Annapurna trek in Nepal

Planet

Unlike most companies featuring Nepal, we focus on treks for individual travelers being aware of the environmmental impact the movement of large groups has as well as their high demands on local resources.

We encourage clients to take their own water bottles and use boiled or locally purified water to eliminate the purchase of plastic water bottles. We ask they purchase and consume local unpackaged foods and retain as much of their own waste as possible to dispose of outside the National Parks. Equally we discourage clients taking electrical items requiring recharging or to use. Not only to reduce the amount of weight a porter has to carry, but also to avoid use of the precious electricity supply. Accommodation is in locally hand-built lodges made from local materials and heated by solar energy or Yak dung!

In order to reduce the amount of baggage porters are required to carry, we provide a re-usable duffel bag per person. This enables clients to take just what they need for the trek leaving unrequired items in safe storage in Kathmandu or Pokhara.

The guides we use explain the scenery, culture, flora and fauna during the trek giving our clients a better insight into the local environment as well as a better respect for it. We only sell vacations in Nepal on a guided basis, both for client safety and to support the local economy.

Trekking in the Himalaya uses limited transportation once in Nepal. Apart from short internal flights, the rest of the trekking is on foot with porters to transport luggage.

Our Managing Director met with many local suppliers when setting up our trekking vacations in Nepal to ensure a like minded company was chosen and one which cares for its employees, culture and environment. Our local supplier is totally meeting our demands in this respect.

People

We partner with a well established, but small Nepali company to help arrange the best possible tailor made experience for our clients. In doing this we use local guides and porters. Not only does this mean that our clients are able to make the most of their local experience, but it also enables us to support local families and communities by providing a salary for our guides and porters through our local partner. Whilst staying in Kathmandu we encourage clients to take a city tour and a cultural dinner, which both enhance any stay in the city and at the same time making further use of reputable local services.

We go to great lengths to ensure that the guides and porters are suitably paid, clothed and looked after by our local walk managers. At the end of a trek, if a client so wishes, they can award their these kindly locals who have cared for them during their trek, with a tip to supplement their income and help them through the non trekking season.

In our pre-departure information, we suggest clients purchase their trekking gear locally as there is an excellent choice and prices are lower than the UK. This supports local shops which have immense competition. We ask clients to leave behind as many items of clothing, footwear and toileteries which they may not really need on their return home. These can be donated to their porters and guides and in turn can be passed on to family or fellow guides and porters who are less fortunate.

We suggest taking a few small items for the school children who live in the isolated upper region of the Himalaya such as biros and exercise books which are in very short supply.

Most of our treks make a visit to small local hospitals and schools founded by Sir Edmund Hillary and Norgay Tenzing. Donations may be left at these establishments at the clients' own discretion.