Annapurna luxury Lodge trek

Planet

This trip explores the cities, Himalayan foothills and national parks of Nepal on foot. To help leave a lower carbon footprint we travel overland between Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan rather than taking internal flights. The group takes a discovery walking tour of Kathmandu, allowing us to see the sights without the use of a vehicle.

We spend the last days of the trip in Chitwan National Park. established in 1973 this UNESCO protected area has a long history of biodiversity conservation. The government and the local community work closely together to maintain and protect the park’s rich flora and fauna, the park is home to one of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros. We take game drives by jeep instead of on elephant back, and ensure we strictly abide by park regulations to minimise disruption to the wildlife we have come to see.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

Whilst trekking in the Annapurna mountain range we spend four nights at Ker and Downey lodges. These purpose built lodges allow for a comfortable stay in the mountains with fantastic views. Ker and Downey strongly believe in giving back to the communities in which they are based, and generating employment for the villagers. In Nepal they support the villagers by buying vegetables locally helping to boost the economy, and also arrange man power to assist with the maintenance of the walking trails to encourage visitors. Our customers staying in these lodges play a role in contributing to the remote mountain communities and witness village culture.

All of the porters for our Nepal trekking trips are local, know the region like the back of their hand and they are well-acclimatised to the altitude. We ensure that they are all paid fairly and follow the guidelines of the International Porter Protection Group which looks after their well-being and safety.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.