Help Tourism

“With Volun-Tourism we envision an enlightened and empowered rural India where local communities are able to create conditions to fulfill their aspiration and earn a respectful livelihood without leaving their villages, overcoming barriers of class, cast, gender, ethnicity and religion.” 

The year 2010 has been very special for Help Tourism as the organization completed its 20 years in Responsible Tourism. It was indeed an eventful journey punctuated by joy and sorrow. We salute all the members of the team and extended family of Help Tourism and our guests and partners who gave us support and sustenance. We take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to conservation and communities by practicing tourism as the religion of mankind. 

Despite many challenges the organization successfully launched several new initiatives, projects and programmes in 2010. 

The WTD (World Tourism Day) Yatra was a grand success with several very fruitful programmes in Dhaka and Paharpur to connect the heritages of Bangladesh and India. The Indian delegation was lead by internationally famous filmmaker Goutam Ghosh. 

Two Peace Parks were established in 2010: Guru Padmasambhava Peace Park in Ultapani in Manas Biosphere Reserve in Assam and Lalon Fakir Peace Park in Chilapata in North Bengal. 

The annual Nature and Community festival at Chilapata witnessed record attendance of all the local and regional stakeholders. 

The Samsing Jaldhaka Orange Festival  received overwhelming response with more than 5000 participants who presented a spontaneous and spectacular show for two days and mesmerized the audience and guests. 

The ‘Waste-free Destinations’ campaign continued in 2010 with enthusiastic participation of the local grass route NGOs, travel trade, local traders, lodges and home stay operators, Forest department and local administration in Manas Biosphere Reserve in Assam. 

With generous support from the state Forest and Tourism departments, Help Tourism introduced full-fledged nature-based and cultural tours in Tripura. 

We along with our Nagaland team leader Angulie Meyase assisted celebrity birders Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, S.Ramakrishnan, Bano Haralu and Government of Nagaland in conducting the first systemic Ornithological survey in Nagaland. 

We also supported the research and photo-documentation projects in Bengal and Northeast India for the publication of the book named Forts and Palaces of India published by Om Books International, written by Amita Baig and designed by Alpana Khare with photographs by Joginder Singh. 

An extensive training programme was organized by us at The Swiss Hotel, Darjeeling for the Project Leaders of nature-based rural tourism initiatives in East and Northeast India. 35 Project Leaders received training on hospitality basics, rural tourism management and operations, community based tourism, adventure tourism, waste management and conservation of natural resources. 

Help Tourism received the prestigious “HSBC-TOFT Wildlife and Tourism Initiative of the Year” award. Our Dihing River Camp was awarded “The Most Innovative Tourism Product” at the 80th TTF (Travel and Tourism Fair) in Kolkata. 

The modern India is emerging as the second largest growing economic power in the world though sadly, despite the strong economic growth, huge domestic capacity and service potential, India still witnesses alarming disparity between the rich and poor and poverty and backwardness in the rural areas where the communities are ready to sprout with even a little encouragement and support. Tourism in general too has still a long way to walk to take a turnaround and recognize Responsible Tourism as a key to reduce the disparity and drive conservation efforts and help communities to establish their ownership on local resources. 

To much to our delight, a new Mantra of Responsible Tourism is increasingly proving its worth as a level maker by poverty alleviation and bringing valuable resources and benefits to the rural communities. Volun-Tourism as it is commonly known is the demonstration of the noble way of sharing and exchanging knowledge and resources between the guests and the hosts and giving maximum back to the people and destination while enjoying an inspirational holiday experience. It opens up the global door through the local window. 

Based on the need of the local communities in the destinations and the various skills possessed by the Volun-Tourists, Help Tourism has introduced well-researched and custom-made Volun-Tourism holidays and projects in several villages in East & Northeast India over the years and has already gained the trust and confidence of the communities. 

Through our projects and tours Volun-Tourists have been able to cut across all geographical, language and cultural barriers and have adopted villages lying adjacent to the Protected areas and Heritage sites – from the mangroves of Sunderbans to the remote mountains in Mishmi hills and Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh, from the tropical forest of Bengal Dooars and Assam to the high altitude ecosystem in Neora Valley and Sikkim,  by bringing support to various important fields such as education, self-help enterprises, sustainable bio-farming, low cost and pollution free energy, rain water harvesting, medical assistance, small-scale handicraft business, organic food product, waste management, home-hospitality business, wildlife conservation, creation of community buffer forest and biological corridors; documentation of indigenous culture, language and folklores; survey and monitoring of endangered plants and wildlife. 

