Responsible Tourism

Annapurna Trek & Family Home Stay Project

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STOP PRESS: This operator was nominated for the "Best Mountain Operator" in the Responsible Tourism Awards (sponsored by Virgin)

This imaginative itinerary is an example of how to combine adventure and compassion .....providing you lasting memories of the Himalaya and allowing you to make a difference to a community in Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. The first part of your holiday,
In Kathmandu you will have a chance to visit some of the major sights before transferring to your community project. You then have the opportunity to experience a family stay & community project.
What better way to get to know Nepal than stay with a family and work with the local community? If you are happy to muck in and get involved, we hope you will take away from this not only a deep understanding of the culture and way of life, but also a great feeling of satisfaction and an experience to treasure. With strong ethics and a belief in sustainable development you can be sure your volunteer experience will be positive for you and the community you are working with. This is then followed by an introductory trek in the Himalaya walking for five days through beautiful terraced villages and enjoy viewing the majestic Machhappuchare, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna mountains. The highlight of the trek will be a sunrise walk to the view point at Poon Hill, a classic place from which to enjoy the snow capped peaks of the massive Himalaya. You can either join a small group departure or ask us to tailor make a trip according to your specific needs.

Here's what one customer had to say: "This has been the most culturally enriching trip I have ever been on with professional staff who are especially informative. Thank you for allowing me to immerse myself in Nepal. I have been moved by the Nepali people."

Highlights of this tour:

• 15 days ex Kathmandu
• 4 nights city hotel accommodation
• 4 nights community project & family homestay
• Sustainable development approach
• 5 nights lodge based trek
• Maximum Altitude: 3000m
• 4-6 hours daily walking
• 2 days guided sightseeing - highlights of Kathmandu
• Internal flight Pokhara - Kathmandu.

Example of the itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu. Transfer to the hotel & group dinner in a restaurant in the evening. Accommodation: Hotel Bed & Breakfast

Day 2:

Kathmandu guided sightseeing. Today's first destination is the country's most important Hindu temple- Pashupatinath, on the banks of the Bagmati River. The cobbled streets are bustling with ladies selling flowers and colourful Sadhus (holymen). The temple dates back many 100s of years making it one of one of the most important Shiva locations across the Indian sub continent. Our second visit takes us to Boudha, a Buddhist monument and the largest of its kind; you will find yourself mingling with monks in their maroon and saffron robes. You can join the locals to circumumbulate the stupa, bargain for artifacts or absorb the atmosphere from a rooftop restaurant. The rest of the afternoon is free. Evening group dinner at a comfortable and characterful restaurant. Accommodation: Hotel Bed & Breakfast

Day 3-7:Community project work. While working with local residents and community groups on your sustainable development project, you are placed in a home stay to encourage integration and cultural exchange. You will gain an insight into the typical daily life of the Nepali people, and an understanding for the environmental and social issues faced in a developing country. This program allows you to collaborate with locals on a project that develop the community and improve the overall way of life. Typical projects include renewable energy installation & education, renovation of school buildings, and establishing and improving potable water sources or working with children. You do not need any particular skills, only a willingness to participate. There will be a closing ceremony on the final day before transferring back to Kathmandu. In the evening group dinner to celebrate the project and new found friendships.

Day 8: Kathmandu guided sightseeing. Today's first destination is the country's most important Hindu temple- Pashupatinath, on the banks of the Bagmati River. The cobbled streets are bustling with ladies selling flowers and colourful Sadhus (holymen). The temple dates back many 100s of years making it one of one of the most important Shiva locations across the Indian sub continent. Our second visit takes us to Boudha, a Buddhist monument and the largest of its kind; you will find yourself mingling with monks in their maroon and saffron robes. You can join the locals to circumumbulate the stupa, bargain for artifacts or absorb the atmosphere from a rooftop restaurant. The rest of the afternoon is free. Evening group dinner at a comfortable and characterful restaurant. Accommodation: Hotel Bed & Breakfast

Community project work. While working with local residents and community groups on your sustainable development project, you are placed in a home stay to encourage integration and cultural exchange. You will gain an insight into the typical daily life of the Nepali people, and an understanding for the environmental and social issues faced in a developing country. This program allows you to collaborate with locals on a project that develop the community and improve the overall way of life. Typical projects include renewable energy installation & education, renovation of school buildings, and establishing and improving potable water sources or working with children. You do not need any particular skills, only a willingness to participate. There will be a closing ceremony on the final day before transferring back to Kathmandu. In the evening group dinner to celebrate the project and new found friendships.

