TRAVELING IN INDIA – MEETING INDIA

Be curious to take a look beyond the western horizon and let us take you on a journey to India where you can gain new experiences. We will be happy to take you by the hand and give you an insight into the land of unimagined possibilities. Travelling in India is still special and sometimes a good challenge. You will be rewarded with a broadening of your horizons and experiences that are quite different from anything in the western industrialised countries.

About India

Travelling to India means that first you have to say goodbye to the idea of having a holiday there. India is one of the most exciting countries on this world. It is a classic to mention the enormous contraries, which one encounters in this huge land, better called subcontinent. Age-old traditions exist next to most modern achievements, bitter poverty next to lavish pomp, masses of people next to quiet lonely places of contemplation. The crazyness is that one sees these extremes often very close to each other in place and time.

India does the marketing with the slogan „Incredible India“ and it couldn’t suit better.  Daily one encounters phenomena which are totally different from one is used at home and is likely to join in the slogan. Indians organise different, respond different, act different as we are familiar with. Quite difficult task to just observe then being ready with advise.

But especially this is the attraction, a tour to India can make the difference: getting acquainted with foreign living conditions, observe how people ensconse themselves in their life, how they react on change and modernisation and try to encounter this without judging it. It is a totally different experience to meet “the world” with all senses instead of just reading about, watching on TV or listing in the radio.

Guides help you to gain a better understanding and are a pleasant support for exchanging impressions, discussing what you encounter and categorising your experiences in your previous life. Together, it is easier to overcome the adversities that you encounter from time to time and again in India.

About travelling in India

There are different ways to travel and to visit other countries. There are different impressions, which keep staying in one’s mind. We have realised that it is not the classical sightseeings about which one marvels many years after (for sure there are exceptions), but the encounters, situations, talks. Encounters which are heart-warming or make us totally angry, situations, which have been incredible funny or in which one met one’s limits, talks, in which one got new insights.

These kind of experiences are difficult to put into an itinerary, but through flexibility and the encounter-possibilities there is a bigger chance that they happen. Travelling – especially in India – has a lot to do with good luck and tough luck. When visiting a monastery nobody is there, but all at a funeral, the school-visit is cancelled due to sudden holiday (the holidays are sometimes given just shortly in India), a person to visit became sick – all this can happen. But these occured gaps can be filled spontanously with new ideas, one could see by chance a procession and walk with them, a coincidental adressed person might invite the group for a tea in his house, with children one could start an extensive game – there are so many possibilities.

Also with a group we would like to open up for these “travelling chances” and increase the value of experience. This is rather extraordinary for grouptours, but we like it. we don’t want to take home only photos and shopped souvenirs, but as many as possible encounters, travel experiences, new ideas and a little bit more understanding.

What would be if….

A popular question especial between those travelling for the first time to India and maybe with only few experiences would like to do a trekking. There are endless scenarios – and countless solutions.

The only real honest answer we could give is “It depends on….”. For sure that doesn’t sound very soothing, but if one thinks logically about it, one realises that there can’t be any other answer.

An example:

During a trekking one has physical problems and can’t keep on walking as before.

Questions:

-> Which problem is it exactly? (Broken leg? Altitude sickness? Undefined unwellness? Toothache? Sunstroke etc.)

-> Where does this problem happen? (How far is it to a lower altitude, to a road, to a village etc.)

-> Who is all there? (Size of group, condition of the other members, medical knowledge, horses etc.)

-> What would the concerned person suit best?

-> Could the problem be solved with a rest/decent/medicine or does the person have to be brought to a specialist?

-> Is there mobile reception?

What we can offer from our side:

-> discussing together the possibilities

-> always enough/too much food and horses

-> knowledgable guides, who are not always dealing with problems, but are having quite some experiences

-> for the emergency-helicopter a special arrangement without the obligatory paperwork before the operation, but with the possibility to order this afterwards. Life-saving has without saying the first priority. (As the helicopters belong to the army, their operation always goes with longsome paperwork. On contrary to other areas, in Ladakh and Sikkim there are rare occasions that someone has to be saved)

Just a short note regarding the adversities of travelling in India. There are chances that
– trains will be delayed
– flights are cancelled
– roads are damaged by landslides
– Areas are not able to go due to politics or weather
Dont worry! We take care of everything and reorganise your tour in contact with your ideas and a budget which is fine for you.