Privacy Policy for using Website Information

This Privacy Policy regulates how Shivalaya Holidays P. Ltd collects, uses, maintains, and discloses information collected from clients or users of the www.shivalayaholidays.com website (each, a client or user and quotation). This privacy statement applies to the Site as well as all Shivalaya Holidays P. Ltd. products and services. Shivalaya Holidays requires your personal information in order to provide you with a hassle-free, economical, and wonderful vacation and trekking journey in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, or India. We do, however, respect our clients' privacy. Any exploitation of personal information or privacy by others is strongly forbidden by Shivalaya Holidays' policy and legal form. We value the fact that you entrust Shivalaya Holidays with your private, personal information. As a result, we'd like to make you aware of our Privacy Policy as follows:

What are the information’s required to us?

We'll need the documents that prove your identity.

- Full name, address, zip code, phone number, and email address

- A copy of your passport to verify the accuracy of the information you've submitted.

- We may use your mailing address to react to you and to subscribe you to our e-newsletter.

- You can submit it to us at our official postal address if you want to update your information with us. We'll make the necessary changes to your account right away.

Security of the information

Your information will be saved on the server of our organization. However, no one has access to such information until and until Shivalaya Holidays members require it for legitimate reasons. We want to reassure you that your credit card information will not be stored on our server when you make a payment. The payment procedure is quite safe.

We collect some unspecified information

We need to upgrade our official website in order to market our company. As a result, some of your information is analyzed by Google Analytics in order to acquire detailed information about our online traffic. Information such as the page viewed, location, date, and time may all be simply examined.

We use cookies

We use cookies which helps us to know that you are our visitor who had visited us previously. When you browse us the second time, the technology popularly known as cookies recognizes your browser and helps us know that your browser had visited our site.

The links on our website

Our privacy policy doesn’t govern any other websites. In case, you navigate from our site following any links on our site, remember that it is not governed by our privacy policy.

Renewal of policy

We reserve our right to amend or update our privacy policy if necessary. The privacy policy is subject to change as per the circumstances. If you have any queries regarding our privacy policy, you can mail us your queries at our company’s office mailing address i.e. info@shivalayaholidays.com

 

Policies for working with Tour/Trekking Guides and Porters 

Shivalaya Holidays is committed to sustainable and responsible tourism methods that benefit the environment, its employees, clients, and the community. We recognize that if we look after our hiking guides and porters, they will look after our clients. Above all, as a responsible tour operator, we want to provide the finest working circumstances for our crew so that they can take care of our customers and help them get the most out of their trip.

We've heard reports about porters being abandoned on the mountainside or freezing outside tents while guests enjoy themselves. We treat and execute the following Guide and Porter Policy at Shivalaya Holidays to ensure that our trekking guides and porters work in a compassionate and fair manner. Here's a quick rundown of our company's policies on the subject:

Insurance: For the duration of the walk, Shivalaya Holidays provides risk and liability insurance to trekking leaders and porters. Accidents, medical bills, and high-altitude helicopter rescue and evacuation costs are all covered by the insurance.

Weight restrictions: Each porter is limited to a maximum weight of 30 kg/66 lbs. During the trek, one porter will help two clients. At the pre-tour briefing, we advise clients to bring only the necessary hiking equipment, which should not weigh more than 15 kg/33 lbs for a single client. In addition, the maximum amount of luggage allowed on a domestic flight in Nepal is 15 kg/33 pounds, which includes both luggage and a backpack. So, before setting out on the hike, we double-check that our porters are carrying the proper weights.

Health and Safety: Our biggest priority is the health and safety of our trekking crews. We make sure that our trekking leaders look after the porters and that they contact us if they require special attention in terms of health and well-being. Similarly, our organization takes appropriate efforts to maintain a safe working environment. All requirements for ensuring a healthy and safe workplace are met by the company.

Accommodation and food: During the journey, our company supplies all trekking crew with proper lodging and food. In general, we give our trekking crews with three conventional meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Similarly, tea house/guesthouse accommodations will be available for the journey in the Himalayan region. During the trek, no trekking employees will be discriminated against based on race, caste, culture, or other factors, and all trekking crew will have access to the same amenities.

