Southern India Culture and Wildlife Tour Friday 11 th Thurs 24 th August 2017

Transcription

1 Southern India Culture and Wildlife Tour Friday 11 th Thurs 24 th ust 2017 This is a unique two week guided journey of discovery through South India which will occur during the summer of The aim of the trip is to explore, with local experts, the South Indian state of Karnataka and to learn about the rich cultural traditions and unique wildlife that the state offers. During the trip you will discover the richness of both textiles crafts and cultural traditions of the region. There will be opportunities to visit Hindu, Jain, and Buddist temples, including those in the rocky river basin of the extraordinary temple ruins of Hampi. You will learn about the physical and ecological geography of the region as you take a train journey from agricultural plains of northern Karnataka to the rich and fertile rice and sugar cane growing basin of the river Cauvery. You will venture into the elaborate city of Mysore and then drive on south through the dry, deciduous elephant forests and up into the dense semi tropical coffee growing mountain forests of Kodagu (Coorg) in the Western Ghats. You will see a range of South Indian wildlife from migratory birds and waterfowl, to monkeys, deer, elephants, and if we are very, very lucky, one of Karnataka s famous tigers. In addition, you will learn about the human geography of the region, including issues of sustainable development as the City of Bangalore continues to expand and there will opportunities to explore a variety of Indian cuisine, including buying fresh ingredients and learning how to cook them! This is a very exciting and unique journey, and we are absolutely delighted to be offering it as one of our visits for Who is this for? The trip is for anyone who is ready for an adventure! The week will be packed with a variety of activities including treks, cultural trips, exhilarating walks, coracle rides and visits to busy markets. This is not a beach holiday but there will be time to relax, reflect and write your journal, perhaps with a rewarding gin and tonic, at the end of the day! The facilitators aim to show you aspects of India which the average tourist would not have the opportunity to see. They will be on hand to answer your questions and to show you the real India. If you are curious about places, people, history and culture, this trip is for you. During trips such as this, there are often unplanned events which, when approached with an open-mind and a willingness to go with the flow, add an extra dimension to the journey. If you are prepared to join a group of fellow travellers to experience the wonders of India, this trip could be a once in a life-time journey of exploration, where lasting memories are created. Who is organising this visit? The trip is being planned by an organisation called Sangam who have a lovely, rural, residential facility in a small village north of Bangalore. You will be accompanied throughout the trip by your facilitators from Sangam who understand the context and culture of the area extremely well. They who will interpret, explain and deepen your understanding of India. They have 15 years of professional experience organising curated journeys in Karnataka and South India. Please do refer to Sangam s website for more information about their organisation:. Caroline Smailes is coordinating with Sangam on this project. She has visited India with Sangam s projects three times before, and is now planning this cultural and wildlife trip with Sangam in order to offer an exhilarating travel opportunity for visitors to Karnataka. Where will we stay? Accommodation will begin and end in Sangam s residential home stay facility called near Bangalore which has space for up to 25 people. is a spacious leafy garden on the edge of the rural village of Silvepura. The facilities are simple but well developed. Imo and Kiran Sahi who run Sangam, have made it a comfortable and homely place for visiting groups from the UK. You can make yourself at home and use it as a base from where you can explore India. () During the journey you will stay in comfortable and authentic simple guest houses and hotels. The details of the accommodation options are to be found on the draft itinerary in the further information which we can share with you if you are interested in hearing more.

2 How will we travel? There will be two overnight train journeys in sleeper class cabin style train bunks. The rest of the journeys in India will be in comfortable air conditioned vehicles with no more than five people per seven seater car, so that there is space and room for luggage. The group will be accompanied throughout by Kiran Sahi from Sangam who will be able to interpret and explain what you see on the journeys and he will facilitate the process. Some days will involve very early mornings, and some days will involve a lot of travelling from one location to another. Some days will involve journeying at the heart of the day. There will be so much to see if you look out of the window and ask questions and make the journey itself part of the trip. On days when you are driving you will regularly make stops. When you see things of interest, unplanned stops can also be made it s all part of the adventure. Who will advise us on preparation for the visit? Those who express interest in the visit will be invited to an optional meeting in the Autumn of This will be a chance for you to meet the organisers, hear more about the programme, and to ask questions. Once you have joined the group you will be sent a comprehensive preparation pack which will detail the information about flight booking, travel advice, kit lists, visa guidelines, payment information, insurance advice, and health and safety guidance. If you have any questions about the visit before or after receiving this pack please do us or call using the contact details below. You will be invited to a second preparation meeting in the spring term before you travel when you will go through these practicalities and can meet the rest of the group before you travel. What is the cost? The visit will cost between per person for those happy to share rooms in twin accommodation and between per person for single travellers. The exact cost will depend on the final programme details. This price does not include the flight to India, visa requirements, vaccinations etc. More details can be found on the further information. A resource pack: On your arrival you will all be provided with a resource booklet which includes maps, travel information, and suggestions of activities to enable you to engage with the places that you visit. (In addition, for any teachers in the group the pack will include ideas for teaching and learning activities using creative enquiry, and case study information.) How to apply: Please mail Caroline using the addresses below and she will send you through an application form. Please do register your interest asap, so that we can send you details of the initial information meeting, and then applications and a deposit will be due in by the end of November How to find out more: If there are queries which have not been covered above, or if you would like to talk over details of the visit prior to booking, please contact: Group leader: Caroline Smailes. stihl123@hotmail.co.uk Or contact Kiran Sahi at: sangaminfo@gmail.com Looking forward to hearing from you.

