India luxury train holiday, Maharajas Express

Environment

To us, travelling is about engaging with the local environs while making deep and significant connections. We put a lot of thought in working with local providers, making sure that everyone involved in your trip is committed to sharing advice on how best to leave a lighter footprint (refilling your water bottles, buying organic, recycling, etc.).

By choosing this trip you will travel by train, which is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of transport. To reduce carbon footprint, we also include transport modes like traditional rickshaws or a ride on a horse carriage to the Taj Mahal, this will give you the opportunity to meet and interact with the local community.

We are trying to keep the extra unneeded waste to a minimum in all our tours and excursions through our “bring it in, bring it out” policy for litter and rubbish such as food packaging and recycling wherever possible. We have a recycling policy in our UK and local offices and re-use or recycle the information booklets we provide to every client on arrival wherever possible. We do not produce a glossy brochure, concentrating on a comprehensive website, and providing as much information to our travellers as possible electronically, reducing the use of paper and inks.

Wildlife
By visiting the Ranthambore National Park, you will contribute to the preservation of an outstanding example of tiger conservation in India. Tigers at Ranthambore National Park have been known to even hunt in full view of human visitors. The park has a rich diversity of fauna and flora - species list includes 300 trees, 50 aquatic plants, 272 birds, 12 reptiles & amphibians and 30 mammals.

Our local partner is part of the TOFT (Travel Operators for Tigers) campaign, a ground breaking voluntary initiative to support Indian wildlife conservation efforts more effectively. Visiting the park with our partner will directly benefit the campaign, which has been able to effect nature training programmes, run workshops, advise parks and businesses, run eco-rating audits on lodges as well as putting funds into local environmental and community projects on the borders of parks. You can also make further donations if you wish, which will go towards the project.

Our tour guides receive special training in how to leave a lower impact on the nature trips and in regional conservation projects. To support TOFT and the protection of wilderness areas and tiger habitat, our guides are actively promoting the campaign´s practices such us not disturbing wildlife, keeping a safe distance to wildlife, reducing production of disturbing sounds, prohibiting feeding, avoiding litter at all times, using water sparingly and not polluting with harmful detergents, avoid being intrusive when taking photographs, dressing appropriately and in subdued colours when wildlife watching, etc.

Community

You will have the opportunity to meet and interact with many culturally diverse people as you travel mostly by train, which will encourage exchange of cultures and knowledge.

We make sure we only work with local guides that come from the very region you are visiting, giving back to their families and communities.

While many operators pay per day or per tour, our guides receive an hourly rate which allows a fair and fruitful reward for their expertise. We provide staff with written employment contracts and fair working conditions (e.g. overtime payment, national wage requirements, no discrimination, grievance mechanisms in place and no child labour).

We ensure customer awareness by familiarizing our guests with local history, culture, religions and traditions, by informing on culturally appropriate behavior, (e.g. dress codes for religious sites, taking photographs of people, language tips, etc.).

If you want to do additional shopping, we will take you to local markets where locals of that very region craft their products to help keep the money earned in that very community. When we take you to local shops or markets we change the selected shops on a rotating basis. Also we make sure food stops are at locally owned cafes or restaurants and give customers recommendations on locally owned shop and restaurants, especially new start-ups.

Through the TOFT campaign, your trip will benefit to the empowerment of local communities to become involved in wildlife tourism projects and initiate low impact and sustainable development, which helps conserve the parks and benefits the communities through employment and business opportunities.