Review of Ecosphere Spiti

Ecosphere Spiti is a remarkable, award winning non-profit organization focused on conservation and responsible tourism in Spiti. Its name, meaning "the sphere supporting life", is apt. More importantly, the team's commitment and enthusiasm for their work ensures the provision of high quality, innovative products and services. This makes Ecosphere an excellent choice for getting the most from your visit to Spiti.

Located in Kaza, Ecosphere Spiti brings together the local community and a number of other non-profit organizations, including Muse (a Non-Government Organization with a focus on sustainable development). It was established more than five years ago by its two passionate and well traveled leaders, Ishita and Sunil, who also founded Muse. Over the course of time, they've recruited an excellent team of local people who help run the organization.

The Ecosphere Spiti team is diverse and knowledgeable. It comprises managers and team leaders, mountaineers, field workers, and agriculturalists. The fact that they were all born in the mountains gives them an intrinsic understanding of their environment.

Ecosphere Spiti achieves its aim, of creating local livelihoods and linking them to conservation and development, through a number of projects. These include:

• eco tourism, and products made from the nutritious Seabuckthorn plant.
• promoting greenhouses for growing vegetables.
• providing energy efficient solar housing.
• reviving and promoting local handicrafts.
• restoration of the Dhankhar Monastery.

The Seabuckthorn plant grows wildly in abundance in the Spiti Valley. It produces yellowy orange berries, which are extremely rich in vitamin C and other nutrients. The medicinal properties of these berries are are well regarded across Asia and Europe.

Ecosphere Spiti has educated Spiti's inhabitants about the commercial potential of Seabuckthorn, and worked with them to establish harvesting and processing units. Now, a range of Seabuckthorn products are produced and marketed. These include drink concentrate, teas, powder, and dried berries.

Its name might not sound so alluring, but Seabuckthorn actually tastes delicious. While I was in Spiti, I drank Seabuckthorn tea on a number of occasions and loved it. It has a flavor similar to ginger lemon honey tea, and is very refreshing. Not to mention healthy!

Ecosphere Spiti's range of tourism initiatives and activities have been especially designed to benefit the people of Spiti. They include:

• homestay accommodations with families in villages (now promoted by Mahindra Homestays).
• yak safaris on village yaks.
• village to village treks.
• tracking of endangered animals such as the Himalayan Wolf.

The great thing about these activities is that they involve the local community. Over 80 village families are benefiting from the homestay program. Local youths have also been trained to act as nature guides, which provides them with additional income. Encouragingly, a proportion of the extra income is being used by the community for conservation projects.

During my visit to Spiti, I went on a number of trips organized by Ecosphere Spiti. My guide for the duration was Chhering Bodh, a "jack of all and an intimidating mountaineer...and also the multi tasking all-in-one-man of Ecosphere".

Chhering proved to be extremely fit, competent, and knowledgeable. He filled me in on a wealth of information about my surroundings as we explored Spiti's villages. Soon, I also realized that he was able to deal with any medical problem that arose. He confidently dispensed medication to me for my altitude-related illnesses, and single-handedly carried a male member of the group down a steep hill after he broke his ankle and couldn't walk. It was very reassuring to be in such capable hands.

Ecosphere Spiti offers a number of unique travel packages for people wanting to explore Spiti, including flexible and fixed departure trips. A great deal of effort has been put into coming up with interesting trips that showcase Spiti and its culture.

What's really attractive about these trips is their variety. They're based around different themes (Buddhism, culture, flora and fauna, adventure, and geology) and activities (jeep and yak safaris, mountain biking, trekking, white water rafting).

For those who want to see as much of as Spiti as possible in a limited time frame, the 9 day flexible departure Spiti Kaleidoscope trip is designed to provide an all-encompassing experience. It includes yak safari, cultural performances, traditional homestays, day hikes in Snow Leopard & Himalayan Wolf habitats, mountain biking along back country trails, and local cuisine.

The 7 days Spiti Safari is a jeep safari that's less demanding than some of the other trips, but still allows plenty of scope for experiencing Spiti.

For something a little unusual, try the 12 day Legends Trail. This unconventional jeep safari uncovers the more mystical side of Spiti, with tales of legends such as the 675 year old mummy, and the of the fairy that resides in the Chandertal Lake.

You can even get engaged in the great work that Ecosphere Spiti does. The organization now offers two week Volunteer Travel packages, involving a range of community initiatives.