India luxury NP wildlife holidays

Planet

Environment:
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. We provide excursions and safaris for you which foster a more sustainable tourism and commit to maintaining small-group sizes to limit negative environmental impacts in accordance to the carrying capacity of the visited site.

We are trying to keep the extra unneeded waste to a minimum in all our tours 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. Moreover, 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.

Transport:
On this trip we will include a traditional cycle rickshaw ride in Delhi and several journeys by train, hence reducing our carbon footprint while giving you the opportunity to meet and interact with the local people. We will give preference to slow, possibly non-motorized forms of mobility, such as city walks or bicycles wherever possible. If motorized forms are unavoidable, we make sure that vehicle sizes are as small as appropriate and proper licensing on vehicles and certifying to national emission standards are maintained.

Responsible accommodation:
For your tour we have chosen responsible resorts like the Ranthambore Regency, a family-run hotel located on a private estate made up of woods and farmland, with total comfort while keeping the native surrounds and environmental friendliness in mind. You will also stay at an eco-friendly cottage at the Tuli Tiger Resort, in the midst of the lush green forests of the Kanha Reserve and with a 80,000 sqm natural lake. The big green buffer zone around the resort cottages give home to several species of birds. As the resort is in the heart of tribal India, they make sure that guests are sensitive and considerate to the local culture and wildlife.

Another eco-conscious group we chose for you is the Taj hotels, for your stay in Agra at the Gateway. The Taj group puts great effort towards reducing energy, waste and water footprint while leaving a positive impact in the destinations and the communities. Initiatives that are supported through your stay with the Taj group include the Olive Ridley Turtle Protection Programme to enhance the survival of this endangered species through educating locals and releasing hatchlings safely into the sea, or the Coral Regeneration Programme aimed to increase the coral coverage near the resort and create a healthy reef ecosystem, the innovative use of plastic bottles (to make park benches at the resort for example), or the use of green power (thermal use, wind turbine generator). To help the resorts reduce the impact of daily operations, the Taj partnered with EarthCheck - the world's leading environmental management, benchmarking and certification program for the travel and tourism industry.

Wildlife:
By visiting the National Parks, you will contribute to the preservation of tiger conservation and many other species, birdlife and flora in India. Bandhavgarh National Park for example was a former hunging reserve, but is now an unspoilt national habitat for a variety of wildlife peculiar to the area, such as gaur (Indian bison), sloth bear, leopard, porcupine, wild boar, sambhar and spotted deer and royal Bengal tigers and white tigers. Bandhavgarh also has a very deep-rooted importance of it's own in the history and mythology of India with its fort dating back to the mythological era of Rama and Hanuman from the Hindu epic Ramayana.

Our local partners are part of the TOFT (Travel Operators for Tigers) campaign, a ground breaking voluntary initiative to support Indian wildlife conservation efforts more effectively. Visiting the parks 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. Our guides are actively promoting nature conservation 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.

People

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).

Furthermore we ensure that our drivers do not more than 9 hours of driving per day and are provided adequate accommodation and do not drive at night (with the exception of airport pick-ups/drop-offs). After a driving period of 4.5 h the driver must take a break of at least 45 min.

Staying at our hand-picked responsible hotels, you encourage the support of the local community, culture and traditions. The Taj group for example maintains time-honoured traditions central to the Indian homecoming. They provide jobs to the local community, support endangered artisan practices and revive regal history at palaces where royal families are still in residence.

Furthermore, over 7000 associates of ´Give Back´, an employee volunteer programme by the Taj group, invest their time in mentoring and guiding youngsters, cleaning the local neighbourhood, taking up activities in the areas of hygiene and sanitation, local education, bringing guests to local villages and supporting the preservation and promotion of local art and culture.

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.

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.).

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.