3 Southern India Culture and Wildlife Friday 11 th Wednesday 23 rd ust 2017 This is a very initial draft of what we will do: Date Possible activities Possible Accommodation Fri 11 th Leave Heathrow midday. Flight Sat 12 th Am: Early morning arrival at Bangalore airport. Airport transfer to Sangam study centre. Pm: Orientation. Walk around the local area. Sun 13 th Mon 14 th Am: Exploring the ecology and birds of Hessaraghatta grasslands by cycle (or car) Pm: Introducing the journey ahead. Looking at maps. Am: A visit to a block printing workshop in Bangalore and a hands on morning of experiencing the tradition, its natural dyes, two or three colour blocks. Shopping in Bangalore. Pm: Overnight train journey to Hampi. Train to Hampi. Tues 15 th Weds 16 th Thurs 17 th Fri 18 th Sat 19 th Sun 20 th Mon 21 st Tues 22 nd Weds 23 rd Thurs 24 th Am: Check in at accommodation. Visit the central temple, markets and restaurants in the town of Hampi. Pm: Walk down the rocky river gorge and Coracle ride opportunity. Am: A day for visiting the temple ruins of the Vijaynagara empire. A tour by rickshaw around the enormous ancient ruins. 6.00am Pm: Free time. Am: A day for looking at the crafts of the area- the Lambadi embroidery techniques, and banana fibre weaving techniques. Pm: Potential visit to a Bear Sanctuary. Am: Arrival in Mysore, check in to hotel. Many options for this day: visit to Mysore and its Palace and famous market. Srirangapatnam fort and dungeons, Srirangapatnam temple or Chamundi hill. Crafts of the area including the Mysore Silk factory. Pm: Ranganathittu bird Sancturary. Am: Mysore morning. Options as per previous day. Pm: Drive on through the deciduous scrub elephant forests of nargarhole/ Bandipur. Potential for a safari bus ride into the forest. Am: Safari options as per the hotel suggestions. Pm: Drive on to the semi tropical forested mountains of Madikeri in Coorg- in the Western Ghats southern Karnataka. Stay in a coffee plantation guest house. Am: Early morning peaks trek. Picnic lunch. Pm: Waterfall walk and birding opportunities. Am: Morning drive to Bylacuppe Buddhist temples (1.5 hours) Pm: continue on to Shravannabelagola Jain Monolith. Potentially catch the sunset at the mountain. Drive on to the land. AM: Late morning start and opportunity to recover the journey. Cookery workshop opportunitiy. Pm: Shopping options into Bangalore for gifts and artefacts. Informal debrief and final bonfire. Am: Flight back to the UK. Pm: Arrive back in the UK. Uramma Heritage Homes. Hampi. Uramma Heritage Homes Train to Mysore. Green hotel, Mysore. Options include: The windflower tusker trails in Bandipur. Waterwoods near Nagarhole. (Luxury hotel options) Chingaara/ Honey valley. Napokolu. Coorg. Chingaara/ Honey valley. Napokolu. Coorg.

