Tour Planning and Information
Summary of booking procedure:
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TRAVEL INFORMATION &
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Pricing and flights
All our prices show a land only cost and flights are charged at the going market rate through our dedicated travel agent. The flight costs are subject to variation due to currency changes and ongoing fluctuations with the airline charges. We will handle all flights as a group and that way we get to block book all seats in advance. Payment of the deposit ($1,000) is Non-refundable, except where the trip does not go ahead due to lack of numbers or when Lotus Journeys is forced to cancel the tour. World unrest, terrorist activity or war does not constitute a valid reason for any refund. The area we are going to is as safe as anywhere in the world today, probably much safer, and we have to trust the airline’s security measures as they would not fly if there was any danger at all. All other payments, over and above the deposit are refundable at 75% up to 6 weeks before departure, after this time NO refund is possible, as we would have paid the airlines and the Indian tour guide company by then. If you are booking within 8 weeks of the tour, full payment of the trip, including flights is required at the time of booking. Cancellation fees will apply as required by airline tariff regulations and will vary dependent upon the type of airfare utilized. Insurance is strongly recommended.
Passports & Visas
All visas can be applied for from 5 months before we travel. We will supply you with the necessary application forms and details or you can download here. Make sure you have a valid passport and that expiry date is at least 6 months after your return.
Travel insurance
This is not included in the cost of the trip, however we will organize this option for you at a good rate. Contact us for more information and insurance brochure outlining full details.
Vaccinations
There are no mandatory vaccination requirements for entry into India at present. For the latest vaccination information we recommend you consult your health practitioner. See also my notes under health section. I personally do not take any vaccinations, except to ensure that my tetanus shots are up to date. There is no malaria in the mountains, and as long as you drink the bottled water we provide, at all times, and take basic hygiene precautions, you should be fine, however it is your call!
Accommodation
This will be a combination of medium grade guesthouses and alpine tents in the mountains and the equivalent of 4/5 star hotels around India generally. Accommodation is based on a twin share basis, decided by Lotus Journeys, unless you are a couple or you advise us otherwise. Often there is little variety of choice in accommodation, in the mountains, however, the places will always be clean, tidy, with large rooms and often set in gorgeous surroundings! Often many of the hotels only offer rooms that have only one bed, although they are usually very large, be aware that sometimes we have to get very close to our room mate! This is often the norm, but we always endeavor to get single beds wherever possible. The tents are a great experience in true outdoors living, close to the natural wonderland that we will be in, and usually only for about 3-4 nights in total, depends on the trip we are taking. We must sleep in large dormitory/army style tents at base camp, at Ganges source, as that is all that is available to us. There is an extra charge for a single room, please contact us for this as the rates do vary.
Time change
India is 7 hours behind NZ time, without daylight saving.
Money & currency
Indian currency is based on the decimal system, with 100 paise to the rupee. As a general guideline $1NZ is equivalent to about 30 rupees. Be careful when handling money in public. Do not count large wads of cash in front of people. This is just inviting trouble. If you can be discrete and follow basic common sense, you will have no problems. There will be few banks available as we travel, so I strongly recommend that you change all the money you think you will need at the airport. They will change your cash (NZ or US) or travelers cheques. I personally recommend bringing US cash, as it is much easier to change. Traveller cheques are OK in the cities but in the mountains they are not advised. Make sure you bring a money belt.
Tips
In India, tipping is known as baksheesh and it is almost demanded, however we will be handling all tipping as a group and we have a ‘tipping kitty’ system for all our tours. Your tour leader will collect a contribution from everybody in the group and then the kitty is used to tip anybody who has rendered services to the group as a whole. This will save us a lot of hassle as the tour guides and his large ‘team’ will handle all of the luggage and the many general services, thus protecting us from annoying “hawkers”. The amount required is usually around $20-$30 USD per week.
Shopping
You will have a chance to do some shopping in Delhi and the bigger towns/cities and most things are much cheaper than NZ. Be prepared to shop around and bargain if necessary, as it is custom in India to haggle. When in the mountains, shopping is extremely limited to some basic local markets and the street sellers.
Telephone/E-mail
There are places where you can phone home, but it’s relatively expensive. Also, there will be some Internet places but the service can be very slow and the computers often crash! A mobile phone will work in most places, but probably not in the hill country. You will need a roaming facility for this and that can be even more expensive than the local service, but it is convenient.
