Everest Base Camp trek, Nepal

Environment

We are passionate about this beautiful part of the world and want to keep it that way. We keep our groups small (10 maximum) to minimise their impact on the local environment. This means that the effect of their footfall on paths and vegetation is minimised.

All our trekkers are urged to be mindful of deforestation and use hot water only where there is solar power or a local electricity supply. We ask that only biogradeable soaps are used and that any clothes washing is done in designated areas rather than in water that may be used for drinking.

In order to minimise the risk of littering we ask that any rubbish that cannot be easily burnt is brought back to Pokhara or Kathmandu and that space is allowed for this. We advise against bottled water and recommend taking refillable water bottles and then buying boiled water or using water purification tablets. Careful briefing is given on responsible toileting and the burying of human waste.

Our UK office is also committed to supporting the environment. We believe in the policy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Our office recycles paper and makes sure that paper that has been wrongly printed is reused. Our headed paper comes from a recyclable source. In addition, we run a long-standing carbon offset scheme for all our projects.

Community

Our company has been involved with community projects in Nepal for the last 10 years and has been arranging treks there since 2003. We want our treks to embody the very best of tourism, bringing employment to local people whilst encouraging them to value and conserve their culture and traditional way of life.

We keep our groups small, so that remote villages are not swamped with tourists. Group sizes are kept to 10 people or less. We also make sure that participants are fully briefed about the cultural differences, so that they do not offend local people by the way they dress or act. This includes, for example, taking photographs of them without permission. We also encourage a respectful attitude towards our local staff (porters etc).

Treks such as ours have become an important source of income for people living in remote areas of Nepal. Our participants support this by eating local food, staying in lodges rather than camping and buying locally-produced crafts. We employ local guides and porters from a reputable trekking company, ensuring good working conditions and a fair wage. In addition, we donate a proportion of our income to specific community projects with which we have an ongoing relationship.