Ladakh guided cycling vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

1. By cycling instead of relying on fossil fuel-powered vehicles, you significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Ladakh's pristine air is already suffering due to pollution, so choosing a sustainable mode of transportation helps to keep the region's air quality high.

2. Traveling to less touristy regions encourages travelers to be more self-sufficient and mindful of waste generation. Responsible tourists tend to produce less garbage and recycle or dispose of their waste properly. On this trip we are venturing in not overcrowded touristy areas, and the group numbers mindfully limited.

3. Ladakh is an abosulute best sourced of solar energy and this trip is perfect in that sense as we stay in smaller more earthy accommodations outside Leh which mostly rely on solar-powered panels to generate electricity. So in this way there is even less carbon.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

1. Many regions in Ladakh face water scarcity issues. On this trip we visiting small villages which have made these accommodations which use very low source of water and restricts commercial use of water.

2. The houses are made of mud, stone and wood which is all locally sources from within Ladakh, this in a way avoids stress on local environment.

3. Venturing into less-touristy areas ensures the preservation of Ladakh's natural landscapes. It minimises the need for new infrastructure, preventing habitat destruction and preserving the region's unique ecosystems.
Most of the accommodations are not purpose built hotels etc, so in a way we are staying in houses within the community so there is no pressure to build hotels or guest houses. The tourists use their own houses during the season which has a small window of 3-4 months and this encourages them not to get into mindless construction of hotels etc.

In general our policy has been to keep numbers on our trips small for low impact, low footprint.

A cycling vacation in Ladakh away from the main tourist hubs is not only a unique and rewarding experience but also an excellent way to protect this beautiful region. By making eco-conscious choices and supporting local communities, we can ensure that Ladakh remains a pristine, unspoiled destination for generations to come.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

1. Our commitment to exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations ensures that the tourism income flows directly into the hands of local communities. This provides a substantial boost to their livelihoods and serves as a catalyst for responsible tourism practices in the region. 100% of our staff on this tour are locally based be it the drivers, the local cycling guides. So most of the income generated stays within the local economy.

2. All guest houses and homestay we stay on this trip are locally owned, this not only. A couple of places we stay in Hotels but again these are locally owned and in busy seasons they may employ foreign labour but again these are sourced from with India. This is due to limited labour in Ladakh it also helps families from other states where the labour comes from


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

1. 100% of our staff we use on this trip are from within Ladakh or J&K, so all the employment is local.

2. We absolutely promote qual culture, in our UK office more than half of the guides we employ are women and there is equal pay. In Ladakh traditionally and India in particular Women have stayed away from from front-line of tourism but over the last few years the trend is changing and we encourage and do employ the women in roles where we can have them best fit but it all depends on availability as for example women tourist guides numbers are still low in Ladakh.

3. We offer industry standard rates for paying wages be it in the UK for the guides who work on this trip or in India and Ladakh where there is no minimum wages we through our ground operators ensure industry best pay for the staff we employ.