Why hire a licenced mountain/hiking guide in Croatia (if you are an agency)?

As an agency you want to do your business by the book.

If you would like to check the legal requirements regarding organisation of adventure activities in Croatia, including hiking, check the related blog.

Viewpoint Montokuc, island of Mljet, Croatia

Issuing an invoice

One of your concerns is also to be able to receive an invoice from the mountain/hiking guide for the service as a tour leader and/or hiking guide.

In Croatia you can find mountain guides who are owners of their small business (in Croatian language “obrt”) or owners of a company (limited liability company) or even a tourist agency and then the invoice for the services of hiking and/or tour leader can be easily issued by these business entities they own.

Training(s)/licences

In the related blog already mentioned you can find the information on three types of trainings and/or licences for hiking guides.

In comparing the trainings/licences as well as licenced guides organized by HPS (Croatian Mountaineering Association) versus SGVH (Croatian Mountain Guides Association) you might also notice that there are quite a few names which appear on both lists. Why is that?

The list of guides with HPS licence and the list of guides with valid SGVH licence.

Every citizen can be a member of the mountaineering/hiking societies/clubs in Croatia. Such associations represent non-governmental associations and are members of the umbrella organisation, the Croatian Mountaineering Association (Hrvatski planinarski savez). The excursions organized by such hiking societies are organized on non-profit basis and in principle for the members of those societies. The activities of the Croatian Mountaineering Association (HPS) are governed by its Statute which is governed in turn by the Law on Non-Governmental Associations and the Law on Sport.

A usual path for the hiking guide licensed by HPS is as follows: he/she had been a member of the individual hiking society in Croatia for some years, he/she was then proposed by other experienced guides for the training and the cost of his/her training and licence was covered by the hiking society. After he/she obtains this licence, the guide will continue acting as a guide in the hiking society on a non-profit basis. It is also common those guides have “regular” day jobs and act as guides during weekends or during their leave from “regular” work.

Those guides who opt for SGVH (Croatian Mountain Guides Association) training and licence can be those guides who had already obtained the licence through HPS system, but would like to extend their knowledge or obtain an international licence – of International Mountain Leader. On the other hand, the motivation for those guides could be that they make tour leading and guiding in the mountains the primary source of their earnings. Therefore, SGVH’s licenced guides are more likely to be owners of business entities (with possibility to issue an invoice) and they are more likely to be fluent in foreign languages other than Croatian language. They are also more likely to be certified tourist guides and well acquainted with information that would be interesting for your clients to hear during their stay in Croatia.

The third type of training is actually a two-day seminar – and it represents a minimum required by the law.

When deciding who you will engage for your agency you will need to take into consideration your priorities and the type of experience and skills you would expect from a guide and/or tour leader.