Our “Responsible Travel”

Nepal, being a multi-cultural nation, has a very unique way of life and values, which should be respected and conserved. We believe that our activities should benefit the society in some way or another and hence we at NTH are committed to follow cultural and traditional norms that exist in the areas that we visit and also support them economically in whatever ways we can. Our support is given to the Annapurna villages of the Myagdi district by promoting them as a community eco-tourism area that is working for their sustainable development, empowerment and to create opportunities for education and employment.

Annapurna-Dhaulagiri community eco-lodge treks

NTH is the pioneering company of this treks, Annapurna-Dhaulagiri community ecolodge treks (ADCELTs) and is promoting, and operating in Myagdi district’s communities for their sustainable approach and conservation of cultural and natural heritage. The majority of the trip cost stays in the communities and almost all the arrangements are in association with community. The economic benefits are not just like those other commercial areas would be getting, where most tourists and private businessmen benefit more than the communities or the area they are in. Our aim is to create model eco-treks where the community and visitor benefit – a win-win situation for everyone!

We are currently running three main eco-treks in with community-based participation, where community developments get priority, so they can support education and vocational training for all, create employment opportunities by tourism and develop organic farming and Nepali paper making etc.

Environmental responsibilities

In this ever-changing world, it’s not easy for Nepal to maintain and keep the natural environment intact in order to support the demands of the ever growing population. This is inevitable but the worse thing is that the environment is degrading at a swift pace due to lack of proper education and awareness efforts.

We, at NTH, understand and are committed to environmental conservation efforts. Hence, we educate and train our staff to conserve and value the environment strictly and inform them that they should try not to do anything to spoil the environment in the areas that we visit. We try our best to keep the place as intact as we found it and even make it cleaner than before. Non-bio-degradable waste is brought back and disposed of properly. Floras and faunas are left undisturbed.

We brief our clients not litter or pick any rare plants or flowers along the trail, and request them to assist in our efforts to teach staff about the importance of conserving the fragile environment and nature.

Conservation responsibilities

It is important to be able to explore nature, its vastness and its beauty, but it is equally important to promote the conservation of nature, educate and raise awareness regarding its inseparable relation with all living and non-living things. We, at NTH, are truly committed and dedicated to support the programmes undertaken by various conservation organizations such as Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT), and Friendsofbird (FoB), to conserve, educate and raise awareness about the nature and the environment.

We are a member of these organizations and support them in whatever way we can. At the same time, we also appeal to our clients to support them, in their own ways, so that together we can make a difference.

NTH is a corporate member of Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) that is working for the conservation of birds with community participation.

NTH is also a corporate member of Friendsofbird (FoB), a forum that promotes the conservation and awareness of birds and their importance in Kathmandu and the surrounding area. Staff from NTH is actively involved in the work of FoB to promote awareness of the wealth of birds and nature.

This is a way we can assist and give our support for the work of the responsible organization of Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT) that is involved in the conservation of the rivers of Nepal. We provide US$ 2 from each trip sale to NRCT for their conservation work. Though this is a very small amount, it is worthwhile in supporting every aspect of their conservation effort.   We hope to increase our support in future.

Carbon offsetting

Global warming and climate change are the results of continuous changes in nature which, although is a very slow natural process, human activity is causing it to accelerate at an alarming pace, impacting the environment and natural biodiversity in often negative ways. This is threatening biodiversity that will disappear from this planet for forever. Therefore it’s our responsibility to act and behave sensibly. Here are few things we try to do to offset the harmful effects of climate change:

• In the office, we have replaced all our lighting to the more energy efficient light bulbs and make sure all office lighting is switched off after office hours.
• We have replaced most of our computer screens with much more energy-efficient flat screens in all offices and we do not use screensavers.
• We educate our staff about how they can save energy in their homes.
• We recycle and try to use recycled paper in all photocopy/printers in all our offices.
• We encourage the use of land transportation rather than air transportation by our staff and clients for travelling to and from treks.

Collectively, we can make a difference for sure! 

Membership

NTH is also a member and supports other responsible organizations such as:

1. Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN)
2. Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)
3. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
4. Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), and
5. Asia Pacific Ecotourism Society ( APES)