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Responsible Adventures are an ecological trekking organization designed to improve, protect and preserve the environment of the Himalayan mountain rangers. An organization for the 21st century, we are leaders in the organization of ecological mountain treks.

Responsible Adventures were created and developed by a group of young environmentally and culturally conscious former Trek leaders with more than 18 years of experience each in leading treks throughout the Himalaya, The Alps, Australia and The Rockies. All of the founding worked for some of the biggest and reputed adventure travel companies throughout their professional careers.

All employees of Responsible Adventures have many years of trekking and mountaineering experience and actively promote the protection and ecological use of the fragile environment of the Himalaya. The Himalaya is home to most of our team and they wish to share its natural beauty and culture with trekkers and other guests. We are striving to instill respect to these sacred mountain ranges, while helping to preserve their historic surroundings, people and culture. We aim to make a difference.

Why Responsible Adventures are different
Responsible Adventures are among the first trekking companies to design treks in the Himalaya where all refuse resulting from trekking is ecologically disposed of or pact-returned to centers where it can be properly dealt with. Biodegradable rubbish is burned to facilitate quick disintegration. Plastics and other synthetic materials will be returned to base for recycling. We request each trekker to ensure that this practice is strictly observed.

Responsible Adventures are pioneers in the just treatment of all its employees. We actively work on abolishing the mistreatment and ill payment of Trek leaders, local guides and porters. Our employees are assured proper wages, as well as receiving benefits that are among the best in the Himalaya. Sharing bonuses and profits between all employees is one the many important aspects of Responsible Adventures’ policies.

Walk in the Spirit
We invite open-minded and perceptive people to feel the Buddha within whilst trekking from lush tropical forests to the arid high plateaus. Rise above the earthly pleasures and perceive the beauty of nature whilst trekking past steep monastic walls, across high passes and into thin air. Experience the openness and connection between man and nature, which is only available in the lofty heights of the Himalaya.

Responsible Adventures’ Mission
To share the essence of the Himalaya
– its vastness, timelessness, culture and humanity —
and to provide our customers with the highest quality travel experience
available in this extraordinary part of the world.

Responsible Adventures’ Commitment
To enchant our customers and exceed their expectations.

Responsible Adventures’ Guarantee
Responsible Adventures guarantees to provide our customers with a successful and adventurous journey.
If you are unsatisfied with any element that is within our control,
let us know and we’ll do everything possible to make it right for you.

Responsible Tourism
Responsible Adventures is committed to responsible tourism, through its policies and practices which permeate all aspects of its business. The company’s policies aim to ensure that Responsible Adventures and its clients act in a way which is socially, environmentally and culturally sound. We feel strongly that all our holidays should benefit the local communities, protect the environment by minimizing pollution, and respect local traditions, religion and heritage. We tread lightly – low volume, low impact trekking/touring is the best way of preserving the beautiful and fragile places we visit.

Responsible Adventures is an adventure travel company with a real difference. We cater for all ages and any group size, ranging from family trekking holidays to school educational trips.We can tailor make your holiday and can take care of everything for you.You can be assured of an upgraded service with the utmost attention to detail. A step above from a normal adventure holiday. Our team has many years experience and are highly trained by our founder Raj Tamang, more about him later! We have such a good reputation in our field that most Sherpa and Porters long to work with us.

Responsible Adventures has four key responsibilities.

1. Customer
2. Employees.
3. Charity
4. Profit

Customer

That’s you. You are most important to us and we make sure that you get the treatment that you deserve.The smallest detail is given our utmost attention throughout your trip and there may even be a few little surprises along the way to add to your experience.

You can be assured of an exciting and breathtaking holiday.

Employees

We value our staff highly, after all happy staff makes happy customers.Here at Responsible Adventures we have a committed fair-trade approach .Sometimes porter/sherpa teams can be neglected and so we pay our staff a generous wage to help them make a better life for them and their families.

Charity

We have been connected with local charities for sometime and a percentage of the tour cost goes towards helping these charities. There may even be a chance to visit the places and see what your contribution has provided.

Profit

This comes last on the list because we want to share our beautiful country with you and help make a better life for the people in and around Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India.
We are committed to making a difference to this small part of the world.

The man behind the inspiration.

Raj Tamang has been leading treks/tours and adventure holidays since 1988.He specializes in treks through out Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India.He has been involved in local charities for many years and has a great love and passion for his country and his job.In 2003 he became the liaison officer for the Royal Marines expedition of Everest in Tibet and even coordinated a wedding for an officer at base camp.He has lead many high altitude training camps for expedition groups wanting to go that extra mile and loves leading small trekking groups on holiday.He has great respect for the world around him and loves sharing his knowledge and amusing experiences with others.

Raj Tamang was born in Singapore to Nepalese parents. He spent his childhood and was educated there till 1988. His father was with the Singapore Police Gurkhas and upon his retirement in 1988, the family returned to their native land: Nepal. With learning from his family background and the education he received, the return home was an opportunity to put into place his aspirations: to be with his people.

