Bhutan cultural tour, Land of the Thunder Dragon

Planet

We do our best to apply the principles of responsible tourism, as enshrined in the charter of the Association for Responsible Tourism in Bhutan. This means that all our guests are informed about the different ways in which they can contribute to the local environment.

In particular, we focus on ensuring that we adhere to the following criteria:

– We select accommodations, restaurants, and transport providers that demonstrate sustainable environmental stewardship, using local materials and produce whenever possible.
– We pay close attention to the impact of travel on seasonal, natural, and agricultural events (such as harvest periods, plant growth, endangered wildlife, or mating seasons).
– We partner with associations and organizations that select experiences and accommodations based on energy sourcing and consumption, favouring local and sustainable energy suppliers.
– We also attend trade shows with them and select local vendors together, further encouraging sustainable energy practices within the local community.

We take only small groups, with a maximum of 4 to 12 people, to help minimize the impact on the environment.

People

We have always believed that tourism should be an industry that seeks to make a low impact on the natural environment and local culture, while also helping to generate income and employment for local people and promoting the conservation of local ecosystems. Responsible tourism should be both ecologically and culturally sensitive.

Local communities have a major role to play in sustainable tourism. It involves local people participating actively and taking responsibility within the tourism industry. During our trips, we use local products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, drinks, and other essentials by purchasing them from locally sourced providers, enabling local communities to generate income. We also encourage local people to sell authentic handmade handicrafts or simply interact with tourists to provide them with a genuine understanding of the local culture.

In Bhutan, the tourism royalty, which is approximately 35 percent of your tour payment paid to the Government of Bhutan, is your contribution towards ensuring the sustainability of Bhutan’s public services, including free education and healthcare services. Tourism earnings therefore benefit the people of Bhutan by improving their quality of life.

We are in partnership with the registered charity organization Chhahari Group Nepal. Ten percent of our profits goes to this charity organization, and we also support educational and medical supplies. The organization has been serving Nepalese society since 2001. Most of the projects funded by them directly benefit local communities that have suffered from natural disasters or political issues. Many other projects also directly or indirectly benefit our citizens, such as orphanage homes, community schools, health camps, and scholarship programs.

At present, they are helping to run a free community school for children from very poor families who cannot afford to send their children to school.