Everest region trekking holidays in Nepal

Community
As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we operate this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities.

It is possible for to visit the Nava Kiran orphanage in Kathmandu. This orphanage, known as Nava Kiran (or New Light) is situated in Patan, in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It was founded by Savitri Pokrel and her son who look after 42 orphaned children between the ages of 3 months and 16 years. The orphanage is run entirely on donations with Savitri and her son looking after, clothing, feeding and sending all the children to school. Since 2002 we have been helping the orphanage in various ways.

In the later part of 2004 we embarked on a much bigger project to help these orphans. Their home was very small, in dire need of repair and had no security of tenure meaning that they could all find themselves on the streets at very short notice. After two years in the making March 2006 saw the opening of a new building, and a much larger home for the children living at the Nava Kiran Orphanage.

Today the children are now fully settled in their new home and all attend local schools or nursery school. They have transformed the gardens into small rice terraces and are producing enough rice each month to keep the kitchen stocked, this in turn frees valuable funds which they are putting towards a biogas dome. Once up and running, and with the help of 9 tonnes of cow dung, the dome will turn waste from the bathrooms into natural gas that can be used for cooking. Almost all trips to Kathmandu can visit the orphanage, and all our Nepali leaders will be happy to pass on up-to-date information.

Environment
The trek involves payment of the Everest conservation fee, which has been instrumental in providing training for lodge owners and cooks and setting fair prices in the lodges as well as doing a lot of conservation work in the area. We use a local operator who we have been working with for the past 30 years and have therefore built up an enviable long term working relationship. We have also worked with our operator to help train staff in all aspects of their jobs, so helping to invest in the people and to help improve their knowledge and future prospects. This included Responsible Tourism training and they talk about responsible tourism in their briefing in Kathmandu.

We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism.

Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit!

In autumn 2007 we purchased the first of our parabolic solar cookerS in Nepal. These cookers are made locally in Nepal by Nepalis with technical advice from abroad. Apart from the reflectors (which are imported from Germany) the cookers are made from local materials. Our first stove was tested in our local trekking office and used to boil water, potatoes, eggs and fry chicken. After this several of our Nepali leaders spent a day at the workshop learning how to erect a stove. In summer 2008 Yeti Airlines transported 10 cookers to Lukla for us free of cost and Chandra Khand and Lhakpa Tenzing, two of our Nepali leaders, hired porters to carry the cookers to some of the lodges we use in the Everest region.

These are now in use at some of the lodges we stay in in the Everest region. You will see them in Lukla, Phakding, Monzo, Namche, Thyangboche, Dingboche, Lobuje and Gorak Shep. In 2008 we ordered 20 more solar cookers and in early 2009 these were being sent to the Everest region ready for in the spring season. Maybe you or your group would like to sponsor a cooker. The cost is £250 per cooker which includes transport to the site.