In eighteen years he has built on valuable working experience. From Tour Consultant for World Travels (Nepal), to trek leader for World Expeditions an Australian Company. He has also traveled extensively in Singapore, Malaysia,Thailand, Tibet, India, Bhutan, Australia, UnitedKingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, France and Spain. He is multilingual and speaks fluent Nepali, English, Hindi, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Hokkien (a Chinese Dialect) and Thai. He is also capable of getting by with several other languages. 

In 1991 he joined International Trekkers (Nepal) as a sirdar. This was one of his most valuable experiences. For the next 5 years he trekked all over the Himalayan regions of Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan learning about his region and coming back to his roots. He learnt how to run treks from small to large teams and prepare for the future.

In 1996 he left International Trekkers to work as a free lance leader until 2000. Since then he has continued to work as an independent trek leader as well as working for Explore Worldwide and later with the Imaginative Traveller, both UK based firms, as a trek leader.

The past eighteen years of hard work have helped him develop a good understanding of international trekkers needs. He is able to offer much of his experience and knowledge not only about trekking but about the whole Himalayan region, its traditions, religious life and the respect it deserves. He is a world class educator.

www.notjusttreks.com

www.responsibleadventures.com

India remains one of the most visited places in the world. With its ethnicity and rich culture, it is visited by many foreign visitors and tourists. Handicrafts of India are very popular among the foreign visitors and locals as well. Every state in India has got its own special handicraft that is different in style from the others. There are several Indian travel packages available to choose from. You can choose the package that suites your budget and preferences.

Today’s India flaunts a combination of traditional and modern flavors. If there are old architecture to check out then there is modern buildings and lanes too. Being one of the most demanded travel destinations in the world, India will never disappoint you. Visiting India is now easier with quality travel agencies and hotel booking providers. With several packages available for traveling in India, one needs to choose the right deal to go for.

With an abundance of visitors, India is well prepared with many budget accommodation options that offer Cheap Hotel and discount hotels that suits every type of budget. Many of these hotels offer best of lodging experience to the visitors. India offers many fascinating locations to look for in India. Some of them are Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Bangalore, and Delhi.

Right said by Mark Twain, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!” From mountains, beaches, hill stations, wildlife, heritage sites, adventure sports, pilgrim sites, deserts, to monuments, India has everything to offer.

Traveling to India can be as exiting and thrilling as possible. For tours and travels, this country has oodles of fascinating locations to visit. India is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent and is surrounded by China and Nepal to the north, Pakistan to the west, Bhutan to the north-east, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia lie to the south-east and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. By land size, India is the seventh largest country in the world. Foreigners get attracted to the multi-lingual and multi-ethnic cultural life followed in India.

There are many India travel tours for the visitors. These tours cover a range of travel themes like leisure, cultural heritage, nature & green tourism, wildlife and hill stations, beach tourism, adventure & sports, pilgrimage, Ayurveda & yoga, and medical tourism. All these travel packages are provided separately for different regions.

India, a melting pot of diverse faiths and religions, is witnessing a phenomenal growth in religious tourism. These religious or spiritual tours claim a major percent of the revenue pie. Religious tourism is a wonderful way of de-stressing. According to the recent surveys, a large number of people (especially youths) are now-a-days heading towards peaceful temple towns for ‘short duration holidays’. India, known as a very spiritual and religious land, is home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other innumerable religious traditions. Religion, here, covers every aspect of life.

Hinduism, practiced by over 80% of the population, is the dominant faith in India. Besides that, the country has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Each religion here has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes, legends and even culinary specialties. India is dotted with a number of ancient temples and religious festivals, known for vibrant culture and spiritual philosophy. While exploring the spiritual side of the country, you will notice that your trip to India is incomplete without a visit to its pilgrimages. Some of the highly revered and frequented sites in India are:

• Char Dham (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath)
• Ghats of Ganges in Varanasi
• Ashrams and ghats in Rishikesh
• Vaishno Devi
• Krishna Temples at Mathura-Vrindavan
• Rama Temples at Ayodhya
• Holy temples at Guruvayur, Madurai, Trivandrum, Shirdi, Mahabalipuram and Kanyakumari
• Buddhist sites at Bodhgaya
• Monasteries in Leh Ladakh

These sites are not only important for their spirituality, but also for their architectural magnificence. India became the melting pot of various religions about 5,000-10,000 years back. Today, it has become an integral part of the entire Indian tradition.

We Welcome you to “ORCHID RETREAT”… Home away from Home

Enjoy your stay with an Indian family and have a further insight of our “Incredible India”.

Brief of your Indian family : My name is Kumar and I live with my parents who are of age. My father was in the Indian Foreign Service and his last posting was in Trinidad & Tobago. I had the opportunity of being with my father in Indonesia, Burma and Japan ; after which I pursued my further studies in New Delhi as my father was transferred to Laos as Political Advisor, which was a non family Station. I was associated with Japan Airlines for a span of 23 years and presently am promoting a Destination Management Company.

