New Zealand-based adventure travel company supported Nepalese communities during the pandemic and is ready to bring travellers back starting in August 2022

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND, May 27, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With Nepal rescinding its travel advisories in March 2022, Active Adventures is preparing to return with travellers, but for the New Zealand-based adventure tour operator, their presence has remained in Nepal throughout the pandemic, helping those in need.

Devastated by a massive earthquake in 2015, Nepal was just starting to recover when the pandemic ground that progress to a halt. Seemingly overnight, the hundreds of thousands of travellers and explorers that supported the local economies and the recovery had vanished.

To assist the communities they’ve visited for more than a decade, Active Adventures gives both time and an annual monetary commitment to the Active Hearts Foundation – a non-profit formed by one of their lead guides, Dan Keys, to support child-centric community projects in Nepal, with a strong focus on health and education. Active Adventures’ support funds the administrative functions of the foundation, allowing all donated funds to directly support the projects of the foundation.

"The pandemic shifted our foundation's focus from being purely project based to also providing much needed humanitarian aid,” says Dan Keys, founder of the Active Hearts Foundation. “With Active Adventures’ support and generous donations from all around the world, we were able to offer food relief packages to families in need that would last a month. Our original goal was to send 200 packages – we were able to send 2,000.”

While Active Adventures was not able to travel to Nepal, or welcome international visitors to its homeland of New Zealand, they focused on building for the future and developing a three-year plan for their environmental and social responsibility platform.

“We have the collective opportunity to do better and to do the right thing when it comes to our environment and the communities we visit and bring our guests to,” says Wendy van Lieshout, CEO of Active Adventures. “We’ve used the pandemic pause as a reset, and we’re re-starting as we mean to continue. Our partnership with Dan and Active Hearts is so inspiring that we’re now looking to replicate it in other local communities we visit globally.”

Active Adventures will be returning to Nepal in August and is seeing strong bookings across its eight Himalaya trips. Each trip maxes out at 10-12 guests, making space on these small group adventures limited yet impactful.

With limited space available and demand at historic levels, van Lieshout offers two pieces of advice for travellers looking to go on a special trip, “if you know you want to go, book now. And when you do travel, embrace flexibility and have patience – many destinations are working to re-introduce travel to their community infrastructure. It doesn’t happen overnight, but part of the adventure is seeing what unfolds just off the planned path.”

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About Active Adventures & Austin Adventures:
With over 60 years of combined experience, Active Adventures and Austin Adventures set the standard for inspiring, all-inclusive, small-group adventures in the most breath-taking regions of the world. Their teams across New Zealand, North America, Peru, Nepal and the Netherlands ensure every detail is looked after. Hand-picked guides with a wealth of experience and local knowledge lead the way as guests enjoy exclusive accommodation, top-notch dining and unique activities showcasing the best of each region.

Each of their 100+ trips are crafted to perfection, encouraging guests to not only challenge themselves physically but also to take a deep dive into the local way of life in every destination. For more information, please visit activeadventures.com and austinadventures.com.


About Active Hearts Foundation:
The Active Hearts Foundation is a group of trekking guides, family and friends from New Zealand, Nepal and the world, who lead expeditions through the Himalaya and provide support to local communities through education, health and humanitarian projects. Learn more about their origin story and their projects at activeheartsfoundation.org.



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Courtney Iannuccilli
Active Adventures
+1 401-400-3472
courtney@activeadventures.com