Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Our climbing trips currently cover Himachal and Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas all of them are specifically designed to:
In both regions, tourism is one of the mainstays of revenue. A lot of local youth undergo training at the Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Manali. However lack of opportunities for mountain guiding does not allow them to continue with their careers despite a keen interest in mountaineering. We employ fresh graduates from the institute as apprentice guides to ensure they gain a foothold in the climbing field. And in a few years, they take on the role of lead guides.
All our cooks, porters, camping assistant, horses and horsemen are sourced from local communities of the particular regions we are running our climbs in. They are paid above average wages that go directly to them without any middlemen making cuts. In line with our strong stance on responsible tourism, all guides on this trip are locals, picked for their excellent indigenous knowledge of the area and high degree of training. Their understanding of the Himalayan flora, fauna and local culture will ensure a true insight into Himalayan life.
We use locally run hotels in Manali. And in Leh, use guesthouses that use eco friendly technologies like solar lighting and water heating, CFL lighting, rain water harvesting etc. All our groceries and other perishables are sourced from local suppliers only.
On our climbs we follow the Leave No Traces standards. We do not use wood for any of our cooking; we always carry kerosene or butane stoves. We always take extra packhorses to carry back the garbage both biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable (not just ours, but what has been left behind by other groups as well) from trips.
All guides are given good equipment – jackets, hiking shoes, warm pants etc - for use in the field. In technical terrain they are provided with the good technical gear like gaitors, plastic mountaineering boots, ice axes, harnesses etc. On all climbing trips, we use only eco toilets or pit toilets. We also discourage use of toilet papers as far as possible and use water as an alternative. In colder areas, we give them warm water and brief our customers on washing atl east 200m from water sources.
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!