With Volun-Tourism we envision an enlightened and empowered rural India where local communities are able to create conditions to fulfill their aspiration and earn a respectful livelihood without leaving their villages, overcoming barriers of class, cast, gender, ethnicity and religion. 

May we declare the mission of Help Tourism for 2011:
RURAL ENLIGHTENMENT THROUGH VOLUN-TOURISM! 

We solicit your blessings, support and participation to help us establish benchmarks in Responsible Tourism and influence rest of the globe with our humble mission. 

We wish you all a great, peaceful and prosperous New Year ahead. 

With deep regards, admiration, appreciation and love. 

Help Tourism Family. 

31st December 2010, India.

Tashiding, the main centre of pilgrimage in East Himalaya, is located in the West District of Sikkim. Sikkim, referred to as the Bayul Demazong (Hidden Valley of Rice) in the Neyig (Guide Book to Holy Places), was blessed by Guru Padmasambhava himself. The centre of this blessed land is the most sacred establishment, ‘Dakkar Tashiding’, surrounded by four holy caves, Sharchog Bephug in the East, Khandozangphu in the South, Decchenphug in the West and Lhari Nyingphug in the North.

The Bumchu or the ‘Holy Water Vase’ festival is organized every year on the night of the 14th day of the 1st month of Tibetian Almanac. It is the celebration of the entire agrarian society of the East Himalaya, including Bhutan, where The Vase containing Holy Waters is kept in a miniature mansion (Chosham) under lock and seal of the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim, to be opened only during the particular occasion under strict supervision of Lamas and high officials. The quantity and quality of water decides the fate of agriculture and the society of the running calendar year. It is believed that a drop of Bumchu Water is the Seed of Enlightment.

The once very inaccessible Tashiding is well connected by roads and bridges maintained regularly by the Government of Sikkim. The more remote areas have been recently connected by fair weather road under the initiative of the present Area MLA and Speaker, Mr.D.N.Thakarpa and his team of active Gram Panchayat (Village administration) leaders. Several remote and interesting villages has now become easily accessible from Tashiding, specially to mention the Gangyap village, dominated by the age old Lepcha Monastery, Sinlon Gompha and the Eklabya Tribal School. The Lepcha people believe that one of their greatest religious leaders had arrived here at the Sinlon Gompha with his disciples to create a new world in the late 1950s, but had to leave and finally walked into the glaciers north. The Eklabya Tribal School, housed in the more than 100 year old Lepcha house has students from various communities of the adjoining areas. The Principal boasts about the multi talented students, who care for their traditions and also excel in modern education, sports and music.

The road from here continues further north to Labdang village (7,000 ft / 2,100 mtrs approx) via Kongri waterfalls. The rock bee hives in the waterfalls starts becoming active from March end and so does the birds dependent on them. The road leads through the Lepcha villages to Labdang, which is dominated by the Gurung community, who are also Buddhists by belief. Labdang can be designated as the cleanest village and very hospitable people. The road ends here combining traditions with modernity, people with nature. Labdang is the base camp for the Areylungchok Dzongri Round Trek Expedition, Neythem Holy Cave Trek and several day and overnight trails.

There are several other villages like Mangham, Karjee etc which can now be heard of because of the road connectivity, but the major circuit would be a combine of Tashiding, Gangyap and Labdang villages. There is no major tourism infrastructure in this circuit and hence basic home stays are the main support for the visitors of all categories. A week long package program launched by Help Tourism with the support of the Gram Panchayats is a major breakthrough for the tourism in the East Himalaya, which in the long run would be instrumental in the formation of ‘Peace Parks’ locally.

SHAN, the Sikkim Heritage Adventure Nature International Camp 2008 is being held in May 2008. The first camp will take place from 06th to 11th May, 2008, the second camp from 12th to 17th May.

It is being organized in coincidence with the only ‘Heritage Festival’ of East Himalaya. The venue being dominated by the adjoining Barshey Rhododendron Sanctuary and the Limboo community, this is a phantastic opportunity for authentic local natural and cultural experience. The stunning views of the Mt.Khangchendzonga range are more than an add-on. The season kisses the arrival of the monsoon, making the local people happy during their sowing of their favourite crop, rice.

