Category: Adventure Tourism

The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) has appointed an adventure sports officer in Rishikesh. The appointment has been made in order to take care of the interests of those in the white water rafting business, facilitate swift redressal of problems faced in the sector and ensure disciplined operation of the river rafting business. KS Negi, who has been appointed the adventure sports officer will shortly assume charge at the tourist information centre in Rishikesh. This will enable redressal at the local level of complaints of the local stakeholders and those involved in the rafting business. The State’s Tourism secretary Dilip ... Read more

This doctor from Kerala’s Calicut district, is now growing apples in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Babu Ahmed Sager, fondly called Babukka by the travellers flocking the region, is all set to trip to the Scandinavian Arctic Circle to participate in Fjällräven Polar Expedition. Dr Babu came first in the ‘The World’ category with 82,715 online votes. This is the second time that an Indian is selected for the Fjällräven Polar Expedition.  Last year, Niyog Krishna from Kerala, became the first Indian to qualify to the high-adventure event. “I’ve stayed in extremely cold places in Russia close to that area. So, I thought I’d ... Read more

The St Mary’s Island is all set to be developed as a national hub for cliff diving. In view of this the Udupi district administration, in association with Malpe Development Committee and Mantra Tourism Development Company, has recently conducted a one-day cliff jump training session at the island on December 13. Plans are afoot to introduce training sessions for the next three months. The authorities are also planning to host a cliff jumping fest in April 2019. The day-long training session concluded yesterday had four instructors and 10 participants. The Mantra Tourism Development Company is expecting to train atleast 20 ... Read more

This is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T E Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like…” Wadi Rum is a maze of monolithic rockscapes that rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750m creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. Hikers can enjoy the tranquility of the boundless empty spaces and explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-year-old rock drawings and the many other spectacular treasures this vast wilderness holds in store. ... Read more

Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture, Virgin Galactic LLC, reached the edge of space in a test flight Thursday, four years after a fatal accident set back the project, in a feat expected to accelerate commercial efforts to send tourists and small satellites aloft using low-cost rockets. The space plane called SpaceShip Two, with its two pilots, was launched from a carrier aircraft flying high above Southern California’s Mojave Desert. For around USD 250,000 a seat, Virgin Galactic seeks to offer thrill rides featuring majestic views of the earth capped by a few minutes of weightlessness. After the flight, the closely held ... Read more

With the goal of building a travel community that India hasn’t seen before, Thrillophilia has launched GoPro Passport Programme, a year-long programme that aims to harness the potential of Offbeat Travel in India and building a distinctness in this exciting sector. Thrillophilia’s union with the Passport Programme gives GoPro users access to some of the most unique and offbeat experiences on their website, which the travelers can best document on their very own GoPro HERO7. “The heart of the programme is the motto “If Travelling And Documenting Your Travel Experience Is Your Passion Then You’ve Found ‘The’ Perfect Passport,” the ... Read more

The fifth edition of International Mountain Cycling Contest has concluded at Wayanad in Kerala on December 8. MTB Kerala-2018 has concluded at the Priyadarshini Tea Estate in Mananthavady. The event was organized by Kerala Tourism, in association with Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society and Wayanad District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), is supported by Cycling Federation of India. Apart from contestants from India, cyclists from 11 foreign countries have also participated in the event. The categories include: International Cross Country Competition (Men), National Cross Country Competition (Men), and National Cross Country Competition (Women). “Fifth edition of the MTB has been the ... Read more

‘The Splash’, photo by Akhter Husain, Mangalore. To celebrate the Year of Adventure Tourism, a photo exhibition, on ‘The Great Outdoors 2018’ is coming up at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath from 10th to 12th December 2018 . The event is organized by Susheela Nair, a Travel Writer, Photographer and Director of Essen Communications. Photos for the exhibition are categorized in to three- Aero Sports, Aqua Sports and Land Activities. There is also a section which showcases the adventure potential of Karnataka. From among the photos received, the exhibition will showcase around 100 selected photographs on adventure sports, and outdoor activities. The ... Read more

