Kumar at 'Insider Tours Ltd'

30/10/2016

Diwali greetings to everyone!!

A 5 day festival of light which is celebrated in India and also across other parts of the world.

Diwali – from the Sanskrit word deepawali, meaning row of lights
It's a celebration where people decorate homes with small clay oil lamps called diyas, set of fireworks, play music, eat Indian sweets and decorate courtyards and entrances with rangoli geometric patterns - created using rice, paint, coloured sand or flower petals to welcome the goddess Lakshmi.

[Candles: Sabari Girisan M - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dipavali_lamps…]

28/10/2016

A lovely little quote Vicki, one of the travel writers at Responsible Travel found:

“An adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks or jumping off cliffs.
It means risking yourself by leaving a little piece of you behind in all those you meet along the way.”
― Shawna Grapentin

18/09/2016

Justine Francis, Responsible Travel's co-founder talking about the definition of Responsible Tourism.

What is responsible tourism? A definition of responsible tourism from responsibletravel.com co-founder Justin Francis. See more at www.responsibletravel.com

13/09/2016

On our Birding, Nature & People Tour you can look explore the mountains of Munnar and look out for birds such as the Malabar Trogon and Canary Greyhead

Interested in the tour? http://ow.ly/b7W4304bem6

13/09/2016

"My favourite place/tour is the Indian Himalayas Village Homestays tour, because the tour takes you to the remote part of the Himalayan Foot Hills, supporting the local farming community by staying in their homes and the village school General Jimmy Singh (our tour partner) has set up thriving well with the sponsorship given by guests travelling to this area.” - Kumar

Find out more about General Jimmy Singh's project - http://www.awakeandshine.org/awake-and-shine-school.php

If you would like to visit the Himalayas in particular Samthar, take a look at our Indian Himalayan Village homestay holiday.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4543/indian-himalayas-village-homestay-holiday

12/09/2016

Meet Thomas our India partner.

Commander Thomas has used his naval background to great advantage. Well organised, universally popular and with a ‘get on and do it’ approach to conservation and community-based ecotourism, Thomas has built up a network of local projects, offering tourists the chance to really submerse themselves in local culture. The Executive Director of his own travel company, Thomas is a former Electronics Engineer of the Indian Navy. He has been an active member of the Nilgiri Angling Association and the Tahr Foundation at Munnar. He has also had vast experience in trekking and camping and has been an active volunteer member assisting the Kerala Forest & Wildlife wing in their fieldwork in Kerala.

Our India tours:
1. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/2540/kerala-backwaters-tailor-made-holiday
2. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4380/rajasthan-tailormade-holiday
3. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/3737/holiday-to-kerala
4.http://insider-tours.com/resources/South-India-Birding-Tour.pdf
5. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/3669/south-indian-food-tour-kerala

10/09/2016

Meet (Retired) Lt.General. Jimmy Singh your Himalayan Foot Hills tour partner in India.

General “Jimmy” Singh, spent most of his Indian Army service in the Eastern Himalayas, having commanded a Mountain Brigade in Sikkim, a Mountain Division in Arunachal Pradesh, and a Mountain Corps responsible for the defence of Sikkim and Bhutan. He has walked to almost every pass on the Himalayan Watershed. He retired to the remote village of Samthar that nestles in the low Himalayas of Bengal. The village comprises hamlets of scattered homesteads set amidst terraced farmland. General Singh has initiated homestay holidays in Samthar and helped to set up a pre-school facility for local children.

Our tour to the himalayas - http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4543/indian-himalayas-village-homestay-holiday

10/09/2016

Don't forget you can follow Insider Tours on Twitter! Follow to get regular updates and news.

The latest Tweets from Insider Tours (). Insider Tours - Re-connecting, people, places and culture - Tours to India, Peru and Sri Lanka. Lifton, England

10/09/2016

Our South Indian food tour in Kerala re-connects people with food & culture.

Best time to go? The best time to visit is from late October to April. June, July and August are the monsoon months. You can still travel during monsoon season if you can put up with the rain.

Whether you are a pro at cooking, just love South Indian food or want to learn to cook South Indian cuisine, this tour can be tailor-made to suit your cooking delights as well as going for walks, boat rides, swimming, village shopping expeditions or interacting with the local people.

