Himmapaan foundation was founded on the belief that we have to give back to the people and environment where travel have impacted. Travel has both positive and negative impacts and our purpose is to bring positive impacts to places and people affected by the travel industry.

From the start, it was clear that travel improves the well-being of the people.

Local communities and ethnic minorities were living marginally when they first settled in the area we worked in.  With employment and commissioning of travel related activities  to the local people, their lives improved, they were hired to be trekking guides, operating white water raft, driving lodge vehicles, cultural ceremony and dance.

As more and more people moved in the communities because of the opportunities the travel sector created, we start seeing deterioration in the environment, health care and education. 

Forest were being burned down to make way for tourist activities, like elephant riding, hotels and lodges.

We decided to set up the foundation to give back to these communities: our main focus is

In 2000 we saw a rapid increase in encroachment of the forest either through burning or building un-sustainably. We needed to get people involved and get them to care for their environment so that they can be protected from drought, landsides and have good water source. We studied the FORRU method of reforestation which is not about random tree planting but planting scientifically so as to create an ecosystem for the forest to thrive and flourish on its own. www.forru.org