While many agencies and guides claim to be the "safest," the ongoing occurrence of preventable accidents in adventure travel tells a different story.

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The Unfens Rating Scale (URS) was created to cut through the noise — offering transparency in an industry where critical safety details are often hidden behind marketing claims. URS empowers travelers with objective, publicly sourced evaluations, so they can make informed, confident decisions before committing to any adventure.

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The Unfens Rating Scale is based upon minimum global safety & quality protocols prescribed by ISO 21102, ISO 21101, ISO 21103, ISO 20611, UIAA, ATTA and IPPG.
 

It primarily evaluates 5 broad parameters:

• Technical Skills

• Safety & Risk Management

• Sustainability & Ethics

• Customer communication and service management 

• Natural & cultural history interpretation

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Given below is a granular breakdown of how each company is evaluated*.

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Note: Grading Format- [Points Awarded- Criteria]

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Safety & Technical Skills

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1) Gear Certification

1- No information available
2- Company claims gear is certified (but does not specify certification agency to be UIAA, CE or EN)
3- Company claims gear is certified according to appropriate UIAA, EN or CE standard
4- + Company publishes inventory records with certification details.
5- + Company participates in independent audits of their inventory.

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2) Gear Condition
1- No information available
2- Company claims to retire gear as per manufacturer’s directions or by assessing wear and tear.
3- + Company claims to maintain gear expiry and usage record.
4- + Company makes the inventory details publically available.
5- + Company participates in independent audits of their inventory.

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3) Guide Qualification
1- Provides no claim of guide qualification
2- Claims activity appropriate guide qualification
3- + Claims guide certifications are valid/current
4- + Publishes guide certification that are valid/current
5- + Guides have undergone certifications/qualification above and beyond the minimum.

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4) Guide to client ratio
1- No information available
2- Claims a guide to client ratio but does not make staff qualification public (scores 1 on the Guide qualification measure above).
3- Provides a ratio but it's inappropriate for the terrain/activity.
4- Provides a ratio that is appropriate for the terrain/activity.
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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5) Emergency Response Plan
1- No information available
2- Company provides an emergency evacuation plan for each trip.
3- + Company provides first aid resources for each trip.
4- + Company also provides WFR trained personnel (with a current certificate) on each trip.
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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6) Incident Documentation & Reporting
1- No published incident report available.
2- Company publishes casual records for incident reporting.
3- Company maintains a formal mechanism for incident documentation and reporting.
4- Data from the above can be helpful in tracing accountability and learning in an independent audit.
5- Demonstrable improvement/changes made based on learnings from incident documentation.

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7) Adventure Insurance
1- No relevant insurance coverage provided.
2- Adventure insurance is optional for clients.
3- Adventure insurance included in activity/trip deliverables.
4- Trip leaders have relevant insurance provided for by the company.
5- Additional staff/porters have relevant insurance provided for by the company.

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Comfort & Client Care

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1) Food Quality
1- No information available.
2- Trip food menu available.
3- Menu has consideration for varying food habits/choices.
4- Nutritive values planned in accordance with activity/trip load.
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

 

2) Offloading & Portage
1- No information available.
2- Offloading available.
3- +Treatment of porters in accordance with IPPG policies.
4- +Animal cruelty free portage.
5- +Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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3) Accommodation & Shelter
1- No information available.
2- Shelter appropriate to size of group
3- +Accommodation appropriate to the season and style of trip.
4- +Shelter in good working condition (no tears and cleaned after each trip)
5- +Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

 

4) Sleeping system (Sleeping bag & mattress)
1- No information available.
2- Sleeping system appropriate to weather conditions.
3- +Sleeping system is in good working condition with no tears or faulty zippers.
4- +Hygiene & maintenance protocols followed (cleaned after each trip and liners provided)
5- +Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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5) Communication
1- No information available.
2- Pre-event briefing.
3- +Clear communication during the event.
4- +Trip leaders are multilingual, inclusive and respectful.
5- +Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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6) Pick up & drop (from last major hub)
1- No information available.
2- Pickup & drop not available.
3- Pickup & drop available in some locations
4- Pickup & drop available in all locations
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.
 

Knowledge, sustainability & compliance
 

1) Guide’s level of awareness about sustainability, nature and culture.
1- No information available.
2- Certified/practices LNT or comparable principles/protocols/policies.
3- + educated/qualified/experienced as a naturalist.
4- + demonstrable cultural awareness for the region of operation.
5- Publicly makes available certification and proofs for the above.

 

2) Company follows LNT or comparable protocols in their region of operations.
1- No information available.
2- Claims to follow somewhat sustainable practices.
3- Establishes and follows concrete sustainable protocols/practices/policies.
4- Claims to be fully LNT compliant.
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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3) Permits & Compliance
1- No information available.
2- Company claims to obtain relevant permits (IMF, Forest Office, etc.)
3- Company shares a copy of some permits with clients.
4- Company shares a copy of all permits with clients.
5- Claimed information has been verified in an independent audit.

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Consumer Sentiment Analysis

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This section captures the broad sentiment consumers have expressed for the company, about points that can only be perceived and not objectively rated. This sentiment has been gathered from real consumer opinion published across various review platforms like google reviews, trip advisor and the like. 

Please note: The sentiment analysis has not been included in the rating system, since its composed of consumer opinions and feelings which cannot be captured objectively. 

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1) Staff professionalism, inclusivity & behaviour

 

2) Pre/post customer support

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*Read T&C before using the Unfens Rating Scale​