Heco
Heco is the consortium of Himalayan Ecotourism, Himalayan Ecocreation and Himalayan Insight.
Mission statement
Vision
Heco envisions a future where rural communities across India, especially in the Himalayas, thrive socially and economically while deepening their connection with nature, fostering a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship.
Mission
To bring our vision to life, Heco is dedicated to building a social enterprise model that empowers communities through sustainable and socially responsible development. By creating a network of affiliates (franchisees), each focused on unique aspects of eco-tourism, conservation, and community engagement, Heco fosters local economic growth and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to integrate innovative business practices with a commitment to social impact, enabling communities to flourish alongside the ecosystems they inhabit.
Objectives and strategy
Guided by our commitment to the connection between social well-being and environmental conservation, our strategy focuses on creating meaningful opportunities for local communities to thrive through:
- Economic Prosperity: Building a sustainable and ethical tourism model that supports long-term economic well-being for local communities.
- Women’s Empowerment: Enabling women to establish and lead micro-enterprises, fostering independence and financial stability.
- Ecological Restoration: Engaging communities in initiatives to restore and protect local ecosystems.
- Child Development: Preparing the next generation to meet both local and global challenges with resilience and insight.
We are committed to fairness, inclusiveness, transparency, respect, and honesty as core values that drive us toward our goals as a social enterprise.
Who we are
We are an award-winning social enterprise using tourism as an opportunity to promote sustainable development in the Western Himalayas.
At the heart of Heco is the vision to build empowered communities that advocate conservation. The thriving ecosystems in the Himalayan regions are under threat at the moment due to rampant, competitive and exploitative industrialization. Heco aims to bring ethics and sustainability to doing business.
The core team of Heco is a group of sustainability leaders and industry professionals dedicated to supporting conservation and ecological restoration by establishing businesses that prioritize environmental stewardship and fair treatment of local communities, offering an alternative to conventional practices.
We work in close collaboration with our franchisees, regional associations such as the GHNP Cooperative, Photoksar Tourism Development Committee, and Churah Valley Tourism Association, as well as local women’s groups spread across various Himalayan regions. Together with our NGO, Himalayan Insight, we function as a unified social enterprise striving to achieve our shared mission of preserving the environment and promoting sustainable development in the Western Himalayas.
As a trek and travel operator, we take you for offbeat travels and trekking experiences in Himachal Pradesh, Spiti and Ladakh.
A quick insight into the Heco organization
Our initiatives for a sustainable development
Sustainable ecotourism enterprise
Local communities are the best advocates for environmental conservation. Heco aims to create economic opportunities in the Western Himalayas through sustainable tourism practices based on an enterprise model that gives its members the opportunity to make a living respectably and the power to make decisions beneficial to their communities and the environment.
Explore the untouched, off-beat Himalayan trails, treks and homestays with the empowered locals that constitute the pillar of Heco !
Learn more about our social enterprise model.
Women’s empowerment
Women in the region don’t experience the same social status or respect in the communities as men.
We believe that women play a crucial role in keeping the community development within the limits of sustainability. More than men, women have an innate sense of responsibility towards the natural resources and hence, towards the well-being of our future generations.
That is why women emancipation and empowerment are at the centre of our efforts towards conservation. No society can truly reform itself unless it doesn’t give women the respect and status they deserve.
We help them getting organized in Women Self-Help Groups (WSHG), after which, we help them managing their microenterprise in making of local products and in working as trekking staff. We also give them important responsibilities in our reforestation and education programs.
Learn more about our women empowerment program
Himalayan Reforestation Program
Heco aims at restoring a synergy between humans and their environment. Part of our profits have been dedicated to reforesting barren areas of the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park that have suffered due to deforestation and forest fires.
We have worked with experts in the field of forestry and conservation to explore a model of reforestation that actually works.
Since the Pandemic in 2020, our reforestation program has developed as another means of income generation for the people in the valley as tourism came to a grinding halt.
Read about our Carbon Offsetting Program to join us in achieving our goal of reforesting an area of 5 sq km on the barren mountains of the Tirthan Valley.
Learn more about our reforestation program.
Child development
Children are another important focus of our social intervention.
Typically, the adults in rural India are resistant to changes in their lifestyle, whereas the children’s natural curiosity offers an incredible opportunity to prepare them as future responsible leaders of a more sustainable society.
Therefore, we took the initiative to begin reforming the education system in the Himalayas bit by bit by introducing advanced teaching techniques, and by training village women to become teachers in the schools we set up.
Join our volunteering / internship programs to support our social initiatives.
Learn more about our child development program.
Where we are ?
IN THE HEART OF THE HIMALAYAS
Heco’s journey began in the Tirthan Valley, on the periphery of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). This area, where we established our first roots, served as the starting point for implementing our vision of conservation and sustainable development. While the GHNP remains significant in our history, our operations have since expanded to other Himalayan regions.
Our main office continues to be located in the Tirthan Valley, near the GHNP, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. This location offers a unique blend of accessibility to major tourist hubs in Himachal Pradesh – such as Spiti, Shimla, Dharamshala, and Kullu-Manali – while providing travelers with a tranquil escape from the crowds and an opportunity to explore lesser-known corners of the Himalayas.
