Nepal small group holiday

Environment

Nepal is a beautiful and welcoming country which is a joy to explore. As well as visiting the country’s most famous sites, we get off the beaten track to really give us a flavour of local life, visiting villages and helping to contribute to more remote local communities that many trips pass by.

We also visit the incredible Chitwan National Park. The park has a long history of biodiversity conservation, with the government and the local community working closely together to maintain and protect the magnificent wildlife and flora. Game drives are by jeep instead of on elephant back, and we ensure we strictly abide by park regulations at all times to minimise disruption to the wildlife we have come to see.

As part of our trip to the Chitwan National Park we employ a trained local naturalist to help you to understand the biodiversity of the region and the important species of birdlife and animals that inhabit the Park.

One of the hotels used on the trip is the Old Inn at Bandipur which overcomes the problem of electricity shortages with the use of solar power and candles! Completely sustainable in a fragile environment.

We do not fly within Nepal, preferring bus transport and walking wherever possible. Our groups are small – never more than 16 people so the environmental impact is greatly reduced.

Community

Our local partner in Nepal is a small family-run business, and our Nepalese tour leaders have a strong love for their country and a strong desire to share their culture and traditions with visitors. We run dedicated training courses for them, as an investment both in their future and ours, and there is a strong focus on responsible tourism practices so that our trips run in accordance with our code of practice. For example, at the start of each trip they provide guidance concerning local customs and culture to ensure that local sensibilities are understood and respected, and advice on how to minimise plastic use is given.

Where possible, our accommodation is independently run and locally-owned ensuring that the income generated from our visit is spread amongst the local communities we visit.

In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our UK Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators. We acknowledge that air travel has a negative impact on our environment, so we work together with Cool Earth to offset carbon and protect our important rainforests