Rainbow Journeys was founded by Sheetal Thakur in 2014 with the idea of offering offbeat tours in India. As women-only groups & FIT’s often travel to India, she realized there was a need for a DMC that could cater to Exclusive Women tours in India, including LGBTQ tours, enabling them to travel in comfortable environment.
Her experience of 16 years in the travel & tour industry (right from working in inbound tour companies, to leading inbound groups & treks), helped her put together well researched itineraries, that were a perfect blend of cultural highlights, wellness, outdoor adventures, and wildlife experiences. We promote sustainable tourism with authentic encounters & interactions, away from mass tourism.
“Being able to show my country around is the greatest pleasure I get running Rainbow journeys. I love being outdoors and meeting new people from different cultures & walks of life. Organising these trips gives me a chance to put together unique travel experiences and opportunities for women travelers in a safe haven. These are interesting journeys that gives you an insight into India’s rich culture and heritage and also focuses on Indian women, their lifestyle, aspirations and difficulties they face. In short – the guests experience the real India.
I realize the importance of safety of women while they are travelling with us. Group travels are considered very safe in India, since everyone travels together, stays together and party together. There is always a women tour leader with the group and she helps the guests to enjoy India freely and to the most. Safety is the utmost priority for me.
Aa a trained mountaineer & adventurer, I have explored the interiors of the Indian Himalayas through treks. I live in a small community in the foothills of the Himalayas with my dogs, like-minded people and good internet connectivity :), which helps me run my travel business, being away from cities.”
Sheetal Thakur
Our Philosophy
- Tailor-made holidays is what we offer. We are here to guide you in choosing your itinerary, style of accommodation, mode of transport and those special touches you want to add to make your tour perfect – maybe a village homestay or a local cultural program. Tailor-made is all about offering flexibility and matching your requirements.
- Small Groups – the way to go! When it comes to group size, the smaller the better! Small groups ensure minimal impact on the places we visit and the people we meet. It also means we have the flexibility to use an incredible variety of transport and accommodation that is simply impractical for bigger groups.
- We value mixing with the locals and try to do this wherever possible. We don’t just look in from the outside and take photos of them, we visit them – drink tea with them and have a home cooked meal and chat! We believe in offering an authentic experience in India where the guests interact and spend time with the local people.
- We promote local women guides, who are experts of their geographical area. We recognize that tourism can be a real help to the local communities providing income, positive cultural exchange and financial incentives to protect the natural environment. We stress upon – that your holiday is someone else’s home and leave nothing but footprints.
Testimonials
Probably due to the small group size, we arrived as strangers and parted as friends. The accommodation always seemed to be well thought out and contributed greatly to the relaxing factor of the trip. Eating daily bliss. And the places visited were more than what seems possible.