The Highest Lake Adventurer and explorer Daniel Bull has taken out one of the most sought-after titles in the field of extreme sports, achieving ‘The Highest Kayak on Earth,’ near the summit of the world’s highest volcano, Ojos del Salado. And he has been recognised by Guinness World Records for his achievement. Bull achieved the new world record for ‘The Highest Altitude Kayak’ at an altitude of 5,707 m, covering a distance of over 2.5 km and using his ice axe to pull himself and his kayak along the surface of the frozen lake to break the ice and prepare ... Read more

As Kerala Tourism has already been putting an effort and highlighting ‘Barrier Free Tourism’, allowing the differently abled to enjoy unhindered access to destinations in Kerala, Bond Safari, Kovalam, a pioneering adventure water sports organization, has hosted an event of a lifetime recently. Bond Safari had the differently abled Neeraj George, a person who is a powerhouse of energy and dedication go on a scuba dive into the depths of the calm blue waters. In this season they came up with another differently abled person, the Pride of India, Pooja Agarwal, the lady shooter who has bagged multiple medals for ... Read more

OP Bhagat, Director of Tourism, Jammu flags off the rally (Photo Courtesy: Daily Ecxelsior) Jammu Tourism department has organized a twin lake cycle rally from Sidhra Golf Course to picturesque Mansar lake via Surinsar. The rally was flagged off by OP Bhagat, Director of Tourism, Jammu on 2nd December 2018. The Twin Lake Rally was organised under ‘Mansar Sunday Series’ to provide varied experiences to the tourists, youths and adventure enthusiasts. Secretary, Jammu Tawi Golf Course, Hitesh Gupta, Divisional Sports officer, Ravi Singh, ETO Suraj Chander Singh also accompanied the Director in the flag off ceremony. The cycle rally passed ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Kerala Tourism The High Court of Kerala has lifted the ban on women for trekking in Agasthyarkoodam. Justice Anu Shivaraman has lifted the ban observing that there should be no gender discrimination in a place where trekking is already allowed. Earlier, it was the Department of Forest, Govt. of Kerala had issued orders restricting women from trekking on Agasthyarkoodam citing potential risks while climbing the hill. Points to Ponder during Agasthyakoodam Trek

Hot air balloon getting ready for flight (Photo courtesy: News.CN) Nepal tourism has initiated hot air balloon travel for the adventure seekers in Pokhara, in Gandaki Province of Nepal on November 17, 2018. The inaugural flight was attended by Prithvi Subba Gurung, the chief minister of Gandaki province. “The hot air balloon will definitely contribute to the tourism of Pokhara. I believe that it will enable the tourists to spend more days in the city to indulge in such recreational and adventurous activities. It’s a positive start,” said Gurung on the occasion. He further shared that the balloon flight is ... Read more

Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of the Indian Army has undertaken a unique Ultra Cycling Expedition as part of its Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Expedition was flagged off on 15 Aug 2018 from Secunderabad and will cover a distance of 25,000 kilometres across the country passing through all states, attempting at creating the Guinness World Record of most extended distance cycling through the country. The expedition has covered 18,350 kilometres till date. The team started its next phase by aiming to cycle around the ‘Golden Quadrilateral’- a total distance of 5,918 kilometres. The Expedition was flagged off on August ... Read more

The state government of Tamil Nadu has banned trekking between February 15 and April 15 every year in the aftermath of the Kurangini forest fire, which killed almost twenty tourists earlier in March this year. The rules have been notified based on an expert committee report on the Kurangini fire. According to ‘Spatial and temporal analysis of decadal forest fire data (2006-2015)’ released by the Tamil Nadu Forest department, forest fires start in January, increase in February and reach its highest point during March. Nearly 48 per cent of forest fires in Tamil Nadu were reported during March and February, which ... Read more