The Himalayas are calling!

Puran Bhardwaj

Sustainable Tourism is a force for good, to bring a positive change amongst rural communities in The Himalayas and to change our holiday lifestyle.

Age-old skills and survival ways:

This village are struggling to find a balance between old and new and on top earthquakes and poverty is gripping them deeper and deeper into a struggle to survive. Many old skills and occupations are being neglected as big corporate companies, market and force their cheap and modified produce in. Village tailor, shoemaker or snack maker is going out of work, while the new generation rushes for an expensive packet of crisps or a product made by machines in the outside world. Every hard-earned penny is sent by villagers to these companies to gain a prepaid phone or any electric or plastic device.

Skills are dying and villages are losing something so precious, which has been kept alive by their ancestors for centuries.

So the villagers' struggle in this environment and chemical and other outside bombardment is ruining the land and its proceeding.

Poverty and Struggle:

Still 40 million people in India without electricity still and Nepal has more struggles than this. India has 39% of the world's poverty. While the rest of the world talks about the high life and economic growth in these countries, truth is far beyond. The gap between poor and rich is still rising and millions have no food to eat or basic facilities. Mountain schools still lack basic material for education. Some of the school has no roof or playgrounds, and even no mats to sit or blackboards, let alone the smart white blackboards like British schools or computer booted facilities.

Leadership Programs Everyone with Expedition Leaders:

Our international expeditions to the Himalayas are building the bridge between the communities and providing special leadership programs for students and travellers to become future Leaders.

2 to 3 weeks tailor-made expeditions will include a community project supported by Asra Charity as well as it provides a real insight into the Himalayan culture and life. A hiking trip through the foothills or a trekking trip in the high Himalayas gives on the physical challenge as well as opportunity to lead and take a role of Leaders each day. Making choices and taking decisions within the team are the skills learned. Interactions with local students and villagers give the eye-opening experiences for life to our students to build their future on. So these trips not only helping these remote communities but provides insight and deeper foundation for the western students as they explore the history, old monuments, Raj connections and other fascinating smells, unknown languages, culture and chaotic scenes on the distant lands.