Nepal family vacation, walking in the Annapurnas
Highlights
Kathmandu | Internal flight to Pokhara | Phewa Lake | Views of Machapuchare (6993m), Hiunchuli (6441m) and Annapurna South (7219m) | Landruk | Gurung village of Ghandruk | Phewa Tal | Camping | Chitwan National Park | Wildlife safari
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Responsible tourism
Responsible tourism: Nepal family vacation, walking in the Annapurnas
On our Nepal family vacation we stay in tents, not lodges and teahouses. Why does that make a difference? Apart from having control over the hygiene for a healthy family vacation, we also want to support the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. Many lodges and teahouses burn wood to heat their water for cooking and hot showers. This in turn contributes to deforestation, associated erosion and loss of biodiversity. That is why twenty five years ago, we pioneered the use of only kerosene above and below the tree-line – to ensure that we are loyal to our policies of making a minimal impact on the environment. Also, we want to stay off the beaten track. We believe that you will get a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty of your surroundings if you are away from the hordes which follow the ‘tea-house trails.’
Our pioneering Porter Policy
Porters are an integral part of your trip, and we have a close association with the IPPG, IMEC and Porters Progress to improve the conditions for porters. As well as paying our guides out of season, and an above-average take-home wage, our porter welfare supplement includes insurance, all meals on trek, appropriate clothing and accommodation for ALL our porters on all our treks. Their safety and comfort is as important to us as our customers.
We have committed US $3,000 to sponsor the Porter Rescue Post at Machermo which has been set up by the IPPG. This facility is for the benefit of sick or injured porters in the Everest region and building has already started.
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.
By joining this trek you can be assured that you will not be contributing to deforestation or the associated soil erosion and loss of biodiversity but rather you'll be making a significant contribution by supporting our efforts to set the standards for a sustainable trekking service.
1 Reviews of Nepal family vacation, walking in the Annapurnas
Reviewed on 14 Jan 2018 by Richard Miles
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The whole adventure was superb and suited our family aged 8 - 69 very well. Walking in the mountains with the entire family group was memorable and those who had not been to Nepal before promise to visit again and again.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The trip was perfect and as we were a private group we were able to "tweak" the itinerary to suit us. For example adding in an extra day in Pokhara and then rafting part way down the Lower Seti added a lot to the adventure. The road to Chitwan is going to be a major issue for years to come and so the road journey is not only uncomfortable, very long but also potentially dangerous.
Some family groups might prefer to be given the option of flying back to Kathmandu.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We liked the way the team bought local produce from villages where ever possible. We felt that camping was a better option than tea houses to overall benefit the villages through which we travelled.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
An excellently organised trip. One "unpleasant" experience was the elephant breeding centre at Chitwan. As we had stressed that our family had strong interests in the environment and wildlife we did not need to visit a centre that was clearly breeding animals almost entirely for tourism. It simply reinforced our views that such practises are no longer acceptable.
Read the operator's response here:
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