How to Trek Himalayas Responsibly

by Althaf M Yoonus Digital Marketing Executive

60 years ago, the first attempt to climb the mighty mount Everest was done. From then, till now many mountaineers and travelers have tried to conquer the Himalayan feat. Right now, they have become more accessible to explore and the fear looming around the mountains is slowly vanishing.

Taking the himalayan vacation is every traveler's dream. Himalaya compresses world-famous treks and mountain summits that would challenge all factors of fear. Traveling to the Himalayas is not just about trekking or fun but is an environmentally and socially responsible journey to the highest ecosystem in the world. The indigenous fauna and flora cover the Himalayas, additionally the main source of Asia's finest rivers and the mighty Tibetan plateau that influences the Indian monsoon makes it a beautiful lap of nature. Travelers throng here for trekking and hiking almost all time, over the year, so it's important for travelers to be careful and responsible. Even though urbanization has started to hit the Himalayan valleys, there are still places untouched and pure. While budgeting a cheap vacations to Himalayas, one should understand the need of protecting and maintaining the Himalayas in its natural way and every traveler needs to environmentally responsible to maintain the natural sanity of the place.

The Himalayas are considered to be mighty Gods and Everest the mother protecting them all, by the people living in the footsteps of the hills. They pray to them and worship them, therefore its the duty of every traveler reaching there to do the same, respect and explore the nature responsibly.

Trekking has a social and environmental impact on the whole Himalayan ecosystem. You might be thinking how? We, as travelers, always have a dying wish to explore the unexplored and so we end up creating new beaten tracks, ignoring the tracks that already exist. We’re basically destroying nature by making room for others to come behind us and contribute some more to that destruction.

Maybe our greatest mistake is the way we experience nature these days. We try to experience traditional cultures without giving up on the comforts we are provided with. And the truth is we often feel disappointed when villages or valleys adopt to modern amenities. 'Himalayan task' is now only in books and trekking the Himalayas is now more accessible than it used to be. The Everest peak is no longer a nemesis to travelers, but an attainable feat for a professional mountaineer who is dedicated enough.

As said earlier, with rich content of flora and fauna, a lap of cultural and natural heritage makes the place an incredible destination for tourism. The environment around the Himalayas is very delicate which needs to preserved rather than adopting or changing it to the ways of the western world or making the place a victim of cultural appropriation.

The solution for all these are, either sustainable tourism or ecotourism. The ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) is trying to maintain a balance between tourism and the natural environment. They are trying better ways to preserve the space while welcoming everyone to the Himalayas.

The main 3 objectives of the ACAP are sustainability, people’s participation in protecting the environment, and conservation. The biological diversity of ACAP is trying to keep up with the cultural vividity of the place. Their efforts in sustainable tourism are immeasurable and thus urges every traveler heading to the Himalayas needs to be responsible too.

When looking for himalayan vacation packages, book with travel experts who are aware of the situation and provides you itinerary supporting the valley. Arild Molstad, an author and advisor on sustainable tourism for institutions says, “Ecotourism can provide the best development assistance a country can get, but it’s not happening right now in Nepal,”. There are many startups working on eco-tourism and sustainable tourism like kimkim, which is trying to give travelers a more informed, customized, and holistic experience while trekking to the Himalayas.

Every 'preserving the Himalayan campaign' asks you to think about the environment, do whatever you can to keep it safe by recycling. Leaving a plastic bottle or a non-degradable object might be so little concern for you but think of it if everyone does the same.