What is the difference between a tour and a trek?

There is a big difference. In short, on a tour we fly, drive, or perhaps take a train to our next destination, where you will be staying at a comfortable hotel. You go on sightseeing tours, shopping, roam around in towns and villages, but the tours as a whole are physically not demanding.

Our treks essentially are backpacking trips without the backpack (You carry only the daypacks) and the hassle (of cooking, setting up the camps etc). The high level of comfort almost invariably amazes beginners. Porters or pack animals carry all the bags, food, Tents. Etc., and staff prepares all meals, washes all dishes, puts up and takes down camp, and generally takes care of everything but the only task of walking.

The rule of thumb is that, anyone who has backpacked and is in good shape, shouldn't have any problems in trekking though, at times, the mental attitude plays a vital role.

How difficult are treks?

An Easy trek generally stays at low around 10,000-12,000 feet - altitudes. Hiking days will be short (say, less than 5 hours), and there will not be a lot of climbing up. A Moderate trek will likely involve a little more altitude, and with a few camps above the altitude of 12000 feet, but will entail less steepness and altitude gain than a Rigorous trek, which will usually combine altitudes in excess of 15,000 feet with some good steep, long days on the trail and some camps above the altitude of 14000 feet.

What kind of shape you are in?

The Harvard step test is a good way to find out what kind of shape you are in. If you are 5 feet 9 inches or so, find a 16-Inch step (a couple of inches shorter if you are much shorter, a couple of inches higher if you are taller). Step up and down, alternating feet, thirty times a minute before taking your pulse for 30 seconds. 2 minutes after finishing exercising, tale another 30 second pulse. Repeat at the 3 minutes mark.

The Recovery Index (RI) can be computed as follows:
Duration of exercise in seconds x 100 / Sum of three pulse counts x 2

An RI of 60 or less is poor; 61-70 is fair; 71-80 is good; 81-90 is very good; above 91 and you are ready for the toughest trip on our list.

In general, we recommend that if you score below the mid-70s, you shouldn't consider a rigorous trek. A score in the high 60s will probably get you up the trail in a moderate trek.

How to handle the altitude?

Many people are concerned (perhaps a little more than what is required) about going to high altitude.

The altitude sickness rate on our trek is negligible because of three things; we chalk out meticulously measured increments in altitude gain (sleeping altitude being the tricky area); we train our staff to monitor our trekkers and keep them from over exertion in the few days at high altitude; we emphasize on high liquid intake and other simple techniques to aid acclimatization.

What is our maximum group size?

16 is normally our maximum, unless until mentioned otherwise, and our minimum is highly flexible. Our private journeys range from one member onwards.

Can we book air seats and post - and pre trip extensions?

Our in-house air travel department is a full-service agency, which can book a full range of domestic and international flights. We are well versed with booking the most incomprehensible carriers (e.g., Bhutan's Druk Air), and we can very often do arrange the most complex customized travel arrangements and extensions throughout the Indian Subcontinent.

Why spend more money for an organized trek?

Trekking in Indian subcontinent is a very doable thing, doable in many ways and styles. Many of you ask: is there a way for me to patch together a trek or an Eco tour on my own, and save a lot of money? The quick answer is a qualified yes. But the devious traveller will want to consider the following:

Time: It takes time to shop around at major trekking hubs, obtaining permits; finding, interviewing, and bargaining with guides and porters; attempting to wheedle a seat on a flight to the trailheads; and rustling up restricted trekking/inner line permits.

Safety: Hygienic standards followed by local guides very considerably (to put it mildly), as do their concern for altitude, and your preferred hiking speed. Local trekking agencies are legendary for their haphazard hygienic standards. And In the end every trekker should ask; "Who is going to be there for me if the worst happens and what resources do they have in the event of an emergency?"

Environment & Aesthetics: Unorganised touring or trekking is rough on the environment for a number of reasons. We have made a thoughtful commitment to minimum-impact touring or trekking, including exclusive use of kerosene not only for cooking members meal, but also for the porters and mule mans, and carrying back of all non-biodegradable wastes. We think a carefully chosen tented camp, usually well off the through-fare, pitching the toilets tents at designated spots.

