GreenGondwana : FAQs

A. GreenGondwana is both our company name and the name we give to a large area of Central India comprising both the historical central area of Gondwana ('land of the tribal Gonds') now in eastern Madhya Pradesh, and the whole of Chattisgarh, formed on November 1, 2000 as India's 27th State. Our northern limit is the World Heritage Site of the Chandela Temples of Khajuraho; our southern border is the tribal region of Bastar. leading to Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. In-between are the renowned tiger reserves of Pench, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh as well as countless other little-known wildlife, tribal, cultural and historical destinations; our headquarters are in the Chattisgarh capital Raipur.

A. Our GreenGondwana region covers a considerable area that is perhaps the last truly unknown part of the subcontinent. These remote and little-visited highlands of Central India, famous in fiction as the setting for Kipling's Jungle Books, still contain exceptional concentrations of both wildlife and tribal life, including over 20 protected areas and perhaps half the entire extant population of the Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild. The Maikal Hills and Bastar are home respectively to Baiga and Gond tribal peoples whose natural way of life remains an enticing counterpoint to the stresses and strains of the 21st century. Dotted across the dramatic forest landscapes are former princely states, some of whose royal families are now opening their palace residences to small numbers of discerning guests.

A. GreenGondwana has been little visited precisely because it is remote and lacks much basic infrastructure. We believe that its physical beauty, its unique tribal life and spectacular wildlife should not be only the preserve of the outward-bound adventurer. With our colleagues who run our carefully selected accommodation, and with special attention to luxury transport, food and drink and other vital details, we have designed a means of accessing and enjoying the region in small numbers without losing sight of modern-day comforts.

A. PETS are our shorthand for 'Personalised Exclusive Tours' - our system for designing the tour that suits you best. Whatever your interests, we prefer to tailor a tour to your needs rather than impose something ready-made.

Check out samples of our GreenGondwana PETS on our Itineraries page- and don't forget: in the end it's up to you to tell us what you desire.

A. Raipur, capital of the State of Chattisgarh (The 36 Forts) formed from south-eastern Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, is located in eastern Central India on the Howrah-Mumbai railway line and on National Highway 6 running from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Orissa on the east coast. Three hours south, the great Chattisgarh Plain runs out against the plateau of Bastar, a large former princely state with one of the highest concentrations of tribal people in the country. To the north are the Maikal Hills with Kanha National Park and Amarkantak, source of the sacred Narmada River. Raipur, with daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, with direct air connections to Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Chennai and Visakhapatnam, offers greater ease of access to once remote interior destinations. Fast trains between Raipur and Nagpur offer excellent connections to Pench and Tadoba National Parks and Tiger Reserves.

A. The tiger in the wild is by nature an elusive beast and there are no guarantees of sightings as there are in a zoo. However, few events in the wild can match the sight of the wild tiger, so it's always worth trying. We believe in treating the wilderness and its natural inhabitants with maximum respect, so we recommend Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve as the most suitable place to experience the wild. Kanha National Park has a well-established reputation as one of the better-managed protected areas in the world, and its staff make great efforts to accommodate visitors' wishes, preferably from the back of a well-trained elephant. But Kanha has become almost too popular, and you are likely to have to wait in line. Bandhavgarh farther north is both smaller and wilder and, some say, may offer better chances of arbitrary sightings. But it currently lacks essential disciplined management. Tiger spotting requires very early mornings, some late evenings, enormous patience and more than a fair share of luck. Visit the Wildlife section of www.secretindia.com, which includes a clickable map of GreenGondwana's 24 Parks and Sanctuaries.

A. Tribal people may be less elusive than the tiger, but they also do not live in zoos. It is a cardinal principle of GreenGondwana that we will not disturb the everyday lives and livelihood of local people, however attractive they and their lives may seem. Luckily a local institution provides an excellent way to gain a first close-up glimpse of forest dwellers without disturbance: the weekly market that takes place in different places on every day of every week within walking distance of interior villages. Here large numbers of people gather to barter and trade, swop news, gamble on cockfights and have a drink or two of salphi (palm toddy) carried from home in gourds, or something stronger distilled from the flowers of the Mahua tree (Madhuca indica), sacred to Gond people for all its qualities from wood to oil to fruit and flowers. In selected Baiga villages of the Maikal Hills and Muria or Bison-Horn Maria Gond villages of Bastar, it is possible to attend dance functions, weddings and local festivals when daily work is not pressing.

A. The optimum season for weather is from end October to early March. After March the region becomes very hot indeed. December and January are the coolest months, with nights, especially in elevated areas, positively cold. National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are generally open from 1 November to end June, with undergrowth less verdant and obstructive to sightings in the hotter months towards June. The monsoon months from mid-June to September make travel to remote areas nearly impossible. Dashehra in October is the major festival in Jagdalpur, capital of Bastar, and in Kawardha, which also hosts the Bhoramdeo Festival after Holi, usually in March. Tribal festivals in North Bastar usually take place in January-February, though not exclusively so. Marriages tend to be in April and May. Please be sure to check GreenGondwana Travel News for updates on regional and local events, festivals and timings.

A. As every traveller well knows, there is never enough time. But the more you can spare, in an area of long distances and sometimes difficult connections, the better. Wildlife sightings, especially, cannot be rushed. Nor can our rough and unready roads. Consult the sample tours in GreenGondwana Itineraries to get an idea of the time factor, let us know what time you have available and we will suggest the best use of your time.

