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Update July 2007 |
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Monsoon Expeditions: Rafting through 'Tootha puzha' in North Kerala...
Originating from the mountain ranges of Silent Valley National Park, Tootha (known as 'Kunthi puzha in that stretch) is one of the richest tributaries of Bharatapuzha (River Nila). If not for Tootha, Nila would remain dry for most part of the year. The one hour drive from Kuttippuram to 'Muriankanni' itself was a feast for eyes. While rest of the Kerala is busy filling up paddy fields for other land usage (mostly construction), most of the villages closer to the Palakkad border still continue their farming tradition. If not for looming rain and the anxious team waiting for building bamboo rafts, we would have just stayed there in those villages! The short walks through the stunningly green (and a hundred shades of them!) villages and interaction with the shopkeepers and villagers were so refreshing for all of us” Read the complete travelogue here |
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TBY partners with 'People and Places': Changing the concepts of ‘voluntourism’
Two years before, The Blue Yonder was approached by a leading company from the UK, specializing in volunteer tourism through their Indian representative in Bangalore. They said that they were fascinated by our programs and asked us if there were any opportunities for their volunteers to work with us in our river projects. Since we didn’t have any idea on what they were expecting from us, we asked them to provide a sample program that they might have worked on elsewhere. Shortly they sent us an email of a sample itinerary from their African experiences titled,” Humanitarian tour”. It was probably the most disgusting way of exploitation we saw of volunteers as well as the host communities. Out of the three weeks of ‘regular holidays’, the gap year students were taken to visit a relief camp where they distributed bread to the inmates. This was projected as a ‘humanitarian tour’ and obviously we refused to work with them! Later part of last year, we came across Kate and Sallie from ‘People and Places’ who had a different perception about volunteering and how this should benefit volunteers as well as the host community. ‘People and Places’ have developed their own unique model of ethical volunteering, whereby all parties would be best-served and which would be totally open and honest in all activities, including in financial matters. When ‘People and Places’ and The Blue Yonder exhibited at the One Life Travel Show in London in March 2007, it was quite interesting to talk to people in various age groups wanting to know about the synergy we created by joining hands together. This synergy now sees the launch of the first project working in conjunction with the Nila Foundation. This project has two symbiotic goals – to increase the capacity of Udaya College (a parallel school), thus improving the education and skills of the people along the banks of River Nila which will in turn help conserve and revive the environment of the riverscape. People and Places will recruit skilled volunteers to work on the foundations work and support the Udaya College. While there is a focus on providing a different experience to the students and building teachers capacity, the underlying theme of the project is to connect all the stake holders here to the river. Read more about People and Places here |
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Annappara in Wayanad : A Blue Yonder Associate
The guest house has five spacious rooms of 350 square feet each, including a verandah, bedroom, a kitchenette cum dining, dressing area and bathroom with twenty four hours running hot water with modern amenities. Read more about the property here and their responsible tourism policies here. |
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“Tourism with proper planning can change lives of people positively”– Interview with Sandeep Sinha: Chief Manager of TBY.
In this month's interview he talks to Sandra M Herman about his vision of how Responsible Tourism can work in a destination like India, and what inspired him to move from a large conventional travel company to The Blue Yonder." What made you decide to move from Thomas Cook to a comparatively smaller organisation like The Blue Yonder? What attracted me the most was the positive impact a smaller organisation like TBY can have in the industry, as well as in the lives of common people who are normally not so much part of the conventional travel business. When The Blue Yonder won the Responsible Tourism Award for using tourism as a tool for poverty reduction at the World Travel Mart in London, I was there representing my old company. This made me think a lot and prompted me to think about many things I could do as well! Read the full interview here |
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Khangchendzonga: Guardian deity of Sikkim
Kangchendzonga is a destination for the nature lover in you! Walk trough rhododendron forest and discover rare species of Orchids. Get a glimpse of the red panda or a flying squirrel and watch the mystical Khangchendzonga covered in ominous clouds… Sikkim is a trekker's paradise. Un-spoilt, the way it should be. We have taken utmost care in terms of choosing the trekking trails, carrying capacity of the sensitive region and benefits to the local communities who own and manage our treks. Khangchendzonga National Park is a Biosphere reserve located in North Sikkim, India. The name comes from the 8585 meters tall Khangchendzonga Mountain. With its altitude ranging from 1829 to 8585 meters, it is one of the few high altitude national parks in India. Read more |
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News and updates on Responsible Tourism
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"In the last two years when we went rafting through Tootha puzha (river), villagers came out to plead not to do it as they thought it was so dangerous to go down stream on a bamboo raft during monsoon! The tiny bit of land that Kerala is; it is crisscrossed by forty one rivers that flow down to the west (Arabian Sea) and other three that flows towards the east. With ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, waterfalls, streams and beaches all around, it's quite surprising to see that we hardly have any water sports other than some snake boat races here and there.
Annapara is a boutique hide-away, situated on a hillock and enjoys a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys. It is a place where your solitude is broken only by the whistle of birds and the chatter of crickets. An opportunity to appreciate the pristine natural beauty of nature. Surrounded by five hundred acres of plantation and tropical rain forests, it nestles in greenery. The absence of TV, newspapers and telephones, the serenity of being in the midst of nature, enjoying home cooked food and genuine warmth in hospitality makes it the perfect place for a holiday.
At a time when the global travel market is changing to reflect socially, economically and environmentally aware holidays, Sandeep Sinha decided to follow his passion for Responsible Tourism and join The Blue Yonder - Bangalore as Chief Manager. Prior to this he worked as Manager of Incoming Sales at Thomas Cook India in Mumbai. Sandeep believes that Responsible Tourism is the way forward for India.
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Copyright © 2007 The Blue Yonder. All photographs, text and images © The Blue Yonder. All rights reserved.