Treks, Walking Holidays, Eco Stays & More

Meghalaya is a magical place and no better way to explore than by walk / trek. Shyam and team managed to curate some of the gems in the area with... read more a mix of stays in unique homestays , offbeat treks and wonderful local guides who were friendly and knowledgeable . Loved this experience and walked away with memories for a lifetime .

Very well organized trip by Outdoers. Thank you Shyam for considering our choices and preferences. Visited some amazing places. Stay at Lalaji Bay was exceptionally good. Very beautiful and serene... read more place... A must visit place for all nature lovers.

The places we trekked have the most stupendous views..The home stay in Gaunap is out of this world.Sunder our tour guide is so Patient ,very friendly..The hospitality we had through... read more out the trip is commendable..

The Outdoers team of Shyam and Sunder did a fantastic job of organizing a walk through the woods and stays at some amazing locations!

Having reached Kathgodam railway... read more station, Sunder and his team took care of all the logistics until the return to Kathgodam five days later.

We stayed for four nights at three places / homestays - namely Kot Naikana (1), Buransh Kot (1) and Gaunap village (2). Over the course of this period, we trekked over 20 kms approximately in Sunder's company.

Amazing vistas, heart-warming hospitality and delicious culinary preparations (a special shout-out to Pawan here) made for an amazing vacation. Sunder was a welcoming host and his knowledge of the local flora and fauna was very impressive.

Above all, what impressed us the most was his passion, vision and corresponding efforts to make these tourism activities sustainable for all stakeholders who are involved in it and impacted by it.

A highly recommended trip indeed!May the Outdoers team thrive and prosper for years to come! Looking forward to partnering with them in exploring more places in the future!

After two years of being at home because of the pandemic, walking the trails in the Binsar Sanctuary was exhilarating. The teak and deodar forest, the crisp, cool air, the... read more incredible variety of birds -- all so soul-nourishing.

And who better to help nourish our souls, stomachs and weary feet than Outdoers? Sundar was a kind and gentle host and guide. Encouraging as we scrambled up slopes, whipping out the local bal mithai to keep our energy up when we slowed down, and sharing his knowledge of birds with joy. The food was local and delicious, the homestays cosy.

This Outdoers walking holiday is a good way for a family or a group of friends to start exploring the outdoors.

Had a wonderful outdoor experience with them where i was showed the best possible things cant thank them .recommend them to everyone

Outdoers ensured that the tour was comfortable and evenly paced for my family with teenagers. Our guide made the trip a wholesome experience with his knowledge on the ... read more flora, fauna and birds. Home stay and the food prepared from fresh home grown vegetables will be remembered long after the trip. Kids mentioned fresh air, panaromic views and quite forests as three top things that come to their mind when they think about Binsar.

The Binsar trek is perfect for families with young children. There are quiet forests to explore, birds and other gorgeous insects to identify. Delicious local fruit and herbs that the... read more children can pick themselves. Outdoors has a great butterfly and bird watching walk that helped my kids to expand their bird identification vocabulary to an unimaginable degree :) they beat us hollow in a bird naming match. Through old style village games like stick cricket and rock stapu they came closer to understanding how even rocks, pebbles and sticks can be used to play exciting games. A forest treasure hunt helped them to look around and collect a variety of leaves and other material from the beautiful surroundings. The taste of local food is nothing like what you’d get in the city. The clean fresh air is like a treat for the mind and body. My younger one was challenged to complete all the scheduled treks and she managed so well that her confidence levels in terms of trekking are now highly improved. I highly recommend a trek in the Binsar sanctuary and appreciate the high level of competence, knowledge and professionalism shown by the outdoors team. I would absolutely love to take this trip again !!