Cook South Indian food as it is cooked at home. Kerala is the home of Muslims, Hindus and Syrians Christians, each offering a distinct cuisine. You can go to the market to buy the produce, catch the local fish and end up cooking a feast.

Stay at the Spice Plantation homestay - farm and forest gardens are managed using traditional organic farming methods.

Faiza Mooza, the owner of Aysha Manzil homestay, is internationally renowned for her Mopla cuisine - Keralan Islamic cooking. The food is hot and spicy and is completely different to other types of Keralan food.

South Indian food tour, Kerala. Food & culture of Kerala, from £1473 (16 days) ex flights. Run by a specialist tour operator

09/09/2016

A short eight page travel guide about Sri Lanka written by writers at Responsible Travel.

A helpful insight into when to go, what to do, a bit about responsible tourism in Sri Lanka and advice.

Sri Lanka travel guide. Honest & easy to read Sri Lanka travel guide with our views on what's rated, underrated or overrated including maps, itineraries, family info, photos & responsible tourism tips. Travel like a local with our Sri Lanka travel guide.

08/09/2016

A short guide to Responsible Tourism. http://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/responsible-tourism

Did you know a selection of our tours are promoted on Responsible Travel? They've recently updated their website so check out some great things they do as a company.

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/3737/holiday-to-kerala

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/3669/south-indian-food-tour-kerala

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4380/rajasthan-tailormade-holiday

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/2540/kerala-backwaters-tailor-made-holiday

Responsible Travel. Find 1000's of more authentic holidays from 100's of specialist adventure, cultural & family holiday tour operators.

24/12/2015

Happy Christmas everyone! Thank you everyone for your amazing support throughout the year and anyone who has been on one of our tours. We have a special end of year treat as our new website is finally live! Feel free to check it out and let us know what you think.

http://www.insider-tours.com

11/11/2015

Happy Diwali to you all!

Diwali is a five day festival of light which is celebrated in India and also across other parts of the world. Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepawali, meaning row of lights.

It's a celebration where people decorate homes with small clay oil lamps called diyas, set of fireworks, play music, eat Indian sweets and decorate courtyards and entrances with rangoli geometric patterns - created using rice, paint, coloured sand or flower petals to welcome the goddess Lakshmi.

19/06/2015

Only three more likes till we hit 100! Please share and like

08/06/2015

Our new redesigned Insider Tours website will be up and running soon. Here's a sneak peak...

19/04/2015

Fancy tasting some South Indian cuisine before your trip to India? I will be moving to Devon in May and hope to start selling South Indian food at farmers markets and festivals in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. All of our ingredients will be from our farm or nearby farms/shops. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kumars-Dosa-Bar-and-Farm/373546469516822

04/12/2014

An interesting article about the Muduvan tribe in Munnar Hills.
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/the-native-people-of-munnar/373034/

Few are aware that Munnar's original inhabitants, the Muduvans, were instrumental in opening up the hill-resort's flourishing tea estates.

11/05/2014

Found this clip while sorting through cds. Afro Peruvian drummer from Pisco, Peru. See our Peru tour - http://www.insider-tours.com/peru-tour.html

13/04/2014

13/04/2014

Recent Insider guests Alan and Naida have recently visited Rajasthan. Here is a small extract from their feedback: “Our guide and our driver were both excellent: courteous, attentive and informative. What’s more we got on really well together and had lots of fun. The itinerary was just right for our interests and our energy levels and the variety of accommodation made it more interesting."
Visit our Rajasthan Insider Tour, http://www.insider-tours.com/rajasthan-tour.html

Insider Tours: Travels through food, culture and place with our tailor-made tours to India, Sri Lanka and Peru

12/04/2014

Toddy tapping at Emerald Isle Homestay, Alleppey, Kerala

12/04/2014

Nature walk at Periyar Reserve

12/04/2014

Hornbill Camp

12/04/2014

Birdwatching at Hornbill Camp

12/04/2014

David Rushforth relaxing on a rice boat in Alleppey, Kerala

13/01/2014

Just received some amazing photos from a couple who went to North-East India last November.

13/01/2014

Photo by Sue Grief

All Photos by Dave and Sue Grief

13/01/2014