Why travel
with Tin-Tin?
Experience
Tin-Tin Trekking offers the richest, most comprehensive Himalayan
travel experience, from high altitude treks to cultural appreciation
tours, from 'trekking peak' expeditions to jungle safaris at the
feet of the mountains. As a company our mission is to provide the
best possible value for money without compromising on quality or
safety. Our staff have two decades of success in the trekking and
cultural tourism industry. Since 1991, we have been providing consistently
excellent service on our treks and tours, looking to our own experience
as organisers as well as to that of our clients, to modify and improve
our itineraries. As a result, we are uniquely placed to run a range
of innovative trips through Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and India. Service
lies at the heart of our enterprise, and our clients always leave
happy. We are, needless to say, full members of the two major tourism
bodies in Nepal, the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal, and the
Nepal Mountaineering Association. For the last decade we have also
been recommended by top guidebooks such as the Lonely Planet (1999-2004),
Le Guide du Routard (1994-2002), Guide Hachet and recently Le Petit
Futé (2005).
We are registered as Tin-Tin Trekking
& Adventure P. Ltd. with tax registration no. (PAN) 500016543,
Nepal Rastra Bank (central bank) licence no. 169, Tourism Industry
licence no. 171/2048, and Industry Department licence no. 5075.
Value for money
Every year 50-100 groups experience Nepal with us, from solo travellers
to groups of over 15. Our trips come at a reasonable cost to you
because we are efficient, professional, and experienced. At Tin-Tin
Trekking we know that the key to a logistics-driven trip such as
a trek is teamwork and preparedness, so the staff for each trip
are chosen with consideration for their skills in the area, and
their ability to organise the supplies needed at a reasonable cost.
Moreover, because we have had clients going to all regions every
season we maintain a store of equipment and freelance staff at each
trek and trip starting point, which helps us further economise.
This is how we provide top-notch service without charging top-dollar.
We won't go rock bottom, but with us you will always get the best
value for money of any trekking agency in Nepal.
Safety in everything
Your safety and security are our prime concern. Our trek leaders
are experienced; they know well the area they work in and the health
issues attendant upon trekking and travel in this part of the world.
We provide top-notch equipment such as tents and kitchen gear. We
maintain strict standards of kitchen hygiene, environment-friendliness,
garbage disposal, and toilet facilities.
Social responsibility
It's not all about the bottom line for us. All our staff are covered
by health insurance and we take good care of the needs of our porters,
a work group often sadly neglecting in this industry. In addition,
we make many decisions on a day-to-day basis to ensure that we give
back to the communities we guide travellers through. For example,
we always hire staff for trips from the region the trip is to. When
we run tented trips or treks, instead of carrying in all our food
and fuel supplies, we always make sure we buy part of what we need
in the villages we walk through. Finally, Tin-Tin Trekking has since
1995 been supporting two charities that work with children, The
Orphans' Home in
Bhaisepati, Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley, and the Peace & Beautiful Children Welfare Baneshwor Kathmandu Nepal (www.pabchild.com). If you are interested
in helping improve the lives of underprivileged Nepali children,
both of these organisations need - and welcome - material donations
such as clothes,
stationery, school supplies, toys etc. We can also arrange for you
to visit the homes if you want to.
Personal relationships
We listen. That's what makes us stand out in the roster of large,
top-class agencies. No client is anonymous. Everyone who travels
with us is given a thorough briefing on arrival, and the chance
to ask questions, make requests and special needs known, or even
suggest changes. We want to know what you expect from your trip
and if discussed in advance it is a snap for us to tailor special
programs to suit your wishes. Our experience and dedication to building
the best possible experience for you is manifested in myriad ways.
And we learn from every single trip we run - a number of the little
conveniences on your trek with us are the result of discussions
with enthusiastic, satisfied patrons. When you finish your trek
or tour, it's common for the Managing Director of the company to
join you for lunch or dinner to find out how your holiday really
was. We very often do become real friends with clients.
Trekking guides and field staff
We have been operating for a long time and are good employers, so
we have as many as 30 regular guides/ sirdars, and an additional
30 occasional ones. At Tin-Tin Trekking we pride ourselves on supporting
the economies of the places we journey through. Hiring field staff
from all over the country ensures two things: first, that, whether
you are on a safari in the Terai, or trekking in the heart of Langtang,
you are with people who know what the region is all about, what
to expect, and have the resources to deal with contingencies. For
example, we will never send you up to high altitude with a lowland
guide. Second, we get to look beyond Kathmandu Valley when it comes
to providing employment and economic benefits. So if you are going
to, say, Dolpo, your guide will most likely be from Dolpo. He, in
turn, will pick the rest of the staff to ensure that the team communicates
well and gets along. The guide, who is licensed by the government,
might seem to you to have picked his friend for a cook and nephew
for a porter etc. Rest assured - they are all experienced, and in
this circle of the Nepali workforce this is a more than acceptable
way to function; it is often the smart way to.
