About the Centre

Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre was established by Freedom Adventure Treks in 2004 with the aim of fulfilling our dream of providing environmentally sensitive travel opportunities for our visitors. We wanted to create something that had environmental and educational value, as well as creating new job opportunities for local communities. After four years of work we now have a plant nursery and are propagating, distributing and planting trees.
Freedom Adventure Treks contributes 10% of our profits towards the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre and projects. Mukti Timilsina the founder of Freedom Adventure Treks has also privately funded many projects including the establishment of the nursery.
The Centre has an established eco campsite which offers a unique holiday experience where our visitors can stay; work with the community and experience local traditional lifestyle first hand. All income from the eco camp supports the centre.
This is a transparent not-for-profit organization and doesn’t demand financial support through donations like other organizations and projects. We are trying to be self - sustaining whilst offering education and information about self sufficiency to the local community, at the same time offering our visitors the opportunity of a unique holiday and the chance to make a difference.
We have a commitment to sustainable practices and lead the way with a variety of ongoing community based projects.

Our Philosophy:

The philosophy behind the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre is to provide the ‘bridge’ between our visitors and local people in order to encourage the exchange of information, skills and cultural understanding to ensure future ecological and cultural prosperity through sustainable tourism and environmental practices.

Our Aims:

• To provide our visitors with the opportunity to create a genuine link to the local community which gives the visitor a chance to explore real Nepali lifestyle, culture and customs
  
• To provide the local community with an insight into western society and culture.
  
• To encourage locals to work with the aim of sustainability in their agricultural practices, through information exchange that helps them to recognise the importance and value of protecting their environment.
  
• Revegetation of and/or protection of indigenous plant species via propagation and distribution from the Eagle’s Nest Nursery
  
• Working with other organisations and projects to protect the environs of Phewa Lake and its surrounding areas: including weed control, waste management, revegetation etc.
  
• To create a model farm as an example to local farmers of what can be done to improve their agricultural practices and in turn income. This includes the growing and distribution of alternative cash crop plants via our nursery.
  
• To provide environmental awareness training to all members of our trekking crew and others.
  
• To minimize rubbish along the trekking trails, by raising awareness of the importance of responsible waste management.
  
• To encourage visitors to recognise the value of the skills Nepalese workers have, and in turn establish positive thinking and action about fair pay for the services provided.
  
• Empowering locals to work for themselves rather than looking for an organization to come and provide for them.
  
• Introducing the concepts and actions in regards to recycling, not only of waste products but of useful items, such as clothing, building materials etc.
  
• To give the visitor an opportunity to share their knowledge and skills with local community members with the aim of developing sustainable outcomes.
  
• To help locals identify the potential for community based market centres with the aim of selling produce and products resulting from Eagle’s Nest projects.
  
• Encourage visitors to buy genuine local Nepalese products.
  

A word from the founder:

"I was born and grew up on the land around the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre which belonged to my grandparents. They left this land to my parents and uncles who still live there.I have a great memory of my childhood there, playing, fishing; picking wild berries and fruits. Many of those things now have disappeared.
Tourist numbers and the migrating populations are growing, but the local people are loosing their land and livelihood and the environment is being destroyed.
I started working in the tourist industry when I was very young, and I worked out that Nepal and Nepalese people were not getting any real benefit from tourism. We were providing all the services and natural beauty, but others were benefiting.
Creating the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre was to fulfil my dream to provide a great opportunity for our visitors to explore and understand Nepalese culture and environment.
I also had the aim to create a situation where my community and team were being recognised and respected for their skills and in return fairly paid for the services they provide.

I am looking forward to you joining us during some of our environment adventures, and exploring the real Nepal whilst having the opportunity to make a difference."

Mukti Timilsina

Conservation Education: Children and locals: Recycled rewards

During my stay in Australia, I worked as a cleaner in a local school.
I was pretty surprised at the amount of stationary and food that was thrown away each day. It reminded me of my childhood and how important one pencil was to me. As a child, I was lucky to get a pencil once a year and if I lost it, I would have to wait maybe 6 months for my next one. Even today thousands of village children in Nepal can’t afford a pen or pencil to write with at school and the variety of food thrown in the bin in Australia would be like a dream to some children in Nepal.
I realised that it was important to let western kids know how valuable the things they threw away could be. I spoke with one of the teachers at Camperdown College about what I was thinking and as a result the Camperdown College Environment Group became involved with this project.

