Eco-Friendly Tourism

Varanasi is located in North India in the state of Utter Pradesh. There are many airlines with frequent flights to Varanasi within India. The Indian Railway is also a good way to travel. Here are some helpful links in getting you here:

Walks that leave a small footprint

We at Varanasi walks believe that the best way to interact with the people and culture of Varanasi is by using eco-friendly ways of moving in and around the city. You can make a significant impact on the environment by walking, using hand-pulled boats and bicycle rickshaws, all of which will enhance your enjoyment of the city without leaving a sizable carbon footprint.

We want to emphasize the traditional custom of using bio-degradable materials in all of our activities. You can enjoy a steaming hot cup of Banarasi chai in a traditional kuldhar, a simple hand thrown earthenware cup. Other local delicacies are often served in small molded leaf bowls and plates. You can also enjoy shopping with cloth bags as the menace of plastic bags, available in local general store shops, is damaging and quickly overwhelming the ability of the local waste disposal systems. We at Varanasi Walks want to emphasis an eco-friendly ethos on our walking tours and in all of our interaction in Kashi, the city of light.

If we all do our part, even while we are on holiday, then we can make the earth a cleaner, greener place for the enjoyment of all. Your Varanasi Walks explorers can update you on the current situation regarding pollution of the river and other environmental concerns. Of course we realize we live in a modern world, and some personalized journeys may require the use of vehicles, but let’s do our best to keep Banaras clean and green for the next traveller who comes our way!

Contact your explorer for other ways to help, such as volunteering in local NGO’s, which will contribute toward the betterment of the holy city during your time here

Some of the local NGO’s that you can consider volunteering at are the following…

  1. Asha Deep Vidhyashram is a school run for the underprivileged children in the Assi/Nagwa area of south Varanasi. Contact them at www.asha-deep.com.
  2. Agir Pour Benares (Active for Benares) is an NGO initiated in France and working with the poor various areas. Contact them at www.agirpourbenares.com.
  3. Sankat Mochan Foundation is an NGO dealing with pollution and the Ganga River. It is located at Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi. Contact Dr. Veer Badri Mishra at www.sankatmochanfoundationonline.org
  4. Mother Teresa’s Nirmal Hriday is a home for the destitute run by an order of Catholic nuns who care for the poorest of the poor. Located right on the riverside at Shivala Ghat. They can alert you to other Catholic charities as well.
  5. Divya Jyoti is an NGO dealing with the disabled and located at B1/122, Dumraon Kothi, Dumraon Bagh Colony, Assi.

Heading to Calcutta or West Bengal after this?

One of our inspirations for VaranasiWalks and culturally sensitive heritage walking tours was our dear friends over at CalcuttaWalks.  Why not check them out if you are making a trip to the historically significant, politically hot and richly decadent capital of the former British Raj?  Now named Kolkata, a city name more in keeping with the linguistic loopholes of the Bong-ali, it remains an amazing city of museums, architecture and culture that bewilders and confuses even the most ardent traveller!  With the ecologically friendly assistance of CalcuttaWalks explorers you will see everything Calcutta has to offer but leave hardly a footprint of your visit. Enjoy!