Leave the mountains better
Sustainability & Community Impact
We live in the valleys we guide from. That makes waste, wages and the welfare of the people carrying loads on the Baltoro a local matter for us, not a marketing line. This page sets out how we work, in concrete terms.
Four practices, in detail
Waste carry-out
Industry practice: on the Baltoro and at 8,000m base camps, responsible operators pack out everything they carry in — food packaging, fuel canisters, batteries, spent oxygen cylinders and abandoned fixed-line material — and manage human waste so it does not contaminate glacier meltwater. Rules on waste deposits and carry-out are set by the regional authorities and national park administrations and change over time.
HimKa commitments
- Everything we carry in, we carry out, from Base Camp to the highest camp: packaging, fuel canisters, batteries, empty oxygen cylinders and worn rope. Waste is sorted at Base Camp and carried down to be disposed of properly in town.
- Human waste at Base Camp goes into designated toilet tents and is managed and carried out as Central Karakoram National Park rules and other local regulations require. On the upper mountain we keep camps clean and away from snow that people melt for water.
- We follow the waste deposit and carry-out rules set by the park and regional authorities, and our expedition leader checks before departure that each camp has been cleared.
Porter & HAP welfare
Industry practice: porters and high-altitude porters (HAPs) carry the greatest physical risk on any Karakoram expedition. Recognised good practice includes load limits, proper cold-weather clothing and footwear, shelter and food on the approach, insurance cover, and the same access to medical care and evacuation as paying climbers.
HimKa commitments
- Porter loads are kept within the standard 25 kg limit set by Pakistan's regulations for the approach marches, and we do not ask anyone to carry more.
- Porters and High Altitude Guides / Porters are given the clothing, footwear, shelter and food that the approach and the mountain demand, and High Altitude Guides / Porters climbing with oxygen have their own cylinders, masks and regulators.
- Our porters and high-altitude staff are insured as Gilgit-Baltistan regulations require. They have the same access to our medical kit, first-aid care and evacuation plans as our climbers.
Fair wages
Industry practice: porter wage rates in Gilgit-Baltistan are commonly set by stage along the approach route, with separate rates for HAPs, summit bonuses and tipping conventions. Transparent, on-time payment is the baseline climbers should expect of any operator.
HimKa commitments
- We pay porters and staff at least the established stage rates for each route, and we pay them in full and on time.
- Summit bonuses for High Altitude Guides / Porters are listed clearly on each expedition page (for example, a minimum of USD 2,000 on K2 and Nanga Parbat), and we give every climber tipping guidance for Base Camp staff and porters before departure.
- Wherever we can, we keep the same guides, cooks and porters season after season, so that the people who make our expeditions work have dependable income.
Community investment
Industry practice: the strongest community programmes are run with, not for, local people — training local guides, hiring and buying locally, and supporting education, health or infrastructure projects the community itself prioritises.
HimKa commitments
- We hire locally and buy locally. We take on guides, cooks, porters, drivers and suppliers from Hunza, Baltistan, Chitral and the valleys along our routes, so the money climbers spend stays in the mountain communities.
- We build our partnerships with villages and suppliers on mutual benefit and respect, and work with the communities on our routes on the priorities they set themselves.
- Local guide development through our training programme in Hunza, including a dedicated high-altitude guide and porter course that helps the region build its own mountain professionals.
What you can do as a climber
- Ask any operator — including us — what their porters are paid, insured for and equipped with.
- Keep your own personal waste to a minimum: repackage food before you leave home and bring rechargeable batteries.
- Budget for tips and summit bonuses as part of the true cost of the expedition, not an afterthought.
Questions about how we operate?
Ask us directly — and see our safety & risk management page for how we protect climbers and staff on the mountain.