I Urge You To Ditch Your Himachal, Uttarakhand Or Ladakh Trip This Summer Vacation

Summer vacations are here. By now, most of us have already worked out vacation plans, and then there are some of us who live life impromptu. Sooner or later vacations always find their comforting retreat! For people staying in northern India, mountains are the luxury (Himachal trip, Uttarakhand trip, and Leh Ladakh trip in summer) that fewer people across the country can have. Hence, making the Greater Himalayan mountains the softest target to flee the unbearable summer. But, of late, things haven’t looked good in the higher terrains. Water shortage, accumulation of leftover, and forest fire have left the mountains upset.

Now, what should you be doing as a responsible traveler!

i. Ditch your plans of traveling to the Greater Himalayan or Garhwal region, which includes Himachal, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand. Alternatively, you can shift your focus towards South India, Northeast, and Central India. India is huge, and the Ghats are as pretty as the Himalayas if not less!

ii. Don’t even think about overcrowded tourist places like – Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Kufri, Nainital. Leave them alone!

iii. If at all you choose to visit these places in the north, don’t leave your home without double-checking climate conditions and accommodation availability. Later, you will only have bad memories and regrets as the souvenir.

iv. Please don’t carry any plastic (in any form) to the mountains, leave alone littering it around in the pristine outdoors.

v. If you want to do something extraordinary and can manage a day or two for that, please contribute to the cause of cleaning of mountains. There are lots of NGOs and volunteer groups working non-stop to assure garbage-free mountains.

vi. Finally, if you have understood the core message of responsible travel then spread a word about it to your family and friends!

The Himalayas needs our help and we all are capable of doing out bit by not planning a trip to the mountains soon. Let’s understand the seriousness of the situation and not aggravate it further.