1. Can children come along? If yes, what's the minimum age?
A. These trips are specifically designed so that families could take part in them as a single unit. But as some of the activities that you might be doing are adventurous in nature, we have a minimum age bar for them or rather a physical build bar. For eg., most of the activities like rappelling, valley traverse, hiking, etc. are open to children of 5+ yrs but an activity like rafting is only for 10 yrs and above. But keeping in mind that children would like to do an activity that their parents or older siblings would have done, we can take <5 yrs children on a float trip around the camp in calm waters that would give them a chance to experience the thrill of sitting on a raft.
2. Can people with no experience in such activities take part?
A. These activities are chosen so as to expose the novice to the thrill of adventure sports. During these activities, you are in the hands of trained professionals who have a number of years of relevant experience in handling adults and children with nil or very less experience. Our rope instructors are all trained from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) or Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Darjeeling) and post their training have put in many hours of practice to ensure that they are ready to tackle any situation. Our rafting guides have learnt their craft with the best teacher - the river. They are experts at river reading (which is essential to be a good rafter/kayaker) and spend a lot of time on the river and off it practicing and honing their skills.
3. What is tent accommodation? What are bedding arrangements? What are the toilets like?
A. Both the camps have large deluxe tents (12' x 12') with their own washroom. Each tent has cots, mattresses and quilts and is great for a comfortable stay. The washrooms have toilets with western seats and running water. Hot water is provided on request. All the camps have large open spaces for relaxation or outdoor games and comfortable dining areas where meals are served. On Other trips that involve outdoor alpine camping, comfortable all weather dome tents with ground bedding will be provided.
4. What kind of food will we get?
A. Our camps are well known for the sumptuous meals that they offer. All our meals are freshly cooked in the camp itself. We recognize the fact that a bad meal could spoil your holiday completely and hence our expert chefs provide meals that are almost like home-cooked food in extremely hygienic conditions. We provide primarily Indian cuisine with a dish or two of Continental and Chinese cuisine. Any special dietary needs could be incorporated if advance notice is given. Filtered drinking water is provided at all times.
5. What about safety at the camps?
A. The camps are located in areas that are cut away from the humdrum of daily life but are close enough to small towns that can be accessed easily in case of an emergency. There are doctors and medical facilities that can be accessed easily any time of the day and night in case the need arises. Our staff (which consists mostly of locals) is based at the camp all the times and can be called on to address any kind of emergency. As these areas are inhabited, the threat from wild animals is almost nil. In case of outdoor camping the locations are chosen with safety aspects kept in mind so that any inconveniences are avoided.
6. Where do we reach and how do we move from there?
A. These packages are planned such that one needs to get to Haridwar and all other arrangements ahead of that are taken care of by us. Haridwar is well connected by rail from all parts of the country and in case of non-availability of rail tickets to Haridwar one could also drive from Delhi/Chandigarh/Dehradun. In case you would like us to plan the trip for your location in the country the same can be done on special request.
7. Will we be alone at the camps or will there be more people?
A. The camp runs like any other hotel and it is impossible to predict the number of people there will be at the camp at any given point in time. There are usually people at the camp at all times and we tend to be full over the weekends and long holidays.
8. What are the extra costs apart from the package cost?
A. The only extra costs that you would incur are for en route meals (if any), personal expenses, liquor, soft drinks, etc. A detailed list of the items that are included and exc