In 2002 when I returned to Nepal with a group of Australian friends, we took the pens, pencils and stationary items collected from the rubbish, as well as recycled clothing and stationary donated by the school community to Nepal with us. During our Annapurna Trek we distributed the items to children and individuals who became involved in our Annapurna Clean-up Campaign that year.
Thousands of trekkers walk through Nepalese villages each year, and some hand out sweets, pens and money to children and adults. It allows for bad influence in the community; encourages children to become beggars and locals to think that tourists should give them things for nothing.

My idea is that sustainability and positive attitudes in local communities can be achieved by giving them knowledge about their environment, a sense of self sufficiency and that their involvement and effort earns them rewards rather than hand outs for nothing. This is one of our most successful and effective low cost projects. We have already collected more than 1000 kilograms of rubbish from mountain trails and villages and distributed about 500 kilograms of stationary and clothing to locals. This is a joint effort between our visitors, Freedom Adventure Treks and local communities in Nepal.

This is our way of recycling items:

• We ask our visitors to bring the recycled stationary and clothing when they come to visit Nepal. (They can collect from family, friends, community organisations or via school) Most airlines allow 20-30 kgs luggage allowance and with most people only needing about 10-15 kgs of their own luggage, this leaves room to carry donated goods to Nepal, without cost.
  
• We organise Clean-up Campaigns that involve local communities along trekking trails, and especially like to involve school children in the environmental education and rubbish collection. After they have been involved in working and learning, they are rewarded by the distribution of recycled goods.
  
• We also distribute recycled goods to individuals and groups for any environmental work that they do anywhere, even in their own homes.
  
• We are building a recycled goods store, where people can exchange their labour towards a sustainable environment for any donated recycled goods. (Some members of village communities cannot afford to buy clothing and stationary items for their children, but they do have a time to do manual labour.)
  

Building the Nursery:  Propagation and tree planting

We started to build our plant nursery in 2004, with completion occurring in 2008. We are now able to propagate, grow, distribute and plant a variety of native trees and crop plants eg: coffee, banana. We offer the plants to local farmers or anyone who wants to plant trees for revegetation purposes. We also organise tree planting campaigns on public and private land, so that locals get information about how to propagate local plant species, and the importance of native habitat. This is an ongoing project which visitors can be involved in at any time, and gives the opportunity to share skills and knowledge about Nepalese species and habitat.

The Eco camp for visitors

The Eagle’s Nest Eco Camp has been established to give visitors the opportunity to observe and experience authentic Nepalese lifestyles while being involved in community projects and having a chemical free holiday.  The Eco Camp is surrounded by beautiful views towards Pokhara, over the lake, the river winding through local farmland and is set on a hillside surrounded by forest and terraced landscapes. There is a variety of wildlife and plenty of birdlife to observe. Visitors can enjoy spectacular sunrises from their tents. They can also experience the local way to live, by collecting organic vegetables from the garden and cooking them in the traditional way. All produce is grown using organic methods and is chemical free.
The bathroom/toilet and kitchen facilities are permanent with visitors staying in tents. Visitors can stay from one day to as long as they like.

The Eco Camp would be suitable for families with children, individuals or groups of any size. To stay at the Eco Camp visitors need to agree to follow certain guidelines which are designed to protect the local environment and culture. Income from the camp supports the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre.

Our Model Eco Farm

We have set up the Model Eco Farm to demonstrate sustainable agricultural practices to local farmers and to produce food crops using organic, chemical free methods. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about traditional agriculture methods and enjoy eating organic produce whilst staying and working at the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre.
We have organic coffee plants growing, as well as being involved in annual rice harvesting, fruit and vegetable growing. The Model Eco Farm is a working property and also has a selection of domestic farm animals such as buffalo, cattle and goats.

