Rimo Expeditions : TRIP INFO

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TRIP INFO

All these are Miscellaneous Information important for each trip

	Time Zones
	India is five and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. That means if it is 1 pm in New Delhi,India it is 7:30am in London and 2:30 am in New York.

Money Matters

You won’t need to take a great deal of money on the trip—just enough for any souvenirs you may buy, drinks, and any meals that are not covered in the cost of the trip. Anywhere from $300 to $500 should be enough, depending on how much shopping you like to do, plus an amount for any tips you may want to give the camp staff or trip leader (see the Gratuities section).

	Cash or Traveler’s Checks
	Take some of your money in small denominations of traveler’s checks and some in small denominations of cash. Traveler’s checks by American Express are widely accepted in India. Generally speaking, American Express offers the fastest replacement in case yours get stolen. Make sure you keep your receipt for the checks and record of the check numbers in a separate place from the checks. The local currency in India is the rupee.
	Credit Cards
	In India’s large five-star hotels and restaurants, you can often use credit cards. American Express, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted. It is always better to exchange enough currency either at the airport or bank in Delhi for use in Ladakh or you would be spending a good 2 – 3 hrs waiting in the queue in Leh.
	In small towns like Leh, Darjeeling, Gangtok you can use credit cards for shopping but this should be either visa or master as AMEX is not accepted in most places. ATMs vends are operational in small towns but there is always a queue and it is also important to inform your bank that you will be travelling so that your card is not blocked. Besides the banks and ATMs, several govt authorized money exchange vendors are there in towns and cities.
	However at any place beyond the towns, e.g towns where roadheads are for treks, villages, only local currency can be accepted.
	Gratuities
	It is customary in India to tip the camp staff. Trip members can contribute toward a group tip to be shared among the Sherpa guides, porters, cooks, and camp staff who have assisted you. We suggest each trip member tip about $50 to $80 towards the group tip, preferably in Indian rupees (traveler’s checks are difficult for the trekking staff to exchange). This generally works out to be $4 to $6 per day per person. The guide will help you distribute this individually amongst the trek team.
	Trip members also usually tip the trip leader. Typically, individual trip members tip the main guide $125 to $200, depending on the level of satisfaction. All tipping is, of course, at your own discretion and you are under no obligation to tip.

Hotels & Accommodation

DELHI:
We use 5 Star hotels in Delhi. For fixed Departures it’s generally The Claridges, The Taj palace, The Ambassador and The Oberoi Maidens. We also offer The Imperial, The Oberoi, Aman and other luxury deluxe hotels at surcharge. Mid range category hotels can also be arranged depending on requirement.

LEH:
We use ‘A’ class hotels in Leh. All accommodation in small towns are in guest houses/ lodges and would be the best available in such places. Some places which do not have any staying facilities we’ll be using deluxe camps esp. at Pangong and Tsomoriri Lakes.

DARJEELING & SIKKIM :
We use a variety here - Windamere, new Elgin in higher category, Dekeling in mid range. In Sikkim also it’s a range of Hotels from Netuk House, Hidden forest, Demazong to Norkhill.

TIBET, NEPAL & BHUTAN:
We use high-end hotels in the cities and the best available in other small places.

Trekking Crew

Your crew will comprise of a trekking guide, Cook, Kitchen helpers and Sherpas. Depending on the region you are trekking, luggage would be carried by pack animals / porters. E.g. in Ladakh and Bhutan, only pack animals are used. In Sikkim and Nepal a combination of pack animals and porters are used. In certain areas of Kumaon, Garhwal only porters are used. On climbing trips, we will have experienced climbing Sherpas.

EQUIPMENT

We provide spacious 3 person top of the line Mountain hardware and Marmot tents for sleeping. The ground sheets have been reinforced with rubberized flooring. 3 inch thick foam mattresses will be provided. Kitchen, dining tents with table and chairs and toilet tents are provided. All you need to do is bring your personal equipment. If you are booked on a short camping holiday and do not have a sleeping bag, our stores have equipment on hire.

	PHOTOGRAPHY
	Visitors can take photos freely except in some restricted areas like airports, ports and military areas. Some museums restrict photography to protect the sites and art-facts and may charge a nominal fee.


	FOOD
	Indian, Chinese, Continental. Full course meals.
	Breakfast: Tea / Coffee, varieties of breads (chapatis, breads, pancakes) with butter, peanut butter, jam, porridge/ muesli / granola.
	Lunch: We do not make hot lunches. However, we carry plates, cutlery and hot cases with semi hot lunches consisting of various stuffed breads ( paranthas) dried veges, fried rice / vegetable rolls / mashed potatoes stuffed with veg fillings / salads, juices , fresh fruits ( as long as they can stay as these have to be carried out from Leh and not available on the trail). This has worked out better than the packed individual lunches.
	Dinner: We begin with soup, a main course of Indian / continental / Chinese and ending with dessert, tea/coffee / hot chocolate.

VISA

Tourist visa to India can be obtained from the High Commission of India in respective countries. General requirements for a tourist visa are:

a)	valid 6 months passport is required for India Visa
b)	correct visa fee
c)	two passport size photographs
d)	supporting documents, wherever necessary
e)	duly completed application form

Tourist Visa on arrival

Visas to the citizens of following countries are now given on arrival in India. These visas are for single entry strictly for the purpose of Tourism and for a short period of up to a maximum of 30 days. This visa is issued at arrival only at the designated international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The fee for the visa on arrival is USD 60 (or equivalent amount in Indian Rupees)

i)	Finland
ii)	Japan
iii)	Luxembourg
iv)	New Zealand
v)	Singapore

Restricted Areas Permit

Visitors to restricted/protected areas need special permits and for this purpose an additional form has to be completed. Please check our “Restricted Area Info” for same.


	CUSTOMS
	Indian Airport and Port Authority customs operate in the same way as most major countries across the world. Note that you are not allowed to take Indian antiques out of the country unless they are replicas.