Suitable gear and equipment: During camping trips, we provide our trekking staff with a down jacket, good hiking shoes, sunglasses, a sun hat, down, a sleeping bag, a first-aid kit, and camping equipment. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, Diamox Imodium, and other essential medications are included in the first aid box. We also supply an oximeter to monitor oxygen levels along the journey. (All of our hiking leaders must have this gadget.)

Awareness: To better their working circumstances and empower them, we run regular awareness programs for our trekking leaders and guides. We teach them about environmental policy and the necessity of ethical tourism. We encourage our trek leaders to teach the porters on potential medical difficulties in the mountains, including as high altitude sickness, frostbite, and hypothermia, as well as basic first-aid skills to deal with the many health issues that may develop. In addition, our trek leader instructs porters on how to properly use their equipment.

Preference: Shivalaya Holidays has a policy of recruiting trekking guides and porters from local regions and disadvantaged communities. This is in keeping the mind to support them economically and uplift their living standard as many porters in the mountainous region of Nepal are illiterate, poor and unskilled. Likewise, they are more familiar with destinations and are happier to lead the clients in their hometown.

Contract: When it comes to employing personnel, guides, and porters, Shivalaya Holidays writes an employment contract. We also make certain that employees are aware of the contract's terms and conditions, their tasks and obligations, as well as the minimum amenities and remuneration offered.

Wages: All trekking leaders, guides, and porters are paid a fair rate in accordance with the law. Our trekking personnel is compensated according to their level of experience (beginning to senior) and knowledge of the field. Even if the client does not complete the trip for any reason, we pay our guides and porters the usual wages once the trip is scheduled.

Rewards: Our Company has been presenting bonuses and awards to recognize team members' efforts for all of the hard work they have put in. Every year, we host a retreat for our staff, during which we give out awards in a variety of categories. "Guide of the Year," "Best Customer Service Award," "Best Teamwork Award," and so on. A certificate and a monetary incentive will be given to the employee who has been recognized.

Solidarity: We are life members of Porters' Progress Nepal, an organization that monitors porters and guides' well-being.

 

Guidelines of Traveling with us.

Basically, we expect all of our visitors to follow local laws and values. This means different things in different countries, so before you go, learn as much as you can about the country you're visiting – try to learn some of the local language and read about the religion and culture. This will enhance your travel experience. With a little effort, you will find yourself leaving with a better understanding of other cultures and a sense of accomplishment at having made a positive impact on the country you visited.The general guidelines that follow are the standards of behavior that we expect from everyone on a Shivalaya Holidays trip.

Understanding and Respecting Cultural Differences

The Nepali culture is vastly different from that of the West. There will undoubtedly be a few things that will be very intriguing, surprising, and occasionally uncomfortable to someone unfamiliar with the Nepalese way of life. There is no doubt that these distinctions are precisely what we love to celebrate, and in the same way, we expect our clients to get the most out of what only Nepal has to offer.

There are several factors to consider, including what one wears, how one eats, the tone one uses when speaking, and the proximity one maintains while communicating. Furthermore, Nepal, like any other country, operates on a different concept of time – things happen when they happen! To have a happy and successful trip, the traveller should remain as calm, cheerful, and friendly as possible.Patience, courtesy and smiles are virtues that lead to many memorable moments during the trip.

Friendship

Making new friends will be one of the highlights of your journey. When possible, accept and enjoy offers of hospitality. By talking with the locals, you will learn about their daily lives, culture, and outlook on life, as well as have a good time and a few laughs. This is an opportunity for them to learn about your culture as well. Consider ways to reciprocate hospitality, such as posting photos back.Be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Walking down the street, you might be asked,

 "What's your name?" 

Where do you come from? How old are you? 

"Where are you going?" – 

These may be personal questions for you. Don't be offended, or think it's rude or an invasion of privacy. It's usually out of genuine curiosity, friendliness, or a desire to improve their English. Respond with patience and a cheerful attitude. Some countries' concepts of privacy may differ greatly from your own.

