About "Fair Tread"

About Fair-Tread

What is ‘fair-tread’ trekking?
Fair-Tread trekking is thinking about the impact of your footfall - on the environment, the local people, and the local economy. It is about ensuring that your expenditure helps those who need it most.

Maximizing revenue to grass-roots
Homestay trekking helps to channel more tourism revenue to the grass-roots. Along established tourist trails the lodges are owned by those who have capital. Homestays require low investment so that even poor households can invest and benefit. Camping treks may be environmentally-friendly, but the impact they leave on the local economy is often minimal since most of the revenue goes to the Trekking Agency.

Reducing discriminatory practices
On O-T-B treks, a conscious effort has been made to encourage Dalits to establish homestays and teashops. Stigmatized by the label ‘untouchable’, these lovely people are accustomed to others perceiving their homes and their hospitality as ‘unclean’. Your stay in their homes (some in Lulang and Hidden Village) can bring them much-needed income and boost their social status.

Protecting the natural environment
Naturally, fair-tread trekking also means respecting and protecting the environment so that the Himalayas remain pristine for the host of flora and fauna who make these mountains their home.

How you can help

Plan your trek so that as much expenditure as possible goes to the lowest possible level e.g. avoid booking with foreign-based Tour Companies.
Choose a homestay trek (sometimes termed community trek). It does not have to be one promoted on this website.
Where possible, stay in a Dalit homestay. Check that your guide, whether hired directly or through a Trekking Agency, is willing to eat and sleep in a Dalit homestay. There are reports that certain guides steer their clients away from these.
Set a good example with your litter disposal. Conserve firewood.
Resist giving sweets or money to those cute-looking children! It will establish a begging habit which does not yet exist in these off-the-beaten villages.

Contact us

Who are we?
We are Joy and Duane Poppe, and we were very fortunate to have been able to spend 18 years working in humanitarian and development work in Nepal. During this time we developed an appreciation for the spectacular scenery and amazingly hospitable people of Nepal, and want to encourage other people to experience these first hand.