South India overland tour

Planet

This trip visits the Bandipur National Park, which has the second highest tiger population in India and is part of the Project Tiger conservation programme, an initiative which aims to protect Bengal Tigers and their habitat. In an around Banidipur, traffic is banned in the hours of darkness to protect all wildlife from road accidents. Our visit helps support the project and therefore protect the tigers for the future.

We take a couple of train journeys on the trip, one of which enables us to cover a long distance in the most environmentally-friendly way possible - with the added bonus of getting to experience the fabulous Indian train system! The other is a narrow gauge heritage railway line which winds its way through beautiful mountain scenery. Using this line creates a reason for this 120 year old system to be maintained and kept in close to its original condition.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

One of the hotels we use on this trip supports the SOS Children's Villages charity which provides education and family-based care for orphaned children. For our night on the Houseboat we work with a local cooperative to ensure that the local economy benefits from our visit and the income generated is spread throughout the community.

Our Indian tour leaders have a deep passion for their country and a desire to help travelers experience all it has to offer. They attend our annual training course, which has a strong focus on responsible tourism practices, ensuring that our trips run in accordance with our code of practice. At the start of each trip they provide guidance concerning local customs and culture to ensure that local sensibilities are understood and respected. Throughout the trip they encourage our groups to eat in small local restaurants along with the locals, try regional food, and support community shops and businesses.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.