Environmental Stewardship

The tourism industry's long-term viability has become increasingly dependent on responsible tourism. Our environmental policies are briefed to our clients prior to the departure of our tours, as they are critical components of every Shivalaya Holidays trip. To raise awareness and maintain a clean and healthy living environment, we encourage programs and frequently participate in and/or initiate clean-up campaigns. Our commitment to finding new ways to practice responsible tourism continues.

What you can do to help?

Pollution and waste management are major issues all over the world. Some countries, particularly Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and India, have inadequate waste disposal systems, and recycling of plastics is limited.

We recommend avoiding plastic packaging whenever possible and bringing your own bag when shopping. Plastic bags will be offered for everything – don't be afraid to say that they aren't necessary. Don't be fooled by public transportation trash cans; they may be emptied right out the window! Collect and discard at the next town or hotel.

Many trekkers bring an extra plastic bag with them to pick up any trash they see in order to improve the area and for their own garbage. It is considered impolite in many cultures to throw trash into a cooking fire. Rubbish may have to be transported until there is a suitable disposal opportunity in the area. In most places, bottled water is available for purchase, however there are limited facilities for recycling the bottles. Please make every effort to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles that are discarded. To cleanse drinking water, bring a water filter, water purification tablets, or iodine. There are enormous water 'bubbler' dispensers at some of our hotels where you can refill your bottle with filtered water for free or for a modest cost.

The natural world is also quite important. We must ensure that our human waste is buried away from streams if we are in the bush. It is mandatory to bury or carry out soiled toilet paper. Tampons and sanitary pads must also be removed from the area and properly disposed of. Use soap or shampoo sparingly in rivers and lakes; your group leader will let you know when soap isn't appropriate.

Many people in Himalayan towns receive little environmental education, thus they are unaware of the consequences of trash. Rather than lecturing, our goal is to teach by example. When visiting national parks and rural places, you'll note that our guides are generally very conscious of their environmental impact. If we have a beach, trail, or reef clean-up, please join us.

Ensure your porters are dealt with decently

We've all heard the narratives of porters left on the mountainside or freezing outside tents while voyagers revel inside. Our explorers, however, realize that Ace truly is treating their porters reasonably. Here is a fast gone through of our organization's strategy in such manner:

• Protection: All our porters are safeguarded well and covered for clinical and salvage/departure administrations.

• Weight limits: We permit a greatest weight breaking point of 30kg per doorman for journeying. Numerous public and worldwide organizations power porters to convey in excess of 50 kg each.

• Wellbeing and prosperity: Our driving aides guarantee that porters are dealt with reasonably and in a neighborly way. We request that our visitors illuminate the aide if a watchman needs more consideration as far as wellbeing, food and rest during the excursion.

• Mindfulness: We instruct the porters about our natural arrangements during the outing. The aides ensure the porters notice and apply these arrangements well. The porters, who are responsible for dealing with the waste produced during the outing, assume a significant part in appropriate waste administration. Accordingly, we give specific consideration to the porters in making the excursion as naturally dependable as could be expected.

• Fitting Clothes: We furnish the porters with comfortable garments, great shoes and all the important gear for high elevation traveling. They are additionally given sufficient safe house, food, drink and wages.

• Motivation: Most of the youthful porters are future aides and furthermore low maintenance understudies. Pioneers help and motivate the porters to develop as possible aides as all our journeying guides began as porters.

Dinning and Shopping

We exceptionally empower eating nearby food and beverages, rather than looking for imported recognizable bites and beverages. Other than giving you the credible Nepali desire for an entirely sensible value, neighborhood food assists with invigorating territorial economy. We show our visitors the best bona fide Nepalese spots to feast in Kathmandu and different urban areas.

Moreover, it would help the neighborhood towns on the grass-roots level in the event that handiworks and gifts are purchased straightforwardly from individual makers in the towns rather than extravagant retail outlets and departmental stores. By supporting local area cooperatives and crippled craftsmanship communities, we are helping the creators of the things get a more pleasant cost for their items.

We ask our customers not to buy jeopardized widely varied vegetation items that might be made available for purchase. The odds are good that the natural life items have been pirated and we have severe strategies of not supporting any unlawful items, and inclination our customers to go with the same pattern.

