Travel from Nepal, India to the Maldives, Summit to Sea
“Trekking in the Annapurna foothills, cruising in the Maldives and cycling the northern India countryside - three iconic destinations in one trip. This four-week small group tour is packed with captivating natural scenery, lesser-known cultural experiences and a wide range of activities. ”
Highlights
Kathmandu sightseeing | Pashupatinath | Boudhanath | Internal flight to Pokhara | Chomrong | Ghandruk | Chitwan National Park safaris | Internal flight to Delhi | Train to Jaipur | City Palace | Jantar Mantar | Ramgarh Dam | Sariska National Park | Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary cycling tour | Agra| Agra Fort | Taj Mahal | Fatehpur Sikri | Train to Trivandrum | Flight to Maldives | Waagali | Dhoni island cruising |Description of Travel from Nepal, India to the Maldives, Summit to Sea
Beginning in Kathmandu, join a month-long adventure through Nepal, India and the Maldives on an itinerary designed to thrill you at every stage. You’ll explore the sights of the bustling Nepali capital before flying west to Pokhara, from where you’ll embark on a Himalayan trek through the Annapurna foothills. Wander through welcoming villages, take game drives in Chitwan National Park in search of rhino, Bengal tigers and shy leopards, and overnight in private eco lodges and campsites. There are endless opportunities to soak up the spectacular scenery on every side, before you return to Kathmandu and fly on to Delhi, for an immediate contrast to the tranquillity of the mountains.From Delhi you’ll travel by rail to the majestic ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur for a few days of sightseeing, then switch to bicycles. You’ll be exploring the beguiling landscapes of northern India on two wheels, with a pause in Sariska National Park. A series of game drives will enable you to see a host of wildlife and perhaps even tigers. Other highlights include a pristine bird sanctuary, and Fatephur Sikri, the deserted capital of Akbar.
After a brief stop in Agra to admire the romatic Taj Mahal at sunrise when this iconic feat of architecture is at its most beautiful, you’ll enjoy the classic experience of an overnight train in India, then fly on to the Maldives. After over three weeks of trekking and cycling, it’s time to relax in style aboard a traditional dhoni sailboat. The final week of your trip will see you navigate from island to island, swimming, snorkelling and skin diving, or simply sunbathing on idyllic white beaches.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
Date
Price per adult
Basis
Status
22 Mar 2020
£3530
excluding flights
Available
19 Apr 2020
£3530
excluding flights
Available
11 Oct 2020
£3530
excluding flights
Available
08 Nov 2020
£3530
excluding flights
Available
06 Dec 2020
£3530
excluding flights
Available
08 Apr 2021
£3530
excluding flights
Available
18 Apr 2021
£3530
excluding flights
Available
10 Oct 2021
£3530
excluding flights
Available
07 Nov 2021
£3530
excluding flights
Available
05 Dec 2021
£3530
excluding flights
Available
Vouchers
Accepted
Holiday type
Small group holidays
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modelled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. If you’re heading off on a gap year your, perhaps – but for those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travellers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
What are the main benefits?
Big experiencesHave big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your holiday time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
Who is it ideal for?
Travellers who are short of timeIf you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your holiday.
Solo travellers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those travelling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travellers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Mythbuster
“I won’t get any privacy!”Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travellers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travellers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Meet a group leader
As well as taking care of all the day-to-day practicalities, your group leader is the one who will turn your trip into an adventure. Leaders are extraordinary characters – the kind of person who has spent 14 Christmas days on the slopes of Mount Everest, runs marathons wearing tiger suits to raise funds for their conservation and thinks nothing of leading an overland trip in Sudan or Afghanistan. Fearless and inspiring, group leaders are as important as the destination itself.
Meet a local guide
No matter how experienced your group leader, they can never make up for the knowledge gained from a lifetime in the destination. That’s why many of our trips work with local guides around the world – who invite you into their homeland with pleasure. As well as doing crazy things like climbing Kilimanjaro 100 times, they also donate their time to local projects supported by travellers – such as rebuilding Sri Lankan villages following the 2004 tsunami.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
By joining this trek you can be assured that you will not be contributing to deforestation or the associated soil erosion and loss of biodiversity but rather you'll be making a significant contribution by supporting our efforts to set the standards for a sustainable trekking service. We stay in tents, not lodges and teahouses. Why does that make a difference? We want to support the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. Many lodges and teahouses burn wood to heat their water for cooking and hot showers. This in turn contributes to deforestation, associated erosion and loss of biodiversity. That is why twenty five years ago, we pioneered the use of only kerosene above and below the tree-line – to ensure that we are loyal to our policies of making a minimal impact on the environment. Also, we want to stay off the beaten track. We believe that you will get a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty of your surroundings if you are away from the hordes which follow the ‘tea-house trails.’
Our Responsible Travel Guidebook
Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling.
Global Warming and Carbon Balancing
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our pioneering Porter Policy
Porters are an integral part of your trip, and we have a close association with the IPPG, IMEC and Porters Progress to improve the conditions for porters. As well as paying our guides out of season, and an above-average take-home wage, our porter welfare supplement includes insurance, all meals on trek, appropriate clothing and accommodation for ALL our porters on all our treks. Their safety and comfort is as important to us as our customers.
We have committed US $3000 to sponsor the Porter Rescue Post at Machermo which has been set up by the IPPG. This facility is for the benefit of sick or injured porters in the Everest region and building has already started.
No local payments policy
Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travellers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travellers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments.
Environment
By joining this trek you can be assured that you will not be contributing to deforestation or the associated soil erosion and loss of biodiversity but rather you'll be making a significant contribution by supporting our efforts to set the standards for a sustainable trekking service. We stay in tents, not lodges and teahouses. Why does that make a difference? We want to support the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. Many lodges and teahouses burn wood to heat their water for cooking and hot showers. This in turn contributes to deforestation, associated erosion and loss of biodiversity. That is why twenty five years ago, we pioneered the use of only kerosene above and below the tree-line – to ensure that we are loyal to our policies of making a minimal impact on the environment. Also, we want to stay off the beaten track. We believe that you will get a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty of your surroundings if you are away from the hordes which follow the ‘tea-house trails.’
Our Responsible Travel Guidebook
Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling.
Global Warming and Carbon Balancing
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely.
Community
The Impacts of this Trip
Our pioneering Porter Policy
Porters are an integral part of your trip, and we have a close association with the IPPG, IMEC and Porters Progress to improve the conditions for porters. As well as paying our guides out of season, and an above-average take-home wage, our porter welfare supplement includes insurance, all meals on trek, appropriate clothing and accommodation for ALL our porters on all our treks. Their safety and comfort is as important to us as our customers.
We have committed US $3000 to sponsor the Porter Rescue Post at Machermo which has been set up by the IPPG. This facility is for the benefit of sick or injured porters in the Everest region and building has already started.
No local payments policy
Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travellers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travellers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments.
Climate
1 Reviews of Travel from Nepal, India to the Maldives, Summit to Sea
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 15 Mar 2010 by Roger Pollard
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Meeting the children along the way.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take a pillow and a towel and if going at the same time, not as many clothes for the cold weather as I did, as it was not that cold. Take ear plugs if you want to sleep.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Not enough information to assess.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good.
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