Langtang Valley trekking holiday, Nepal
How Langtang Valley trekking holiday, Nepal makes a difference
Environment
Leave Nothing But Footprints…
We stand by the adage of “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos” and encourage clients to do the same. This trek travels through remote, fragile eco-systems and their preservation is of the utmost importance.
Take in What You Take Out
We always dispose of our rubbish in an eco-friendly manner and ‘take out, what we put in’. We encourage our clients to take batteries back to England to dispose of properly.
Bottled Water
Bottled water has an immensely negative impact on the areas we visit, as they are not recyclable. We recommend purchasing water-purifying tablets or a water filter to treat your drinking water whilst in Nepal. In most teahouses safe (boiled) drinking water is available to decant into your own bottles.
Bio-friendly & Biodegradable Detergents, Soaps & Shampoos
Our guides only use detergents that are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. This practice is also recommended to our clients whilst on holiday and before their trip departs. We recognize that it is difficult to find some of these products whilst in the countries we visit, which is why we communicate to our clients before departure the importance of minimizing our environmental impact.
K.E.E.P. (Kathmandu Environmental Education Project) – Nepal
We support K.E.E.P.
K.E.E.P. is a not-for profit, non-governmental organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The mission of K.E.E.P. is to ensure the future ecological and cultural prosperity of Nepal and its people by maximizing the benefits and reducing the negative impacts associated with tourism.
Their objectives are to:
- Promote sustainable tourism and provide environmental and cultural education to travelers and the tourism industry through free, impartial information and training programmes
- Enable sustainable development through outreach projects, training and resources in order to seek a more equitable distribution of the economic benefits of tourism for the people of Nepal
- Conduct research and development activities on environmental and associated social issues
We keep our clients informed and encourage a visit to their Visitor’s Centre in Kathmandu whilst on tour. The Visitor’s Centre provides unbiased and invaluable local knowledge of the areas we visit and is an excellent resource for information and insight into the environmental and ecological issues in Nepal.
At Work in the UK
- We only use energy efficient light bulbs in our offices
- All paper, cardboard, plastics, and tins are recycled
- Our employees are encouraged to only print what is absolutely necessary and reduce/reuse materials whenever possible
- We do not have any printed brochures and aim to keep printing of paper materials to a minimum. We encourage our clients to do the same.
- Our office printer has a 3* energy rating and is energy efficient
- Our staff walk or cycle to work
- Paper is sourced from sustainable forests and is 100% recycled
- Ink used in all of our materials are eco-friendly, vegetable based inks
Community
Porter Protection, Local Suppliers & Guides
We employ local porters and ensure that they are treated with respect, paying them a decent wage. We support the International Porter Protection Group and adhere to their practices and guidelines, ensuring the fair treatment of mountain porters. We employ local guides that are able to provide invaluable insight into the culture, traditions and livelihoods of the Nepalese. This local connection allows our clients to interact more with the people of the community we visit, and vice versa. With more understanding of the cultures we visit we are assisting in reducing the negative impacts of tourism.
Accommodation
Whilst trekking, we stay in family run guesthouses ensuring that money is distributed to locals.
Our Foundation
After seeing first hand the poor treatment and conditions porters often work in, we decided to create our own foundation dedicated to providing proper clothing and equipment for porters, their families and the remote mountain communities we visit. Clients are encouraged to donate/bring useful goods and equipment with them on their holidays. We ensure that all goods are distributed fairly.
Small Group Sizes
Small group sizes equals more interaction with locals, less intrusion, and potential for more adventure, as well as allowing for the spontaneous and magical moments that occur while traveling, all while making less of an impact on the places we visit. We keep group sizes to a maximum of 12 people.
Local Products
- We encourage our guests to buy local, shop at local markets and purchase souvenirs/handicrafts and authentic goods that are produced within the region we are exploring.
Langtang Valley trekking holiday, Nepal
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