Namaste, Tashidelek
Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal and Indian Himalayas are the focus destinations of Highland Asia Travel. We specialize in Small group tours, private journeys, trekking or hiking trips and solo or independent travel. We have our main operation based in Kathmandu, Nepal and sales and marketing team headquartered in Minneapolis, USA. We have ground handling offices in Bhutan, Tibet and India- independently managed by our partners who provide you with all ground logistic support from your arrival till departure. All our partners, managers, guides and field staff have their roots in the highlands of Asia; they are educated, trained and have years of experience in organizing and guiding trips to Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and Indian Himalayas. For us travel is not a business but a way of life and we do not sell our tours but plan your lifetime holiday. We breathe life into your travel itinerary and go above and beyond to make it flawless, and deliver you the experience of a lifetime.
Our Destinations-Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Indian Himalayas
Our main destinations are Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India and we are extending our territories to Indochinese peninsula in near future. We always try to offer more than regular tourism stuff and so we are always on the lookout of newly opened areas, off the beaten path and the areas less visited by foreigners.Small Group and Custom Tours
We specialize in small groups and custom crafted independent tours. Our group departures are guaranteed with a minimum of two sign-ups. We keep our groups small, usually less than 10 persons, so that each participant receives personal attention from their guides and support staff. Small group travel allows our traveler's flexibility in itineraries and access to areas and sights unknown or unavailable to large tour groups—plus you have more independence and opportunity to socialize and share your experience with other participants.
Our itineraries are, in fact, an approximate indication of the schedule, scope of activities, and trip routing, rather than an inflexible schedule of events. Typically there are changes to the daily itinerary depending on local conditions and/or on request of our quests provided there is no financial consequence. These changes may vary from specific sights to the village or city visited. Every evening our guests and guide or Tour Manager sit down together to discuss the next day's schedule and at this time you will have opportunity to put forth your ideas or request the change you would like to have in the itinerary.
Our trips cover history, the arts and architecture, religion and culture, local festivals and events, nature and landscape, and soft to moderate adventures (e.g., jungle safaris, river rafting, hiking, mountain biking, mountaineering etc). Cultural tours are basically motor vehicle-based tours, but we also offer optional hikes and village visits. During our trips you will have the opportunity to meet the locals, try local cuisine and attend local festivals and events. For those who want more active adventures, we offer rafting, mountain biking, trekking, jungle safaris and more.
More than 70% of our customers elect to customize their trips. Any trip featured on this website can be taken as foundation to build your own private trip. Select a date that suits you and we will suggest a detailed itinerary. If none of our existing itineraries works for you, we can craft one that does. If you do not have a travel companion, we can arrange a solo-traveler tour or look for a companion to join you.
Local Tour Guides and Managers
Our trips are escorted by locally gifted and talented guides who are university graduates, certified by the local government and fluent in English. They are professional, but are also easy going, friendly and hardworking. Using local guides, we not only provide jobs to the locals, but also save on the high cost of providing a foreign guide. Most importantly, no matter how much expertise a foreigner can have on an area or people, there is no match for local knowledge. When you travel to multiple countries in one trip, guides and support staff will be different in different countries.Safety
All of our guides and support crews are trained in safety and first aid techniques. On adventurous trips, our guides and crews use modern equipment. Our itineraries involving high altitude allow enough time for acclimatization. In the event of altitude sickness, we carry portable oxygen bottles and pressure chambers in our jeeps for high altitude trips, like Mount Kailash. And, we always use medicated water for cooking.We constantly keep eyes on the political and social conditions in the countries we visit and we do not operate trips in politically and socially disturbed areas.
It's your responsibility to determine if you are physically fit and in sound health condition to undertake our trips.
Low impact of tourism
As you go through our trips, you will very quickly feel the important need for preserving the local culture and environment. We do our best to leave a minimum impact on the culture, environment and biodiversity of remote highlands. This plays an essential role in helping to increase awareness to the outside world, as well to the local people of the need to preserve these areas for future generations, rather than exploit them now for short term economic gain. We do our very best to ensure that local populations in the areas we visit benefit directly from our tours. On trekking and hiking trips, we use local produce and supplies as far as possible. At campsites, we properly dispose of garbage, recycle cans and bottles, and discourage the use of firewood for cooking in order to help prevent deforestation. In short, we respect local culture and tradition and abide by local social etiquette.Giving something back for local development.
Highland Asia Travel, Inc supports local non-profit organizations working in community development and environmental conservation. A portion of your tour payment goes directly for such activities. So by traveling with us, you are helping in the community development and environmental conservation of the highland you visit.Whether you are in the initial phase of planning, already have an itinerary in mind, or simply have some questions, please feel free to call or write us! No obligation to book.
