Adventure Associates
Indian Collection for 2010
After many years, 36 years in fact, of being considered one of Australia’s premier Tour Operators, Adventure Associates are offering in 2010, a selection of four distinctive and varied independent tours to India. With so much variety in a land of total contrasts their tours are equally diverse and hold appeal to a wide cross section of travellers.
The 14-day tour of Kerala showcases the lush, tranquil southern region of the country. Another, the 8-day Focus on Rajasthan tour, where one finds it impossible not to be astonished by this amazing central region of the country. Time spent on Tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park, once the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur is one element of this tour.
And, a complete change of pace is their 8-day 'village walk' Shakti, Sikkim entering the area via Calcutta (Kolkata). And, last, but not least the 12-day tour to the Game Parks of central India, staying at the famed Taj Safari cottages and lodges, a remarkable experience.
Of them all it’s Shakti that is perhaps the most innovative. After a drive of approximately six hours from Bagdogra, climbing steadily through the foothills of the Himalayas, the steamy air of the plains becoming fresher as you make your ascent. Eventually, the road comes to an end, signalling your arrival at Yangsum Farm, where a large bonfire often burns a welcome.
This is the first stop on the ‘village walk itinerary’, in the western mountains of Sikkim, India's greenest and least populated state, close to the Nepalese border and far from well-trodden trails. The tour visits places in the Lesser Himalayas so remote that they don't appear on any maps. Comfort, however, is ensured, as Shakti helps local owners to convert their houses, by adding bathroom facilities, for example and introducing homely touches: a statue here, framed thangkas there, or a comfortable sofa to relax on. Your guide will tailor the daily programme to suit your interests, and scale the walks to suit your abilities. Your driver, will follow at a discreet distance with the jeep ("in case you get tired"), while an advance party welcomes you at each stop with G&Ts by a roaring fire and ensures that everything runs smoothly.
At Yangsum Farm, your host who, unusually in these parts, speaks English lives at the farm with his wife. Surprisingly, at 1,450m, you find yourself surrounded by terraces of kiwi, mango and avocado, banana and betel palms living happily amid slopes clad in wispy pines, crimson rhododendrons, stuted oak and hardwood sal. Leaving Yangsum Farm, you set off on a walk to your next destination, along the beautiful Magi Darra ridge, fluttering with prayer flags. Up and over you walk, through forests draped in Spanish moss, past scattered houses with dung-caked bamboo walls and through the valleys. This trail affords stunning Himalayan views and will give you an insight into the lives of the local villagers.
Sangdyang Lee House is the next destination. Perched on a hillside, it is owned by a politician whose family occupies the main building, while guests are housed in a self-contained wing, in the care of the travelling Shakti team.
On your second morning you’re likely to be awoken by the distant braying of trumpets, the sound leading down to the tiny, colourful monastery of Rinchenpong, blissfully remote and corralled by white prayer flags. Despite the influx of Hindu Nepalese to Sikkim, Buddhism, which was introduced to the country in the eighth century by the Guru Rinpoche, remains a way of life. After a leisurely breakfast you continue through the charming village of Bhasmay and onto your next destination Kaluk Village where your vehicle will be waiting to take you onto the road to the ‘stairway to heaven’. Here you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with amazing views over Pemayangste hill and onto the great Himalayan range.
Later on this day you reach the village of Radhu Kandu and your ‘house’ here is a charming traditional Sikkimese house. Overnight is spent prior to the four hour drive to the last destination on this most fascinating tour, Darjeeling and the magnificent Glenburn Tea Estate. Glenburn is a heavenly plantation retreat that lies on a hillock above the banks of the River Rungeet, high in the Himalayas, overlooked by the mighty Kanchenjunga mountain range.
Started by a Scottish tea company in 1859, Glenburn has now passed into the hands of one of India’s pioneering tea planting families. After a two-night stay in this relaxing environment you travel back to Calcutta.
This spectacular insight into northern India operates between 1 February & 15 April 2010 and is from AU$2,665 per person twin share (Land content only based on a minimum 2 people travelling). Contact Adventure Associates, on 1800 222 141 for further information and bookings, on this and the other three spectacular tours found in their Indian collection 2010. Visit www.adventureassociates.com
