South India by rail vacation

Planet

All the long journeys are by train - normal India Rail trains. Train travel is generally accepted as the most environmentally friendly way to travel. Another benefit of train travel is the opportunity to meet local people - ordinary people going about their lives and taking the train to get to weddings, funerals, work, friends, family etc.

The owners of all the accommodation used on this tour have a commitment to environmental issues and as you travel between the properties you will find good practices, eg waste being recycled, low power light bulbs, water being heated by solar panels etc. With small numbers of individuals staying in small properties the impact on the environment is reduced, as waste, lighting etc will be minimal. Many of the accommodation options on this tour are homestays and small guesthouses.

People

The ground handling of this tour is provided by our local agent and 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).

All of our customers are supplied with detailed information about their vacation. We supply general advice relevant to all customers as well as more specific facts about your particular tour. These documents offer our customers lots of advice and guidance including how to obtain an Indian Visa, which immunisations are recommended, how much to tip people, how to dress appropriately and how to behave in National Parks.

We support local charities and invite our customers to do so too (details are supplied with your travel documents).