There is little that I enjoy more than trekking in the Himalaya. By now I spent more than a hundred hiking days in these mountains and explored most of the well-known routes by myself or with my friend, Surya, who has been a mountain guide in Nepal for more than 25 years. The sheer size of the mountains makes me humble, and they remind me how insignificantly small I am in this world. My first jointly guided Shanti Trek with Surya around the Manaslu (read my blog) and into the Tsum Valley (read my blog) last year in November was by far the highlight of my work as a guide. My whole purpose of becoming a mountain leader was to bring guests to the Himalaya, show them nature’s biggest treasure and let them be amazed and humble at the same time. I am so incredibly proud and happy that this is already an essential part of Shanti Treks by now.

Yet, I understand that the last Shanti Trek was long and quite hard with 19 days of trekking and also difficult by going to heights of over 5000 meters (read my blog about crossing Larkya Pass here). Hence, I discussed with Surya to offer a more moderate trek next where we hike for ten days in the Everest region in lower altitudes (all info & booking here). Whilst I understand that most people can only take two weeks of holiday, I want to encourage my guests to stay longer and explore this beautiful country. Hence, I put together an itinerary for an additional optional week after the trek (all info & booking here). And therefore, I went to Chitwan National Park to explore it first-hand myself before taking you there in November.

Surya is originally from the Annapurna region close to Pokhara, yet he has been living for almost ten years in the Terrai and next to Chitwan National Park. The Park is Nepal’s first National Park founded in 1973, and it became a World Heritage Site in 1983 after being the royal hunting grounds for centuries. It is extraordinarily rich in wildlife, and I was excited to explore it during a visit of Surya’s family in early March. I thought I was mainly coming for an outdoor adventure, which in the end turned into an intense cultural experience and one of my favourite memories of my five-month trip to South Asia.  

One of my highlights was definetly a visit to a nearby school a day before the Holi festival. Surya has helped built this school for underpriviliged students and voluntarily works there as a Scout leader. I was not really aware of his charitable work but immediately noted the warm welcome and love the children and staff showed him when we entered the premises. The kind greeting was immediately extended to me, and I was made the guest of honour during this festival of colours, love, equality and spring that signifies the triumph of good over evil. Staff and students alike enjoyed covering me in colours and asked me to the dance floor. Two things I really do not mind! It will not be Holi, but I promise a cheerful afternoon of play and laughter when we take you there for a visit in November.

I also loved my wholeday walking safari in the National Park. Across the street from Surya’ house is Bishnu’s safari lodge that he runs with his brother. Both have gone on safari with their father, who has been know for an excellent bird watching expert, since their childhood. The lodge is simple but heartwarmingly welcoming by Bishnu’s wife, who is an excellent chef, and their kids. Getting to know the family gave a special personal touch to the whole safari experience.

The magic of the early morning on our walking tour captured me immediately. The air was brisk and the animals just came alive. In the silence of walking through the community forest we heard peacooks, birds, monkeys and a little roar far in the distance. It felt like right out of the junglebook. After walking to the nearby river directly from Bishnu’s lodge, we embarked on a one-hour boatride watching rare species of birds, such as kingfisher, flying up and down the riverbank. I enjoyed the quietness that the traditional wodden boat allowed for (no motor!), which did not bother the alligators and rhinos that were lying in the water not far from us. It felt unusual being so close to the animals yet like such a raw experience at the same time.   

We got off on the other side of the river and continued walking into the National Park where we soon found footprints of leopards, sloth bears and the tiger. Bishnu was very knowledgable, and it was beautiful to see how passionate he is about his work. He led us to great hidden spots where we waited for wildlife to come. Whilst having lunch we watched rhinos coming to the water, grasing and having a bath. In the end, we did not see the tiger but just before exiting the park we saw a sloth bear slowly walking through the bushes – something not even Surya had seen before!

I am aware that we were entering a sensitive eco system and I wondered about the impact our walk had on the wildlife thinking whether this is something I want to offer with Shanti Treks. On the entire walking tour through the jungle we did not see another tourist group and I felt like part of the environment. The animals often did not notice us in the distance and had enough time to retreat. Safaris are one of the main income of the local community and Bishnu explained that tourism is a main driver for local people to keep protecting the jungle and its wildlife. Hence, in  my opinion a walking safari strikes a balance between supporting the local community and not disturbing the wildlife too much. I feel differently about jeep safaris, which on the one side disturb wildlife and on the other side give you the feeling of being an intruder.

It is a fine line between protecting and exploiting nature, and I am constantly weighing up the pros and cons of my tour offers. I generally think that it is important to take people on adventures in nature to show them what is worth protecting. At home, most people have never seen a glacier and do not know how dramatically the Alps are affected by climate change. Equally, in Nepal most people have not been to the Himalaya and do not know how sensitive its eco system is.

Offering trekking tours in Nepal requires my guests to fly long-distance for a relatively short holiday. Hence, I have previously been asked how these tours are in line with my aim to be a sustainable business. To a certain extent I agree they are not. However, by not offering such tours I will not stop long-distance travels. Yet, by offering more sustainable tours, such as avoiding inland flights, extending the trekking holiday by a week or by going on walking safaris instead of jeep safaris, I hope to raise awareness of how to adjust travelling to be more environmentally friendly.

If you want to hear more about my efforts to travel more sustainably, have a different opinion on sustainable travel or further recommendations how to become more sustainable, I would be keen to hear from you! Please drop me a message here or contact me via e-mail at info(at)shantitreks.com.