Fresh water spring protection

A lot of Nepalese villages use water from natural spring rock pools, but as the population of the community grows the water supply becomes polluted and unusable. In other cases natural springs disappear under landslides. In some communities water comes from a water processing plant via taps and they forget to keep their natural springs clean and protected. Wildlife can’t get access to drinking water and get sick by drinking polluted waste water instead. Part of our environment protection is to clean up natural water spring sites and to create a situation where they will be protected for the future. We also aim to educate the community about the importance of these natural clean water sources.

Our Porter and trekking worker protection

Every year over a quarter of a million people trek and climb in the Nepalese Himalayas. The porter is the main part of any trek and climbing expedition. It would not be possible without them. You may not believe that thousands of porters are abused and mistreated by trekkers, trekking and travel companies. It has been an issue that has come to the attention of the world in recent times. Nepalese porters are the worst paid for the highest risk job in the world. It is not unusual for some porters to carry 40-60 kilogram loads for $5-6 per day. They are often left without shelter or food at the end of a day carrying. Every year hundreds of porters die, others become disabled and unable to continue working. There is no insurance for them or their families.
Freedom Adventure Treks doesn’t organise any high risk expeditions, such as mountaineering, which could put porters and other staff in danger. These types of expeditions are not sustainable for Nepal’s environment, culture or future.

Freedom Adventure Treks has its own Porter Protection Policy which includes:

• One client one porter system
  
• Our porters don’t carry more than 20kgs even during a camping trek
  
• We have minimum standard wages
  
• We pay for shelter and food for our team of porters during treks.

Clean-up Campaigns

Part of our commitment to sustainable tourism for a sustainable future, Freedom Adventure Treks has continuously organised Clean-up Campaigns since 2001.  Every year, we organise 2 or 3 big Clean-up campaigns as part of our celebration of working towards a sustainable future together with local communities, visitors, school children, individuals, orphanages or other groups. We have targeted areas in the Annapurna region and around Pokhara and Phewa Lake. When we trek we bring our rubbish and collected rubbish back to a collection centre for disposal.

Supporting individuals and local business

In our experience of the travel industry, we have seen many of our visitors spend money for alcohol and buying non-genuine products, whilst being conned by dishonest traders. Those visitors have missed out on buying genuine local products and so have not supported local people in their efforts. We provide our visitors with a list of genuine local made souvenirs, items and produce. This allows them to go home with a real souvenir from Nepal while saving money and supporting local business.

Volunteer work and projects for our visitors

Now-a-days many people are interested in doing voluntary work and are keen to make a difference when they travel.

There are more than ten thousand organisations who offer a variety of volunteer work in Nepal such as; in orphanages, building schools, teaching, and health care etc. To work via those organisations you have to pay a lot of money before hand. There have been a lot of issues about accountability and where the money actually goes. Many volunteers are not happy with their experience which is far different than the description given to them prior to their arrival.
Some of these organisations in Nepal have been found to abuse women and children, using them for their own profit making. Human trafficking is common and it is not unheard of that children are sold to foreigners as orphans. Sometimes visitors help these organisations not recognising what they really are. 

The Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre is run by Freedom Adventure Treks and does not charge or ask for donations in the name of an organisation.  This is a privately run service provider: we don’t claim to be a non- profit/non- government agency.
We offer our visitors a range of opportunities to be involved in our community based environment projects or support them in finding the right sort of voluntary work to suit their skills and interests. 

Our commitment is to sustainable practices, so any of our trek and tour itineraries involve some sort of community based environment work. When you stay at the Eco camp you can also be involved in short or long term community based seasonal voluntary work. No special skills are required to join our projects. You do need to be culturally sensitive and open minded with a willingness to do some physical work in a team environment.

If you have your own thoughts, ideas or skills that you think would be helpful to the local community and environment, we can arrange a suitable project for you to be involved with.  Our idea is to encourage the two way exchange of ideas and skills with the aim of supporting communities and protecting the environment.

You can be directly involved with a community and if there is any cost involved, you as the volunteer can pay it directly where it is needed. Sometimes $5-10 can make a big difference if you give it directly where needed rather than paying thousands of dollars extra to an organisation.
We have seen how a combined effort can make a real difference to local communities and can create a positive long term impact on environmental protection and sustainability.

We work as a bridge between our visitors, local Nepalese communities and groups.