The craft of haggling is something you can deal with during your outing. The following are a couple of pointers to help you on your way:

•             Begin dealing with some thought of what you consider a reasonable cost for the thing to be. This will ordinarily include asking about the thing in various stores.

•             The right cost at a thing is the cost you consent to pay, that keeps both you and the merchant cheerful. Hence, there is no 'correct' cost.

•             Be pleasant, patient, however firm in your dealing. A less expensive cost will not be imaginable by being impolite or heartless.

•             Try not to show up too keen on a thing. Leaving a store is frequently a decent method for getting the cost to drop.

•             Shop with a companion – purchasing in mass frequently decreases the cost.

•             Become familiar with the numbers in the nearby language. It will win regard from the vender, and will positively make the cycle significantly really intriguing.

•             When a value you have offered is acknowledged it isn't fitting to retreat from the arrangement.

•             Possibly say you'll purchase something later on the off chance that you plan to purchase later. The merchants for the most part have stunning recollections, and will come nagging you on your guarantee!

•             It is our strategy that bunch chiefs don't get commissions from sellers for their gathering's buys – there's no compelling reason to consolidate commission into a cost.

In particular, partake in the experience, and recall that you're frequently just dealing over a few dollars – keep it in context.

Drugs and prostitution

We strongly oppose any of our clients visiting prostitutes while on a Shivalaya Holidays trip. Prostitution is a heinous violation of human rights because women and children are sold into the industry and "imprisoned" in brothels by their families. Many develop drug problems and sexually transmitted diseases. Because the government lacks funds and expertise in this area, sex workers are not screened for disease. For legal, ethical, and medical reasons, our clients must remain on the safe side in this matter.

Illegal drugs are not tolerated on any Shivalaya Holidays trip, and the group leader has the authority to expel a group member if drugs are discovered in his/her possession. It must be understood that drug possession or use not only violates national laws, but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Smoking marijuana and opium is legal in some parts of the world, but it is not permitted for Shivalaya Holidays guests or staff.

Gifts and Donations

Please do not give money, pens, or sweets to the locals in the communities we visit, as this can encourage a "begging culture." It can create unequal relationships between tourists and visitors, with tourists seen as purely 'givers,' and it can also erode people's self-esteem when they receive money for simply being poor rather than having to solve their own poverty issues through community action. With sweets – locals may not have access to or be able to afford dentists.

If you want to donate, your group leader may be able to recommend local projects with which Shivalaya Holidays is involved. Some local villages can be helped by purchasing their handicrafts, for example. Pens, note books, and other items for children are best distributed by a school teacher or community leader. Your group leader would be delighted to help distributing these items. At the end of a trip, leaders in most Shivalaya Holidays' trip areas collect clean, usable clothing from travellers for distribution to needy communities. These can be dropped off at some of our base hotels. Please check with the leader of your group. At the end of a visit to a pagoda, monastery, or temple, it is customary to make a small donation – most have a contributions box for this purpose.

Contributing to the well-being of the communities

Part of our travel philosophy at Shivalaya Holidays is to promote tourism as a two-way medium of communication. We'd like you to consider how you can give back to the country you visited when you return home. You've just spent a lot of money to have a good time by experiencing another culture and meeting the people. Your spending has undoubtedly aided the local economy, and there are now additional things that can be done to assist some other countries on an ongoing basis. You will most likely be more aware of the environmental, social, political, and cultural issues that some local communities face as a result of your trip. Various agencies and groups are attempting to address these issues, with the goal of assisting developing countries in maintaining their cultural identity, developing sustainable resources, and improving social justice situations. All of them necessitate the expenditure of resources.

Money is not the only way you can help; your time and/or skills may be just as valuable and useful. You could do the following:

• Join a development organization or another group concerned with issues in developing countries.

• Become a volunteer and donate your time to aid organizations.

• Purchase birthday or Christmas gifts from shops run by various third-world charitable organizations.

• Write letters to Amnesty International in order to help political prisoners or to put pressure on governments to change some inhumane situations.

• Learn more about your own government's policies and how they affect the "two-thirds world."

Or simply be a more environmentally conscious household and contribute to a more efficient use of the world's resources.