South India holiday

South India holiday

How this holiday makes a difference

This operator was created with the vision to run and manage a business that would offer our guests traveling to India an extremely personal form of travel, shared with members of the family.

We are based in the Nilgiri Hills of TamilNadu situated in the forested Western Ghats. These forested hills used to be home to the Toda tribes of the Nilgiris whose art consists of traditional garments spun from fibers and natural fruit and berry dyes sourced from the surrounding forests. With development, the tribes were forced out of their forest dwellings and were ‘rehabilitated’ in villages outside. However this drastic change in their life, threatened the very art that defined their identity and the means to the only livelihood they knew. Being a part of the local community here in the Nilgiris, we took it up to make sure this art form doesn’t die out like the ancient Toda lifestyle sadly has. We further their art today by sourcing all their products from their Community Center and encourage all our guests visiting us here in the Nilgiris to buy some artifact as a gesture of support towards the Toda lifestyle.

We support of the local village ‘tea shops’ along our routes and the use of only local gasoline sourced from Indian Oil Wells and distributed by Indian Gas Stations. We use the local tribal guides on our teks. Their dedication and knowledge with regards to the forests is commendable and we make sure we give back with some monetary help after every trek and also in kind by supplying them with trekking shoes or clothes that we know they could use.

As long serving members of the Nilgiri Wildlife & Environmental Association (a local affiliate of the World Wildlife Fund), we had actively campaigned to halt the process of timber logging or for that matter clearing of natural forests for any reason whatsoever. As an organisation we represented our case in the Supreme Court, India's Highest Judicial Body, and received a decree that placed a blanket ban on any form of logging in natural forests in the Nilgiri Hills.

We have procured land on which, as a family we currently have planted 350-saplings with a 99% success rate. In addition, we sponsor the trees on lands owned by the forest department where over these years they have afforested with over 100,000 saplings, in this case with a 97% success rate.

Today we have seen a rise in the bird species that thrived in these rain-forested areas. Within our property itself we have seen an addition of close to twenty-five bird species. we actively encourage our guests to plant and own a tree or tree saplings of their choice. As of date, our guests have planted over 125 tree saplings of which all have survived. We keep our guests involved in this experience by emailing them progress photos of their sapling/saplings.

By contributing regularly to a Blind Orphan Childrens Home in a nearby town, we attempt to give these children back a life affected by blindness.

South India holiday

Reviewed 10 Nov 2011 by Richard Kinch

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

There were many facets - sharing the Diwali Festival during a homestay at Aakriti. The choice of hotels and the mixture of interests including an overnight journey on a train.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

The holiday was excellent in fitting a considerable amount of South India into 3 weeks. Check the itinerary to make sure it can be quite hectic at times.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes - local guides and drivers - the majority of hotels were eco concious with more effort than the commercial attitude of leave you towels if you do not want them washed.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent - the only reason I did not do 5 stars is I went to the Galapogas Isles and China a few years earlier.

Reviewed 11 Jan 2011 by Steve Nolan

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Probably seeing Tigers which from what I read is not easy, we saw 4 different ones in Bandavgarh National Park, we found South West India much different from the North much greener possibly more relaxed and I have to comment that the food "Everywhere" was excellent.

We were never harrassed or felt under pressure from locals everyone is very friendly. It took a while to finalize our trip details but it was worth the effort and our tour operator and guide was outstanding and everything went according to schedule which on a 21 day trip was an outstanding feat.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

You need stamina we travelled in a reasonable good car for 10 days or so and it begins to loose its romance after too long so brake the trip up. Don't be afraid to wander around and get a feel for the places you visit it will make the adventure a little bit more special.

Watch out for hotel ratings and website pictures they sometimes do not match reality

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Difficult to say, all tours guides hotels etc were provided by locals so probably yes in one sense, we did do a lot of travelling and not sure if that in itself is environmentally friendly but such is life, So it did benefit the local communities we visited and we come home with a much better understanding of the people and their history and culture (and food :)

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

I think 4/5 reflects our holiday perfectly, we got out of the holiday what we wanted and with the help of our guide Rajat and the team we had some great adventures and lots of wonderful memories and pictures.

