Great Himalaya Trail trek across Nepal

Planet

We are one of the founding partners of a simple but effective litter collection initiative called 10 Pieces. The aim of 10 Pieces, which is available on all our treks in Nepal, is to harness the collective power of travellers to keep wilderness trails free of litter (namely plastic and paper). Your guide will tell you more about 10 Pieces at the initial group briefing in Kathmandu. The initiative is completely voluntary, but if you choose to partake it will only take 5 minutes each trek day. We will provide you with our reusable rubbish collection bags and we will dispose of the litter responsibly, so you can leave a positive footprint in Nepal.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travellers to take their own reusable water bottles and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our London office as well as on the trail: we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles; we use recycled paper and are working towards reducing the overall amount of paper we use; and we recycle all our of plastic and paper waste.

Already in 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018, The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers you as a traveller with suggestions about how you can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when you travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveller ebook before departure.

People

Our 1700kms trek will traverse Nepal east to west, often through areas which receive very few visitors. So, this is an opportunity to experience some of the least visited, most exciting hidden corners of Nepal. The beauty of each area is that they all offer something completely different: experience cultural differences of eg. Sherpa , Rai & Tibetan nomads, and natural sights such as Rhododendron forests, dramatic gorges, glaciers, rugged terrain, sacred lakes and much more. But importantly, by joining one (or more!) of the seven stages on the Great Himalayan Trail trek, you will be helping us achieve our vision of sharing the benefit of tourism dollars with isolated communities that currently receive little to no income from this source. We employ porters and support staff from these various regions, purchase our food goods from these villages and of course, travellers will delight in the opportunity to purchase traditional handicrafts from these communities. This is responsible tourism in practice as it addresses wealth disparity and helps to reduce poverty.

We use local Nepali guides for all our treks, so not only will you have a richer experience with someone who knows the land and culture but you will also be helping to support the prosperity of the very place you have sought out as a destination.

Mountain porters are an integral part of each trip. The entire group – travellers, guides and porters alike – are a team who share the same needs for safety in the mountain environment.

Our ‘Porter Welfare Code of Conduct’ ensures safe working conditions for the mountain porters we employ. In Nepal, our mountain porters receive:

• A working wage that is regulated by the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal and the Labour Union of Nepal; we pay per their guidelines, which are unionised.
• Life insurance and income protection insurance.
• Access to the same first aid care that our travellers receive, including emergency helicopter evacuation if required.
• A wind and waterproof jacket and over-trousers, 2 pairs of woollen socks, 2 pairs of leather shoes on long treks and 2 pairs of canvas shoes while on short treks, woollen gloves, a warm cap and sunglasses.
• A weight restriction of carrying no more than 30kgs.
• A porter age restriction of minimum 16 years of age and maximum 50 years of age.

In addition, we are one of the few trekking companies in Nepal to provide porters with three meals a day, prepared by our cooks, as well as lodging (or tents), sleeping mats and blankets.

We are proud that our camping treks employ many local people – a workforce of up to 25% more than a lodge trek typically provides. While as a traveller you gain an invaluable insight into the local culture via the dedicated Nepali crew accompanying your trek