India Golden Triangle tour, Rajasthan to Varanasi

Planet

On this tour in India, to help protect the environment, we avoid any domestic flights and build in journeys from Delhi to Udaipur, Agra to Varanasi and Varanasi to Delhi by train, as a way of both seeing more of the country from a different viewpoint as well as covering large distances in an efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Drinking water and the waste associated by single use plastic water bottles is something we are working hard on in India as well as other destinations. All travellers are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles and we are rolling out a program of providing large water canisters in our vehicles on group tours to take refills from. We are also offering water filtering bottles to travellers, all of which can vastly reduce waste generated by our customers both during the tour and on an ongoing basis.

Our India guides are strict in monitoring and preventing littering to protect the sites we visit and waste bins are provided in all vehicles.

Many of the sites we visit are incredibly important historical and natural wonders, and we encourage our travellers to treat these sites as such, sticking to marked paths, not climbing on ruins, picking wild plants or flowers, and avoiding disturbing the local wildlife as much as possible.

People

In India, we support local crafts makers and artists by visiting a couple of carefully selected local shops. Here travellers can learn about the historic methods of producing silk fabrics, marble, pottery and other crafts, as well as purchasing souvenirs if they wish. All products sold in these shops are sourced from the surrounding local communities.

We use only India guides and drivers, all trained and qualified which not only contributes towards the local economy and provides much needed jobs, but provides an insight into Indian culture which only a local could do.

All our India itineraries aim to provide a mix of classic sites and more out of the way places. To provide a more in depth experience of Indian culture, we explore on foot wherever possible and regularly stop to buy traditional local snacks and fruits from street vendors. We also aim to provide direct income and support to small businesses, families and accommodation owners in a variety of ways.

Direct community support is provided on this tour on a Mughal Heritage Walk through the ancient village of Kachhpura on the opposite bank of the river to the Taj Mahal. This walk is designed and run by a local NGO and helps provide employment and new infrastructure. During the walk one of the villagers will give a guide to their village life, the layout of their homes, with living, cooking & religious areas, the farming done, and the local cottage industry for leather shoe making which helps Agra export shoes all over the world.
Also in Agra we take an electric rickshaw of places not normally visited in the city, and offer an option to join a Hindu family for a Vegetarian Thali cooking lesson and meal.

On this tour we stay in the remote rural village of Tordi in Rajasthan. We stay in a small converted palace and explore the village on foot, visiting a temple, school and a potter's house before interacting with the local villagers, providing great insights into rural Indian life.

While in Varanasi we spend time with a local Hindu Brahaman family, which has 14 members living under one roof. Here, we'll be given a cooking master class of Indian cuisine, before having lunch with the family.