4 Cost information: The in-country costs for the above draft itinerary are: The visit will cost between per person for those happy to share rooms in twin accommodation and between per person for single travellers. The exact cost will depend on the final programme details. Cost details of what this includes are found below: This cost covers all: Accommodation for the twelve day process in India: o Two nights at the start, and two nights at the end in simple but comfortable homestay accommodation at the Land. Details of our accommodation and facilities can be found on our website: o Two nights in a guest house in Hampi. o Two overnight train journeys. o One night in a hotel in Mysore. o One night in a hotel forest resort. o Two nights in a coffee estate guest house. All breakfasts including unlimited tea, coffee and snacks whilst in most of the accommodation locations. Lunches and dinners whilst staying at the Land in Bangalore, at the forest resort and in the coffee estate guest house, and dinners for the days spent in Hampi. This is mainly vegetarian home cooked South Indian food but will vary on the location. In-country transport during Sangam activities and excursions. Including two overnight train journeys and air conditioned cars. Resource material, maps, information and case studies Cultural workshops to learn more about India depending on your interests. Guidance/ curation/ facilitation. Laundry services- towels are provided and clothes can be washed at any time. Wifi- This is unlimited but can vary in its quality due to the rural context of our facility. You can certainly send s but downloading is slow. Use of facilities, studios, art equipment and cycle hire. We have 17 cycles which are available for use and will provide maps and details of interesting places to explore in your free time. Preparation and admin costs. What is not covered: It does not cover the flight to India. This should cost around 600. You will also need to budget any costs of vaccinations, travel insurance, and a visa for entry to India. Visa costs are now only 30 due to a recent reduction. Lunches for the days in Hampi, and during the shopping days in Bangalore. Lunches and dinners for the days in Mysore. People inevitably want to do different things and find their own meal and it is complicated to arrange, so you will need to budget for these meals in a restaurant in Bangalore. This will most likely cost only about 2 or 3 pounds per meal but it will depend on your choice of food and drinks. You may also wish to buy yourself extra snacks etc in cafes sometimes, so please do factor a small budget in for that. Entrance fees: Entrance to sanctuaries/ cultural activities are not included in the Sangam in-country budget, nor are any donations that you may wish to give. Please ensure that you have a little spending money for this pounds will probably be sufficient. This is because we can never be 100 percent sure what options will be available on the day of arrival at sanctuaries and cultural activities and it is much better if people feel free to choose their own activities. Souvenirs: You may also wish to bring along a small budget for souvenirs which you wish to buy. (We will be providing you with a resource pack as outlined above, but teachers often wish to purchase artefacts.) I do hope that the above information is useful. Please do be in touch with any questions. sangaminfo@gmail.com

5 The process of your visit with Sangam in India: Read more and decide if you want to join the visit: You can find out more about us and the sort of work that we do in India and our residential facility near Bangalore on. Please us or call to chat and find out more about the visit. Our contact details are below. If you are keen to join this visit please Caroline at her address, or us at and we will send you a booking form and details of the initial meeting. Come and meet us and hear some more: Those who express interest in the visit will be invited to an optional meeting in the Autumn of This will be a chance for you to hear more about the visit, meet the organisers hear more about the programme and to ask questions. Please do therefore send your expression of interest as soon as you are able to, so we can let you know about this meeting. Booking and a deposit for securing a place on the visit: In order to secure your place on the visit we will ask you to complete and return the booking form that we send you which gives us a little more information about you, and then we ask you to transfer 100 which will secure your place on the visit. Payment details are on the booking form. The earlier this happens the better as we then have more time for preparation. It is helpful if the group has been confirmed about 6 months before the visit. So for this visit if you can let us know by the end of November 2016 it would help. A preparation pack: Once you have returned the booking form and sent the deposit we will send you a comprehensive preparation pack which will detail the information about flight booking, travel advice, kit lists, visa guidelines, payment information, insurance advice, and health and safety guidance. If you would like to hear more about all of this in advance please do or call us at any point. If the group formed would find it useful and it is easy for you to all meet up one of us can travel to meet you (in the Autumn when we are in the UK) to go through the final plan for the visit and to answer any questions. Preparation activities: You will need to book flights, visa, organise simple travel insurance and vaccinations. Advice for all of this will have been sent in the preparation pack detailed above. The balance of the cost of the visit is due on (or before) 8 weeks before you travel. This is so that we can make all the transfers and bookings within India in good time. The trip: You will need to buy a flight which enables you to arrive at Sangam s facility called which is north of Bangalore in good time for beginning the programme on the first day. Most people coordinate within the group joining the visit and buy the same flight. The most popular one is the British Airways daily (overnight) flight which gets you in early morning. We will arrange that you are met at the airport from your flight, or at a train station/hotel if you have already arrived in India some days before. We will arrange transport to your onward journey after the programme with Sangam. Please be in touch with us well in advance about your arrival and onward travel requirements so we can arrange to meet you and drop you off correctly. You will then have all your travel, accommodation, meals and activities organised as per the visit details. An optional debrief meeting back in the UK. Previous groups have enjoyed meeting up informally after the visit. Please let us know if you would like us to help you with this and we can be part of this. Looking forward to hearing from you. Caroline Smailes. address: stihl123@hotmail.co.uk Imogen and Kiran Sahi UK Telephone number: Mobile: /440 address: sangaminfo@gmail.com Website: