Ever since the Himalayas were opened to “modern tourism” in the 1950s, an ever- increasing number of tourists have travelled here to experience some of the most impressive scenery in the world. This has brought several benefits to the country. Only in Nepal, the tourism sector has employed roughly 750,000 people and has contributed the GDP by about 6.5 %. It has also helped growth in various sectors, such as horticulture and handicrafts.
Of course there have been some negative impacts too. Tourism has had an impact on the ecology of the area. However, at Hi On Life Adventures, we believe that we can bring positive impact from tourism. We can bring benefits to the local communities, help preserve the environment, provide a better understanding of our cultural differences with a positive social exchange.
Hi On Life Adventures follows a minimum impact code to support sustainable tourism.
• We operate only small groups- this minimizes impact on the ecology.
• Our staffs are as important to us as our travelers; therefore we ensure the welfare and safety of all our guides, sherpas and porters. We provide good wages, food and accommodation while on trek and accident/ medical insurances. We also understand that proper clothing and gears are the most important requirement for our staff to work on harsh outdoor conditions. We provide top quality Gore-Tex suits, down jackets, thermal under wears, soft shells, warm hats and gloves, boots and glacier crampons to our sherpas and porters. Thank you Swedemount for sponsoring a major part of the gears for our staff! We are probably the first and only company in Nepal who provides down sleeping bags to our porters. On the trek, our clients have appreciated that Hi On Life staff really stands out, not only on professionalism but also the best clothed and geared.
• Hi On Life Adventures has played an active role in contributing to the welfare of the local community. At the moment we are working on our project to build a school in the remote village of Thade in the Okhal Dhunga district of Nepal. Click Thade school project.
• Garbage disposal- On all our expeditions and camping treks we collect and burn all our paper wastes and bring back other garbage such as empty cans, bottles, plastics and batteries etc. or dispose them on designated disposal sites provided by the Area Conservation Projects.
• We are supporting a campaign called Freemalaya, which is a campaign against the use of plastic bags and bottles in the Himalayas. We encourage our clients to use boiled water or other water purifying products like iodine and chlorine. We also carry a couple of “steripen”, which is a water purifying pen that works on UV rays killing the germs in the water without negotiating with the taste of the healthy mountain stream water.