Food & meals
The food we will provide will be very wholesome, and very tasty Indian fare with lots of vegetarian dishes and variety of meats. The resorts we visit always put on great food, and is often buffet style. We go to a lot of trouble to serve good, tasty food as it is part of the Indian culture. All of the cooks we use in the mountains are highly experienced and have worked in large hotel chains, but want the outdoor experience of our unique trips. We will have a mobile kitchen facility for when we are in remote areas or camping outdoors. We will make sure that the food is not too spicy, as many of our western digestive systems cannot seem to take it! Three meals a day will be provided on the Ganges Tour and Ladakh Tour. For the other tours usually we do not provide lunch, please check with our office if not sure, or check the individual itinerary. Bottled mineral water will sometimes be provided, again usually on the Ganges and Ladakh tours. Do not drink water out of the taps! Hygiene around food is very important. Wash your hands regularly. NB: you must indicate if you are a vegetarian or vegan before we travel, so we can organize the meals for the flights.
Climate
In Delhi it is usually very hot. Once we get into the mountains it could be quite chilly, and cold at night. Max (average) temp in summer is 27-37°C in the low lands and 10C degrees in the high mountains, down to a minimum of 0 to -5 degrees at night, but please be prepared for anything! Rain is very uncommon in the mountains when we go, the monsoon is from late June to early September, but sometimes there can be a late rain season, with showers/thunderstorms possible. The best season for the South is from November to March, where the temperatures are consistently around 30- 35 degrees during the day. Once you have booked we will go into more detail about what to bring in the way of clothes etc.
Packing tips
Please adhere to the one luggage bag only (plus one carry on bag). Also, take a duffle bag or soft bag for day excursions. I recommend that you pack a change of clothes, toiletries and other basic necessities in your carry on luggage.
Laundry
We should have the opportunity to do washing at the hotels and guesthouses we visit for a small fee. Otherwise if you are pushed for time, or need something urgently, otherwise you will have to hand wash.
Health & remedies
Sometimes people do get sick in India, (mainly diarrhoea) however try and see this as part of the experience, as we clean out and purify our physical, mental and emotional bodies. However on our Lotus Journeys, the incidence of sickness is extremely low as we take so many precautions with food and the water. Most times the symptoms last for no more than 24 hours and it should not seriously interrupt your journey too much, apart from a little discomfort for a while. Travelling in India, especially on these types of journeys, can and do take us out of our ‘comfort zones’ as we transcend our known limits of existence and explore that unbounded dimension of our spirit Selves! This is a big part of the blessing that you receive. We can take preventative measures and so I highly recommend that you bring some colloidal silver, and your own favourite remedy or consult your health professional. As an added bonus we will also be providing traditional ayurvedic remedies. I also urge you to bring homeopathics, essential oils (lavender, tea tree, peppermint) plus some carrier oil. We will provide some essential oils for you if needed. It is important that you do not touch any animals, as this is a sure way to pick up a disease. Also, do not feed them or you will have riot on your hands! Following basic hygiene guidelines is usually enough to prevent any illness. NB: You must fill in our medical certificate before departing on our Himalayan mountain tours!
Altitude can be a significant factor of travel to the Himalayan country. While
Most travelers adapt quite readily to elevation of 8,000 feet, the higher elevation can take some getting used to. Remember that drinking lots of water is one of the best ways to fight the effects of high altitude. Most altitude related symptoms are headaches and nausea and apart from taking lots of water, try not to over exert yourself. The itinerary has also been devised so that we take plenty of rest stops. Also coming down to lower altitude is another, and as we are going up and down to the higher altitudes (13,000 feet at the Ganges source is the highest), then we should all be OK, however the tour company suggest taking the drug Acetazolamide (Diamox) or cocoa homeopathic if you want that extra peace of mind. You will need to obtain the diamox by prescription. If you do have to take this, then make sure you drink even more water, as it is a diuretic. Also it has been said by one of our party members that taking garlic capsules is very good because it thins your blood and they are a very good antiseptic/anti parasitic. You could start taking them a couple of weeks before departure. Do not take sleeping tablets when at high altitude.
Hygiene and meals is of paramount importance when traveling in India. A few basic and simple precautions will, in 95% of cases, prevent any serious health issues, or prevent any minor issues to become serious. I have already gone over these before, either verbally or in writing, but I will mention them again. Never drink tap water, or any water, which you do not know where it came from. Never take a drink with ice in it. Do not brush your teeth with tap water. Keep your mouth closed when taking a shower. Do not lick stamps. Never drink the water provided in the hotels, even the good hotels! We highly recommend taking a powdered electrolyte to replace lost salts from the body. There are some flavored ones on the market that taste quite nice. Even better is Himalayan crystal salt!
Do not eat any uncooked vegetables or fruit that cannot be peeled. Do not eat food from roadside vendors, or at markets/festivals. Do not eat salad foods, except where we have served you of course! This has been stressed before, but I am saying it again because it is important and so many people fall into these traps. We should not have much of a problem because we are bringing our own food, but you may get tempted when out and about and feel a little peckish in between meals. You may want to pack some of your favorite items such as museli bars, instant soup, crackers, nut bars and such like, but beware of customs rules here. The food will be very tasty, healthy, nourishing, and mildly spiced by Indian standards. Most food is vegetarian, however we do serve some chicken and lamb on occasion. There will always be plenty vegetarian food at every meal.