A. Our Green Carpet Service is designed to take care of your every need, including your security. Much of our area is very remote and disturbances natural or man-made are not unknown. While we have no control over force majeure or Acts of God, we do take security very seriously (as do the local civil authorities) and will always advise when an area for whatever reason is temporarily considered unsafe. As a general rule, we discourage driving at night and follow our own traffic credo: Safety before Speed, Comfort before Competition.
Always consult GreenGondwana Travel News for latest updates on the civil, road and climatic situation. On matters of Health we commend you to the relevant link in our Travel Tips section and to the Health Section of our Useful Links.

A. While no dedicated facilities yet exist for guests with physical disabilities, GreenGondwana will always make every effort to ensure that all our guests have the optimum opportunity of enjoying our region. If you or a family member or colleague have special needs, please communicate these to us and we will endeavour to accommodate you to the very best of our abilities. Good medical facilities are also available.

A. GreenGondwana currently offers accommodation at one royal palace: Kanker Palace, Gateway to Tribal Bastar. Other new accommodation includes the farmhouse-style Bhoramdeo Jungle Retreat near Kawardha, halfway from Raipur to Kanha; the newly opened Naman Bastar Resort just outside Jagdalpur, capital of Bastar; and established tented camps and resorts at Kanha National Park. Check GreenGondwana Travel News for updates on new royal residences and other special accommodation.

A. In a modern democratic republic, it is perfectly correct to address Maharaja ABC Singh as 'Mister' Singh, if somewhat lacking in style. 'Sir' and 'Madam' are commonly used in India as eminently respectful forms of address. 'Maharaja' or 'Maharani' may also be used in English, with the addition, if you are so minded, of the Hindi honorific -ji. You may hear a royal family member referred to by courtiers and others as 'HH' - His (or Her) Highness. For foreign visitors, 'Your Highness' may be inappropriate in speech, albeit very suitable in a letter. Likewise, 'serenity' in India tends to be reserved for bona fide Gods and Saints. As in Rome, a good rule of thumb is to follow closely local practices, without the need ever to appear ridiculous.

A. Protocol today has been overtaken by the exigencies of Personal Comfort allied to airline baggage allowances. While jacket-and-tie for gentlemen is never inappropriate in the evenings, it is by no means de rigueur. Dressing for dinner is now more the aftermath of needing to wash away the heat and dust of the day than responding to an esoteric code. The jacket is mainly useful against the often very cool winter nights and for the pockets a sweater never seems to have. Ladies and gentlemen are advised to cover exposed flesh at most times, less out of modesty than as a simple aid to tropical sunlight protection in the day and the attentions of insects at night. Long pants (not shorts) and long-sleeved shirts in natural fabrics, hats or caps and strong shoes are all recommended.
See Travel Tips: Shoes and Clothing.

A. An important part of our Green Carpet Service is to ensure the best possible catering facilities in all the outlets we interact with, in gastronomy and hygiene, from formal meals to picnics. Good food is available to suit all palates from west to farthest east. Our Palace-based accommodation offers the rare chance to sample genuine 'home' cooking with the freshest local ingredients, and a delicacy of flavours and aromas rarely if ever to be found in the world's so-called 'Indian' restaurants. Vegetarians generally find themselves quite at home in India. Special dietary needs can always be catered with advance notice.

A. Children are always welcome in GreenGondwana, often availing of substantial discounts by the simple virtue of being children. The young occupy a specially privileged position in some of our tribal societies and we can do no less than learn from such wise example. Given the nature of the terrain, the distances and the climate, we do, however, counsel against inclusion of children of less than 8 years of age.

A. As few as you wish, given the limitations of our exclusive accommodation arrangements. The essence of a 'tour' lies in its itinerary and the drivers and guides, both royal and tribal, that may accompany you. We do not deal in large groups, in part because the nature of our region cannot cope with them; in part because we believe the most rewarding travel experiences are the more intimate and personal. It's up to you to indicate whether you prefer to travel independently or risk becoming attached to interesting strangers.

A. It's a little-appreciated fact that most of India's one billion-plus people are bi- or multi-lingual, at least in colloquial speech. At the same time, especially outside major towns, English is not always one of their languages of choice. Hindi is the lingua franca of the region; Chattisgarhi is an eastern dialect of Hindi. Gondi, a major unscripted tribal language, is Dravidian in origin, rather than Sanskritic/Indo-European. English is spoken widely and well in most major centres, by most doctors, all royal families, in post offices, banks and, usefully, in courts of law. GreenGondwana will always try to ensure that our guests have access to any interpretation needed and will, from our HQ, field queries in French, German...etc. We can also supply, for those interested, a short phonetic phrasebook of greetings and essential terms in Gondi.

A. Our inclusive tariffs cover all accommodation, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and light intermediate refreshments), air-conditioned transport with mineral water and soft drinks, road taxes, tolls, park and guide fees, from pick-up at Raipur Airport or Railway Station to final exit from these points. Some short local side-trips and trips into wildlife areas may not be possible in air-conditioned vehicles. Tariffs do not normally include air or train travel into or out of the region, laundry, personal service gratuities or alcoholic beverages. Please consult our Travel Tips: Money link for advice on what to spend on discretionary 'extras'. Please also note that tariffs attached to our sample GreenGondwana PETs Personalised Exclusive Tours are based on twin-sharing per person and are a guide only to our value. We will only quote final comprehensive tariffs based on dialogue with you about your needs.

A. Please bear in mind that we only deal with small exclusive groups and independent travellers. Accommodation tariffs are discountable within the travel trade. Children avail of special discounts according to tour. Tour leaders may in exceptional cases be eligible for discounts.

A. GreenGondwana is always ready to assist you or your travel consultant with travel to or from nearby regions such as coastal Orissa and West Bengal in the east, Andhra Pradesh in the south, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to the west, or through Khajuraho to destinations in the north. Just let us know what you have in mind.

We'll take it from there and look forward to welcoming you soon to
GreenGondwana - The Secret Heart of India.