Our Commitment

Experience

After an initial humanitarian immersion in the field and the DISCOVERY of Nepal in 1998, which lasted 3 years, a professional experience in the luxury hotel industry the following year, and a 5th sabbatical year in the field, there were many opportunities to meet new people and discover the country from different angles. All consolidated by a local marriage. But political unrest, and in particular the Maoist guerrillas, meant that we had to return to France, where we cultivated our taste for Nepal for almost 20 years, opening a Nepalese restaurant. And the trips to Nepal will never stop, with the organisation of holidays that have become a beneficial addiction for everyone. The family’s commitment to the local community will continue with humanitarian work in the Annapurna region, the family’s favourite spot. Back since the Covid episode, we are more than ever at your side for new expeditions with a purely local team and/or total family immersion!

Ecology

Our era has seen significant climate change, with major upheavals that have sometimes been catastrophic, and Nepal has not been spared – far from it! Even if we think that our individual actions are insignificant, the fact remains that they contribute to the respect of our earth and that we have a duty to preserve our environment. This is all the more important as we have to set an example alongside the locals, who often don’t have the same ecological awareness, although they do have a different knowledge, and in any case a shared understanding of the impact of climate and ecology.
The planet is bursting at the seams with plastic waste! So we’ve since adopted a different way of consuming and implemented it in our lives, of course, but above all within our company through our environmental policy: waste sorting, everyday products that are as environmentally friendly as possible.
Not forgetting that from time to time we support local NGOs – more info HERE – and we promote the importance of our ethics throughout our adventures to raise awareness of the need for better waste management.
And while ecology means taking care of nature, we also have to consider the flora and fauna, because without them, there would be nothing. That’s why we advocate remote observation in natural environments and suggest accompanying animals as they graze or bathe rather than riding them on safari.

Ecosia – The search engine that plants trees or copy and paste into the site’s address bar: https://info.ecosia.org/

https://info.ecosia.org/

Economy

I’ve always had a strong addiction to bartering, fair trade, the promotion of direct-producer trade and the parallel economic system. Because we travel, we bring with us our purchasing power, and for remote indigenous regions this is often a major source of income, sometimes even the only means of survival! This brings me to our business ethics:

we encourage our customers not to be too ‘thrifty’ depending on the situation, because sometimes a negotiation of a few 100 Nrps won’t have a significant impact on your wallet (because we’re talking about 2-3€ or barely more), but will probably allow the family to pay school fees or buy new school uniforms, or even more simply to save for a future difficult financial moment.
Above all, we are committed to remunerating our teams consistently and fairly, offering them health insurance, support for their children’s schooling, care for their elders, and so on. In short, we are a family first and foremost!
The same goes for the villages we pass along the way, with a personalised local commitment to ‘living better’ with our hosts, taking into account their culture and traditions. – Finally, economic micro-projects are developed from time to time in collaboration with local NGOs – more information HERE – always with great care taken with financial commitments, so as not to create irreversible dependence in a sometimes chaotic situation.

Exchanges

For us, travelling isn’t just about wandering through nature or visiting a museum, it’s also about sharing a moment together: this starts, of course, with our families and groups, but also includes our hosts and the wildlife around us. So don’t hesitate to approach them; you’ll naturally sense whether you’re welcome or whether the moment seems inappropriate. And these are often unforgettable moments of exchange, just as breathtaking as those giant mountains. In any case, don’t hesitate to ask your guide for advice if you have any doubts.
But you’ll get the full measure of our commitment/philosophy when you stop off at schools or community centres to lend your support for an hour or a day, or simply enjoy a local festival.
This is offered on all our trips, as a package or as an extra. Because we firmly believe that by giving a little you get a thousand times more, Nepal will change you!

Accessibility

That’s why we’re keen to make this country, which at first sight seems to be reserved for athletes, accessible to everyone, and we attach particular importance to raising awareness among our teams and partners. This is already a sometimes complicated subject for us, so you can imagine in Nepal! If we talk about accessibility for people with reduced mobility or disabilities, we quickly realise that despite the laws that have also been enacted here, this is not the case. And all this with a fairly meagre health and social system, even if it is true that it has been improving significantly in recent years. Once again, this starts with our personal home and our guest rooms, designed and built according to a certain ecological ethic and accessibility. For over 15 years now, we’ve enjoyed trekking with disabled people, as well as visiting Nepal’s most famous historical sites and many others. We firmly believe that, once again, everyone can make their own contribution, as far as they are able, given the overall context.

NGO

From day one in Nepal, my humanitarian commitment was paramount. But this is a subject with its own particular ethics, and the ways in which it is approached sometimes differ greatly according to personal opinion and experience. Nepal is highly dependent on international humanitarian and economic aid on an ongoing basis. But isn’t the aim to be self-sufficient while maintaining the necessary health and trade exchanges? That’s why we want to be as involved as possible in subjects as varied in theme as they are in value, such as education, health, macro-economics, structural and logistical development and social issues, while always remaining vigilant about the dependence that this implies. We hope you’ll join us in enjoying the benefits, and that you’ll share them with many others!