At the end of the guidebook there are 35 pages of detailed written instructions for taking 17 of the 19 hikes (two are impossible without a guide). Although you can try the half-day hikes without a guide, for the two- and three-day hikes, especially the ones that head out across the mountains away from the highways, I recommend that you take along one of the local guides listed in this book. They are not guides by profession, just local people who know the old roads in their area, so they cost an average of $5 a day. Although I met them by chance, they all turned out to be competent and good company. I recommend them highly and consider them friends, so you should approach them as companions not hired help. Unfortunately, none of them speak English, but the only details you have to work out are when you want to go and how much money you are going to pay. You are responsible for all your guide's expenses on the hike and bus fare to return home. The phrases in Section 11 of the language chapter will help you work this all out. Although I tried to describe all the hikes in enough detail to make a guide unnecessary (and the GPS waypoints will also keep you on track if you buy them), I haven’t re-walked all of the hikes to be sure I didn’t inadvertently write “left” when I meant “right.” One such wrong turn and you could end up miles off course before you even realized anything was wrong. But even if you don't get lost, having a local person accompany you vouches for your presence, which means the people that you meet on the road will all be friendly instead of suspicious of your motives. You will also need a guide if you want to take advantage of the optional overnights in farmhouses on three of the hikes.
