Karnataka luxury tour, heritage hills & wildlife

Planet

Sustainability:
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 promote excursions and wildlife experiences 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 travelers as possible electronically, reducing the use of paper and inks.

Responsible Accommodation:
For your tour we have chosen responsible resorts like Leela Palace. The Leela hotel group uses biodegradable detergents in its properties, avoids plastic and exercises strict controls on the usage of electricity, water, heating and lighting, with numerous international and national awards for initiatives towards environment conservation. The resorts implement state-of-the-art waste management practices with the emphasis on conserving all possible natural resources and complying with every applicable legislative and regulatory strictures and procedures. The group moreover landscaped wide swathes of urban property with over 6000 coconut palms and thousands of trees to beautify and cleanse the air.

Another special green place we chose on this trip is the Hoysala Village Resort with its philosophy to give to and gain from nature. It is a botanical wonderland and wholesome experience, constructed with rosewood and traditional materials, and laminated carefully with trees and flowers. The resort promotes a nearby organic village with its organic farming ideas, in order to provide its guests with fresh, tasty and healthy organic food. It has become a sprawling 200 acres land area that has almost everything, from coconut to cucumber, which comes directly to the resort and get transformed into gastronomy. The ‘organic village’ concept is not only to promote healthy diet and protect environment but also to give guests a first-hand experience to rural tourism. The hotel can also take you to the organic village, where you can talk to the farmers themselves, experience working in the field with the villagers, pick your own vegetables and come back to kitchen and order recipes of your own choice.

Buildings:
Through this trip you will contribute to the preservation, conservation and authenticity of precious ancient monuments and buildings like Unesco World Heritage site in Hampi. The austere and grandiose site of over 4000 hectare comprises mainly the remnants of the Capital City of Vijayanagara Empire from the 14th to 16th centruy, the last great Hindu Kingdom. It is of outstanding value due to the sophistication of the varied urban, royal and sacred systems (forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, memorial structures, gateways, defence check posts, stables, water structures, etc.).

Wildlife:
Our guides receive special training in how to leave a lower impact on the nature trips and in regional conservation projects. To support the protection of wilderness areas and parks, our guides are actively promoting 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. We encourage guests to respect and follow the lead.

People

We make sure we only work with local guides that come from the very region you are visiting. Through this trip you are hence 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. Our tour guides receive special training in how to leave a lower impact on the trips and in regional conservation projects.

Our hand-picked hotels promote social responsibility practices with focus on employing local staff and giving back to the communities, just like the Hoysala Village does through their partnership with the organic village and its farmers.

If you want to do souvenir 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 shops 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.). On your trip you can live special experiences which will help keep local wisdoms and traditions alive, encouraging local artisan and culture, for example by participating in a traditional ritual ceremony at the 150 year old Shiva temple and a session with the Astrologer at your stay at the Leela Palace.

By traveling with us, you help us support the Sharp Memorial School for the Blind in Dehradun. It´s India's oldest school for the visually impaired set in a wonderful location of the Indian Himalayas. Unfortunately the school's residents do not have the opportunity to see the wonderful surroundings but are cared for admirably by Mr Samuels, his wife Sumana and their wonderful team.