The participants will be introduced to the following phenomenon:

1. Himalayan Nature & Environment,
2. Adventure activities,
3. Cultural diversity of the Sikkim Himalaya,
4. Special interest &
5. Local livelihood orientation

Accommodation and food will be in high altitude type tents in proper camping areas, local lodges and home-stays. The food will be normal Indian food and a combination with local Himalayan recipes.

There will be organized pick-up and drop facilities from the nearest air or rail head. Week long pre or post tour/trek packages shall be available during this period.

The festival is jointly organized by Help Tourism
and Hee-Bermiok Tourism Development and Heritage Conservation Society, supported by: ACT-Association for Conservation and Tourism, Padmaya Naidu Himalayan Zoological Garden, and Chautare.

The festival poster (pdf, 1 MB) with pictures and more details.

The formal information and the registration form (pdf, 150 kb) 

The Red Panda, one of the most endangered species of the East Himalaya and is distributed from Nepal, into Sikkim, Darjeeling Hills, Bhutan, and Arunachal Pradesh. The distribution further extends into Northern Myanmar and a few provinces in China. They are the least aggressive and quite animals to have survived in the wild because of its inaccessible terrain dominated by bamboo forests.

The Darjeeling Zoo or the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, which houses only the animals of the East Himalaya, boasts of the most successful Red Panda breeding and release in the wild project. It has about twenty, genetically healthy population of Red Pandas. The wild population around Darjeeling is at the Barshey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Neora Valley National Park and the Singalila National park. The most vital fact about these protected areas that they share borders nationally and internationally, i.e. Barshey has international borders with Nepal and is extended to Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Neora Valley has its international border with Bhutan and extends its border nationally with the East district of Sikkim, and Singalila internationally shares its border with Nepal and extended border with the West district of Sikkim.

To confirm conservation of this species and their habitat, Help Tourism and ACT has been working with fringe communities to achieve sustainable development in the adjoining areas and ensure protection by the local people. Several initiatives have been taken in different directions and in collaboration with several organizations to create an atmosphere in the right direction as mentioned hereunder.

1. Help Tourism at Darjeeling in the Swiss Hotel proposes to adopt two Red Pandas at the Darjeeling Zoo.
2. Help Tourism and ACT has collaborated with local youth forces at Hee Bermiock and Singling, adjoining to Barshey Rhododendron Sanctuary and have been developing and running ecotourism projects.
3. There is also a proposal by ACT to develop a community reserve in the Hee Patal area, mainly for preservation of birds and en extension of the sanctuary.
4. There is a similar proposal in the Meghma village adjoining to Singalila National Park. This village falls in route of the world famous Sandakphu trek.
5. The ecotourism initiative by Help Tourism and ACT is developing in full swing in Kolakham, the village adjoining to Neora Valley National Park.
6. ACT is working on a Neora Valley Conservation Reserve with the local community of the area.
7. Help Tourism is organizing a hospitality training course at the Swiss Hotel in Darjeeling for the participants from the three protected areas.

ACT’s role here would be mainly to support and nurture the creation of community or conservation reserves as extension of the mentioned protected areas. Develop capacities for protection in the local youths and ask for support from conservation organizations to fund the process.

Help Tourism, on the other hand is already moving with the ecotourism development in the mentioned areas. Developing infrastructure and local manpower to run tourism in the areas is the immediate progress. Networking with special interest groups for volunteering, conservation, birding, nature based and adventure tourism has already begun.

The ultimate aim of this project is sustainable development of the communities living in the fringes of the protected areas, help them to extend the protected area and confirm protection by local communities.

Learn more about the Red Panda

Compiling information about history, religion, festivals, sightseeings, treks, flora & fauna, accommodation, food…. the Help Tourism Guide to West-Sikkim covered the area comprising of Pelling, Yuksom, Uttaray, Varshey and Dzongri. 3000 copies had been printed and distributed to interested travellers and operators to brief them about this rather new destination on the tourism map. The brochure did not only address the nice aspects of the area. One article covered the “Jokomania, the psychological phenomenon on Leech bite”, and how to cope with it. Another one provided “Medical Information for the Trekkers in Eastern Himalaya” especially addressing the Altitude Related Sickness (Acute Mountain Sickness). A hand-drawn Regional Tourist Map with emphasis on West Sikkim covered the back of the brochure to provide basic orientation. Highlights and challenges on 16 pages.