Responsible Tourism

Environmental Responsibility

South India Tours has its Indian base at Lakeside in the heart of rural Tamil Nadu. This is one of the most beautiful parts of southern India and we are constantly aware of our responsibility to preserve the environment for the locals, for our guests and for future generations. Here is a sample of things we do in order to protect this unique and beautiful place.

• Lakeside is a single story building with a low level profile designed to allow it to blend into the natural landscape. The main house is also built with an open main living area which draws in cooling breezes from the lake, thus reducing the amount of electricity needed to fans or A/C
• Building an owl box with a group of guests visiting Lakeside for a bird watching holiday was great fun! We use plants in our gardens to attract birds and butterflies, and also feed the birds (and chipmunks) that are now used to eating breakfast in front of the verandah – watching the guests watching them!
• At present we keep almost 3 arcres of our property undeveloped to encourage local wildlife including bats, wild boar, deer, mongoose, hare etc. as well as innumerable species of birds. The area is developing quite a reputation for its diverisity and guests are often keen to take walks to look at the local birdlife.
• We do not expect our guests to sort their own waste, but our staff sort through all that is thrown away, either by the guests or through the general running of Lakeside. Glass, plastic, paper and card is collected by our local recycling man. As well as being dedicated to recycling, we also compost all of our green waste. The compost is then used to feed the plants in our nursery and gardens.
• Sewage at Lakeside is dealt with via the use of septic tanks.
• Lakeside draws its water from its own bore wells so you can be sure that it is clean and fresh!
• We encourage guests to save water (and electicity) wherever possible. We also encourage guests not to change towels every day in order to reduce the use of laundry detergents.
• Solar panels on the roof of the main house provide hot water for guestrooms and the kitchens. It is very rare that electricity is used to heat water at Lakeside.
• Much of the natural stone used in the building of the main house was sourced on site as the land was cleared, allowing the property to blend naturally into its surroundings.

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Community Responsibility

Part of the attraction of rural India for us was that it gives us the opportunity to give something back for the good fortune we have had in our lives. We feel part of the local community and do our best to support it wherever possible.

• A festival at the local cave temple, which attracts thousands of worshippers each August, allows us to support the local police and fire services by giving them a base for the day, and somewhere for off-duty officers to relax and enjoy the free lunch that we provide.
• We have provided a shrine for the local god Ganesh in the grounds at Lakeside. This is regularly used by our staff and also drivers and guests at Lakeside.
• Our village life and crafts tour introduces guests to local cottage industries and small businesses, each of which receives a donation whenever we visit.
• We have installed a tap at the entrance to our property to provide free drinking water for local people who are passing or working in the area. Local people are also able to enter some areas of our land to collect fodder for their animals, or fruit from our trees for themselves.
• The majority of our staff are local and we use local businesses and contractors wherever possible.
• We encourage guests to visit the local Boys Town project to support the poor children of the area.
• We source 100% of our supplies for building and maintenance, as well as domestic cleaning items, soft furnishings, furniture etc. from the local village or from our nearest towns.
• We have used local contractors for all of our renovation works including re-roofing, electrical re-wiring and carpentry. Our swimming pool was built by local labour. We also use local casual labour to help with the maintenance of our extensive landscaped gardens