This title is earned by the Indian State of Uttarakhand where pristine Himalayan mountain ranges called Kumaon and Garhwal preserve nature's beauty and tranquility and the dense forest cover of pines and cedar offer shelter to valuable species of flora and fauna. The range of Himalayas being the origin of the ever flowing Ganga and Yamuna rivers are witness to centuries of Indian civilization which can be closely appreciated by seeing the “naulas” and “tals” (springs and lakes). No wonder, a large number of tourists visit the mountains in Uttarakhand each year to take a long breath while enjoying the serenity of the land.
Government efforts to make people reach out to the natural prosperity of Uttarakhand by investing in the tourism industry have increased its potential as a source of livelihood. But growth induced benefits are reaped by only a handful of the affluent or by those who are from bigger cities of India, who own big hotels and provide other tourism services. The local society especially the villagers have almost no stake and benefit very little from the progress. A majority of them thus leave their homes and with it their culture behind to work in cities outside the State. It is to bring a change to this scenario that UDGAM (a not for profit organization) Group has introduced “Sanskriti” an eco-cultural tour with home stay provisions in villages of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
Sanskriti joins hands of the rural Kumaoni communities with that of the tourists through “Eco-Cultural Tourism” a varied form of Eco-Tourism where along with economic upliftment and environmental conservation, promotion of culture is an important objective.
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