Reviewed 25 Nov 2010 by Belinda Winter-Irving

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Being in a bronze idol factory in Swamimalai. Here, was the evidence of the 700 year old tradition for us to see. Unchanged techniques and skills that took no note of Western health and safety standards. We reached Swamimalai early one morning, having travelled from the Homestay, partly by overnight train and partly by skilfully driven vehicle. Not only were we taken to the Coimbature Station to catch the 3:15am train, but Rajat and Ravi insisted on waiting for the train to arrive, and made sure we were settled and comfortable and wouldn't leave until the train left.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

This tour company, tailormade holiday specialists for India are sincere and honest people, who I would recommend to book and arrange your holiday. I would add, though that if you are unfamiliar with your nominated area that you spend plenty of your own preplanning time finding out as much as possible about the districts that you plan to visit. In this way enough time can be put aside to visit the forest reserves and possible wildlife as well as the tea plantations, markets and the hill train.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

The time that we spent with a mahout and his elephant was unforgettable. We also felt that the people at Serenity were particularly gracious. The staff and owners at Phillip Kutty's farm were extremely good. Swamimalai, there was always friendliness and welcome, particularly in the kitchen and dining room. We enjoyed the local musicians' playing. The food that was prepared was fresh and local. We shopped at Fab India, where we purchased clothes that were ethically produced from handloomed fabrics and sewn by Indians.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

I found Rajat was flexible with solving unexpected accommodation problems efficiently and he regularly checked by phone or email to make sure everything was continuing to run smoothly.

Reviewed 13 May 2010 by Kaye Mc Garry

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

My friend and I recently spent a wonderful month in India. The trip, completely organised by this tour operator, a travel company owned and run by the Kumar family, comprised 2 weeks in North India taking in the Golden Triangle and Amritsar, and 2 weeks in South India including 1 week at the family homestay in the Nilgiris, clearly the highlight of the trip. The Kumar family is so easy to interact with. While at the homestay Ravi, Renu, Rupa, Rajat and Mugdha gave us their utmost attention from breathtakingly beautiful breakfasts right through to evenings full of remarkable food, animated discussions, fun and laughter.

Every step of the trip went very smoothly and having English speaking guides and drivers made the whole experience very personal. Often the local guides enriched our experiences as they espoused more than mere information, passionately imparting their knowledge and opinions. I can truly recommend seeing India this way.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

This tour operator can organise travel in other parts India so tell them if you are planning to travel elsewhere in the country. They have a wide network of contacts and take great care in customising your trip. It was exciting and comforting to communicate directly with Lalith and Rajat as “people in the know” in India rather than dealing with a “blanket” travel agent from my end. Little surprises in our itinerary such as a tonga ride in Mumbai proved this point. We wouldn’t have known to ask for something like this! Also, be honest about your budget. You will surprised what can be achieved! Lalith provided a mix of 3 – 5 star accommodation to fit in with our budget. By using this “mix” he was able to give us some really great experiences which shouldn’t be missed such as the heritage Khandela Havelli in Jaipur. At all times ask their advice and take on their suggestions.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

This operator is a locally owned and run business and utilises other Indian owned/run travel services and local guides. The company proudly operates on an ethic that supports local businesses and organisations.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

This tour operator is a highly professional but personal travel service. Lalith, the original organiser was just simply marvellous. Nothing was too much trouble, and when the trip had to be rescheduled Lalith reorganised the changes happily and efficiently. Rajat maintained contact throughout our trip to ensure our safety, satisfaction and comfort at all times. Overall we had the “holiday of a lifetime”. We can’t wait to return and when we do we will be asking this operator to once again look after all arrangements for us.