If you do get sick with tummy bug (Delhi belly) then one of the best remedies is to simply fast, or just eat a small amount of rice and/or chapatti bread, with a little veg. We will have traditional Indian medication as well. If you wish, you could bring Imodium or lomotil. With vaccinations, I again stress that it is a matter of your choice. I do know that the traditional medical profession here in the West invariably recommend you take practically everything under the sun; polio, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, yellow fever, malaria, you name it! To me this is out dated and is a fear-based campaign from people who do not really know from experience. That does not mean that you may get one of these, however the chances are minute, whilst not impossible. If you are going to take any of these, I would suggest a tetanus shot and hepatitis A. In most cases the side effects of these drugs are very bad for your system and they will cost you a small fortune! In my opinion we should be focused on keeping our immune system strong, taking the basic hygiene precautions already noted and keeping a positive mind free from fear. Also keep away from the animals in India, especially the dogs and monkeys. DO NOT touch them! You do not want to get bitten or scratched from these animals! Do not tease them please, they can react very erratically as they are often very hungry and rabid.
It is important to wash your hands thoroughly. You may like to take some ‘wet ones’ or other sanitized towelettes. Use especially before meals and after handling anything remotely dirty. Be aware that hand to mouth transference of germs is the most common cause of illness when traveling. The Indian money is also very dirty.
The most common ailments that occur when on the trek, is blisters, colds and stomach upsets. We will have on hand some natural medication for nausea in the form of peppermint. Also be aware of the risk of catching a chill when in the mountains. It may seem rather warm while you are walking (in fact often you get quite hot!) but you can cool down real quick when you stop. Watch for fluctuations of body temperature and guard against the wind chill factor. Take plenty of lip balm and cream for dry skin, wind burn and sun burn. So make sure you have a daypack, for your wind break jacket or woolen jumper and plenty of water, plus snack bars.
Good, thick socks are very important. Make sure you have worn your shoes in. Do not take someone else’s shoes, or new (especially heavy) shoes or boots. Use dubbin to coat the shoe for water protection and to soften the boot or shoe surface. I feel a good quality pair of runners/X trainers, with good arch supports is sufficient, but some of you may like to take a light pair of boots to give you better ankle support. You will know what feels the most comfortable for you. I would also recommend taking a few band aides and/or butterfly strips, tape, scissors, tweezers, bandage and an antiseptic cream. Remember your sunglasses (this is not to look cool, but for the intense glare). Also a woolly hat and scarf is good for the head and neck, where we loose a lot of body heat.
General information and conduct
- Always remove shoes before entering a temple or monastery.
- Do not point with your index finger at anyone.
- Avoid pointing the soles of your feet at anyone when sitting down. This is considered very disrespectful.
- Nudity, mini skirts and see through tops and dresses for the girls is completely taboo.
- It is customary to say “Namaste” (Hindu) or “Tashi Delek” (Tibetan, Ladkh), as a greeting and goodbye. This is considered a great sign of respect for the other person.
- It is customary for the Indians to eat with their right hand, although we should have the usual utensils. It is also normal for Indians to use their right hand for everything, including motioning to people, passing objects etc, but most Indians do understand that this is not part of Western culture.
- I ask that you be mindful of the fact that this is a sacred pilgrimage journey, designed to facilitate and accelerate your personal growth. Because of the transformative nature of this journey and the sacred hallowed ground that we will be covering, it is normal and accepted that emotional issues will often arise and spontaneous healings are likely to occur as a natural by product of this. Please ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ and if you are feeling emotional, communicate this to a trusted friend or Lotus representative, or find a quiet spot so you can reflect on what is happening for you.
- I plan on having a group get together in NZ, and will be in touch again shortly to organize this.
- Please also note that you may be filmed during the course of the tour and that all rights to the film belong solely to Lotus Journeys. You will receive a professional copy of a DVD taken from the tour, at an extra cost for the copy charges.
- Although we travel as a group, many people come on our journeys because we allow for a lot of freedom and choices within the tour, however at certain times we must stay together and gather together. Punctuality in the mornings and at meal times is vitally important, as we must leave on schedule! I am very pleased to say that many well traveled, independantly minded people do travel with us, because traveling in India, especially in the mountains is a specialized arena, and we can take you to amazing people and places that you would be hard pressed to find on your own. J
IMPORTANT NOTE: Lotus Journeys reserves the right to refuse the tour to anyone that it feels is not suitable for the trip. Everyone must fill out and sign our limited liability form before departure. It is presumed that you have read and understood the information in this document and our itinerary, and that you are signing the limited liability form under this acknowledgement.
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