Kerala family activity vacation, India

Planet

This vacation will help the local community as their participation is involved at each place. The homestays help the local community by providing them employment and also engaging them in the various activities in the farm lands.

By employing local birding guides at Thattekkad and by staying at environmentally low impact accommodation like the Hornbill Camp, we hope to bring in awareness about Responsible Tourism among the general public. Hornbill Camp is made of locally available materials and constructed exclusively by using locally available expertise in reed leaf thatching. There is very little concrete, but tents are used instead. The water is heated using solar heaters and the kitchen refuse is recycled for use in the spice plantations nearby.

The parks have introduced a system by which the Vana Samrakshana Samitis (Forest Protection Teams) and Eco Development Committees form part and parcel of all tourism ealted activities. It is mandatory to employ a local guide while entering the park.

All our activities implement practices that are respectful of natural and cultural environment and which contribute in an ethical manner to the local economic development. It contributes in a positive and equitable way to the development and fulfillment of individuals living, working and staying in the areas we operate in. We encourage Farm and pro-poor Tourism. We also offer CSR (Corporate Social responsibility) modules to corporates and organizations.

Except in unavoidable cases, we always encourage our clients to stay in non-hotels like Homestays, Camps or Bungalows. This gives them an opportunity to interact closely with the local people and indirectly benefit the people living around those areas.

As a company, we have introduced modes of conservation like introduction of CFL lamps to conserve energy, reuse of paper and old envelops and minimizing printing. The accommodation we use on all our tours have also introduced organic farming, vermicompost for waste disposal, employing local labour in tourism related activities. All supplies are sourced locally.

People

Kalypso has greatly recognized Kerala as a beneficial tourist destination. We have thus identified the growing potential of each place and accordingly planned and developed programmes. We have also explored various routes off the beaten track. Keeping in mind the needs and expectations of the local people and communities we are in the process of developing local home stays and camp sites. We strongly follow the policy of “Travel Global, Buy Local”. Kerala has a lot to offer and Kalypso makes sure that we do not leave anything out. Being a state with so much beauty and splendor we give our clients the opportunity to enjoy an overall experience of “Gods Own Country” at its best.

We always employ local drivers during all our tours. Our supplies like vegetables and poultry are always sourced from villagers residing near the camp & we promote local businesses by using local jeeps and locally owned wooden canoes for moving on the river, whenever possible. The activities during this vacation, namely, cycling, kayaking and walking are all carbon neutral activities and as such they go a long way in promoting responsible travel.