Kathmandu to Birethanti. Early morning scenic drive to Pokhara over a small pass from where there is amazing view of the Ganesh Himals, the Manaslu Range and even the Annapurnas on a clear day. We follow the Marshyangdi River with great view of the Manaslu mountains ahead of us. Lunch provides an opportunity to absorb the countryside of terraced fields & spot plenty of kingfishers. We continue through Pokhara and drive over a pass at Lumle then descend down to Naya Pul. A short 30 minute walk from here will bring us to Birethanti, our home for the night. Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
Day 9: Birethanti to Ghandrung. We start the morning with a climb out from Birithanti. We then traverse through terraced villages to see traditional rural life in the low altitude areas of the Annapurna Himalayas. The larger of these communities is called Kimche where we may take some refreshments. The local people are self sufficient and hardy working as farmers. As you pass through these medieval type villages you will hear the greeting Namaste from families huddled together in their house entrances. We continue on a steady climb until reaching Ghandrung where we will rest for the night. This town perches on the hillside and is one of the largest settlements of the Gurung people, renowned for their services in the British Gurkha regiments. The Gurung Museum displays items of basic house-hold wares and tools. Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
Day 10: Ghandrung to Tadapani. From here we can see the sun rise on Annapurna South (7219m), Hiu Chuli (6441m) and Machapucchhre (6993m), undoubtedly some of the most beautiful and distinctive mountains of the world. Today's trek is a relatively shorter day allowing you to enjoy the surrounding landscape. The trail climbs gently from Ghandrung, arriving to cross a river, continuing to Bhainsi Kharka, and on through thick rhododendron forest to Tadapani for lunch. In the afternoon we can take an optional nature walk in the forest, in search of resident birdlife. Your group leader will be able to point out and explain both cultural and natural points of interest. Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
Day 11: Tadapani to Ghorepani. The trek continues in lush rhododendron forests to a small tea house. The trail undulates all morning to a clearing called Banthanti then climbs steadily for the rest of the morning to Deurali Pass, a good place for lunch. We arrive on a ridge from where the view is breathtaking. The path then drops down towards the houses of Ghorepani, which means horse watering place. Traditionally this point used to be a main resting place on the trade route between Pokhara and the prosperous Kali Gandaki Valley leading up to Mustang. Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
Day 12: Ghorepani to Tirkhedunga. Early climb up to Poon Hill to view the sunrise over the mountains, one of the highlights of the trek. After breakfast we descend through mossy forests of rhodedendron until Ulleri where we take a lunch break. For the next hour the trail drops steeply down a stone staircase and cross two bridges in order to reach Tirkhedunga, situated above the Bhuringdi Khola. Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
Day 13: Tirkhedunga to Pokhara. Today we walk along the Bhurundi Khola where it is possible to sight Kingfishers, Redstarts, Forktails, Himalayan Dippers, Blue Magpies and Treepies. At Nayapul we meet up with our transport to Pokhara, where we can explore the lakeside, shop or go for a boat ride. Tonight will be our last with the trekking crew, so we can celebrate and say farewell in one of the lakeside restaurants. Accommodation: Hotel Bed & Breakfast
Day 14: Pokhara to Kathmandu. Internal flight to Kathmandu with a bird's eye view of the Himalaya (weather permitting). You arrive at the hotel to enjoy the luxury of fresh change of clothes! We then have a relaxing afternoon in the finest medieval town in Nepal - Bhaktapur. In the 14th - 16th centuries this was the country's capital city and has the finest examples of Newari architecture. The town is studded with shrines and temples, and has a myriad of back streets and Squares to explore. Return to Thamel for an evening of celebration for the last night of the trip. Accommodation: Hotel Bed & Breakfast
Day 15: Depart Kathmandu.

The benefits you bring in making this journey:

We are a non commercial organisation specialising in travel within the Himalaya. The company's primary objective is to provide first class experiences which in turn generate income for development projects in Nepal which support environmental and educational development. We can therefore offer you a rare and unique opportunity to visit this spectacular Himalayan Kingdom knowing that all profits generated will be invested in local charitable projects.

We take great pride in the fact that we are doing the right thing by you our customers, by our staff, and by the people, country and environment in which we operate.

All our holidays have the same core 5 values:
• We are a non commercial organisation donating 100% of profits to charitable projects in Nepal.
• We will pay to twice the commercial cost carbon balance your international flights to Nepal's renewable energy agency BSP.
• Through a committed environmental policy we work to ensure minimal impact of our activities
• Have a simple and fair pricing policy with no extras- price us up against other companies!
• Have a fair and ethical employment policy which is committed to employing local staff and paying fair wages.
If you are ready for a change in the way you approach your holiday, we believe no-one else can offer you a better option.

In addition, on all our volunteer & trekking holidays offer the option for free filtered water, which is provided to customers to ensure minimal environmental impact of use of firewood to boil water or plastic bottles which can not be re-cycled. We issue all clients with a rubbish bag - all waste items are collected in the bag and removed from the mountains so that they can be disposed of safely and responsibly. Where there is a choice we will only use teahouses that use renewable energy fuel stoves and water heating systems such as biogas and solar energy.

This holiday takes you to off the beaten track locations and thereby generates much needed economy to those who are less well off.
Credibility: Our group leaders attend professional mountaineering training with Nepal Mountaineering Association / European Alpine clubs. They also have Mountain Leadership and Mountain Safety & first aid training provided by KEEP (Kathmandu Environmental Education Project is a registered non-governmental organisation, working to support sustainable tourism in Nepal). We pride ourselves on paying wages higher than commercial organisations and limit the loads that our porter staffs carry. Equally the assistant Sherpa staffs all receive training in English language and eco-trekking.

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