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"I encourage you to accept that you may not be able to see a path right now, but that doesn't mean it's not there.“
My name is Kamal Bhatta. I am living in Switzerland since 2003. I am organizing trekking tours to the Himalaya in my home county Nepal. I am working there as a trekking guide and trekking organizer since 1995. I am accompanying tourists from all over the world. It brings me great joy to show people my home country Nepal and give them an opportunity to get to know the land and the people living there.
I speak four languages: Nepali, Hindi, English and German. I like skiing and bike riding, but my great passion is hiking. As well I like to talk about politics, culture, religion and the nature. I completed elementary school, as well as five years of university in Nepal; furthermore I did trainings to a tour and trekking guide.
I am working with a local company in Nepal; the owners of this company are two professional organizers like me. They are working as well as I in the Himalaya region since 1995. Our guides and porters come from rural regions of Nepal.
Experiences
- Everest Basis Lager // Kalapatthar // Gokyo Trekking
- Rolwaling Trekking
- Langtang // Helambu // Namo Buddha Trekking
- Ganesh Himal Trekking
- Manaslu // Tschum velly Trekking
- Rund um den Annapurna // Tilicho // Mustang // Annapurna Basis Lager // Ghorepani // mardi Himal Trekking
- Chitawan // Bardiya Jungle safari
- Kathmandu // Gorkha // Pokhara // Lumbini // Nagarkot // Dhulikhel Stadt Rundfahrt
Office
Heidi Bhatta Kammermann
Has traveled to Nepal many times, including twice for an assignment in an aid project. Literally "fell in love" with Nepal
.Works in the background, does the bookkeeping and keeps the family organization in hand when Kamal is in Nepal
.Träger
This is a seasonal profession. Students and farmers often earn part of their income from it. Some gain a lot of experience, train as guides, learn English and then gain a foothold as guides. Porters earn quite a lot compared to other workers, but of course only during the main trekking months in spring and fall.
Porters are often employed regionally in the region they come from. This has the advantage that they know the trails and can sometimes walk ahead or behind.
On the lodge treks, each porter carries between 25 and 35 kg. They tie 2 pieces of luggage together and carry them with a headband. Some porters also use the bamboo baskets that are common in Nepal, especially for camping equipment. Tourists often complain that the porters are far too heavy with two bags. It should be noted that professional porters in Nepal carry up to 100 kg. Far be it from us to overload our porters, but what is perceived as overloaded in our western perspective is a completely normal weight for a Nepalese porter.
Our porters are provided with the company's own pants and jackets on loan. The porters themselves are responsible for all other equipment, a contribution towards which is already included in their salary. The porters and the guide are insured by the company for the duration of the trek so that they can be rescued and treated immediately in the event of an emergency.
Guides
Our local trekking guides also know the remote areas and usually speak good English. Some of them have started to learn German, as we have a majority of clients from German-speaking countries. We encourage the guides to take a language course and also cover part of the costs.
The guides only carry their own luggage and are responsible for their own equipment. A certain amount is included in their salary. Our guides receive a small fixed salary per month, even outside the trekking season. Each guide also receives a fixed daily wage during the trek, which is paid at the beginning of the trek.
All our guides have a government license, issued by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the organization "Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal TAAN". This license can be obtained after 45 days of training with an exam.
Our guides carry a first aid box/bag on every tour and are able to provide first aid in case of an emergency. They are also authorized to arrange or organize the rescue and recovery of injured persons.
The guide is the first point of contact for problems and concerns within the group, both for the participants and for the porters.
Partner organization in Nepal
About Himalaya Heart (our Partnerorganisation in Nepal)
Himalaya Heart Treks & Expedition is an established and experienced tour operator in Kathmandu. Since its foundation 13 years ago, Himalaya Heart Treks & Expedition has specialized in the following trips and activities: Trekking and mountaineering throughout Nepal, rafting, jungle safaris, cultural tours, mountain biking, and trips to Tibet and Bhutan.
The company consists of a team of travel experts and professionals who are committed to responsible and sustainable travel organization. The quality of the trips and the satisfaction of the guests come first. The employees live a respectful relationship with nature, people and animals and also know how to sensitize guests to this.
Himalaya Heart Treks & Expedition is officially registered with the Ministry of Tourism and affiliated with all national tourism organizations such as Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP), Tourism Nepal Board (NTB) and Porters Progress Nepal.
