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Our Commitment to Sustainable Tourism

Basanta Adventure Treks & Expeditions (BATE) believes that tourism should create a positive and lasting impact on people, communities and the environment.

Since its establishment in 1998, Basanta Adventure has developed its business around the principle of “doing business with a purpose.” The company combines travel with initiatives that support education, environmental awareness, community development and responsible tourism.

Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in our business practices, partnerships, charity programs and efforts to create meaningful opportunities for local communities.

Basanta Adventure's formal Sustainability Policy covers environmental responsibility, human rights, labour standards, responsible travel, community benefits, wildlife protection and continuous improvement.

Travelife Sustainability Recognition

Basanta Adventure's commitment to sustainable tourism received international recognition in 2017, when the company received the Travelife Partner Award.

The award recognised Basanta Adventure's long-term work in sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. According to the Travelife announcement, the company complied with more than 100 sustainability criteria covering office management, its product range, international business partners and customer information.

The assessment also covered areas related to environmental protection, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations. Travelife stated that its standard aligns with the UN-supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria and incorporates the themes of ISO 26000 on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Read the official Travelife Partner Award announcement for the full recognition.

Basanta Adventure continues to identify responsible travel and sustainable tourism as an important part of its business philosophy. Its Awards and Achievements page also documents the company's sustainability work and partnerships.

Supporting Education Through Future for Nepal

Education has been one of the longest-running areas of Basanta Adventure's community work.

The story began through the company's Gap Year program, which has supported communities since 2001. Through this program, international participants stayed with Nepali families and became involved in local community and educational activities.

One of those participants, Thomas Wells, later returned to Nepal with a much larger vision. After experiencing life with a Nepali host family, he established Future for Nepal, a UK-based charity focused on supporting disadvantaged Nepali families through education.

Basanta Adventure agreed to assist Future for Nepal with its work in Nepal, including identifying children who needed educational support and helping coordinate the sponsorship program.

The partnership eventually provided full educational sponsorship to 30 children. Several of those students have since graduated, while others continued into professional education.

The documented success stories include students who went on to nursing, dentistry and higher education. Two former sponsored students, Ram Tamang and Pasang Sherpa, later joined Basanta Adventure.

Read the full Success Story of Responsible Travel and Future for Nepal Charity to learn how the program developed from a Gap Year experience into a long-term education initiative.

Basanta Adventure also recently revisited this history in its Success Story of a Sustainable Travel & Future for Nepal Charity article published in July 2026.

Children Aid Care

Basanta Adventure has also worked with Children Aid Care (CAC), a charity founded by retired women teachers in 1996.

CAC focuses mainly on education and works with schools and children in communities where educational resources remain limited.

Its work has included school improvement, teacher support, additional teacher sponsorship and educational assistance for children.

Basanta Adventure has supported CAC's education sponsorship program for underprivileged students. The company's sustainability information states that more than 10 students were studying in government schools in Kosidekha village, Kavre district through this type of support.

Basanta Adventure also helped CAC with a major post-earthquake initiative.

Following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Basanta Adventure managed funds contributed by interested trekking groups for the repair and retrofitting of Basukhi Secondary School.

This work demonstrates how trekking groups and responsible tourism businesses can contribute to communities beyond the duration of a trip.

More information about these programs is available through Basanta Adventure's Sustainable Tourism and Charity Partnerships page.

Environmental Education Through CEEN

Sustainability also means protecting Nepal's natural environment through education.

Basanta Adventure supports the Center for Environment Education of Nepal (CEEN), an organisation established in 1999 to promote environmental awareness among students, teachers, communities and the wider public.

CEEN works on environmental education and sustainable development activities in schools and communities.

Its programs address environmental challenges affecting Nepal, including climate change, changing seasons, floods, glacial impacts and the protection of natural and cultural resources.

Basanta Adventure has supported social and environmental activities in schools through this partnership.

The objective is not only to protect the environment today, but also to help young people understand the relationship between communities, natural resources and sustainable development.

Basanta Adventure's Sustainable Tourism page provides further information about its CEEN partnership and environmental education activities.

Supporting Local Communities Through Responsible Travel

Basanta Adventure considers local communities an important part of responsible tourism.

