Tag Archives: eco tourism

40th Anniversary of Ibex Expeditions

Ibex Expeditions Introduces 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Journeys

40th Anniversary of Ibex Expeditions

On it’s 40th anniversary Ibex Expeditions invites you to its  Limited Edition Anniversary Journeys

In 1979, in a small room in the Manor hotel, New Delhi, four friends manifested their dream of a pioneering adventure travel company by establishing Ibex Expeditions. Mountaineer, Explorer and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Mandip Singh Soin was one of them.

Four decades later, this has been a journey of innovation, enterprise, accolades, creativity and today, the company is owned and managed by Mandip and his wife Anita, an artist and poet who brings her own creativity to designing journeys with unusual themes.

Guests are welcomed into a world of heightened wonder, style, adventure, luxury that only a truly epic journey can evoke.

MANDIP SINGH SOIN FRGS - Ibex Expeditions

On this milestone of our 40th anniversary, we invite you to book a special small group journey led and hosted by the owner family in a series of holidays in India and Sri Lanka with travel experiences exclusive to our guests, privileged access to extraordinary places and inspirational people and meaningful connections along the way.

Ladakh – The stairway to heaven – September 2019

Ladakh Tour - Ibex Expeditions

Following a theme of a Responsible Eco adventure walking in the footsteps of the snow leopard, this photo adventure  journey in Ladakh is led by writer, photographer and Ibex Director, Himraj Soin. You will discuss Buddhist traditions and visit local communities, learn about renewable energy projects with conservationists, visit organizations promoting sustainable development and walk along hillsides dotted with chortens and monasteries with exquisite Himalayan vistas.

Madhya Pradesh – Walking safari – Satpura under Canvas – November 2019 

Madhya Pradesh - Walking safari | Ibex ExpeditionsMandip and Anita lead a special journey to the heart of India recreating the old explorer world of a walking safari in the footsteps of Captain James Forsyth, an explorer who served in the Indian Army in the late 19th century in the forests of Satpura in the state of Madhya Pradesh. We will stay in deluxe camps (glamping) and old-world charming lodges and immerse ourselves in art, beauty, forests, wildlife and recipes from the Nawab family kitchens. Satpura Under Canvas is a unique mobile camping and gentle walking experience through the Satpura Tiger Reserve. We also visit Bhopal, Mandu, Maheshwar where you will enjoy a royal retreat and the luxury Relaix & Chateau Ahilya Fort, the private palace of the erstwhile Holkar dynasty.

Himali Soin will be leading the journey in Sri Lanka
Himali Soin will be leading the journey in Sri Lanka

 

Sri Lanka – The Isle of Paradise – November 2019

Sri Lanka - The Isle of Paradise - November 2019 | Ibex ExpeditionsArthur C Clarke, British science fiction writer, futurist and inventor is our inspiration and we capture his spirit in a journey across Sri Lanka led by artist, poet and Ibex Director, Himali Singh Soin. We will stay at Colombo Swimming Club where Clarke spent his days, visit Anuradhapura Sci Fi monuments, Una Watuna, a coastal town where Clarke lived, and star gaze in a remote location, all the while reading Rendezvous with Rama.

Rajasthan – The Land of many Colors – March 2020

Himraj Soin will be leading journeys in Ladakh and Rajasthan
Himraj Soin will be leading journeys in Ladakh and Rajasthan

We welcome Spring and the festival of color, Holi with a journey of color and vibrance across the landscape of Rajasthan through boutique heritage hosted stays from the cities of pink, blue and gold to the Thar desert visiting ancient step wells and communities on village safaris and staying in Relaix & Chateau heritage homes with Mewar heritage architecture. Led once again by Himraj, National Geographic trip leader.

Costa Rica – a private journey for the Ibex Explorers Fellowship members
Led by Mandip and Anita, we will traverse the ideal destination of Costa Rica, a country that stands apart from its neighbors as a rich bio diverse country with farm to table restaurants and sustainable tourism. The journey will have rain forest hikes and high-altitude trails, rushing white-water rapids and kayaking into canals.

Mandip and Anita will be leading journeys in Madhya Pradesh and Costa Rica
Mandip and Anita will be leading journeys in Madhya Pradesh and Costa Rica

It is rare that Mandip and Anita themselves lead an Ibex Expeditions journey. Their young adult children are both trip leaders with National Geographic and come with their own expertise of photography, writing and poetry.

The journeys will be first-come-first-serve.

Hurry along, the adventures await!

Email us for dates and detailed itineraries at: ibex@www.ibexexpeditions.com

On the Wild Side – Part III

THE SEASON TO SCALE NEW HEIGHTS:

It sounds like the name of India’s satellite launch vehicle. But it’s actually a mountain. And a formidable one at that.

Dubbed one of the great challenges of the Garhwal, Swargarohini is located in the Tons Valley and boasts five summits. According to Hindu mythology, the mountain was the ‘path to heaven’ for the Pandavas. But for modern climbers, it remains and elusive achievement.

But that is not to say mountaineers have stopped trying to conquer it. one early-bird expedition has already arrived from Britain and will attempt to scale Swargarohini I at 6252 metres. The British team, comprising just two memers, will be among the first climbers of this season.

The experienced British dup – Nick Banks and Chris Smith – will be taking the same route as I had in an unsuccessful 1989 expedition. This involves the ascent of Swargarohini II and the a knife-ridge traverse across to the main summit. Nicks is an instructor at a National Mountain institute in the UK – Plas-y-Brenin – located at the foot of Mt. Snowden in North Wales. Within this background, the team’s chances are good.

Swargarohini will not be the only peak to face conquest attempts this season. Another one will take place in August-September on a mountain called Hagshu – height 6330 metres – in the Kishtwar region of J&K. A team of four, led by John barry, will scale its north face for the fourth time. They have been beaten back by weather in the past, but they hope to crack the summit this time around.

Barry is a British Army marine, and was also the principal at Plas-y-Brenin, my alma mater. Weather permitting (autumn is generally more stable), John has an even chance. Alsom he will not be under any pressure to perform as he is not considered a die-hard unlike the British duo attempting Thaley Sagar.

Giants of British climbing Joe Brown and Mo Anthoine have attempted Garhwal’s Thaley Sagar, with its treacherous and steep north face, before. On their last attempt they climbed the imposing rock head wall and finally got to the last few hundred feet of snow and ice which lay capped on the summit.

Then calamity struck. While stretching out to relax, Anthoine suddenly pushed a rucksack down the mountain. The rucksack carried with it the climbing gear which was necessary to reach the summit. But they took the setback well and called the expedition off.

A type of peak which is becoming popular among climbers is what is called the 7000 metre-plus ones. Peaks like Nun (7135 m) and Kun (7077 m) in Zanskar top the popularity list. A specialized mountian guide agency advertizes the summit and gets mountianeers to sign on for expeditions.

One such successful agency, Allibert of France, has been sedning teams to Kun via the east ridge (Nomale) for the past five years now. It boasts an impressive success rate of nearly 60 per cent.

The peak is not difficult and lies in the remote Zanskar region. The weather is stable, though there is the danger of crevasses en route, and of black bears at the base camp. But it is an exhilarating climb for those yearning for rarefied oxygen at 7000 metres.