, and this is one of the reasons we keep our group sizes small,” says Sam. “Big groups generally means more profit, but people get lots in the crowd, there isn’t time to address individual needs, and as a result, they are less successful. For us, it isn’t about profit (although profit is important, as we are a business), it's about achieving.” In terms of sustainability, Monkey Mountaineering employs local agencies to support its trips and it uses local guides, which it vets and provides training for. This ensures that the bulk of the money on trips stays in the destination’s economy. Furthermore, the company ensures its staff or the agency working for it are paid a living wage, and that out on the trail or mountain, they are properly equipped, accommodated, fed, insured, and generally looked after in line with UNSDGs. Additionally, it follows the Leave No Trace principle, advocating for travellers to take nothing from the environment they are visiting, except for photographs, and to leave nothing behind except for footprints. Now, in terms of the future, Sam tells us that 2026 is shaping up to be a busy year for Monkey Mountaineering, with bookings for Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp treks being popular. “Our flagship trip for 2026 will be Mera Peak in April – a trip I am personally guiding as it is one of my favourite mountains,” he reveals. “We still have a couple of places available...” If you’re looking to embark on a personalised, safe, and sustainable adventure, you can discover the possibilities via the company website. Company name: Monkey Mountaineering Ltd Contact name: Sam Marshall Website: www.monkeymountaineering.com
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