Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka tour, India

Planet

All our vacations are tailor-made which means that you are not traveling with a group of other people. With small numbers of individuals staying in small properties the impact on the environment is reduced, as waste, lighting etc will be minimal.

This tour includes a visit to one of India’s Wildlife Sanctuaries. Indian National Parks are protected areas and the Indian government are committed to conserving the numbers of tigers, elephants and other wild and endangered animals within the reserve. Visitors to the parks pay an entrance fee and this money will go towards the up-keep of the park and enhance their community based ecotourism practises.

Stay at a small family run homestay in Mysore, a perfect way to experience the local culture and interact with the fabulous hosts.

Other accommodation on the trip are small privately owned properties.

In Ooty stay at Marli Hill Bungalow, and Pollachi Riverhouse, both owned by the environmentally friendly and Kerala based family-owned group - CGH Earth. CGH Earth Group were pioneers of eco-friendly resorts in Kerala. They also own the popular hotels of Coconut Lagoon, Spice Village, Marari Beach and Brunton Boatyard. CGH Earth evolved over four decades into a chain that specialises in remaining true to the environment – one of their mottos is "Nature remains the Chief Architect".

People

By using homestays and small privately owned hotels on this tour, you are supporting the host families/owners, their staff and the local community.

The ground handling of this tour is provided by our local agent who works almost exclusively for us. We supply him with more than 90% of his turnover. All of the drivers and staff are local people. Thus we have fifteen local families that are directly financially reliant upon us. Our drivers have a contract and are paid a monthly wage. This is very unusual in South India where most drivers are normally employed on a commission-only basis (not easy for such seasonal work).

Tipping is expected in India, especially by the lower paid workers who rely on tips to help to boost their wages. It is important to get it right – enough but not too much. We supply all our customers with details regarding gratuities and we hope these guidelines are followed.

Tailor-made vacations cater for couples or small groups and this means that our customers have the opportunity to interact with the locals. We encourage you to stop at the small chai (tea) shops as you travel and give business to the chai wallah (even if you do not like the idea of drinking the tea yourself, your driver will appreciate it).

All of the guides we use are local and self-employed giving them the freedom to set their own fees and select when they work and who they work for.