There has been a lot of boom in the Trekking Industry and every other person who has trekked once or twice in the Himalayas opens up a new venture in the Adventure Travel Industry these days, with a few local contact. It works not just as a side income for a few of them but also helps them break the monotony of their corporate life and relieve stress. On the other hand, the volume of trekkers in our Country has exploded significantly. Unlike in our times or that of our seniors, when only a few people used to venture deep into the Himalayas, now everyone wants to trek. While we absolutely do not have any problem with mushrooming trek companies or loads of trekkers venturing deep in the Himalayas, we do have problems with the way they do it and their irresponsible and insensible practices.
Continuing the current practices, we are very sure that in the near future, our future generations won't be able to enjoy the Himalayas as we do today. Thinking practically, even we actually do not get to experience the Himalayas as the way our brothers or fathers did in the past. No, I am not talking about Global Warming and other menaces deteriorating the forest cover and melting glaciers. That's obviously there, but I am talking about the ruined ambiance of trekking deep in the Himalayas, the unwanted noises, DJ parties, drinking parties, smoking parties, campfires, big unmanageable groups, litters all over, fixed camps ruining the meadows, etc. Oh, I can go on and on!
While in the past we or our seniors ventured respectfully into the mountains and have crafted so many new routes and showed us the way to love the Himalayas as well as to take care of it, even after venturing deep into the Himalayas, nowadays, everyone wants to trek in the Himalayas not but be responsible for their damaging footprints. People come and go back from the Himalayas without being able to recall the name of the campsites they spent a night in, forget about understanding and respecting local sentiments and culture, or clearing up the campsite before they leave, or the trail they pass through. Not knowing how to pack their rucksack well, or learning other nitty-gritty of trekking, wanting to trek in a huge group to socialize, making noise, partying, spreading litter, acting insensibly, being overdemanding, etc., and then finally coming back to the pseudo society on the internet to share their experience and become a hero! All this without even understanding the sport or the place that they went to or slept overnight in because to understand the Himalayas, you need silence, solitude, and rawness which comes at a cost and sacrifice.
Secondary problem is, with a multifold increase in this quality of trekkers, there must be companies who should stand up to their demand and make money out of it. This has turned a Specialized SERVICE industry of ADVENTURE TOURISM into a PRODUCT industry. Yes, trekking tour nowadays has become similar to that of buying potato or fish from the market. The cheaper you get, the better. The bigger the group, the better coz there will be more FUN! Even in the fish or vegetable market, the larger quantities you buy, the cheaper you get. The lower the quality, the more noise in the market, and the cheaper is the price!
This phenomenon is not only degrading the quality of trekking in the Himalayas but even locals are losing on their ground as they either lose it to big companies who dominate the cost and sell at a much cheaper cost due to their command of social media and other marketing and communication efforts. Few of the local agencies compete with these companies and offer further cheaper prices. Who loses in this race ?? Well, good trekkers and the Himalayas lose in this race and competition. There are many incidences of people dying on a trek due to lack of safety measures. I am not mentioning the mismanagement of a trek here keeping it to your imagination.
Such are the consequences of this problem that I am having to write about it on our website and put it up in the header as well. Well, our peace too is important in order to serve you well!
WHO SHOULD NOT CHOOSE US
- Trekkers looking to travel in big groups with over 20 members. Our maximum group size for the very few fixed departures that we do is 15 members, though we prefer 12. If you are a school/college/organization, there is an exception and you may trek with us in multiple back-to-back batches.
- Indisciplined Adults wanting to be unrealistic Bollywood Stars in the mountains and not abiding by our policies.
- Trekkers looking for organized parties, games, and big campfires on the trek. We won't entertain any such request. Yes, we will help if you want us to arrange a special bird-watching guide, a photography expert to assist you on the trek, or a mountaineer to teach you skills of the sport.
- Trekkers looking to smoke up and go wild drinking alcohol on the trek. If we are deceived and we find it, your trek ends right there without any refund.
- Trekkers with a 'know-it-all' attitude and not listening to our Trek Leaders or causing problems to other trekkers in the team. You Should Trek on your own rather.
- Trekkers disregarding our Safety Protocol with a 'Chalta Hai' attitude.
- Trekkers who wish to trek in Jeans, Sneakers, and Low-Ankle Sports Shoes. You should be in a shopping mall, not in the mountains.
- Unfit trekkers straight out of the office desk. There are many other companies to serve you biryanis and samosas on the trek. Not us, please.
- Trekkers wanting us to keep a horse for a backup in case they are not willing to walk.
- Trekkers asking the current girl-to-boy ratio in the group before joining.
- We do not fix our camps, trek like a large flock of sheep, and manage each of our groups very meticulously. Hence we might not meet your 'Market Price' expectations.
- Most importantly, we arrange fixed-departures for only about 1 or 2 treks. Rest we only cater to private groups focusing on experiencing and living a trek rather than just DOING a trek and ticking it off.
We filter our trekkers and not everyone is allowed to trek with our team. We try to form a team of like-minded, hardcore trekkers having respect for the Himalayas, Local Values, Culture, and Religious Practices and possessing a humble attitude towards the locals.