Family adventure trek in Nepal

Planet

Nepal produces around 1.35 million tonnes of solid waste annually, and plastic pollution in mountain and river environments is one of the country's most pressing environmental challenges. These are the practical steps we ask every traveller to take.
Pack light on plastic. Leave single-use plastics at home: zip-lock bags, travel-sized cosmetic kits, plastic-wrapped snacks. Carry a refillable BPA-free water bottle. Safe drinking water is available at guesthouses and lodges along all our trekking routes. When buying from local vendors, decline plastic bags and carry a small cloth tote instead. Refuse straws, takeaway cup lids, and individually wrapped biscuits or chocolate bars.
Use water carefully. Tap water in Nepal reaches most homes and hotels through systems that have limited capacity. Keep showers short and turn off the tap while brushing teeth. For laundry, merino wool and synthetic trekking fabrics can be worn multiple times before washing and dry quickly when hand-washing or river washing with detergent is standard practice in Nepal, and the less frequently your clothes need it, the better for local waterways.
Travel with a lower footprint. On long-distance legs, we use shared buses or vans rather than private vehicles where the itinerary allows. In Pokhara, we encourage exploring the lakeside area by bicycle — rentals are available throughout the Lakeside district, and the terrain is flat.
Eat local where you can. A largely vegetarian diet on the road in Nepal means eating food that is grown within a few kilometres of where it's served — no cold chain, no import freight, no packaging. Dal bhat, seasonal vegetables, fresh fruit, and local nuts and dried fruit are all excellent trail food. Imported snacks and processed food generate logistics emissions and return little to local producers.
Every hotel and restaurant we work with shares this approach. When travellers and suppliers hold the same standard, it becomes the norm rather than the exception.

People

Dress and behaviour at religious sites. Several stops on this itinerary, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, are active places of worship, not tourist attractions with a religious backdrop. Dress accordingly: legs covered to the knee, shoulders covered, no sleeveless tops. Remove shoes before entering temples and monasteries; if you have a foot condition that makes this difficult, wear clean socks. Photography restrictions are signed at most sites follow them without exception. When entering a private home or a community building, greet the household before stepping inside. A simple Namaste goes a long way. Learning a few words of Nepali — numbers, greetings, thank you — is noticed and appreciated by locals far more than most travellers expect.
Our guides and drivers. Every guide and driver on this trip is Nepali. We hire locally by design, not by default. Local guides carry knowledge of language, culture, terrain, and community relationships that no outside hire can replicate. All staff receive a year-round salary, insurance cover, a full kit (clothing, footwear, equipment), and at least one structured training course per year. We are currently expanding language training beyond English to open up more work opportunities for our team as the travel market diversifies.
Children's education projects. We support several programmes that fund schooling for children in communities along our trekking routes. You will hear about these on the trip and, if you wish, find ways to contribute directly.
Women's cooperatives and local craft. The itinerary includes a visit to at least one manufacturing cooperative that employs and trains women from local communities. These workshops produce bags, wallets, clothing, jewellery, organic cosmetics, printed textiles, and handmade toys — all sold directly, with income returning to the makers. If you plan to buy souvenirs, this is the right place to do it.