South India walking, culture & wildlife vacation, India

Planet

Eco and culture tours like these give an opportunity to visit people at their villages and interact with them and gives the travelers a chance to appreciate local cultures.

This trip also helps in raising awareness about the unique bio-diversity of the Western Ghats which is one of the 36 bio diversity ‘Hot Spots’ of the earth. All parks in this region have Eco Development Committees and Forest Protection Teams employed in tourism related work and arranging all wildlife programmes for tourists. So when one enters the park & takes part in safaris or treks in the park, the proceeds of such activities go to the local communities directly and almost in full.

The areas that the guests pass through are parts of the bio-diversity areas, enabling them to sight wildlife, birds and flora seen nowhere else in the world. All this is done without stressing the areas environmentally. The fact that we do not have more than 6 persons on these tours minimizes any detrimental impact.

People

This trip is arranged by local operator and hence the money generated remains local. Moreover, the guides, drivers, cooks and porters are all from the local communities notably the indigenous tribal populations that have been stressed due to loss of traditional means of livelihood. Tours like this ploughs back money into their hands and is eagerly awaited by them to enhance their resources for livelihood. The local guides are knowledgeable of their terrain, flora & fauna and make great educators in the wilderness way of life.

A prime factors in this vacation is the location where even today traditional ways of life & agriculture thrives. The guests would also learn more about indigenous people, their way of life and traditions. Moreover, part of the money is ploughed back into these areas where you travel and stay.

The food items are sourced locally making survival of this programme a priority for villagers who live near the camps. The eco lodges we use are also well versed in reducing resource consumption and utilizing local expertise in the day to day operations.