We warmly invite you to participate in one of our projects knowing that the rewards you will experience will be twofold. Firstly, you will have the strong sense of having made a real and positive difference during you trip. Secondly, you will have gained a deeper understanding of the culture, environment and community of the people you have worked side by side with. 

Annapurna Eco Adventure(Trekking through the Annapurna foothills; off the beaten trail)  is one of our most environmentally and culturally sensitive itineraries. You can join this trip and make a difference every step of the way.

Phewa Lake conservation

Phewa Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Nepal and has become a famous tourist icon, but it would have to be the most threatened environment in Nepal with pollution and the invasion of water hyacinth.
We believe that Phewa Lake needs to be protected for future generations. The reason that we established our ENEC nursery near the lake was because of our focus on revegetation of the areas around the lake. Working with other organisations, local people, visitors and communities to protect the lake we have organised many different events since 2003 including: Clean-up Campaigns along the shores of the lake and water hyacinth removal. See below for detailed information about our previous work around the lake.

Location

10 kms west from Pokhara overlooking the western end of Phewa Lake near the banks of the Harpun Khola.

Why here?

We chose this Phewa Lake location because of the need to protect, rejuvenate and revegetate the local area. It also allows for the support of local sustainability. Phewa Lake is the second largest lake in Nepal and is located at the western end of the Pokhara Valley. Pokhara is world famous for its scenic beauty with Phewa Lake being its main attraction.

Overlooked by Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manasula and outstanding Machapuchare, Pokhara has long been a favourite destination for honeymooners, adventure lovers and for those interested in cultural studies, yoga and meditation.

Phewa Lake is not only a favourite destination for human visitors, but also for a variety of wildlife and birdlife.
The water of Phewa Lake is home to about 20 indigenous fish species included types of eels, at least 20 different frog and reptile species, 115 species of permanent birdlife, 24 mammal types and 149 different plants. That is not including the 14 species of migratory birds that visit annually.
Extreme population growth and rise in tourist numbers has encouraged the building of housing and tourist accommodation around the lake. As a result, every day human waste and other rubbish is being dumped into the lake and the environment is under threat. Local bird and animal populations become threatened as habitat is destroyed.

Some changes have already begun:     

• 20 years ago the lake covered 9 square kilometres, but today it has shrunk to a mere 4.5 square kilometres.
  
• 20 years ago the lake was approximately 26 metres deep; today it measures 18 metres deep.
  
• 20 years ago the water was fresh and drinkable.
  
• 20 years ago you could see the fish, creatures and plants of its depths through crystal clear water, as well as magnificent reflections of the mountains. Now the water is murky, full of water hyacinth and to see fish is rare.
  

If significant steps aren’t taken to save the lake the future of the area becomes bleak and a world icon could be lost to coming generations.

How to get there from Lakeside Pokhara  

• 30 minutes drive car or local bus
  
• 1 hour cycling
  
• 2 hours pleasant walk
  

Previous Projects

2000-

• The planting of hundreds of bamboo plants at the site of the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre which is providing shelter for birdlife which has lost habitat around the lake due to population growth. Some of the bamboo is already being harvested and being used as building materials, basket making etc.
  

• The planting of approximately 200 coffee plants to begin the model farm. We believe that coffee is a good value crop that will potentially increase grower’s sustainable income tenfold.
  

• Many years of involving our visitors and locals in trail and village litter clean ups during treks which has included the spread of information about positive environmental practices. In 2000 we began our first clean up campaigns on the trails we travelled along with our trekking groups.
  

Some of these include:

Panchase Clean up:

• In 2000 Freedom Adventure Treks, celebrated our launch as a local company with a clean up around the village of Panchase, approximately a 17km area. We carted about 2 tons of plastic bags, bottles, glass, batteries and various other items of rubbish out of the area. The clean up involved 20 of our crew and 17 Swiss visitors, as well as locals who joined in.
  

New Millennium:

• Freedom Adventure founder Mukti Timilsina launched the Annapurna Clean up campaign with two British clients during a 21 day trek. They distributed information pamphlets and asked other travellers to be responsible in their approach to their travel in Nepal.
  

  
  

2001:

• Freedom Adventure sponsored three of our staff members to do their ‘Eco guide’ training organised by KEEP.
  

