Advanced Guide Training | 22-23 Feb 2012

It's high time guides in Nepal raised the standards of guiding to international levels. With a small team of dedicated people from the Nepalese Tourism Industry, socialtours is launching an initiative this February to kick-start this process, slowly priming up the standards through short highly concentrated advanced skill and leadership trainings.

Step one is to register yourself for the training. Use the form below! This will close on 19th Feb 2012. So hurry!

IMPORTANT: the decision of the team as to who is selected as a candidate is final. If you do not make ti to this first round of trainings, there will be others that will be conducted too in due course. The training material will also be 'copylefted', and will be all available online.

Watch this space for more information regarding this training! Curriculum, expert team profiles etc.

Happening at ITB 2012 | do not miss it

Its all happening at ITB. And we will be there at the thick of it. Our stall is at Hall 4.1b # 221 and all the following is happening right around us.

09 Mar 2012 - 1300 hrs - A presentation by Raj Gyawali, Founder Director on the GO LOCAL series of products - all brand new from the socialtours stable.

Later we partner with The Blue Yonder, India and our other partners at the Green Circuit Initiative, to present the following.

Responsible tourism clinics:

These are series of clinics where you interact with practitioners who run social businesses in tourism. Pose your questions on related topics and find solutions from experts.

07. Mar. 2012 | 14.00-15.00 Social Media for destination promotion: How to increase business through social media marketing? - Damian Cook - E-Tourism frontiers

08. Mar. 2012 | 11.00-12.00 Power of Story Telling : How to use stories to promote your business?
- Zainab Kakal - Chief Enthusiasm Officer at The Blue Yonder

08. Mar. 2012 | 14.00-15.00 Moving beyond conventional tourism - How to develop innovative experiences ?

- Monk for a month
- Ethical Travel Portal
- Cape Town tourism

Experiences shared by suppliers in India, Thailand, Nepal and South Africa

09. Mar. 2012 | 11.00-12.00 Power of networking: How collaboration can bring more business ?
- Raj Gyawali - The Green Circuit | socialtours nepal

**All the clinics will be at stand Hall 4.1/201(The Blue Yonder)

RT NETWORKING

09. Mar. 2012 Friday | 1730-1800
Venue: Stage of the Exhibition Area: Experience Adventure, ECOtourism & Expeditions in hall 4.1

Inspiring stories from destinations.

Listen to inspiring and innovative stories from destinations that are chosen from a collection of applications from around the world.

ITB-Berlin responsible tourism networking
Partnering : The Blue Yonder, The Green Circuit and Tripbod
Supported by: Pocket village
Media partner: Vision Travel Mole
1800-2030

1800: Welcome:
- Rika Jean-Francoise CSR commissioner ITB-Berlin

1810-2030 : RT pitches and networking
- listen to 2 minutes pitches from responsible tourism initiatives around the world and interact with those involved in sustainable tourism

socialtours at ITB Berlin | 07 - 11 Mar 2012

Namaste!

For the fifth time, socialtours will be at ITB Berlin. As exhibitors, we have once shared the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs CBI programme stand with other participants from Nepal and Thailand, but as of last year we now come in with our own stand.

Who is socialtours?

Socialtours is a five-time award-nominated responsible soft adventure specialist with mentions in Lonely Planet and National Geographic Adventure. We run our operations from Kathmandu, Nepal, offering trips to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India.

What do we bring with us?

This time we have a whole new range of products classified as the GO LOCAL series, amongst other products. These hidden secrets of Nepal include cooking courses, pottery classes, organic farm stays, coffee farm visits, watching a city waking up, learning the process of converting elephant dung into paper, and even cross-border tours - an amazing collection of unique experiences in Nepal.

We will be available for meetings between 7 and 11 March at our booth no. 221 in Hall 4.1B, ITB Eco & Adventure Hall, the perfect location to find us.

Location of socialtours booth in Hall 4.1b

Raj Gyawali, Founder and Managing Director of socialtours, will give a presentation on the new products on Friday, 9 March at 13.00h in Hall 4.1, ITB Eco & Adventure Stage, right behind our stall.

You are cordially invited to come, learn and develop your new products around our suggestions. Please let us know if you are coming, so we can prepare for it.

You are also warmly welcome to the annual Responsible Tourism Networking Event taking place on Friday evening, 9 March in hall 4.1b. This happens right behind our stall.

Looking forward to see you at ITB Berlin!

Best regards,
Raj Gyawali and socialtours team

Yoga in the Mountains | 15 days | 25 Mar - 08 Apr' 012 | Nepal

Yoga outside the lodge at end of day | Sing Gompa | Day two

The Himalayas have long been known to be the abode of yogis and seekers, of mystics and adventurers alike. Join us on the journey of a lifetime, with Yoga in the Himalayas.

>> Facebook page 

>> Booking Requests can be made here
>> Booking from Europe: use www.ethicaltravelportal.com

Yoga is a science of harmonizing one’s nature, of finding the balance between the many dimensions of our being-- physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual-- and between our inner and outer worlds. Although ancient, Yoga and its sister science of Ayurveda are still very alive in Nepal, woven into the culture, food, daily rituals and traditions. As lived in Nepal, Yoga encompasses all facets of one’s daily life--from how to eat to best serve one’s unique nature, to what it means to be part of a community. In other words, yoga is responsibility-for one’s self and for others. 

Embarking on this journey you will have the unique opportunity to take a dip into a land and people that- even in the throws of modernization- resonate with ancient yogic and vedic wisdom. 

According to legend, Gosaikunda, in the Langtang range, is the dwelling place of Lord Shiva, the Greatest Yogi of them all. In this breathtaking setting we will indulge in the space and inspiration of Nature and explore yogic practices to restore balance and support overall wellbeing. 

Make your health and wellbeing a priority this year, discover new landscapes, both outer and inner. Join us in Nepal.

About the instructor: Yogatara (Lisa Gaustchi) is director of Isha, a center of yogic learning and conscious living in Patan. Born in the U.S., raised in France, Yogatara began her journey in Yoga in 1996 when she first arrived in Nepal. With a B.A. in biochemistry, she turned from hard sciences to the life sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda in her search for healing and spiritual growth. Yogatara holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Yogic Sciences from Bihar Yoga University, the first accredited Yoga University, in Bihar, India and a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology. Yogatara now works as yoga therapist, instructor, and counselor. In addition, she is a freelance writer and leads yoga retreats and spiritual journeys to Nepal, India and Tibet. Yogatara strives to embody the teachings of yoga and to follow the example of her teachers, Swami Satyananda and Swami Niranjanananda-- to serve, love and give (www.yogavision.net).

She credits her five beautiful children with continually teaching her this real meaning of Yoga....the opening of the Heart and the art of Living.

Launch into the final spurt for the German Involvement Award / Deutscher Engagementpreis

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Please cast your vote until Tuesday the 1st of November ..... never before helping people has been as easy as that ... the award comes with prize money of 10.000 euro for an orphanage in Patan / Kathmandu

From the 28th of September tot he 1st of November there is no information on the state oft he ballot. The pupils’ Nepal project needs your support to win the German Involvement Award.

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