Gangtey trekking tour, Bhutan

Environment

Our Bhutan tours are run in close conjunction with our local Bhutanese suppliers, and the Bhutan government who are very keen on supporting sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism.

As these are private tours for individuals, couples, families and small groups, we are able to be much more flexible with the itineraries, exploring famous sites and going off the beaten track, and taking you to smaller and more interesting family-run accommodation as well as higher-level properties.

We take responsible travel very seriously, and have given some details below of how this is implemented on this tour.

- The Bhutanese people live in close harmony with their environment, and are proud of the way that tourism respects the country around them. We try to pass this on as much as possible in our tours.
- Explanations are given during any trekking tours of how to conserve scarce fuel resources, as well as reducing litter & waste production (for example by not ordering numerous different items from trekking lodge menus, and by treating water rather than buying numerous mineral water bottles).
- We have a recycling policy in our UK and local offices and re-use or recycle the information booklets we provide to every client on arrival wherever possible.
- We do not produce a glossy brochure, concentrating on a comprehensive website, and providing as much information to our travellers as possible electronically, reducing the use of paper and inks.

Community

Local people:
- We choose our local suppliers in Bhutan carefully and they share our love of the country and the desire to run tours there that are both exciting, informative and supportive to the local people and natural environment.
- We use fully-trained local tour leaders, guides and reps, rather than flying in Western leaders whose knowledge and love of the country will never be as full or passionate.
- We use smaller locally owned and operated hotels and lodges wherever possible, which means that your stay can directly benefit small families and village communities.
- One of the highlights of the tours is finding and enjoying traditional local food in a wide range of small restaurants and snack shops.
- We give information and advice to our travellers on how to respect local customs and religious practices, giving them a greater understanding of the local people and culture.

Local projects & charity support:
- Our main local projects that we support continuously are in Nepal where we run regular group departures, but our travellers are welcome to arrange visits to local projects in Bhutan & Tibet and to support them personally if they wish.
- The company also supports further projects and charities internationally. Responsible tourism: We send all our travellers a copy of our responsible tourism policy before their holiday, and encourage them to read it and join us in following the ideas and suggestions contained within it.