Snowman trek in Bhutan

Planet

This trip is considered by many as the ‘toughest trek in the Himalaya’ and accesses Lunana, the most remote region of Bhutan. We follow trails through yak herders encampments and isolated farming settlements as we prepare for our trek to Lunana, which is subject to snow at any time of year.

Due to the remote nature of this trip we ensure there is ample food and shelter for our local crew. We change crews at the village of Lunana which allows the spread of tourist generated income to go further. To ensure the safety of the animals used for porterage we change them a number of times at key locations on the trek, again bringing income to some very remote settlements.

The natural landscapes we explore on our cultural vacation to Bhutan are some of the richest, often most challenging, yet at the same time some of the most fragile environments on earth. With education, experienced leadership and appropriate equipment and techniques, it is possible to travel responsibly through these regions.

By joining this trek you are supporting our efforts to set the standards for a sustainable trekking service. Your local leader will ensure our camps are left better than they were found. Our kerosene based camping trips ensure there is no need to burn wood for cooking or bathing. Your local leader will help you liaise with your local trekking crew, who may include local porter or animal handlers, and rely on income derived from trekking groups to help supplement their main income. Having a local Bhutanese guide also allows for impromptu laughs and shared insights when coming across local villagers along the trek.

People

This trip allows ample time to appreciate the rich cultural history of this secluded Himalayan Kingdom. In the company of our local guides and with the use of local transport and accommodation you can be assured that as much of your money as possible feeds back into the local communities that you visit. Our strict policy of small groups ensures that this trip is both environmentally and culturally sensitive.

As with all travel to Bhutan, this trip is carefully controlled by the Bhutan Tourist Authority which exists to protect the country’s unique culture and thus minimise the negative effects of mass tourism. It also ensures that local people benefit from the revenue such tourism brings to the country.

No local payments policy
Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travelers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travelers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments.

Our Responsible Travel Guidebook
Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while traveling.

Global Warming and Carbon Balancing
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely.