Kalimpong trekking tours, Indian Himalaya
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas |
| price: | From Rupee 3000 (approx £35) (2 days) excluding flights. Price includes all meals, collection from and return to hotel in Kalimpong, and English speaking guide for the trek Cultural show. Also includes a 1000 Rupees donation to Village Fund |
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introduction to Kalimpong trekking tours, Indian Himalaya
This is a chance to experience Himalayan village life with our guided tours for individuals or groups. We take small tour groups on a two day moderate trek between three small villages set in stunning scenery overlooking Sikkim and with Kanchenjunga never far from view.This programme was established in 2005 to help improve the life of the villagers. All food and accommodation over the two days is provided in homes by villagers who benefit from the income this generates. Additionally a third of the cost of the tour goes into a village fund. Many new initiatives have been started in the villages in connection with this project. The new farming project at Alpha Nursery School, in Barranumber village, is a good example. Here, the children are taught how to create their own small vegetable gardens and are experimenting with new varieties to widen their diets. The contribution to the fund will help start more of these initiatives and improve life for all villagers.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | We will arrange for you to be collected at your hotel in Kalimpong (we can arrange accommodation if you wish) at 8.00 am. You will then be taken to the first village on the itinerary, Kashyem. This small community has long depended on the quinine crop but is gradually having to seek alternative options. After breakfast is a guided walk around the village paths followed by a short trek along the hillside path to the village Barranumber. This is a stunningly beautiful Himalayan stroll, on fairly level terrain, with views down into the Rangpo Valley. Barranumber stretches up the hill and contains some 90 households. The villagers are farmers and the hillside is terraced with small plots growing many kinds of crops. After lunch the afternoon will be spent exploring the village and the surrounding area. In the evening there is a Nepali cultural show followed by traditional dinner (and a chance to sample Tongba!) before bed. You will stay overnight in simple but comfortable rooms, with access to a western style toilet. |
| Day 2: | Route A: After breakfast, you will take the ‘high road’ back to Kashyem, arriving in the upper village for tea. A jeep will then take you to Burmaik, from where there is then a gentle walk uphill through Sillery forest to the viewpoint overlooking the confluence of Teesta and Rangpo rivers. The morning ends with a stroll down to the village of Sillery, a virtually hidden village on the upper slopes, where you will have lunch. In the afternoon, you will walk up to Damsang Fort, a ruined 17th walled palace after which you descend down to the village of the 20th mile where tea awaits you. From there you will be taken back to your hotel around 4.00pm. Route B: For a slightly longer trek on day two, after arriving at Kashyem you will walk to the scenic village of Monsong for lunch. This trek takes you along the edge of the Teesta River valley- with stunning views over to Sikkim. After lunch you will stroll along to Monsong Gumpa, a small Buddhist monastery. Following this is a short walk up to a Buddhist meditation centre, an attractive, peaceful site perched on a small hill with fantastic views of the surrounding area. After walking back down the hill, you will be taken back to your hotel by around 4.00pm. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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The organisation is an non profit making NGO that started in 2001, that runs educational and cultural projects in local schools and villages in the Kalimpong and Darjeeling regions of the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India.
This is a not for profit venture of a not for profit organisation. It gives the tourists real insight into what it is like in these villages. All the profit from each trek goes into a Village Development Fund for the three villages. It helps keep the villages and their inhabitants alive and gives them some meeting points with the outside world. It provides resources and volunteers to schools and other activities in the region and elsewhere. The head of the organisation and some of his family live in one of the villages. All the members of the organisation's managing committee are local to the area. The guide is with the trekkers throughout, speaks good English and provides information re the environment, the people and their customs. He is a teacher in one of the villages. All the facilities used are privately owned by members of the villages.  This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
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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