Today, Heco works closely with communities across the Himalayas. By empowering these communities through sustainable initiatives, we place them at the forefront of conservation efforts and social development, helping to protect their natural and cultural heritage for generations to come.
Meet our team
The core team of Heco
Stephan Marchal
Director
Heco
Gaurav Pawar
Managing partner
Himalayan Ecotourism
Shreya Navelkar
Managing partner
Himalayan Ecocreation
Hema Marchal
Operations manager
Himalayan Ecotourism
Prayojita Namdas
Manager
Himalayan Insight
Purva Munot
Women-led treks
Himalayan Ecotourism
Meena
Trekking equipment
Himalayan Ecotourism
Bhanu Priya
Forest fires prevention and storyteller
Himalayan Insight
Our local partners
Chamba Tsetan
Coordinator - Ladakh program
Heco
Padma Rigzin
Trek manager - Ladakh
Heco
Lobzang
Ladakh tours
Himalayan Ecotourism
Our local associations
GHNP cooperative guides and eco-captains
Keshav Ram Thakur
Guide and president
GHNP Cooperative
Tara Chand
Guide and secretary
GHNP Cooperative
Sanju Negi
Guide and treasurer
GHNP Cooperative
Teku Pekhri
Guide
GHNP Cooperative
Yog Raj
Guide
GHNP Cooperative
Jagjit Singh
Eco-captain
GHNP Cooperative
The Photoksar Tourism Development Committee
Otsal Dorjey
President
Photoksar Tourism Development Committee
Tashi
Vice-President
Photoksar Tourism Development Committee
The Churah Valley Ecotourism Cooperative
The Churah Valley Ecotourism Association is still in the process of registration.
We will bring here the list of the board members soon.
Our empowered women’s groups
GHNP Women Trek Leaders
Meera
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Kamala
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Ganga
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Jeevna
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Monika
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Pinki
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Shabnam
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Ritika
Trek Leader
Himalayan Ecotourism
Himalayan Ecocreation
Heera
Local products
Himalayan Ecocreation
Neelam
Local products
Himalayan Ecocreation
Lata
Local products
Himalayan Ecocreation
Krishna
Local products
Himalayan Ecocreation
Acknowlegment
Thank you friends !
No social venture can truly build itself, survive and strengthen itself through a decade without the help of many well-meaning, supportive people who come forward to help the initiative because they share a common vision. We are forever grateful to our mentors, supporters and partners who are the wind beneath the wings of Himalayan Ecotourism.
Avneet Singh
Mr Singh has been an integral part of our story. His marketing and planning skills, with his exemplar generosity, found us a way through the ruthless business world.
Thierry Leneveu
Thierry has been a crucial supporter of our organization when we were just an emerging organization in the valley. The quality we can offer you today as a trek operator would never have been possible without the immense contribution of Thierry.
Payson R. Stevens
A businessman, a community-lover and an environmental scientist to organizations like NASA. Mr Stevens has played a crucial role in giving a concrete shape to our company as a social enterprise. He is now a painter, an artist and a decisive friend of the GHNP.
Sanjeeva Pandey
The first director of GHNP, ex-PCCF of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Pandey has constantly encouraged our grassroot movement in the ecozone of the GHNP since its start. By extending the support of the park, he helped us realize the vision of empowering communities and we continue to seek his mentorship.
Vinay Tandon
Ex-Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Himachal Pradesh, Mr Tandon’s immense love for the Himalayan forests extended into his goodwill for our projects. He is deeply dedicated to empowering women and has provided great insights for our work.
Tony Gaston
Main research investigator of the establishment of GHNP, Mr Gaston has been one of our primary backbones of the reforestation programmes in the ecozone. His guidance made it easier for Heco’s journey through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jean Drèze
An Indian welfare economist and a social scientist, Mr Dreze has been a longstanding friend of Stephan, connecting us with brilliant interns and researchers across India. We remain thankful for his ongoing mentorship through the years.
Partha Mudgil
A loyal friend of many HET members, Mr Mudgil’s yearly visits and treks in the GHNP have been a wonderful time for strategizing, thinking and dreaming about a better world.
Nimesh Ved
A freelance journalist, a writer, Mr Ved is deeply passionate about conservation. He has been a kind friend, offering mentorship in reaching a larger audience.
Emmanuel D’Silva
An Agriculture and Environment scientist, a writer and a lecturer, Mr D’Silva has been one of core motivators in establishing our reforestation and carbon offsetting projects. He has worked on multiple development projects in Asia and Africa with the World Bank, now however, focuses on grassroot projects in India related to conservation agriculture, converting waste into biogas, and climate change.
Mohan Reddy
An advisor at Zenith Energy, Mr Reddy has been providing consultancy services in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change. Our path into the carbon market wouldn’t have been the same without his guidance. Further, his passion to act on the consequences of climate change has always inspired us.
Photo credits
We are very grateful to all our members, guests or friends who have kindly shared their photographs. We proudly display some of them on this website. Our photo contributors :
Avneet Singh
Stephan Marchal
Rolf Leurink
Denis Harle
Anup Kulkarni
Simon Keizer
Mihir Mohit
Mohan Lal
Partha Mudgil
Saurabh Ganguli
Sanjeeva Pandey
Many thanks ! 🙂