  
  

Annapurna Clean up:

• In 2004 we distributed more than 2000 pens and pencils, as well as items of clothing that was collected by Mukti Timilsina and Camperdown College Environment Group. Items were distributed to children who were encouraged to participate in litter clean ups around their villages or along the path during the 8 day trek to Poon Hill. As well as local involvement, our seven Australian visitors and our crew cleaned up part of the trail bringing the rubbish back to Pokhara for appropriate disposal.
  

  
  

Kagbeni Clean up:

• New Year’s Day Celebration 2006: Freedom Adventure Treks organised the Kagbeni Village Clean up. Dozens of locals and children joined our group for the program during which Mukti Timilsina, Yonie Tiljak and Graham Arkinstall presented information about the value of the environment which included photos of the work the Camperdown College Environment Group was doing in Australia. At the end of the program locals, visitors and the Freedom Adventure crew cleaned up around the village and the school yard. After the clean up, children were rewarded with stationary goods and clothing items. This program aimed to recycle goods and to encourage local involvement, especially of children, in positive environmental action, as well as responsible action by tourists.
  
  

2007:

• The Freedom Adventure Treks Annapurna Dream Team from Australia once again visited Kagbeni with a special focus on the school, for a clean up, information session and distribution of stationary items to students
  
  

Lake Phewa and Red Hill Clean up:

• 2006 January, a group of our Australian visitors went out to the area near the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre site and worked with locals during the rice harvest, learning from each other and sharing a typical local meal. The following day, the group joined the Freedom Adventure crew along with 20 orphans from a local children’s home to clean up along the banks of Phewa Lake and Red Hill area. Approximately 20 large feedbags of rubbish were collected. At the end of the day the children were rewarded for their enthusiastic efforts with clothing and stationary, as well as a shared a meal together.
  

  
  

2007:

• Another Freedom Adventure Treks New Year’s Celebration, with a Phewa Lake Clean up. Freedom Adventure crew, orphans and our Australian visitors collected tons of rubbish followed by a well earned meal together.

Visit our projects gallery to see images of previous projects

Current projects:

• Building of the Eagle’s Nest Nursery and developing the surrounding area in readiness for the building of the Environment Centre in November 2008.
  

• A group of Australian visitors will be taking part in the 10 day Eagle’s Nest Environment Adventure in November 2008. They will be working with the locals to build the environment centre, work in the nursery, and be involved in local agriculture and cultural exchange.
  

Future plans;

• To complete the development of the nursery and information centre.

• Annual propagation and distribution of approximately 5000 crop plants to local farmers
  

• Create strong networks for information and cultural exchange between local communities and visitors/volunteers
  

• Establish a training centre for Nepalese people who want to be involved in sustainable tourism.
  

• Establish networks to effectively coordinate with other non-government, government and private sector projects in order to develop effective waste management actions in response to population growth in the area.
  

• Respond to proposals, projects, and needs as identified by the local community and/or visitors/volunteers as appropriate.
  

• Create the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ annual award to recognise and encourage community, school and individual involvement in sustainable practices.
  
  

How can you be a part of this?

1. Simply join us on any Freedom Adventure Trek or tour. 10% of what you pay goes towards the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre and programs.

2. You can choose a trek or tour itinerary that includes our Environment Adventure and gives opportunities for cultural and environmental exchange.

3. If you want to share your skills, ideas and want to work with locals to build understanding of each others cultures, we can arrange a volunteers project package from one to twenty days +. Some of these packages may require you to provide a police and character check, as well as proof of qualifications. This could include: teaching in a local school, working at a children’s home/orphanage, local medical centre etc. Contact us with your suggestions or requirements. This would suit individuals, groups or families.

4. You can bring any unwanted goods which are no longer required by you or your family and friends. These can be used for exchange with locals for work they do as part of our projects. This is a no cost recycling system. Check baggage limits directly with your airlines to see how much you can carry for free. 
   

NOTE:

1. During your environment activity you will be staying at the campsite at the Eagle’s Nest Environment Centre or with a local family.

2. We will provide you with a list of guidelines regarding appropriate action and behaviour expected for the type of volunteer work you choose to do with us.