Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Our local partner has been a driving force for responsible tourism in Bhutan and it has recently created a special division that specialises in responsible and eco-friendly tourism and aims to give travellers an in-depth experience of the culture and environment of Bhutan.
GNH (Gross National Happiness) is the development philosophy propounded by their Majesty the King IV (Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck). Under this development philosophy, care for the environment is considered a main supporting pillar, with The Royal Decree stating that forest cover should not go below 60%. We fully support this Royal Legacy in the protection of their environment.
As a responsible tourism supporter, we aim to revive the animist belief system. Preserving Bhutan’s indigenous belief system is one way of preserving the ecology. Our trips support social activities such as creating trash management projects; highlights joint projects with modern school students, monks and nuns towards avoiding the plastic culture. We combine tours with philanthropic philosophies such as supporting villagers to grow organic food; encouraging villager to re-introduce the natural packaging made from bananas and other wild plants. We are also concerned about helping the villagers to having hygienic water system and toilets. We also sponsor Bhutanese journalists to write and talk about the environment and local beliefs.
Community
- Designng itineraries to ensure authentic interaction with the local population, customs and culture.
- Providing opportunities to learn and understand more about the culture and customs through the use of qualified and experienced local guides.
- Informing clients of the socio-cultural considerations of the places visited and appropriate behaviour, particular with regard to sensitive sites or locations.
- Respecting the sanctity of customs and cultural sensitive locations.
Environment
- Genuinely small group sizes (maximum 12 persons) which minimise the environmental and social footprint of our trips.
- A destination based approach which reflects the carrying capacity of tourist locations with an emphasis on undiscovered and off the beaten track locations.
- A focus on experiences which require human power e.g. trekking, mountain biking in preference to vehicle based itineraries.
- A policy of “leave no trace” which is relevant to wild camping, flora and fauna, waste disposal, visual and noise intrusion and other land users.
- Client briefings on environmental awareness, responsibilities and practice with particular emphasis on highlighting local environmental issues/threats.
One of our main objectives is to reduce our carbon footprint. We look at reducing the carbon footprint during our trips and most of our treks are done on foot, human power as opposed to motorised. In addition to using local guides and local food, we try and use local hotels/lodges & farmhouses so that our trips benefits the local communities as a whole as well as keeping food and air miles down.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
