Himalayan Ecological Trekking (P). Ltd is a local, Nepalese tour operator for all kinds of trekking in Nepal and Tibet. Since 1995 we organise treks and tours on all the popular routes like Everest, Annapurna, and Langtang as well as in all remote trekking areas, from Kanchenjunga in the east to Dolpo and Humla in the west of Nepal. Our guides are experienced and are well familiar also with the less popular routes in remoter parts of the country. We are one of the few companies that have experience with the Great Himalayan Trail that not many guides in Nepal have completed in its entirety. We are moreover specialized in tours and treks in Tibet (like the Mt Kailash trek). Although our major market is Europe historically - especially Germany, Switzerland, and Austria - our clients come from all around the world.
We are well known not only for providing a high standard of service for the trekking groups but also for social fairness and ecological responsibility are key principles of our company. Since our establishment, nature has been our concern and the preservation of our cultural and natural heritage. We live by our slogan “leave nothing behind except joy” – making sure to leave behind clean camping grounds and that rubbish is either burnt or brought back to dispose of properly. On our treks, we use as much as possible local, fresh food and we never bring canned food items. Using local fresh food not only reduces rubbish and transport but also supports the local farmers.
Part of social fairness is also paying liveable, fair salaries to our staff (guides and porters). All our staff has insurance coverage for the trips. We are convinced that client happiness and staff satisfaction are closely connected – in order to make the client happy and to provide the best service, also staff needs to be content and motivated. We are aware that many low-cost trekking tours are being offered as well, often not abiding by government regulations though this is not transparent for clients. Often tax is evaded, staff (guides and porters) are paid less than the legally mandated rates and they may not be covered by insurance. With less than liveable wages and the rising costs of living also in Nepal, staff may then often be forced to look for alternative income on the way, which may also adversely affect the trekking experience and service provided to clients. The stories of fake helicopter rescue, for example, and high commissions being shared by trekking agencies and rescue service providers have hit also the international news and may still be remembered.
We are proud, that since 1995 we could build up and extended 7 different schools in remote villages, that we have given support to an orphanage school in Kathmandu, that we realized a micro-hydro project, and that we organized several health camps with international and Nepalese doctors and nurses in the hill area. Moreover, we founded the organization Porter's Progress, which provides trekking equipment for all trekking porters in Nepal.