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Minimum Impact Trekking

" If a valley is reached by a high pass only the best of friends and worst of enemies are its visitors" - Tibetan proverb

Ladakh's unique culture and amazing natural environment are what have drawn travellers to this remote region for centuries. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, the people have created a prosperous and harmonious way of life that reflects the Buddhist principle of the interdependence of all things. Not only do the Ladakhis demonstrate respect for one another, as demonstrated by the stability and fairness inherent in family and community relations, but also for the natural environment, something that many in the 'modernised' West are now trying to rediscover.

However, the last 50 years of being part of India, and in particular the last 20 or so years of having foreign tourists, has had more effect on Ladakh's culture, environment and economy than several centuries of foreign merchants and traders. The changes have been most apparent in and around Leh, where there has been a steady erosion of the traditional values in favour of Western-style materialism and an increase in environmental problems, but the effects have also been felt in the remote mountains. Short-sighted development policies of the 1950s and '60s helped to create the notion that the Ladakhis were a backward and primitive people and that the only way to modernise was to follow the Western model of economic and technological growth. This is reinforced by cinema, television and advertising which portrays a biased picture of the West with all its glamour and wealth, while nothing even approximate to the Ladakhi way of life is ever shown, making them seem absurd. Then the arrival of foreign tourists further propagated the myth that West is best. Here are people who seem to have almost limitless amounts of money, who can travel whenever and wherever they like and who never seem to work. It is not surprising that impressionable teenagers are influenced by this alluring new culture.

At the same time, however, tourism has been having a beneficial effect. Foreign visitors who show respect for Ladakh and are impressed by the resourceful culture help to create a strong feeling of identity and strengthen local pride in the face of so much derision. With increased inter-cultural understanding the real truth about the Western lifestyle starts to filter through: in tandem with the seeming benefits of modernisation go huge environmental, social and emotional problems. Ladakh is now part of the 'developing' world. The process of change has penneated too far into Ladakhi society for this not to be so, and no matter how attractive a traditional rural society like Ladakh may seem, it is wrong and extremely damaging to make the land into some kind of museum. The Ladakhis have a choice over how their region develops and Western tourists must be aware that they play an important role in detennining what this future will be. If we travel seeking only to be thrilled and entertained, removed from our mundane lives for just a few weeks as if in some kind of fantasy, we will experience little and do mbch harm. If, on the other hand, we travel with respect and openness, desiring to learn, adapt and share at every opportunity, not only will we travel lightly but we will return home so much richer, with understanding of a way of life that has many lessons for the Western world.

Here then are some simple, practical steps to help us develop in a positive direction:

Minimum Impact Trekking Cultural Impact :: Environmental Impact :: Economic Impact