Leadership: It is once thought that it is essential to have a "Western/same nationality leaders" for every tour & trek, which of course comes with a heavy price. With our breed of local trek managers/leaders, who are not only well versed with the trails, local customs, culture but are trained mountaineers with at least a couple of climbing expeditions and numerous treks under there belt, we prefer a more economical approach, passing the benefits to our clients.

What we look for in a traveller?

Well into our fifth decade at this wonderful task, we have strong idea of some criteria for good travel mates.

Flexibility - Understand that real adventure can't be guaranteed, we'd be nuts not to fix up every detail well in advance, keep all the schedules as they should be. But travellers signing on our Eco and Adventure trips should understand that the further off the path you go, the less predictable your journeys can be. And should enjoy this simple fact.

Realists - It would be dumb and masochistic of us to tempt people to sign up for unsuitable trips. But in the end, the traveller is the only one who really knows if she or he'll freak out when there is no hot water, if the skies are always grey, or the trail is too steep, or there is no tiger sightings, or all birds have decided to take a day off.

Readers - Of our abundant pre-trip materials, of at least a little about the destination and how to prepare for it. (You'd be shocked at the number of people who go on major trips stone cold and unaware of crucial things like clothing and medical recommendations, terrain, or cultural etiquette considerations.)

Partners - To be more than an exercise in place bagging, travel requires a positive, flexible attitude, and teamwork.

All In A Days Trek

Start your day with a gentle wake-up call in your tent along with bed tea/coffee followed by a small bowl of warm/hot water for washing.

This will be followed by a breakfast in the dinning tent or in the open depending on the weather conditions, camp staff prefers to wind-up the dining tent if weather is good, so that they can load the tent, to reach the next camp before the group arrives.

We recommend the trek members to pack their luggage & belongings, ready to be carried by porters/mules before coming to the breakfast table, this helps camping staff to wind up the member tents while groups is having the breakfast.

Lunch - Unlike other trekking agencies, we serve hot lunches during our treks, this is achieved by a swift, fast moving team, which consists of cook & assistant cooks, reaching before the group at a predetermined point, where there is a place to sit and supply of fresh water. A three-course meal consisting of hot soup, main course, sweet dish/pudding/fresh or tinned fruits and tea and coffee will be served. Although there is a exception to Hot lunch but limiting to the situations, when there is no vantage point on a days trek or not ample supply of fresh water or the weather is not very favourable or if it's a long trekking day, in that case we will supply a picnic lunch, to be carried with the members in their day packs.

Camp Movement - Normally, our camps are ready with all member tents, Toilet tents, Kitchen tent, Dinning tents in place, prior to arrival of group members at Camp-site. We serve juice or a bowl of hot soup as soon as the trekkers arrive at camp.

Camp Site - Includes 4-Men (For double/Single) alpine style trekking tents with camping mattresses (1 Inches to 2 Inches thick) on the ground for members.

Toilets - They are dry and separate with a hole dug in earth and covered by tents. We appreciate members to put a small amount of loose soil in the hole every time they use the toilet,

Dinning Tent and Food - for dinning there is a dinning tent, chairs and tables with all crockery and cutlery. Food is prepared by the team of professionally trained cooks' (we organise refresher courses for our cooks from time to time), who not only keep all caution to maintain maximum hygiene levels but also ensure the variety by not repeating the menu at least for 7 days. Food cooked during treks' or safaris' is comparable with any first class Restaurant; we will be serving 3 Course Continental, Chinese, Tibetan and Indian food during the trek

Drinking Water - is converted from the fresh waters of the mountain streams, by boiling them for over 20 minutes and then cooling the water before we serve it to our members, which is perhaps the best way to purify the water. You are most welcome to bring water purifiers with you.

Waste disposal - We carry back all the non-biodegradable waste, back to the cities, to be disposed off through city authorities, we do not use plastic material on our treks. We do not use woods for burning or make any Campfires on our treks

First Aid & Medical Kit - We carry basic medical kit on our treks. Gamow bags/pressure Chambers, will be from your side, as it is suggested from the correspondence. However, our trek managers are qualified to use these chambers.

Luggage - We prefer if members can bring there trekking time luggage in duffle/backpacks, these bags will be loaded on porters/mules, and are liable to be roughed out some time, it is suggested to bring a cover for all the baggage to be carried by porters/mules. Beside that we suggest members to bring one knapsack to be used as daypack.