Camping in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer was an exhilarating experience for them. But this bunch of vacationers had come with a 'higher' purpose. Armed with telescopes and guided by a professional astronomer, White Collar Hippie's travellers were in Rajasthan for a mid-desert astronomy vacation. This fresh-off-the-boat travel company, which belongs to Mumbai-based travel buffs Sachin Parikh and Vikrant Chheda, offers 'journeys instead of holidays' to its guests. From sand-sculpture classes in the Chota Rann of Kutch to boat building and coconut tree-climbing lessons in Kerala, this avant-garde company is offering far more than just bookings and travel itineraries.
On a hobby horse
"In all our holidays — mostly hobby-based — we make sure to throw in elements of learning, adventure and local interaction. The person in charge could be an expert from the field or a writer or photographer, who's scanned the area really well. On our Andaman diving trip, for instance, we make our travellers stay with the local environmental team and learn about the forests and marine life of the region," explains Chheda.
Similarly, on their Ladakh trip, they make their vacationers work with the local harvesters, and travel with these locals on bikes, camels and rafts so that they see Ladakh in a totally different light. However, nothing beats their 'Band on The Bus' vacation — a group of around 40 travel enthusiasts, perched on top of a bus, sing, jam and travel with a music band! They did it for the Sunburn Festival 2011 and for the NH7 Festival, Pune, last year. "We started from Mumbai, camped in Lonavala on the way and finally halted in Pune. En route, the musicians played their favourite songs and exchanged music with the tourists on their iPods. We also had an acoustic session mid-way to the campsite," tells Chheda.
Tailor-made adventures are generating a lot of interest among Indians. Gauging their rising demand, marine biologist Manjari Verma and travel writer Avani Patel got together to form their travel company Broken Compass, which arranges half-day trips around Mumbai as well as longer international sojourns. The duo customises trips according to an individual's needs and personality. No two trips are similar. One could be as plush as a horse carriage ride and special anniversary dinner in a Ferris wheel booth in Austria, another may be as rugged as a private caravan road trip in the US. They rope in experts too. For a personalised shopping trip in Milan, Italy, there will be a stylist on board while a stay in Munnar will include a tea taster educating the travellers.
The young entrepreneurs also organise an offbeat 'Dine in the Dark'experience at a restaurant in Berlin, Germany. The idea behind the restaurant is that if a person isn't using his eyes, the other senses in his body heighten, like the aroma of the food or taste, allowing diners to appreciate their meal in a new way. Says Manjari Verma, "You are led into a restaurant with no lights or candles. Your other senses begin to heighten. Specially-trained, visually-impaired waiters guide you through your dining experience in the pitchdark ambience. This is a unique opportunity to taste something you cannot see and completely rely on your senses. Dinner is accompanied by live entertainment like music, a murder mystery or a little dark comedy, all meant to suit the ambience. It's a fun and surprising way to dine out in the German capital."
Earthy fun
However, dining in the dark need not always be an opulent experience. It could simply mean holidaying without electricity and a gas connection! Like in the case of 'Living off the Grid Experience', a vacation designed by Bangalore-based travel company Getoffurass meant for travellers who long to experience life in its most rustic form. "On our last trip, around 12 people visited a farm in an isolated part of the Konkan district, in Karnataka, where an expert taught the group how to build structures using mud, hay and other locally available materials. We built a mud sofa and a stove. The place is not connected to the grid — the group lived off the land exploring the various sustainable technologies on the farm, cooked over fire and discussed the various eco-friendly solutions," shares Santosh Kumar, co-owner of the company who also works as a river guide.
Kumar and his partner Devkishore's innovative trips aren't restricted to Indian shores. The duo has conceived a 'Flying Safari' in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, along with Dag Goering and Maria Coffey, founders of the Elephant Earth initiative. They organise trips to exclusive zones in the reserve. "The Great Rift Valley stretches out beneath us as our private charter plane takes us to the dry highlands of Laikipia. En route, we fly over Rift Valley lakes resplendent with thousands of flamingos. The USP of this trip is that you escape the crowds and watch the game without the usual cluster of minivans!" says Kumar.
Holiday activities
Climbing coconut palms: Tour operators are organising trips to non-descript villages in Kerala, offering visitors a chance to climb arecanut, mango and coconut palms, some 60-feet-tall! Dewalokam, an ancestral farm in Kerala, is one such destination. A professional tree climber is there to guide you. Climbing equipment, including a seat and pedal unit, are provided for safety. Other than that, the place also offers tourists unique activities like spotting butterflies, extraction of honey, milking cows and rubber processing.
Safari on foot: Satpura is the only national park in the country to offer walking safaris, which means you get a rare chance to walk in tiger country! For eg, one stroll begins from Satpura forest reserve and ends at Pachmarhi. Travellers get to walk in pristine forest, camping around tribal settlements, soaking in the stunning scenery, birds, butterflies, dragonflies and tigers.
Caving: While Ajanta and Ellora are popular, an unexplored option is Meghalaya, known to be amongst the top 10 caving destinations of the world. The state, which has huge deposits of limestone and abundant rainfall (six to eight months in a year), ensures cave formations here. Adventure travel companies are putting together customised caving trips to Meghalaya's dark and mysterious caves with pools of crystal-clear water. The trips involve a bit of free hand rock climbing, plenty of crawling, going through tight squeezes, walking and, if one is lucky, some swimming.
Beachcombing: Abroad, people are choosing vacation spots on the beach, and resorts are offering beachcombing as a family activity. It helps children bond, learn about various shells and be aware of the environment. When visiting Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar, Orissa, Goa, beachcombing for tiny fish, sea shells, and crabs is becoming a must-do activity for travellers.
supriya.sharma2@timesgroup.com
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Curated voyages
Dengan url
http://masalahurat.blogspot.com/2013/01/curated-voyages.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Curated voyages
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar