Bhutan trekking and festivals vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This 16 day tailor-made trip has no internal flights. We recommend guests flying from Delhi – Paro and return to connect the two destinations as this is the shortest and most direct options available, to reduced carbon emissions. We have designed a longer, slower trip in Bhutan focusing on remote and untouched areas where there are far fewer tourists. 7 of the 16 days of the trip are spend hiking, meaning no vehicles are used on these days at all, which vastly cuts emissions and local pollution, keeps roads quitter and reduces congestion. This also gives the advantage of guests seeing more of the real, rural way of life in Bhutan, experiencing the beautiful countryside and nature away from crowded hotspots. Many operators will include an internal flight to Bumthang, but we wanted to avoid this to keep carbon emission low.
In Bhutan, all the 3* properties we use try and source as much of their food locally, and several of the hotels have a garden for growing vegetables seasonally, so again the emphasis is put on vegetarian meals to avoid shipping in meat. In particular Rema Resort in Paro which has a strong sustainable eco-tourism policy. The hotel grows their own vegetables, fruit and herbs and offers guests the opportunity to learn about the source of their food, deepening the appreciation for the environment and Bhutanese culture.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

In Bhutan, all guests pay a daily tourist fee of $100 per person per day, which goes directly to the government to help sustain local environmental initiatives. This fee supports the country’s high-value low impact tourist model contributing to local education and environment preservation.

During the 6 day Yaksa Trek, our trekking guides are experts and well trained in where to set up camp, leaving minimal trace, taking all waste with them, cooking easy to make local food, and respecting the land around the camp sites. This is a lesser known trek than some others such as the Druk Path Trek, and is longer, so offers additional employment days to the local trekking team. Food will be sourced locally from more remote harder to reach sources that don’t receive the same income as the other more established well known trek routes. This is a real trekkers trek – away from it all, barely seeing another tourist, leaving no trace and experiencing the untouched beauty of the Himalayas.

Including time in a festival is a great way for local money to reach more rural remote areas of the Bhutan that would otherwise be missed. The Ura Festival we feature here is in the remote Bumthang region, and this particular hotel would otherwise not be one we would book, so including a festival brings economical benefits to rural communities.

Guest will visit the Black Neck Crane Centre, where the entrance fee for this goes directly to helping the preservation of these amazing birds. There are no overhead electricity cables in Gangtey Valley, so as not to restrict the flight path of these amazing birds.

Throughout this 16 day trip, our expert local guides share insights on the fragile ecosystems visited and offer practical tips for responsible travel such as eating locally, choosing vegetarian meals, picking up any littler seen on treks, and accepting things like brief power cuts as part of the way of life in a country looking to keep its environmental footprint low. Many of the basic 3* hotels are ‘homely’ and no frills, but by explain to guests that we would rather suggest these than staying in the modern chain hotels, we know the money is being kept locally, and this helps sustain local employment. All this helps guests understand the local challenges and how to minimise their footprint.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

All of the hotels/lodges in this 16 day Bhutan trip are independent and locally/family owned. A great example of this is Kaila Guest House in Bumthang, which is a family owed hotel which is one of the oldest in the valley and has been run by the same family for generations. These locally run guesthouses and small hotels ensure we channel tourism revenue into the local economy, often with a focus on employing local staff and suppliers.
We ensure guests visit the craft markets in Paro Thimpu and Punakha, and encourage guests to buy quality meaningful gifts make by local artisans, and payable by cash directly to them.
The trip packages includes full board, which means lunches in local restaurants as a rule – so local restaurant owners are benefiting from the vacation as well as hotels. All the food on the multi-day Druk Path trek is purchased and grown locally.
Guides and drivers and specialist trek team are from the local area, trained by our local ground partners, who are themselves from the local areas.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

100% of the people we work with on this trip (from the office staff, to drivers to guides to the specialist trek team) are from Bhutan, and are all paid the minimum wage for each destination.
Many of the markets and bazaars visited during the trip will offer crafts made by poorer members of the community, so we encourage guests to make local purchases where the money goes directly to the local person.