The earlier you book your trip,
the better your chances of getting one of our very own sirdars who
knows very well what Tin-Tin's standards are. When a trek is going
well, you barely notice the efforts of your sirdar. But when the
smallest thing is out of balance, whether an issue with a local
person on the trail or illness, this is the person who will make
sure your trek doesn't turn into a nightmare. Our guides are experienced
enough to recognise some basic illnesses that trekkers fall prey
to, and to know what to do about them. They are realistic about
mountain sickness, meaning that they neither ignore it, nor go into
an unwarranted panic about it. If for some reason a client needs
to
be medivacked, the sirdar will
organise the helicopter rescue, and for your to be carried to the
nearest place where a chopper can land. Experienced guides can usually
read the weather and make the right decisions for a trip.
Guide:
This is a mountain guide, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism. Their
expertise will have to do with the trails, weather conditions, high
altitude, the mountains around, respect for local traditions and
rituals. They will also have the educated Nepali's knowledge of
the different kinds of ethnicities along the trail. But they are
not - and this point is very important - cultural guides. They generally
won't be able to tell you in great detail about religion, people,
habits, development, history etc. If you anticipate wanting to know
a lot more about the people and places you see, we suggest you take
along a cultural guide as part of a supplement.
Climbing Guide:
On 'trekking peak' expeditions the person who will help you navigate
the mountain, ropes etc.
Sirdar:
The boss. Responsible for the running of your entire trek, supervision
of the team of staff etc.
Cook:
There's a reason for the pre-occupation with meals here - one, trekking
is really hungry work, two, getting used to a new kind of cooking
can take more time and energy than some people have, and three,
the last thing you want is to get sick on a trek. This is why our
cooks are highly experienced and knowledgeable about cooking styles
and hygiene. They make sure that you get the freshest, cleanest,
and most appetising food possible with tasty Nepali, Tibetan, and
continental meals.
Sherpa:
The person responsible for the equipment, such as tents etc, also
acts as a night guard and in case of sickness or accident, carries
the client/ staff member to the nearest place where medical help
is available.
Kitchen boys:
They assist the cook in turning out all the delicacies, serve the
tea and meals, and do the washing up.
Porters:
Porters with Tin-Tin are well taken care of. They carry not more
than 25 kg each (equipment, tents, kitchen supplies, your belongings
etc). For porters - who tend to be the least privileged of all trekking
staff - are often ignored and unaware of the dangers of high altitude,
frostbite etc, our agency provides its porters appropriate clothes,
shoes, sunglasses etc.
All our Nepali trekking staff are
covered by agency-paid medical and health insurance.
Some of our regular field
staff:
Sardar/Guide :
Migma,Kaji,Pasang,Tenzing,Norbu, Nima,Lobsang sherpa,(from Everest
region)Chandra Singh Tamang,Ratna tamang,Rondon Tamang,Prem Lama,Kanchha
lal Tamang,Lawang ,Suryaman ,Sujit ,Lama (Timal and mix region)Kanchan
Lal Gururung(Manaslu region), Chandra Shahi (From dolpo region)from
dfferent part of Nepal region started working in this field for
more than 10 years. They are senior licensed guides with us , have
trekked over most of Nepal and most of them joined us when we started
out.
Cook/Sardar
Chitra Tamang,Lobsang,Nima,Kanchha,Maila Tamang,Saila Lama,Kaila
Tamang,Kaji Sherpa are our stars. Their 5-20 years of experience
as cook, half of those with Tin-Tin, have made them our smartest
expert on not just food, but also itineraries and routes. They can
walk our trails with theirs eyes closed, and from time to time they
suggest brilliant new itineraries.
Climbing Guides
Dendi Sherpa,Pasang Sherpa,Nima Sherpa,Nima Onchhu Sherpa,Norbu
sherpa,Migmar Sherpa, Kaila Tamang are our climbing guides since
we started in 1991, are from Everest region and different part of
Nepal, some of them have summitted several 8,000 m peaks, including
Everest and Kanchenjunga.
Porters/Kitchen boys
Nima Sherpa, Norbu,Pasang,Zambu,Bab
ou,Gyabu,Shankar,Maila,Migmar,Bacchu
Tamang,Gelbu Sherpa, are our senior porters, have smile and helping
hand for everyone, and stories from all over. |