Its approach is to create travel experiences that benefit local people while respecting their culture, environment and traditional way of life.

The company's Who We Are page states that its mission is to provide meaningful holiday experiences while giving sustainable tourism a high priority.

The company also identifies community empowerment, integrity, care, transparency and responsible business as part of its core values.

Supporting Staff and Their Families During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented crisis for Nepal's tourism industry.

With international tourism largely suspended, guides, porters and tourism workers lost their primary source of income.

Basanta Adventure responded by launching a fundraising campaign to support its staff and their families.

The “Rescue the Rescuer” campaign was launched again in 2021 as the pandemic continued. Basanta Adventure appealed for donations to support 16 staff members and their families, 69 people in total.

The campaign recognised that supporting tourism also means supporting the people whose work makes Himalayan travel possible.

The original fundraising appeal remains documented on Basanta Tibet's COVID Pandemic Fundraising Campaign.

Supporting Karnali and Far West Nepal

Basanta Adventure's sustainability approach also extends to remote regions of Nepal where tourism can create new economic opportunities.

The company has been actively promoting Karnali and Far West Nepal, areas known for their remote landscapes, traditional cultures, ancient trade routes and relatively limited tourism infrastructure.

In June 2024, Basanta Adventure organised a documentary filming journey to a remote area near Mt. Saiphal in the Far West.

The project explored the region's history, traditional livelihoods, cultural heritage and potential for responsible tourism.

The company believes tourism can contribute to the revival of local economies while helping preserve the cultural and environmental heritage of the region.

Its detailed article, Karnali and the Far West: Reviving Ancient Prosperity Through Tourism, explains this approach and the historical importance of the region.

Basanta Adventure currently promotes the Limi Valley Trek in the Karnali region and Far West Nepal as one of its remote-area experiences.

The trek follows parts of an ancient salt-trading route and introduces visitors to traditional villages, monasteries, local communities and the distinctive cultural landscape of Humla.

The company's Remote Area Treks collection also includes Limi Valley alongside other remote Himalayan destinations.

Charity, Fundraising and Community Action

Basanta Adventure's community work has developed through different initiatives rather than one single charity program.

These include:

Education sponsorship for disadvantaged children.
Long-term cooperation with Future for Nepal.
Support for Children Aid Care.
Environmental education through CEEN.
Support for school reconstruction and earthquake recovery.
Fundraising for tourism workers and their families during COVID-19.
Support for community-based and responsible tourism.
Promotion of remote destinations such as Karnali and Far West Nepal.
Development of travel experiences that create opportunities for local communities.

Basanta Adventure states that it has organised several charity activities over the years, with its education sponsorship work among the initiatives it considers particularly meaningful.

The company has also highlighted the long-term outcomes of its education programs, including former beneficiaries who have gone on to professional careers and employment with Basanta Adventure itself.

Our Sustainability Principles

Our sustainability work is guided by the following principles:

Comply with applicable national laws, regulations and responsible tourism standards.
Include sustainability considerations in business decisions.
Respect human rights and labour standards.
Protect the natural environment and biodiversity.
Promote responsible travel to environmentally sensitive destinations.
Support local communities and local economic opportunities.
Respect local cultures, traditions and communities.
Provide responsible guidance to clients visiting natural areas and wildlife habitats.
Reduce the environmental impact of office and travel operations.
Encourage suppliers and partners to adopt responsible practices.
Support education and environmental awareness.
Maintain transparency and accountability.
Review our sustainability performance and continue improving our practices.

Our Ongoing Commitment

Sustainability is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing responsibility.

From education sponsorship and environmental awareness to earthquake recovery, staff fundraising and tourism development in remote parts of Nepal, Basanta Adventure continues to explore ways in which travel can contribute to wider social and environmental progress.

Our objective is to create meaningful journeys for travellers while respecting the people, cultures and landscapes that make those journeys possible.

Responsible travel should benefit more than the traveller.

For More Information

Ms. Prerana Thapa
Sustainability Coordinator

Email: sustainabilityinfo@basantaadventure.com

Basanta Adventure Treks & Expedition Pvt. Ltd.
P.O. Box 8110
Narayan Chaur, Nagpokhari
Kathmandu, Nepal

Telephone: +977-1-4440237, +977-1-4441321