DESTINATIONS INDIA
More visitors want to
see the ‘real’ India
✈
opened. Right on the Malabar
coast, it uses bio energy, has
solar panels and organic gardens.
An unusual way of seeing the
‘real’ India is emerging, as operators
such as Explore and Tropical
Locations off er travellers the chance
to stay in an Indian family home.
Mahindra Homestays launched
earlier this year, off ering a range of
properties across the country.
While tours in Rajasthan’s Golden
Triangle and Kerala sell well, there
is interest in new areas, especially
from second and third-time visitors.
Explore’s Asia product manager
Caroline Phillips said: “Tours to
lesser-known corners of the country
are selling well at the moment – say
trekking in Sikkim and along the
Singalia Ridge – or doing more
unusual trips, such as volunteering
combined with touring.”
Other operators report that the
Himalayas in the north are proving a
draw. Cosmos and On The Go have
seen growth in the popularity of
add-on four-day breaks to colonial
Shimla in the foothills. More
operators are twinning India with
the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan,
with Cosmos, Tropical Locations,
Bales Worldwide and Exsus
featuring the country. TW
70 | Travel Weekly | November 7 2008 www.travelweekly.co.uk
WHAT’S NEW
Tropical Locations’ new India
brochure includes the Sunderbans
and Heritage Cruise, a 10-day
itinerary through the largest
mangrove ecosystem in the world
and the unexplored tribal area of
Chattisgarh and an 11-day horse
safari in Rajasthan’s Aravalli Hills.
Travel 2 has introduced a 12-day
Taj, Temples and the Sacred Ganges
tour, including the Golden Triangle
and Udaipur, for £1,299 per person,
excluding international fl ights.
Animal lovers can extend this with
the new four-day Tigers of
Ranthambore programme, from
£265 per person.
Cosmos Tourama has launched a
16-day escorted tour around
northern India and
Bhutan. Highlights
include city tours of
Calcutta, Gangtok
and Thimpu; a boat
ride on the river
Hoogly; and visits to
a tea plantation and
the Ghoom Monastery to see the
Maitreya Buddha. Prices start from
£2,355 including fl ights, transfers,
full-board and a local guide.
For the 2008/09 winter season,
Somak Holidays has launched a
luxury Goa e-brochure. There’s a
new range of off ers on holidays
departing from Manchester and
Gatwick until April 2009, including
half-price room upgrades for those
who choose premium economy
fl ights. The e-brochure can be
accessed from somak.co.uk.
New from Bales Worldwide in
2009/10 is a 14-day South India
Discovery tour visiting the Malabar
Coast, the rainforests of the
Western Ghats, the Nagarhole
National Park, Mysore,
Ooty and Kochi, from
£2,395. There’s also
cruising in the
Sunderbans and the
Golden Chariot, a luxury
train that travels
through southern India.
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