Kathmandu , 2008
Dear friends,
Namaste and Hello!

Welcome to Nepal ! When faced with majestic, larger-that-life Himalaya, it's easy to be intimidated. But fortunately you don't have to be a Sherpa, or a Messenger to enjoy the splendours of the outdoors. What you need is the ability to have fun and walk a little, and a trustworthy company that ensures your comfort and safety no matter how small or large your trip, or group.

The team at Tin-Tin Trekking, headed by me, has since 1991 been offering first-time and repeat visitors to Nepal a wide range of trips that encompass the scenic grandeur and warm, hospitable culture of this country and our neighbours. Within Nepal, for example, we offer packaged and customised walking trips through the Himalaya, rafting, jungle safaris, and cultural trips. An experience with Tin-Tin Trekking ensures that you have the best experience communing with nature and local culture, whether in serene solitude or in a bustling village.

We look forward to serving you and building a memorable Himalayan experience for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions whatsoever.

With best regards,
Suresh Dongol and Tin-Tin Trekking
Kathmandu, Nepal

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 Fut�E (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 license no. 171/2048, and Industry Department license 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 GanjaLa Children Home Hattiban Lalitpur Nepal (www.gchnepal.org). 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

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.