Synopsis: Trek The Himalayas (TTH), India’s safest and most trusted trekking organization, proves it once again that they are a preferred partner for many State Governments, as well. When it comes to promoting sustainable adventure tourism in a particular geographic location, prioritizing the indigenous community and their rights, Trek The Himalayas can come up with unique planning and execution methodologies. The “Meghalaya Adventure Development – Master Plan” project is a testament to this capability.

About the Project

Trek The Himalayas was appointed by the Meghalaya Tourism Department, in a fair selection, to explore, map, and document thirty hiking trails in the state. TTH came out with a detailed plan of execution and carried out mapping of 30 trekking routes in different districts of Meghalaya state to promote adventure tourism, create job opportunities for the local people, and create awareness on the requirements of conservation of indigenous flora & fauna. 

The entire project has four distinct parts – 

1.    Exploring, mapping, and documenting the trails,
2.    Imparting Trip Leader Training Program to the local youths who volunteered,
3.    Launching a trekking app where all these trail details are available for tourists to book,
4.    Launching a book that beautifully captured, in pictures and words, the entire journey.

Let us now give you a virtual tour of what went into the successful completion of the “Meghalaya Adventure Development – Master Plan” project.

The Exploration, the First Part of the Journey

Meghalaya is a beautiful northeastern state located in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. The geographic terrain of Meghalaya comprises hills, valleys, caves, waterfalls, and lakes, however, most of the state is highly unexplored. The state presents huge potential to amp-up the adventure activities in a big way, which in turn, can directly help the socio-economic growth of the remote regions, provide employment opportunities to local communities, and thus help the rural economy.

TTH started working on this project to promote adventure and eco-tourism in Meghalaya through systemic planning of exploring uncharted trails so as to attract more tourists from different parts of the country and aid in its economic growth. The purpose of this project has been to bring under the spotlight the utility perspective of tourism and how it can provide an alternative means of livelihood to rural communities.  
The groundwork of exploring, mapping, and documenting the trails was divided into different regions of Meghalaya. There were 5 regions that the team ventured into to explore new trails –

•    East Khasi Hills
•    South-West Khasi Hills
•    Garo Hills
•    Ri-Bhoi and
•    Jaintia Hills

From the jade green, crystal clear rivers and lakes in East Khasi Hills to the rolling green hills of West Khasi Hills, the mystical Wari Chora in Garo Hills and refreshing waterfalls in Jaintia Hills – TTH team explored the deepest depth of mesmerizing Meghalaya! This leg work took close to 4 months to complete where every detail of the trail, villages, flora & fauna was documented and presented to the Meghalaya Tourism Department through periodic project reports.  

Launching the Coffee Table Book

Now we come to the second part of the project. All the explorations of the trails and villages, together with enthralling folklore, pictures, and descriptions are captured beautifully in the coffee table book – Echoes of the Hills, Trekking in Meghalaya. This book was launched by the Honorable Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, and the Honorable Tourism Minister, Bah Paul Lyngdoh along with other dignitaries in a dazzling ceremony held in Shillong in March, 2024. You can buy this stunning book now .

Along with the book in the same ceremony Trek The Himalayas also launched the Meghalaya Trekking App where details of all the 30 trails are presented in a user-friendly format. This easy-to-navigate app has segregated the treks as per their duration, grade, and regions. Additionally, you can even book guides from the area where a particular trek is located from the app itself. The app is an explorer’s delight and a friend-in-need to plan detailed itineraries for an exciting journey in Meghalaya. 

Trip Leader Training Program 

This was another integral part of the entire project – the Trip Leader Training Program. A detailed Trip Leaders Training Program (TLTP) was conducted by Trek The Himalayas to train the participants volunteering from different areas of Meghalaya. They were thoroughly trained in the Wilderness First Aid Responder Course and on the different requirements to conduct sustainable adventure tourism in Meghalaya. 
There were 3 batches and an expert team from Trek The Himalayas trained 113 guides under TLTP to make them ready to conduct the adventure tourism in Meghalaya. The details of these trained guides will be available in the trekking app when a tourist wants to book a trek and looking for a local guide in a particular region of Meghalaya. 

A team of trained trek leaders, support staff, photographers, and documentation experts together with an experienced team of book writers were brought in to successfully execute this massive, and impactful project. Trek The Himalayas, operating since 2010, has become an endearing name as India’s safest and most trusted trekking operator among the trekking community. Now, the enthusiastic company led by the visionaries, Mr. Rakesh Pant and Mr. Sandeep Rawat marches on exploring new horizons together with different State Government bodies to promote sustainable adventure tourism. 

You can take a quick peak at the exciting launch date upon the completion of the Meghalaya Adventure Development – Master Plan.