Small Group Travel : Max 12 – 15 Pax
TRIBAL WORLDS OF RAJASTHAN travels deep into both the physical and cultural heart of this most fascinating state, bearing witness to vanishing tribal communities and forgotten places. It is a journey of contemplation and travel, a profound experience of living culture on the backroads of India where the way of life survives despite the brutal pressure of change.
Daily easy graded walks to villages and interpreted conversations with local people provides for a meditation upon existence in another dimension – the tribal world. Starting and finishing in Delhi, the journey visits remarkable places with communities existing in secluded locations.
Over the two weeks we access the Bheel tribe in the Aravalli Hills outside Udaipur, the Rabari tribal group of shepherds in Jawai Leopard Conservation Area, the Bhopa Gypsy people and Manganiyar Muslims of Jaisalmer. [As an aside, the Bhopa proudly identify as ‘gypsies’. They are distinct from Irish Travellers and Roma who sometimes reject the term.]
While the tribal people we meet enjoy the meaningful and respectful interactions, we are careful to be gentle in our contacts. This is a process of whispers and smiles rather than proclamations.
It is hard to describe the experience because it will reside deep in the individual traveller’s soul, in the personal processing of exposure to another worldview, to another agricultural system, journeying into places of deep quiet and even deeper laughter, all conducted at the pace of a shepherd grazing his goats.
Rajasthan is the most diverse, the most colourful and the most fascinating part of India. It will leave you transported to another dimension.
This remarkable journey allows for meaningful contact with remote tribal people so that the pace and rhythm of their lives can be felt, if only for a moment in time.
Each day we will enjoy superb conversations with local tribal people through translators. They can speak for themselves in an unhurried and relaxed manner. They will talk about their beliefs, their families, their aspirations and their tribal history. At other times, we will spend time visiting schools; small farms or joining women on daily herding with their flocks and Rabari as they tend their goats.
TRIBAL WORLDS still visits some remarkable architectural and religious places: the City Palace of Udaipur. the magnificent Ranakpur Jain Temple, the cenotaphs of Bada Bagh and the exquisite Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer. But the visits to monuments are outweighed by the living embrace of culture and people.
Embedded into the journey is time to contemplate and absorb a different way of life. That contemplation is enhanced with daily yoga and meditation sessions so as to better absorb this unique world. We avoid intrusive mobile phones.
Gentle daily walks lead us into remarkable places: remote villages, hidden temples and shrines and into the powerful landscape of the Aravalli Hills. What is truly fascinating is the occasional interaction with tribal people who work the fields and graze their livestock. In a real way we view a world unchanged over a thousand years.
The process challenges the prevailing notion that travel is about seeing things, buying things, taking pictures of things. Rather, TRIBAL WORLDS suggests it can be about feeling things and making meaningful connections with people from a different world.
A 15 day journey through the backroads of Rajasthan, India’s most otherworldly state. The emphasis is on magical moments with tribal people and quiet contemplative travel.
Our knowledgeable and passionate guides bring deep cultural insights and unique perspectives, enriching your travel experience. They unlock hidden gems, share fascinating stories, and provide meaningful interactions, making your journey immersive and unforgettable.
Manu Singh: Vanishing India Tour Director
Manu is a legendary guide who hails from a small village in Rajasthan. The journey from that remote desert environment has seen him complete a Masters degree in Tourism and degrees in History and Politics, acquire fluent English and French language skills, travel to every part of India and be invited as a guest speaker in Europe.
Dr. Vishakha Sharma
