In a recent Time Magazine article covering Uttarakhand as alternative trekking and tourism spot to troubled Tibet and Nepal, Mountain Shepherds was cited as one of the key travel companies. Check it out:

Fresh Heights

By MELISSA BELL
TIME Magazine, May 29, 2008

Tibet and Nepal, the long-standing darlings of the Himalayan tourist trade, have not been the most welcoming countries for visitors over the past few months. Foreign tourists have been barred from Tibet since March’s anti-Chinese protests. Political troubles in Nepal, where recent elections were marred by bombings, have deterred many holidaymakers. Understandably, some travelers are now beginning to look across these borders to the Indian Himalayas, where the state of Uttarakhand — until recently known as Uttaranchal — has quietly been building its own tourist trade. It offers drop-dead gorgeous trekking — the same as you would find in Nepal and Tibet, but in a less restive and less discovered environment than that of its neighbors.

For Hindus, the area has been a travel destination since pre-Vedic times, and pilgrimage trails still crisscross the mountains. The northern district of Garhwal, bordering Tibet, is the largest region and is the most popular with visitors due to its many holy places. One such site, Gangotri, is dedicated to the goddess Ganga, whose temple is located just below the Gaumukh glacier, the source of the sacred river Ganges. Garhwal also boasts two World Heritage sites: the Valley of Flowers, which erupts every spring into a carpet of colorful blooms, and Nanda Devi, the second highest peak in the Indian Himalayas. For environmental reasons, the peak has been off limits to climbers since the early 1980s, but day treks can be made to lower regions of the sanctuary.

The community-owned and -operated Mountain Shepherds tour company, mountainshepherds.prayaga.org, organizes excursions in Garhwal. These trips use locally hired staff and cost around $50 a day, which includes guides, cooks, equipment and transportation. Mountain Shepherds also plans to start longer excursions to local villages in the summer. Two visitors at a time will be able to travel with shepherds herding their flocks in the Himalayan meadows, with village homes available for rent.  [more]

Mountain Shepherds has a new brochure out. You can preview it here by clicking on the thumbnails:

Cover

Inside

Here are the first of our video travelogues, highlighting our Kuari Pass Trek and our newly introduced Yoga Trek option.

Anusha Subramaniam, reporter for India’s leading business magazine, Business Today, recently trekked with Mountain Shepherds and returned with this report:

Backpacking with hill shepherds

NOVEMBER 5, 2007
Lata Village, Niti Valley

It started off as my much awaited trek in the Garhwal Himalayas and turned into an impressive first-hand account of a small, yet smart, initiative. The setting: Nanda Devi Sanctuary Trek against the backdrop of the spectacular 7,816-metre Nanda Devi peak. [more]

A report by Divya Naithani

During a trek in the Himalayan range Yoga sessions were conducted as a trial from 3rd and 18th June 2007. The participants were university students from USA who were on a geographical study trip. The Yoga class was optional for the participants.

The journey started from Rishikesh moving on to Lohajung, Bedni, Aali, Pathar nachauniya, Lata, Gamshali, Lata Kharak, Saini Kharak and Haridwar.
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