Sikkim trekking holiday

By working only with local partners who share our sustainable values we ensure that the economic benefits reach the local community. The trackers, porters, home stay providers, the chefs and our local assistants are assured of direct support from our trips. In Pastanga all activities are part of social development programs where tourism is used as a tool for providing sustainable sources of income. Our local partners consists of local community members, both female and male, who work with us through their home stays and cultural performances.

The cultural activities in this holiday are promoted to ensure that it helps preserve the unique cultural tradition lively. In Pastanga for instance, the Nepali and Bhutia dancers perform their traditional folk songs which provides supplementary source of income for their family. Travellers' interest in these performances is an incentive for the young kids to also learn the traditional music and dance arts, ensuring that these cultural treasures are being kept lively. The numerous village walks give you a good insight in the traditional life of the Lepchas and Bhutias living in North Sikkim.

There was a growing concern amongst the local Sikkimese community to minimize the various negative impacts of tourism and actively conserve the resources that attracted visitors to this area. Out of this shared concern, different stakeholders from the community along with our local partners work together under the banner of Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC).

In Yuksam we will visit their information centre and get the opportunity to interact with members who can inform you about the issues going on in this region and the local initiatives that are being taken. Funds used from similar holidays have been used to form an association of porters who have been trained to minimize the human impacts on the environment whilst in nature. They make sure all garbage will be brought back to Yuksam where it is sold to the scrap collectors. These funds go to KCC. All the porters are insured by the KCC and have been taught to keep a check on, and monitor all the activities inside the national park. Any illegal activity inside the National park is reported to the KCC office and the forest Department.

Cardamom used to be the main source of income for farmers in Sikkim until a disease destroyed almost the whole harvest. Some of our homestay providers and trackers who assist our camping and trekking activities are from the farming communities who are looking for alternative source of income. With hardly any support from local or state authorities, this concept is well received.

During this impressive trip we often stay in home stays. This promotes village tourism and helps the local communities benefit fully from the economic opportunities of tourism. This also provides the best possible cultural experiences for our guests. The concept of Home stays was introduced in the rural areas of Sikkim with an aim to facilitate alternative source of income directly for the rural people in a sustainable way. The system of Home stay brought in a very efficient way of sharing the income from tourism among several families. Depending on the number of visitors, the hosts have agreed upon a system where they circulate the guests amongst themselves so that everyone benefits out of tourism. A productive way of complementing rather than competing with each other!

In Pastanga, the home stay providers are donating part of their income to a fund that supports the local children's educational infrastructure. This fund also supports capacity building programs like training in language, documentation and conservation for the community members are arranged.