Himalayas

A list and description of the traditions included in the list of World Intangible cultural heritage by the UNESCO. The list is composed of beautiful cultural elements that represent a particular community or region and might also require urgent measures to keep them alive.

People in some of the remotest villages in Ladakh have never experienced electricity in their lives. This team of changemakers is giving a whole new meaning to tourism. They have constructed an advanced, technology-friendly E-base and have also set up three Solar DC Microgrids. Read more about the sustainable impact these "tourists" have created.

Too cold to trek in the hills and too risky to trek during the monsoons? Seasons often play truant while choosing a perfect trek. Love trekking but can't decide where to go? We present you with many options which you can choose according to the season. Winter, Summer, Monsoon or Spring - we have a trek for every season!

They pick up their bikes and go to some of the remotest villages in the extreme Himalayas. There they help the kids with education, the locals with livelihood, the community with healthcare and undertake various initiatives to make the region a cleaner and a better place. Started by Dheeraj Sharma, Devil On Wheels is all about responsible travel. Read along to know how.

Go to Netala if you want to understand what life in a far removed, way quieter world can feel like. Less networks, more connection. Less time-chasing, more timelessness. Less adornments, more beauty. Less indulgences, more involvement. Less amenities, more resourcefulness. Less safety nets, more adventure. Less walls, more sky.

Kalap is a tiny hamlet in the upper Garhwal Himayalas along the valley of River Supin close to the popular trekking destinations of Har-Ki-Doon and Kedarkantha. Untouched and unexplored, it offers a memorable escapade complete with subtle views of the Himalayas and a taste of the local culture and traditions. As spring arrives after a chilly winter the moods of the village are a treat to behold scripting a true Himalayan experience.

Seema Somshekar recently traveled to Sikkim on a holiday and couldn't help but pen down her experiences and share with all! The place exceeded her expectations and left her in awe of its natural beauty. All that she saw and felt there affirmed that Lonely Planet was spot on when it picked Sikkim as The Best Travel Destination of 2014!

Ecologically sustainable wildlife tourism is best handled by local communities and the homestays run by Mountain Shepherds in the villages of Lata and Tolma in the Dhauli Ganga valley in Garhwal illustrate just that. Abutting the wild and pristine Nanda Devi National Park, Mountain Shepherds is an offshoot of the Nanda Devi Campaign for cultural survival and livelihoods spearheaded by the Marcha Bhotia community of this valley. You stay in small but comfortable traditional village homes, and enjoy some delicious local cuisine prepared by your hosts. The organisation even arranges for treks in the deodar and birch forests of the national park with local guides who know the local flora and fauna like the back of their hands. Learn more about this interesting model of community-backed tourism.

Jyotsna Sitling - India's first female tribal IFS officer is a force to reckon with. She changed the outlook of the Valley of Flowers and undertook several initiatives to ensure sustenance of environmental efforts