Nepal is an ultimate destination of mysticism and the Crystal Mountains. Nepal’s diversity and welcoming spirit have drawn in enchanted travelers for years. Many travel agencies from local to international are promoting various beautiful places to attract tourists and foreign investors which are vulnerable as Nepal is a developing country. They think that Tourism is the main revenue to build a better economy. However, without maintaining sustainable practices, tourist traffic might end up destroying all those natural beauties.
Himalayan Wander Walkers strongly support outdoor ethics. It is our mission to travel in
a way so that conserves the nature our clients visit and be able to give back to the very communities. Travel agencies and the tourist both can work together so that sustainable tourism can benefit in multiple ways to the destination that tourists visit.
“RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL= A DIFFERENT WAY TO TRAVEL THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE”
How does Himalayan Wander Walkers practice Responsible Tourism?
Being a local travel company, we have a particular responsibility for the practice of Responsible Tourism in Nepal. The rich culture, indigenous tradition, and unpolluted environment are the core values of preservation, so that future generations can enjoy the essence of what Nepal represents. Though our influence is limited, we are proud to be one of the first local companies that implement the practices of Responsible Tourism in Nepal. We follow a set of policies to address the company’s responsibility towards society and nature which is possible only when both the travelers and local tour operators work together.
From HWW Side
All our trips are organized in an environmentally acceptable way
Whenever our trip advisers/creators customize any itinerary, they emphasize concerns about the protection and preservation of places, cultures, and environments. We organized treks and tours are within the marked trails following the rules of the community and outdoor ethics.
Opportunity for Employment
Himalayan Wander Walkers is a Nepal based Travel Company, using local partners, staff, suppliers, and businesses with sustainable philosophies, thus ensuring resources and wealth remain within the country, helping to build Nepal’s economy.
Give back to communities
HWW team is passionate about meeting people and exploring different places in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Mongolia. Our experience and discovery brought us an ideology for sustainable tourism. During our trekking, we do support local communities by providing stationaries to the monks in monasteries and students in remote schools. currently, the Himalayan Wander Walkers team is looking for a better project, especially in the education sector. Tours or treks with HWW, you are actively supporting the ideology that international travel, when facilitated consciously and responsibly, can have profoundly positive impacts on the communities we visit, the wilderness we explore, and the people who participate.
We strictly follow the “Leave No Trace 7 Principle”
Nature is the best gift that we human beings have received and it has so much to offer us in different ways. We all should stand for the preservation of natural resources intentionally. Due to the increased population, a huge portion of vegetation is being destroyed for various purposes. As human beings, it is our responsibility to maintain the natural habitat and living conditions of the wildlife and farm animals. In short, minimize the wastage and never do something that harms the nature on the trail or any destination that you visit and give our future generation a chance to experience the same thing that we have. Don’t be too greedy and think of our future generation too.
We respect our team members
Respecting our own staff is our basic outdoor code. We do insurance to our guides and porters for their safety during the unpredictable calamities that commonly happen in the mountain regions of Nepal. We pay fair wages to guides, porters, and office staff according to government law. We also provide safety kits for them during the trip days. Alongside our own principles, we ask our clients to respect our representatives.
We do provide training to our staff during the offseason
Besides the training provided by authorized government bodies, Himalayan Wander provides workshops and training to staff for better performance in their duties during the offseason. In addition to that, we do encourage our staff to participate in various skill development programs which are held at the national and international level.
From Our Guest/Client's Side
Nepal is a unique and special travel destination, one that can only be seen by kind eyes and gentle hearts. Ancient cultures and traditions, fragile mountain environments, rare and endangered flora and fauna are worth protecting and preserving for future generations. As a traveler to Nepal, you can make a difference and ensure that your journey has a positive impact on the places you travel to and the people you meet. Being a Responsible Traveler requires you to think about the way that you are involved in the world and the impact that your actions have on others. There is a range of ways you can make sure that you are a Responsible Traveler. Himalayan Wander Walkers always introduce our travel responsibilities to guests/clients during the briefing session before starting any tour or trek.
Buy Locally
We always appreciate our clients with local products by going local. We use most of the products from the destination itself while trekking in the Himalayas or touring in the cities of Nepal, Tibet Bhutan, and Mongolia. When you are on tour buy your souvenir from local shops and taste the local foods which you will not experience after returning to your home country. In that way, you are contributing to local communities directly. We strongly advise you not to purchase products that are part of the cultural heritage or made from endangered species. Bargaining is a personal skill but always remember that both parties are happy with the deal.
Minimized their wastage
Pollution is the major problem in Nepal where garbage management is not properly done. So, bottled water is cheap and readily available in many developing countries, but there are no recycling facilities to deal with the plastic bottles left behind. If you buy plastic water bottle means you are adding to the problem, use your own refillable bottle that is also available to buys everywhere in the markets and treat the water to ensure it is safe to drink. Himalayan Wander Walkers's crew members always carry extra empty portable bag to collect the garbage from our guests while they are in the mountain for the trek. In the evening the collected wastage will put into the dustbin at the tea house.
Respect local norms and culture
Whether you are in a remote or cities always respect what you see during your tour. You can ask for information regarding the place, culture, plants, or anything that is new to you but leave it where it belongs. Make sure all your rubbish is disposed of appropriately, and if you don't find any trash bin then please keep it with yourself, and take it back to your hotel or tea house.
Be sensitive when taking a photo
Do I need to ask for a person to take a photo? But many ordinary people in the remote area don’t like taking pictures of them without permission where the celebrities and politicians love getting their pictures taken, at least when they are spiffed up and looking good. So, to respect their privacy please do ask them before you take their photo.
Travel in a small group
It is obvious that a low volume of travelers has a low impact on the destination. Traveling in a small group is the best way of preserving vulnerable and beautiful places that are experienced in Nepal. Himalayan Wander Walkers always encourage traveling in a small group like family, friends, and couple.
"Let’s be responsible travelers for better places for people to live in and better places to visit for our future generations."
