IN SEARCH OF THE KING COBRA STEPPES DISCOVERY TAKES YOU TO A HOTSPOT OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

NEW YORK, NY (02/14)Ever looking beyond the ordinary, Steppes Discovery, part of the Steppes Travel Group, hosts a tour to track India’s most revered snake, the King Cobra.  This 10-day unconventional journey takes place in a hotspot of biological diversity, the Western Ghats, the 1,600 km long mountain range along the western side of India.  You will be in the company of cobra-whisperer Gowri Shankar on a tour led by Sanjay Thakur, an expert herpetologist.

In the world of snakes, lizards, crocs and frogs, the King Cobra is culturally significant with many superstitions around it.  Indians believe the King Cobra possesses exceptional memory.  It is larger than other cobras and prefers a diet of snakes, finding rattlesnakes particularly tasty.  The King Cobra rarely attacks humans but keep in mind that one bite has enough venom in it to bring down an elephant.  It is the world’s longest venomous snake.  They are difficult to discover because they are very shy.

You will trek with Irula tribesmen as they demonstrate age-old skills to track cobras, rat-snakes and vipers.  This is a small Indian tribe who, in addition to traditional skills, hold a knowledge of indigenous wildlife, valuable resources for naturalists.   Amphibians are very sensitive to environmental change and are often the first to indicate an ecological issue.  And some venoms and toxins of snakes are very useful in human medicine.      

You will go in search of King Cobras but also learn about vipers, Wolf Snakes and India’s other intriguing reptiles such as Caecilians, crocodiles, caimans, turtles, Monitor Lizards, and Flying Lizards, and amphibians such as tree frogs, burrowing frogs and gliding frogs.  You’ll have the opportunity to gain insight into how local people in rural India live side by side with their often vilified neighbors.

The group tour is from June 14 to 24, 2014 for a maximum of 10 people and a minimum of eight.  By joining this tour, you can be assured you will be traveling sustainably and responsibly.  If these dates don’t work for you, Steppes will customize the tour on other dates.  The rate is $3,511 per person, double occupancy.  For more information, visit www.steppesdiscovery.com or call 1-855-352-7606.

STEPPES DISCOVERY TAKES ADVENTURERS INTO THE WILDS OF LADAKH, INDIA IN QUEST OF THE ELUSIVE, ENDANGERED SNOW LEOPARD

NEW YORK, NY (10/13) Steppes Discovery, trailblazers in conservation and wildlife tourism, offers IN SEARCH OF THE SNOW LEOPARD, a two-week small group tour (maximum: 8 people) to seek out the rare, well-camouflaged big cat, one of the planet’s most beautiful creatures, one of its most elusive and one of its most endangered. The tour, which won a Responsible Travel Award, takes place in Ladakh, a region of far north India, bounded by two of the world’s greatest mountain ranges, the Himalaya and the Karakoram.

Tours are led by experts from the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, the wildlife charity which this trip supports. These are the same trackers used by the BBC, National Geographic and other wildlife film-makers.

“We pride ourselves on the characters that we work with,” says Steppes Managing Director Justin Wateridge. “Yes, they are guides; yes, they have expertise, but we work with them for their passionate and charismatic personalities that ensure an exceptional, lasting impression.”

Rates for the scheduled two-week tour (November 19 – December 2, 2013) start at $3664 (USD) per person excluding international flights. Rates for the November 8 – November 21, 2014 tour start at $3,970 (USD) per person excluding international flights. All include a donation to the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Private group tours can also be arranged.

If ever there was a soul-enhancing experience for seasoned travelers, it’s catching sight of the magnificent Snow Leopard, a creature so rarely seen it’s known as the “ghost of the Himalayas.” But on Steppes Discovery tour the odds of a sighting are in the traveler’s favor:  Not just one, but two Snow Leopards were seen on Steppes’ most recent tour.  Not surprising since the experts behind this pioneering tour company were among the first to access the area, and boast a proven track record of sightings over the past 14 years.  Wildlife lovers may also encounter blue sheep (bharal), ibex, wolves, wild yaks, brown bears, golden eagles, bearded vultures and Himalayan Griffons.

Travelers will explore Hemis National Park in a high-altitude area famous for Snow Leopard research, photography and filming. They will visit picturesque Buddhist villages and monasteries during winter festival, when communities celebrate with traditional costumes, music and masked dancers. They will meet the region’s hardy mountain people and learn about the Buddhism they practice by spending time in traditional homesteads and experiencing first-hand the warmth and hospitality of the people who call this wilderness home.

For more information or a detailed itinerary,contact:

enquiry@steppesdiscovery.com Or visit: www.steppesdiscovery.com

STEPPES TRAVEL ANNOUNCES TOUR WITH INDIA EXPERT LOUISE NICHOLSON

NEW YORK, NY (09/2013) Travelers looking for an aesthetic, hands-on experience of India will find it in a new tour, North India Uncovered, from Steppes Travel, pioneers in sustainable tourism and creators of exceptional explorations and experiences in all corners of the globe.

The curated North India Uncovered tour will be led by art historian and India expert Louise Nicholson, who is steeped in India’s culture, having visited the sub-continent no fewer than 200 times.  Rates (inclusive of virtually everything except international airfare) are $6356 per person for the 13-night excursion which begins in Mumbai on February 2, 2014 and ends in New Delhi on February 15.

The group will visit two of the most important art/architecture sites of ancient India – the Ellora and the Ajanta caves.  They will take in fabled Fatepur Sikri, built by Mughal emperor Akbar and arguably the most beautiful uninhabited city in the world. They will travel to the great sites of Rajasthan – Jodhpur and its famous fort; the pink city of Jaipur, heart of India’s gemstone trade; the mirage-like Lake Palace in Udaipur and the utterly exotic cattle market in Naguar with its fancifully bedizened camels and colorful and chaotic marketplace.

Louise Nicholson is a journalist and author of 26 books including National Geographic Traveler’s Guide to India. She produced the very successful BBC series on the Great Mughals and, though a generalist, she has in-depth knowledge of Indian textiles, art, architecture and history. Those accompanying her don’t just go to a shop for textiles, they meet the weavers and learn about the manifold kinds of fabrics and stitches India is renowned for.  They don’t just glide past mustard or barley fields – they meet the farmers. And they don’t just do the compulsory visit to the Taj Mahal – they go twice, at sunrise and at sunset to view the world’s most beautiful tomb in the light of dawn and the light of dusk.

For more information contact: enquiry@steppestravel.com and visit www.steppestravel.com