Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure, a leading Trekking Company in Nepal is pushing hard to include “Manaslu” in the list of “Tea House Trekking Area”.  Recent move in this is the initiation by Himalaya Academy of Travel & Tourism, a Kathmandu based tourism academy and also the training wing of Explore Himalaya, providing courses on Travel & Tourism for more than Five Years, is currently imparting training on “Homestay & Small Lodge Management” to enterprising locals from Manaslu Trekking Area who run home stays and lodges. The training which commenced from July 19th, 2012 was of 15 days.  A total of 31 participants, including 26 from Manaslu area have undergone training in the aforementioned subject as per the syllabus and guidelines prescribed by Nepal Tourism Year, 2011. The venue of the training was Kakani, a tourist Destination located 16 km north-west of Kathmandu at an altitude of 2002m.  Five other Participants from the local village of Kakani and Khotang district also participated in the training.

SNV Nepal, under its program, “High Impact Tourism Training” provided financial and technical support to conduct the training under European Union’s assistance. Kipling Travel, a travel company from Denmark operating tours in Nepal for the last one decade, was another sponsor of the program.  As a leader to this move, Explore Himalaya provided entire technical and logistical support to this training from it’s planning phase till the end. A group of senior Mountain Guides and Cooks from the company were also involved throughout the training to compliment with their experience and knowledge to participants.

Trainees received both Practical and Theoretical training from experts.  A five-day practical training with placements at different Hotels and Guest Houses in Kathmandu was also included. The objective of the training was to train locals from trekking areas like Manaslu where Tea-Houses or basic accommodation facilities for tourists are non-existent, to run and manage home stays and lodges thus facilitating tourists visiting these areas.

The training program officially concluded today with a closing ceremony held at NTB. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Zimba Zangbu Sherpa(President of Nepal Mountaineering Association)who was also the Chief Guest , President of Explore Himalaya and HATT Mr. Suman Pandey and Mr. Subash Niroula , Officiating CEO of Nepal Tourism Board as guest of Honor, Ms Monica Oliveros, leader of HITT and delegates from Nepal Tourism Board, TAAN, etc.  All participants of the training were awarded “Certificate of Attendance” and “Certificate of Appreciation” from the chief guest of the event.

Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure has extended greatest appreciation to SNV Nepal, HATT, HITT, Kipling Travels (Denmark), Nepal Tourism Board for their support in making this training a grand success.

(Briefing for Media persons)

(Trainees getting some useful advice from the expert)

(Getting more tips)

(Trainees getting some practical lessons)

(A journalist interacts with the trainees)

(Group Photo of the Trainees)

(Closing ceremony held at Nepal Tourism board, NTB)

(Participant receiving “Certificate of Appreciation ”  from  Mr. Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, President of Nepal Mountaineering Association)

(Pics: Explore Himalaya) 

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Trek to Manaslu 

Trekking Agencies’ Association Nepal (TAAN) has begun a clean-up drive in the major trekking trails of the country. The campaign was launched from Langtang where a week long clean up drive from June 5th to 10th saw volunteers cleaning up waste and garbage dumped along the trails leading to Gosainkunda and Kanjing Gompa. The collected garbage which weighed around 700 kg was brought to Kathmandu for disposal. The association is planning to organize similar clean-up drives at other trails too with the help of locals.

TAAN (Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal) will be operating two porter shelters at high altitude trekking points of Dingboche and Zongla in Everest Region. The shelters will have subsidized canteens where trekking support staff  enjoy a meal and accommodation for NRS 150 only. Trekking staff have to pay as much as NRS 300 per meal at regular tea houses. TAAN is planning to open other 20 such shelters at different trekking points in Everest, Annapurna, Nar Phu regions.

Nepalese women climbers are all set to scale Mount Annapurna IV (7525m) this Spring. The expedition named “Nepalese Women Annapurna Expedition 2011″ has been jointly organized by Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) Annapurna Chapter and Pokhara-based Women Empowerment Nepal (EWN). Nepalese climbers Nirma Rai of Solukhumbhu, Munu Gurung of Manang, Saraswati B.K of Kaski, and Shantikala Rai of Solukhumbhu will try to scale the peak led by guide Tendi Sherpa, a mountaineering instructor and an accomplished mountaineer.The expedition will commence from Manang in the second week of April and the team members are expected to reach the summit within 30 to 40 days.

Trek  to the Annapurna Base Camp or complete the Annapurna Circuit with us.

(Photo courtesy : Julien Van Loye)

As part of its welfare scheme for trekking workers, TAAN (Trekking Agents Association of Nepal) has opened a clothing bank for trekking workers in Lukla, Solukhumbu. The clothing bank has 1,000 pairs of high-quality jackets, trousers and shoes. The workers can borrow clothing or shoes for a certain time by depositing a nominal fee. A seven-member management committee comprising of two leaders (central and local) each from three tourism workers unions – Union of Travel, Trekking, Rafting and Airlines Workers, All Nepal Tourism Workers’ Union and Nepal Tourism Workers Association – and representative of TAAN will operate the bank. Trekking workers have hailed this move, asserting that now they can go about their work  without having to worry about the cold.

Porters taking a breather on the busy Everest Trail

Plans are underway to open such banks in the trekking regions of Langtang and Annapurna too.