I had always thought of Meghalaya as an exotic place of exciting cultures and beautiful awe-inspiring terrains. Shyam & team @Outdoers.in had packed all that and more into this trip... read more lasting a little over a week. It was meticulously planned itinerary ranging across the Khasi hills that covered awesome root-bridges, pristine waterfalls, natural (swimming!) pools, off-beat villages with open, fun-loving people (and children with smiles that light up your heart!), idyllic scenery and vistas found after adventurous hikes through lush vegetation up and down steep hills. A good pair of hiking shoes, hiking pants, hats and insect repellant are a must! Of course, finding and claiming a good sized bamboo pole for a hiking stick adds to the fun for the kids. We're always being reminded by Shyam to pack swimwear and some of the hikes ended at very beautiful mountain pools at the base of waterfalls - such a treat after a hot and often humid hike! We even had a picnic lunch at the edge of a stream watching its waters fall over a huge overhanging rock to create a small waterfall. We waded / hiked back through that stream after lunch, from the waterfall to the Van parking spot to round out that afternoon perfectly.

Rain is the norm in these parts (Cheerapunjee is among the rainiest in the world!) but we did get lucky and got almost no rain. Packing good rain gear is a great idea.

If I had to do all the above again, I'd do it in a heart beat. What made it more fun was that the itinerary included things for both adults and kids. The very knowledgeable local guide was pacing my energetic 9yr son at the head of the hiking group and answering all his questions while we straggled behind with Shyam at the tail end. I have to mention the activity book provided by "Outdoers" to record adventures and interesting flora/fauna - it was seeded with lots of tidbits of interesting info and kept the kids (and a few adults too!) engaged, heh!

The eco-stays were quite comfortable and were arranged to provide a feel for the local culture/food/people and bio-diversity. As an example, the huts on stilts in the eco-stay inside the Pobitora Rhino reserve were so much fun for the kids. At the same time, the self-produced and self-made videos on the conservation efforts of the young, local conservationist running the eco-stay (and his dedicated team) were a wonderful dinner-time treat. It was humbling and at the same time inspiring to meet him and his team. I know he definitely made an impact on my son and I'm happy for that.

Cruising the mighty Brahmaputra, boating on the Umgnot river, practicing the pronunciation of village names like "Shnongpdeng" and being taken in by its charm and stunning vistas, marveling at the bio-engineering feat called (double-decker!) root-bridges, enjoying the group's company and bonding over hikes and meals, elephant safaris to view rhinos and hearing an elephant trumpet from close quarters to dissuade a rhino threatening to charge us, seeing my son bonding with the elephant-calf and feeding it bananas, .... throw in prehistoric caves and cave-art (Mawsmai), visits to living cultural museums (Don Bosco) with knowledgeable guides who make it fun for kids and adults alike - these memories will probably last us a lifetime!

Highlights of the trip:

1. Eco stays - No AC or fans or TVs. Homes were very cool and we had good sound sleep.
2. Hosts are farmers or... read more locals. Hosts were very kind, helpful and excellent service.
3. Food was local or north indian food and was very tasty. Portions sizes were huge.
Oraganic food and fresh milk from cow/buffaloes
4.Guide was very knowledgeable and humble. He treated guests like kings.
5. Places like Gaunap, Shaukityal and Dhaulchina were really small villages and you could hardly see people. We could see farming, milk rearing and cattle at close.
6. Internet doesnt work in Gaunap, Dhaulchina - So we were not disturbed by chatter.
7. Treks were slow and steady and adjusted to pace of each trekker
8. There were some water streams in jungles, where we could collect cool water and wash ourselves.
9. Safe treks - both from humans and animals. Whole jungle was for ourselves
10. It is low priced. Such great food, such views and treks at a affordable place.
11. Very well organized by Outdoers team
12. I saw real village wiht no plastic and genuine happy faces.

Other things:
a. If you are coming from south india, it is a 1.5 day journey to reach Binsar TRH.
b. Just one jacket is enough for nights, its windy but not cold. So dont overpack.
c. If you are used to some other food, please bring it along.
d. Connecting roads are good, not much traffic