Cultural and rural tour of East India

Planet

a) Our vehicles are of BS-IV standard (equivalent to Euro 4) emission norms. It is currently the national emission standard followed in India
b) Our drivers drive responsibly in mountains. This not only ensures your safety, but also keeps in check the fuel consumption
c) The wood for furniture in homestays is sourced locally. The traditional style of carpentry in Sikkim uses even the waste pieces of wood in making furniture which you will be able to see in their construction
d) During the hikes and village walks, we educate you on local waste management and organic farming practices
e) We don't encourage use of plastic carry bags or non-biodegradable plastic bottles. We provide other alternatives. Drinking water is boiled and filtered rather than giving disposable plastic bottles
f) Our local friends from the village who help us in running village tourism are carefully chosen such that they are passionate about environmental conservation. Part of your money goes annually into reforestation drives in which the community is involved
g) Raw material for your meals is sourced locally. It is organic, fresh and is not transported in vehicles from long distances. Therefore there is less consumption of fuel. Most of the spices used in food are also sourced locally. They are not bought from big brands
h) Any bio-degradable waste produced by you is used in a compost to produce manure for farming. Extra waste is disposed off responsibly

People

a) We execute small groups of 2-10 people, to be conscious about the consumption of natural and human resources of the village. We understand that getting bigger tours will put immense pressure on resources like electricity, water, and food production
b) We are using local homestays. This not only gives you a very authentic experience, but also helps the community directly. Facilities like cleanliness, food quality and safety are taken care of
c) We encourage you to buy any souvenirs (if you want) from local craft centers where locals work, rather than from bigger shops
d) We have trained students from secondary schools to be local tour guides in Sikkim. These children of age group 17-19 are from local community and work part time on rotation basis for extra income. Rotation system ensures that their studies are not impacted. Your tour guide and other support members in Majuli island are also trained from local tribes
e) We are giving a warm and family environment to our guests in the accommodation. Our accommodations are not run by front desk staff, but by the family themselves
f) We also contribute part of what you pay towards development of the village according to the requirement of locals (eg. installation of dustbins and sanitation in general, contribution in schools, maintenance of homestays, salaries for local support staff)
g) We encourage mutual respect between travelers and locals. We do not support or conduct immersive activities with young school children. We understand that if we form an emotional bond with children and then leave, it may give them a feeling of abandonment
h) Event though our tour focuses on tribes, your experience with them is immersive. We highly encourage interaction with them rather than portraying tribes as objects of amusement