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Adventure holiday in Rajasthan

country:India
location:Rajasthan, Golden Triangle in India 
trip type: A small group adventure
departures:2009: 20 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
2010: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 9 Oct, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 13 Nov, 4 Dec, 11 Dec, 18 Dec, 25 Dec
price:From £1290 (16 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
read 1 travellers review
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the amazing things you'll be doing
There is no finer way to appreciate the diversity of life in village India than by cycling and camel riding. We combine both with visits to the famous palaces and forts of northern India.

As we set off in the Rajasthan desert we appreciate why this is no ordinary tour of India. Our camel caravan takes us to remote villages and forts while at night our crew and musicians capture the desert atmosphere.

After three days in the saddle we visit the walled cities of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and the Pink City of Jaipur before commencing our cycle ride.

As we cycle the country roads we adjust to the pace of the buffalo cart and savour a pace of life that is still in harmony with the seasons. If you haven't cycled since your school days don't worry. The roads are flat, the days not unduly strenuous and we provide a backup vehicle for your convenience.
what's included on our Adventure holiday in Rajasthan
14 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 6 dinners, airport transfers on Day 1 & Day 15, expert bilingual guide, group medical kit, good quality accommodation in Delhi/Bikaner/Jaisalmer/Jodhpur/Jaipur/Agra, gear pack including sleeping bag and insulated mat, provision of bikes between Jaipur and Agra, provision of camels and support crew during camel ride, group camping equipment during cycle and camel rides, private transportation, sightseeing and site entry fees as listed.
day-by-day itinerary
Day 1:Join Delhi  
Day 2:In Delhi, sightseeing New and Old city, overnight train to Bikaner  
Day 3-5:Arrive Bikaner, commence camel ride through isolated desert villages and forts along ancient trade routes  
Day 6:Transfer to walled city of Jaisalmer  
Day 7:In Jaisalmer, visit famous havelis and markets  
Day 8:Drive to Jodphur, visit historic fort  
Day 9-10:Drive to Jaipur, visit City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Amber Palace Day  
Day 11-14:Commence cycling through tranquil villages, visit Sariska Tiger Reserve, the Maharajah's Palace at Deeg, Bharatpur Birdlife Sanctuary, Fatephur Sikri, Agra and the Taj Mahal  
Day 15:In Agra, drive to Delhi  
Day 16:In Delhi, trip concludes 
travellers' tales
I will never forget cycling down some of the quiet back country lanes of Rajasthan -children running across fields of yellow mustard flowers to greet you as you bicycle past - pausing in a small village to meet the people. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.

Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
Environment:
The natural landscapes we explore are some of the richest, often most challenging, yet at the same time some of the most fragile environments on earth. With education, experienced leadership and appropriate equipment and techniques, it is possible to travel responsibly through these regions. For us, it is critically important that such wilderness travel experiences do not diminish the natural values of the environment.

On this trip we invite you to experience the essence of this amazing destination with its staggering diversity of cultures, flora, fauna and breathtaking landscapes whilst simultaneously minimising the negative effects such tourism can have.

All travellers are provided with our award-winning 20 page Responsible Travel Booklet which outlines our environmental guidelines and practices and will provide you will clear details on how you can play a vital part in reducing your impact on the fragile environments and cultures around the world.

Our environmental sustainable principles: True sustainability is a guiding aspect in all aspects of our business planning and operations. Specifically our tour operations should be managed in a way where the natural and cultural values of the host region are undiminished in the long-term.

Where possible, we engage in partnerships with local environmental groups and/or land managers to actively campaign for conservation or promote environmental protection and/or rehabilitation.

Our Responsible Travel Guidebook: Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling.

Global Warming and Carbon Balancing: The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely!

Community:
We endeavour to create the necessary circumstances to ensure we have a positive effect on the communities who welcome is warmly into their villages and most wonderfully often into their homes. With our team of local guides and escorts and by using local accommodation we are privileged to enjoy a special relationship and mutual understanding with our hosts and their environs.

Wherever possible we contribute actively and financially to local community projects whether it be to extend the longevity of traditional customs, to preserve traditional ways of life, supporting education schemes or helping to develop environmental initiatives.

Our responsible travel principles: Our company aims to maximise the positive benefits of tourism for host communities. This includes training and employment of local staff, using local suppliers and assisting in the development of sustainable local businesses.

We actively minimise the negative effects that tourism can have by ensuring that tourism does not divert resources away from local communities or drive up prices on local resources.

We provide opportunities for real cultural exchange, where locals and visitors alike can share and learn from each other in an environment of mutual respect.

We contribute to the welfare of the host community. This is epitomised in our Community Project Travel program where we organise for our travellers to spend time in disadvantaged villages upgrading basic facilities such as health, education and water access.

We strive to educate our travellers about the destination and its local cultures as well as providing guidelines on appropriate behaviour to minimise impact.

No local payments policy: Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travellers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travellers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

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