In the given time and age, people have developed more interest in trekking in India. People love to explore the beauty of nature and spend some time in the lap of the giant Himalayan Mountains. Every year the count of debut or the beginner trekkers is increasing which leads the trekking trails to become over-saturated. As a responsible citizen, the best thing that one can do to preserve the natural beauty of our country is to choose an eco-friendly trekking organization to trek sustainably.
Why one should book a trek from an eco-friendly trekking organization in India
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Practices that Make Any Hiking Company a Sustainable Trekking Organization in India
There are thousands of trek companies in India but only a few follow the sustainability measures to protect the environment. Many small practices can be followed by the trek companies in India to trek sustainably.
Leave No Trace Principle
If a trekking company follows NO Trace Principles then only it can be called a sustainable trekking organization in India. There are set of principles that have a common aim and that is of leaving the trekking trails as they were before walking. So, the core goal is that the trails should have the most minimum impact of your footfall.
Notice, Observe and Analyse the Trails While Trekking
Observe what is done with the disposal food plates, tissue papers, snacks empty packets, etc. Are they thrown away anywhere on the trekking trail? Or they are collected by the trekking company staff and thrown away at the designated dustbins.
Observe the below points before and after the campsites are pitched
Check if the tents were pitched at the right location without doing any harm to the meadows. The flora and vegetation of the area is as it is as before Is there any bio-degradable or non-biodegradable waste left? The basic goal is to leave the campsites as they were before you trekked to the place, hence there should be no waste left there.
Enquire about what is being done with the waste collected at each campsite
You have to be extra careful while checking this. The ideal thing to do is to carry the waste throughout the trek and dispose of it after reaching the base point. But to avoid carrying the extra luggage while on the trek, many trek operators bury the waste on the trekking trails.
Check for the Camping Model Being Followed by the Trek Organizations
Majorly there are two sorts of camping models like fixed camps and rolling camps. The model that goes in favour of the Leave No Trace principle is the rolling camp model. In rolling camp, you carry your tent from campsites to campsites. The camp is hooked on the campsites and then dismantled when you move further with your trek. Fixed camps simply mean that tents are fixed at each campsite for the entire trekking season. This is not appropriate for nature but most trek companies opt for this model as well as it saves time, cost, and energy.
Number of Batches, Trail, and the Group Size
In India, we don’t have any regulatory agency to check the count of trekking in India and hence there is no cap on the number of people and groups that a trek batch should contain.
This is the sole reason why most destinations of trekking in India are becoming overcrowded. Although the right number of trekkers to be in a group can be very subjective but the Eco-friendly trekking organization always takes care of not burdening the trekking batch. The limit should not only be restricted to the number of people in the batches but also the number of treks for a particular season to a particular trekking destination.
Watch Out for the Additional Eco-friendly activities started by the trekking organizations
It is important to understand that any trekking company is not only interested in doing business with nature but it also believes in giving back to nature. Check out any kind of eco-friendly social initiatives taken by the trek operators. These are a few points that one must observe so that they can be careful further and choose only sustainable trekking organization to trek sustainably for their future hiking.
If you are looking to book a trek from an eco-friendly trek company in India then Ashmita Trek and Tours is one such trekking organization that fulfils all the parameters of being a sustainable trek company. Below are the upcoming sustainable treks by Ashmita Trek and Tours :