South India cycling tour

Planet

1. Wildlife: In our itinerary, there are destinations where elephant ride, elephant shower, timber dragging, and photo sessions are promoted as a major tourist attraction. We do not include such attraction in our tour, our guides and drivers do not assist in visiting these places, and we encourage our guests not to participate in it.

2. Waste: Initiatives to manage waste range from responsible purchasing to waste separation and recycling to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. As well as compositing green waste and using it in their vegetable gardens, hotels are now sending their non-degradable waste – glass, paper, batteries to be recycled by larger manufacturers.

3. Water: Water is a really important issue with cycling trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. Lack of recycling is a problem in India so we advise our guests that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle where possible. We have asked all the hotels and restaurants which we visit regularly on our trips to install R. O. plants for treated water, so clients can re-fill in the aim that we will use less plastic en route.

4.Energy: Our greatest contribution to minimizing our transportation's impact on the environment is to travel by bike, avoiding any use of energy or fuel. When we do use a vehicle, we are committed to providing local experiences and as part of this philosophy, we use local forms of transport wherever possible. Where we use private transport, we stick to the small back roads minimizing our impact on locals using the main roads for daily routines.

5. Transport: We choose to travel by bike, minimizing transportation carbon footprint, and educate our guides and guests on the importance of looking after the areas they are visiting. Where we use a support vehicle, we ensure that it’s size is appropriate for the size of the group.

People

1. Friends & neighbors: We believe that to upgrade the standard of living of the local people, it is important that a major part of the revenue generated from tourism reach them. Our approach is to hire locally and pay a fair wage, for the entire travel value chain. We hire local agents, travel and cycling guides and transportation service providers. We invite the cultural group to perform traditional dance forms like Thiruvathira and Kolkali for the guests. This provides opportunities for interaction with tourists giving the locals exposure to new ideas and cultures, and also platform for showcasing their talents.

Wherever possible we stay in community run hotels and work with local and family-owned businesses that employ local residents. Our hotels and restaurants create a demand for fresh local food. This encourages farmers to produce a supply of fresh produce, eggs, chicken and fish, and gives them an opportunity to sell their products directly to the consumer. It also makes the local population an integral part of the growing tourism industry and promotes pride in their land and culture.

2. Charity: For years we have been involved in campaigning for tiger and wildlife conservation in Ranthambore, Rajasthan and North East of India. We have directly associated with NGO known as TIGER WATCH and even before we entered into tourism we are supporting "Tiger Watch" financially and have funded few of project like "Gharial Conservation" and have provided support to teach local unemployed youth about wildlife and help them to become birding and wildlife guide.

3.Traveling with Respect: Our itinerary ensures that our guests are not missing the very essence of Kerala - the taste of life in the village. We take our guests for ride through the canals in a country boat and for walks through villages. This slow pace helps guests to get a close look at the everyday village life on the banks. Guests can see people working in paddy field, different kinds of fishing, woman weaving coconut palm and so on. They can also observe people physically removing the water hyacinth from the waterways. This is one of the most noxious aquatic weeds in the world with its toxic ability to engulf vast expanses at an exponential pace and to restrict sunlight penetration that is required by the underwater flora and fauna for sustenance. Much of the research in Kerala is modeled on “use to reduce” concept where water hyacinth can be used as fuel, compost and mulch for soil improvement or as feed material for livestock. The natural colors from the flowers can be used for dyeing clothes and fabrics.