Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 2 | Page 36
Responsible tourism in Pokhara
Responsible
tourism in Pokhara
View from Tiger Mountain, Pokhara. Photo: M Heredge.
or small groups in its four bedrooms (9-beds).With a
kitchen, guests can opt for a cook to do all the work
for them, or they can cook for themselves, picking
fresh from the farm next door. A small living area,
and a large garden with an outside fire place.
Furse Khola. Photo: M Heredge.
A few places in Pokhara to look out for, all with an
eye to practicing responsible tourism.
Furse Khola, Pokhara
Douglas Maclagan has been working in Nepal since
1994 and set up his first medical health centre
one year later in Saimarang, Kaski. CWSN (Child
Welfare Scheme Nepal) was set up to provide access
to healthcare and education for underprivileged
children. It now covers a wide area in Kaski and
Lamjung with healthcare centers and a vocational
center in Pokhara, and works in partnership with
many like-minded organisations. Douglas has since
handed this over to local management, and set up
a new charity called Right4Children with a new and
quite unique philosophy which focuses on ‘giveback’ and local sustainability.
Moving to Furse Khola in 2000, Douglas set up
the organic farm where he lives with his family. He
built a farmhouse guesthouse as a way of ‘giving
something back,’ generating income to cover the
cost of pensions for the workers on the farm, as well
36
www.royalmt.com.np
May 2014
as raising money to help pay towards the costs of
CWS and for projects in the local village community.
A healthpost has been built in the village at Furse
Khola along with a community building for the dairy
cooperative that has been set up there. Douglas is
passionate about organic farming and encourages
local farmers to follow.
Tiger Mountain, Pokhara
A boutique hotel, sitting on a hill outside of Pokhara
overlooking the Annapurnas, Tiger Mountain is an
island of serenity and comfort. Designed to blend
into the scenery, the hotel nestles unobtrusively on
a hillside where the Fish Tail Mountain looks close
enough to touch.
Following on the success of the Farmhouse, plans are
to develop the concept of the Furse Khola Farmhouse
further, turning the concept into developing a
high-end, quality resort called ‘Pavilions Himalaya’
that can generate funds to support the work of
Right4Children in a wider sense. Plans are still in
their early days, but the land has been bought and
construction has begun. Douglas is looking to create
the new resort in the coming Year, and to provide
up to 75% of all net profits to local Nepali charities.
The Pavilions Himalaya has been designed in such
a way that it will be the eco-greenest and most self
sustaining resort in Nepal, if not Asia.
Tiger Mountain is an ideal place to go not only for
fantastic views of the mountains but also for its high
Begnas Lake Resort, Pokhara
Tucked away at the far end of Begnas Lake, the
resort is secluded and a world apart from the
hustle and bustle of Pokhara. A perfect place to
relax, this is an ideal place to come to indulge in
some pampering. The resort offers a full course of
ayurvedic treatments and massages, or you could go
trekking (the Royal Trek starts near here), go hiking
or boating on the lake, try your hand fishing or go
swimming in the beautiful lakeside pool.
Marcus Cotton has been running the hotel since
2001. TMPL is one of only two hotels in Nepal that is
independently audited and verified for its policy of
Responsible Conservation Tourism by Responsible
Tourism Reporting (www.rtreporting.org). Marcus
sees responsible tourism to be not only about
the environment, but also the local community,
staff and guests alike. As well as helping fund
construction of the local secondary school and
paying a teacher at another local primary school,
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge supports volunteer
teacher placements to improve English language
and teaching skills in the local school in partnership
with the leading UK volunteer tourism agency People
& Places.
Just outside Pokhara, Furse Khola Farmhouse
provides comfortable accommodation for families
quality of service and food, and a relaxed atmosphere
that leaves you feel wonderfully rejuvenated.
Village children enjoying books on their Saturday morning in the school’s library that is
open every day. Photo: M Heredge.
ROYAL
www.royalmt.com.np
37