Orchid Retreat is centrally located in the heart of Delhi and our Bed & Breakfast Establishment has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi under the Gold Class category. The rooms are spacious and aesthetically designed and offer you the comforts of a modern world with true Indian hospitality.

Welcome a guest – Make a friend is the essence of the Scheme floated by the Ministry of Tourism and we care as experience has taught us to be sensitive to each individual’s needs.

Surrounded by three great water bodies, namely, Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal South India has stunning grandeur and beauty with lush green tropical vegetation in the coastal areas. The tropical climate is less harsh than in the North India. The place is rich in flora and fauna, biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems. South Indian states are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. These states are very fertile and rich in natural resources. Due to sheer natural beauty of its beaches, hill stations and landscapes South India has become a great destination for tourists. With the hordes of tourists’ inflow, South India Tourism has seen a spectacular growth over last two decades.

Dravidian is the name attributed to a linguistically distinct group of people in South India. Believed to be the first original settlers of ancient India, the group has maintained traditional customs and rites, while with the influence of modernity, some have developed the lifestyles of a modern society.

On South India Tours one can easily detect the uniqueness of culture, language and lifestyles of people. The Dravidian family of languages, namely, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu are distinctly different from the North Indian languages such as Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati. Thanks to their affinity with the old culture, not only South Indians have a distinct language system, their history, literature, architecture, music, spiritual inclination, dress, cuisine and a world view all are way different than those of North Indians.

The history of the South India is believed to have begun with the Sangam age (200 BC-300 AD). The Sangam Age had a number of empires namely Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Cheras, Chalukyans and Vijayanagar. The Cholas who ruled between 300 BC and 1250 AD were the earliest and most famous and perhaps influential among the South Indian dynasties. They were on the eastern Coramandal coast presently in Tamil Nadu. They climaxed between the ninth and thirteenth centuries when they ruled the entire South India, including east and some part of the western coast. They also conquered Ceylon (presently Srilanka), Srivijaya, Malaya and the Maldives islands. With a powerful navy and marine trade and commerce they extended their business to the Far East. Not surprisingly, their art and architecture have left a deep impact in Sumatra and Java islands of Indonesia and in some parts of Malaysia. With any package tour to South India one can visit many Chola style temples scattered throughout the Southern India whose stone inscriptions have helped to reconstruct and decipher the mysteries Indian history.

The Cheras was another ancient powerful dynasty mainly in Tamil Nadu which ruled the South India for most of its early history. They ruled the Malabar coast in Kerala State. The Pandyas were in the south central part. Although these dynasties being obstreperous and hostile to each other remained in a constant conflict with each other, the language, arts and literature prospered in the period. The Vijyanagar Empure (1336-1565 AD) started with resistance to the Muslim invasion of the Hoysala region by Malik Kafur. And only within half a century, the Vijayanagar Kingdom became one of the most powerful empire that ruled for nearly 200 years. Prosperous with strong army and maritime base, they also flourished art and literature. Their Hampi ruins are scattered over an area of 14 square miles regarded as world’s biggest open-air museum. For witnessing the history frozen in stone, do visit Hampi on your South India Tours. They are not only an ancient treasure trove, but also offer much to learn to the scholars of modern art and architecture.

The South India culture had a fascinating aspect in its concept of matriarchal society. One can see even today the celebration of the femininity and motherhood at its best. In literature and philosophy of South India women are considered very powerful. A married woman is considered as well powerful as auspicious. She is regarded as the source of shakti or mother-feminine power which protects and empowers her husband and children.

South India boasts of its own music called Carnatic music. Until 12th century AD, the history of Indian music was the same for entire India. When by influence of Muslims and cultural confluence, the Indian music divided into two systems – the North Indian “Hindustani music” and the South Indian “Carnatic music” Continued to develop without external influences, the Carnatic Music is nearly totally unified with different schools based on the same ragas, same solo instruments, mainly the veena, flute, violin, the mridangam and the ghatam.

The South India has also its own cuisine. The staple food is rice and fish, while coconut forms an important ingredient in virtually all the dishes. The curries tend to be hotter and spicy. Rice is combined in diferent ways and proportions with lentils to make dosas, idlis, vadas and uttapams. Sambhar, rasam, dry and curried vegetable and pachadi are the main preparations. Coffee is popular in Tamil Nadu. The typical traditional meal in is served on a “vazhaillai,” a freshly cut banana leaf. If your are planning a tour to South India, savor the local delicacies which are famous through out the world due to their uniqueness and spices.

Culturally, North India and South India have complimented to each other. While in the South India, the ancient cultural mores are preserved and upheld with utmost endearing care while being at the forefront of knowledge and technology, the North India has contributed immensely by enriching the Indian society by assimilating, accepting and absorbing the outside influences.