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All of our present staff come from a variety of backgrounds which lend themselves to sustainability of our planet: we have worked in National Parks, for Greepeace and for volunteer organisations. Needless to say, conservation and preservation comes naturally to us, from our office to across the globe!
Community
We are passionate about the people and places we visit: when in other countries we want our visit to be a mutual exchange with the locals, we want to have contact with them, learn from them and them from us in a positive way. Travelling in small groups allows us to visit the locals and thus have a more authentic experience – like having a delicious dinner in the home of an Indian family. Interaction is a big part of our trips – we like to make you feel like you are part of a place, and not protected from it.
Being a women-only group, we like to shop! And India has a wide range of irresistible and beautiful handicrafts. We do not shop where child labour is used in production. Time permitting, we visit the Blind School charity in Delhi. Here visually impaired children make candles and paper products and sell them to raise funds to sustain the school. We visit and support the puppeteers village in Jaipur. In general, when shopping we prefer to visit cooperative centres which benefit the workers’ families.
The places we stay at practice responsible tourism- locals employees, water conservation etc. Our village visits also help us to understand the culture much better. Here we need to show respect for the Indian way of life by dressing appropriately and using the local greetings
A certain percentage of profits go to an organisation called Udayan Care. is is an NGO running homes for orphaned and abandoned children. Our local Indian contact, Meera, is a trustee here, also giving it financial support.
We visit many national monuments, and the fees we pay go towards their upkeep. Our guides are all local Indians, from the respective places we visit.
We use local transport where ever possible like rickshaws, trains etc. This is all part of our “Indian experience” – when in Rome….! Meals outside are often in local restaurants where you see many locals eating, giving you a better insight into Indian life.
Environment
We visit Ranthambore National Park where fees go towards forest and wildlife conservation. The problem faced by Ranthambore is the negative impact of the people of the region due to the reserve being so close to their habitat places. This results in little economic development as no roads/electricity/ major industries/ pasture areas are allowed for grazing cattle etc. So the effort here is to educate the local tribes on the importance of wildlife conservation, resettlement of these tribes into other areas (buffer zones) etc so they stop poaching and other activities, making them take charge of the wildlife preservation. Eco tourism sites away from the reserve are being promoted to give employment to locals as another source of income.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
