The Blue Train, South Africa.
Trains, trains, trains, how we love taking trains. Some of the greenest transportation in the world, train journeys can be unforgettable travel experiences.
The Luxury Travel Bible has released their Top 10 Luxury Terrific Trains list. Here it is:
Are you looking at touring India? There are many organized tour options for travelers like the India EcoArts Tour.
This tour will mainly take place in Spiti Valley, India, the Himalayan region bordering Tibet, says California-based EcoArts Tours.
Participants will tour regional villages and learn about their conservation efforts including solar power and endangered species protection. The arts of Spiti will be highlighted with local experts in cuisine, temple architecture, artisan work and music.
An endangered dance form will be performed by a sect of Tibetan monks called The Bhuchens. The EcoArts tour will conclude with a day visit to the Taj Mahal and a Gandhi Legacy Tour in Delhi led by Tushar Arun Gandhi. Travelers will see the Trans-Himalayan landscape by jeep, yak safari, hike and mountain bike.
For more info, check out EcoArts Tours.
Image courtesy of EcoArts Tours
Global non-profit Planeterra Foundation is known for its voluntourism and sustainable community development through travel.
In one program, donors and tour participants contribute to Planeterra-funded eye camps in remote Tibetan villages. These camps have restored the sight of hundreds of Tibetans and provided eye care to hundreds more.
Last month, the 2009 eye camp in Chabcha resulted in 86 successful sight restoration surgeries. A $50 donation will give Tibetan patients the ability to see the world around them and change their lives.
Says Richard Edwards, Planeterra director:
“Tibet has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world. Most of this blindness is due to cataracts, a disease associated with aging but also prevalent among children and the working class. Many are unable to reach a hospital because of poverty and lack of transportation. With scattered populations spread across great distances, surgical eye camps are the most efficient way to treat the high rate of disease.”
