Environment

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although we hope to have a positive effect by engaging with locals, using their businesses and visiting cultural sites. Also by taking guided tours, we support employment levels in the areas we visit, whilst enriching our experience and understanding of Kerala.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with walking 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 already a massive problem in India so we suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. Water is safe to drink at the accommodation, which facilitates re-using one bottle.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Community

Accommodation and Meals:
You will spend 8 nights in hotels with en suite facilities, 5 nights in full service camps and 1 night on a houseboat. By using locally owned and run accommodation in the Western Ghats and staying in a local fisherman’s houseboat, we can ensure that the people in the community benefit from our business. By camping for a large portion of the trip, we also drastically reduce our carbon footprint by saving on energy. Where meals are included, fresh and local produce is used to make delicious and plentiful food. Free meal times are a valuable opportunity to explore Keralan cuisine and to support local vendors, restaurants and cafes in the area. Keralan specialties include biriyani made with Khaima rice, fish and chicken curries and Sadya – a vegetarian spread of side dishes served on a large banana leaf.

Local Craft and Culture:
Much of our time is spent walking through cardamom, coconut, mango and tea plantations. These large areas are not just a source of beauty and interest for our clients, but they provide an insight into rural life, agriculture and cuisine in the area. The Periyar area is a centre for spice growing, and here there will be opportunities to visit the local bazaar, where there are numerous shops selling cardamoms, vanilla, peppercorns, chillies, turmeric and other locally grown ingredients. There are cottage industries and souvenir opportunities in Cochin, Periyar and Madurai. At Madurai, the great Meenakshi-Sundareshwarar Temple, most of which was built during the Nayak period between the 16th and 18th centuries, is at the heart of the city and the life of the town revolves around it. It is a hive of activity and religious celebration, so this is a great place for Hindu culture.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.