Being ethical in our relationships - with our clients, our community, and with this beautiful planet. Being ethical in our relationships - with our clients, our community, and with this beautiful planet we live on - is our driving philosophy. We cater especially to discerning travellers for whom travel is not the same as tourism. OUR MANDATE
To marry travel with a deep respect for nature, so that
our beautiful land stays pristine and un-polluted
Finding itself in the crosshairs of unbridled climate change, Ladakh is in dire need of not just informed citizens but also informed visitors, who are in a position to influence the way tourism unfolds in this region over the next decade. This can only be achieved with the help of informed visitors like you who are willing to support us in our quest by choosing to travel responsibly. Located between two of the highest mountain ranges in the world - the Himalayan range and the Karakoram range - Ladakh suddenly finds itself among India’s most visited travel destinations. As is usually the case with regions that have long been isolated geographically, this sudden influx of tourists & money is leading to unprecedented environmental and social challenges that we are largely unprepared for. Ethical Himalaya Travels was established to deal with exactly these challenges. Our agenda is to bring the idea of ethical travel back to the Himalayas. We aim to do this by helping our community develop earth-friendly home stays, agro-tourism, and the restoration of local handicrafts in our villages. We may be a young organisation, but we do have a collective experience of over 10 years. Since 2005, we’ve led the entire gamut of treks across the Ladakh&Zanskar valleys, and have arranged accommodation, transportation, and a range of fun & adventure activities such as river-rafting, mountain biking, farm-stays, and voluntourism for a wide variety of groups & individuals from across the world. We want to offer informed visitors like you, a deeply immersive feel of the real touch and tenderness of Ladakh’s ancient culture. We also want to share with you our traditional knowledge that has enabled generations of Ladakhis to carve out a self-sufficient lifestyle in a terrain as challenging as ours is. THE TEAM
TASHI GYAL
Hailing from the remote village of Nyoma in the eastern part of Ladakh, Tashi has had extensive experience in leading treks and facilitating activities for a global audience that comprises travellers from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Starting as a trek guide at the age of 16, Tashi has worked with several different agencies in Leh as a freelance guide and trip-coordinator. He has accumulated a tremendous amount of experience and best practices when it comes to trekking, river-rafting, mountain biking, and other activities. Tashi is also trained in photography; on his travels, he thoroughly enjoys capturing the beauty of Ladakh’s diverse landscapes with his trusted Nikon. STANZIN NAMGYAL GOBA
All of 20 years old, Namgyal hasn’t let his age stop him from gaining as much experience as he can. Like Tashi, he too has worked with multiple travel agencies and has led treks across the Ladakh region while also acting as a liaison for groups and individual travellers. When not traveling (and sometimes even when he’s traveling), Namgyal is known for his guitar playing and singing skills. And if that’s not enough, he is also an avid ice-hockey player, even having represented India as its under-19 team captain!
