Brand new leader trips for 2025

The International Team is pleased to offer a choice of two trips to India, in November/December, 2025, for adults.  Each will start with a 4-day stay at Sangam, to allow leaders the chance to experience the World Centre, take part in a Welcome Ceremony, and explore Pune, before setting off to visit further afield.  There will hopefully be some Australian leaders there, also, to expand our international guiding connections.

The costs quoted cover:

• All accommodation in India (on a B&B basis, except for the first 24hrs at Sangam and the houseboat stay, for those going to Kerala, both of which will be full-board).  The accommodation at Sangam is quoted for dormitories.  Room upgrades may be available – in which case individuals would need to meet those additional costs.

• All travel within India, except optional journeys (e.g. a rickshaw ride into Pune – which is about £2 each way, and can seat 3)

• English-speaking guides, when touring

• Admission fees for locations included in the tour

• Bottled water is provided each day, when touring.  At Sangam, drinking water is available from coolers, to fill water bottles, each day.

They exclude:

• Land travel to/from UK airport

• Flights (details of when/how to book will be provided.  Currently, direct flights for the period start from around £520; those with a stopover, from about £380.)

• Visas

• Insurance

• Optional visits/admission fees/camera charges  There may be a fee charged to use a camera, within some sites, although mobile ‘phones tend to be free… 

• Tips

• Meals not details above (but a light lunch with a soft drink could cost £2.50, by way of example).

1.  Sangam, Goa and Kerala – 14^th November – 1^st December     £1,650

Download the itinerary for Goa and Kerala

• After Sangam, the group will travel by air-conditioned train, to Goa

• English-speaking guides will take them to visit forts, churches, beaches, and temples.  Anyone interested will have the opportunity to book to watch a Kathakali show, in the evening – the south Indian dance form, performed only by men, wearing very elaborate costumes and make-up.

• The group will then fly further south, to Kochi (previously called Cochin), to visit churches and palaces built by the Portuguese, the synagogue, built in 1568, and the famous Chinese fishing nets.

• Next, a road trip (in an air-conditioned vehicle) will take them to tea and spice plantations, and a visit to a wildlife sanctuary, which is home to a wide range of animals, including various species of deer and antelope, wild boar, langurs, elephants, and tigers.

• Finally, a full day cruising the famous backwaters, on a houseboat, before flying back to Pune, from where you will be driven back to Mumbai, the following morning, for homeward flights.

Book your place on the Sangam, Goa and Kerala trip here

2.  Sangam and Gujarat – 30^th November – 14^th December     £1,360

Download the itinerary for Gujarat here

• After Sangam, the group will fly from Pune to Ahmedabad, home to many famous temples, mosques and bazaars, as well as the ashram from which Gandhi started his campaign to improve the lives of the untouchables.

• As the group travels through Gujarat, by road, highlights of the trip will include a sound and light show at the Statue of Unity (the world’s tallest, at 182m), visits to various communities who live in the Rann of Kutch, including the Agarias, who work in the salt pans, and the Rabari, a nomadic tribe of cattle herders.

• There will also be safaris on two natures reserves.  Sasangir is the only place on earth where you can see the Asiatic lion (and is also home to a huge number of other animals and birds), while in the Little Rann of Kutch (which has virtually no vegetation, making animals and birds very easy to spot) there are such creatures as desert foxes, jackals, jungle cats, and the Asiatic wild ass.

• The group will travel back to Mumbai by rail (in an air-conditioned train), and have a full-day tour of the city, before heading to the airport, for flights home.

Book your place on the Sangam and Gujarat trip here