Adventure camps boom in summer, and it’s easy to see why. They offer an excellent opportunity to reconnect with nature, which appeals greatly to parents of today’s too-urbanised teens, adrenaline junkies and those looking to hook up with new friends!
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Youreka
Youreka (www.youreka.in/) is among India’s most popular adventure camps for youngsters. In the last 14 years, more than 35,000 children have been part of Youreka, and now it’s reaching Singapore and the UK, too.
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Youreka works because its originators, Ronny Gulati and Ashish Rajpal, have created a well-thought-through programme that instills self-confidence and a deep love of nature among the 9-19 age-bracket youngsters who participate in their week long camps.
There’s so much to do! Rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, river rafting.
But surely, such a venture is heavily affected by the change of season? “Of course,” says Gulati, at once. “We conduct our camps at a jungle outback at Yercaud (Tamil Nadu), pinewood cliff at Sitlakhet (Uttaranchal) and the green river valley at Sai Ropa (Himachal Pradesh). Since our work is with children, we are basically affected by two things - vacation period and the prevailing weather.”
The rains and winter aren’t friendly to most of their adventure activities, so they keep things simple: Youreka shuts shop during the months of January, July and August. But yes, there is a four-day programme for 12 to 16 year olds during winter—in cheeky defiance of the elements!
Camp Exile
Pratish Ram, a network engineer, envisioned this exciting camp with its intriguing name. Camp Exile (http://campexile.com/) is located in a quiet and peaceful hamlet around the forest of Naukuchiatal, Uttarakhand at a height of 3996 feet above sea level. The major revenue is centered in and around Naukuchiatal, a place best enjoyed on sunny days, with a powerful waterfall spraying you with bliss from head to toe. Camp Exile gets regular visits from Pine Martens and Barking Deer. A fortunate visitor may get to see Leopard here too. Ram says, “Leopards are found all around the mountains and they are harmless. They are most visible during nights and can be spotted on the roads.”
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The concept is simple: You get tented accommodation along with food, and the rates depend on the number of visitors, number of activities chosen and the number of days booked. The overnight camping packages organised thrice a month, yield 30 to 40 per cent of the traffic for Camp Exile on this activity.
The business soars during summer. Ram says he earns around `3 lakh in a month during peak season, adding, “Weekends get completely booked during summers. On weekends, I have more than 20-25 people stopping by. Many extend their stay to week days, too.”
But what when the weather changes?
Ram admits business takes a rather sharp dip when the mercury falls. “We have much fewer people coming in, so the `3 lakh a month that is made in summer plummets to just about Rs2 lakh—that’s a sharp one-third fall in earnings.”
To deal with this, Ram has evolved a two-pronged strategy:
• “We make use of our kayaks and a zorb that keep floating on the Naukuchiatal Lake during summers. These help to spread the word and get in contact with a lot of people.” This, as business experts across the world will tell you, is an excellent way to stay in public consciousness even during non-peak periods.
• “We keep a log of all the people that visit Camp Exile and send them special package offers for the winters. During winters we do all activities plus we do paragliding. A 20 per cent discount during winters is very attractive to some, and it keeps us going during the chilly months.”
Upcoming projects: Motor bikes on rent, mountain biking, and researching for more eco friendly water sports in the lake.
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