Husband-wife duo Ravi Nayar and Carmen Miranda took four years to set up OffbeatDrives.com. The Mumbai-based couple who met in catering school (IHM, Goa) would initially travel as a family “just for passion”. In 2016, they organised their first trip with guests and the demand for these “exclusive getaways” has been on the rise since — be it a Rainforest Expedition through the heart of the Western Ghats or traversing the rural landscapes from Bagdogra to Bhutan. “Our clients are typically affluent people who love the outdoors. They’ve done Europe and London and New York and now want to do something different,” said Ravi, who also runs Mardi Gras Entertainment, dealing with corporate and wedding events. In Calcutta, en route to Bhutan, the duo chatted with t2 on these offbeat adventures.
Why the craze for glamping (glamorous + camping)?
The idea is to have luxury and comfort in the wild and yet not lose the essence of camping. We take people to places that are not touristy yet those that capture the essence of a road trip. Being ex-hoteliers, the luxury details come to us easily.
What countries do your itineraries cover?
We specialise in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Every 500km, the cuisine, culture, food habits and dress change so there is so much one can experience on a road trip.
Most families do not do road trips in India because of the lack of proper toilets, especially for the ladies…
We have a toilet system which can be set up in 10 minutes anytime and anywhere. It’s as hygienic as a five-star hotel. So the lady travellers are taken
care of.
Tell us about your ‘Mobile Camp On The Go’...
When you go on a holiday, you want to get away from the madness. But because those places are non-touristy, there is no tourism infrastructure, no hotels... nothing. So we have a luxury camp that is set up on-the-go. There’s crisp white linen, hot water showers in the wild, crockery and cutlery and sometimes, even a champagne tulip in the middle of nowhere!
The stays: A combination of boutique homestays, small resorts and Glamping in the signature luxury “Mobile Camps On the Go”.
The tools: The cars drive in a convoy, and are connected by two-way radios so you can drive at your own pace with no worry of getting lost.
The little luxuries: A champagne tulip filled with bubbly chilled in cool springs.
The sanitation: Hygienic Mobile Toilet Facility can be set up anywhere for lady travellers.
The numbers: Not more than 20 people or 10 couples. Single women are welcome but not single men.
The activities: The journeys are combined with optional activities for the adventure enthusiast, such as river rafting in a place like Zanskar Valley. “It’s not a conducted tour, so it’s not like you’re forced to do what everyone else is doing,” says Ravi. For example, in Paro, four options are given
a) Vegetate in the hotel and get a spa treatment
b) Trek to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery
c) Sightseeing and local market
d) Drive to Haa Valley through Chele La Pass (the highest motorable road in Bhutan at 3,988m)
The drive: Self-drive holidays are created through curated offbeat and scenic routes around the country.
The duration: There are road trips ranging from weekend drives of 2N/3D to longer expedition drives going up to 13 nights. OffbeatDrives.com specialises in India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The cost: An average of Rs 8,000-10,000 per head per day. For example, a 13N/14D trip to Bhutan is Rs 1,20,000 per head. It includes everything except alcohol, tobacco, fuel and toll. “The Ladakh trip is more expensive because we take an ambulance with us,”
says Ravi.
The meal experience: Local cuisine from the kitchens of the village folk to international fare from “luxury hideaways”.
The terrain experience:
a) Pure 4x4 experiences which are not meant for sedans
b) Drives where 4x4s and cars with high ground clearance are preferred, but with certain sections where you are driven around in a 4x4 vehicle arranged by the organisers, after secure parking has been provided for your vehicle
c) Drive experiences that can be undertaken by both sedans and 4x4s
How do you find these places?
It’s a big challenge to find such places. Around 40 per cent of the routes we do are not even on Google Maps. It’s not like we suddenly find a beautiful place and say, ‘Let’s camp here’. The land usually belongs to someone and we need to get permission. I’ve done 900,000km on Indian roads to work out itineraries.
Tell us some of your tales...
Once we went on a one-and-a-half-hour night safari and didn’t see anything! Then we came back and slept off. In the morning, we learnt that every animal from lion to leopard had passed our tents! We were camped by the side of a river so all the animals came to drink water there.
Wherever we camp, at night, there is not a single light. It’s really in the wilderness. So in some places we take the support of the local forest guards. We had wild elephants passing by our campsite once!
How do you do your bit for the environment?
We use 100 per cent biodegradable products. Our welcome kit has insect repellent to biodegradable hand sanitiser. No one is allowed to use their own toiletries, not even toothpaste. We leave behind nothing except the ashes of our bonfire and the tracks of the car. Plus, we also give gainful employment to the villagers as we get them to cook for us and wash the utensils.
Can you customise a trip?
If it’s a group of five couples, then we can make it bespoke. You tell us ‘I’ve got seven days in November and I’d like to do the hills’ and we will design something for you.
