Indiahikes has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism and the Department of Environment & Forests, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, to identify, develop and document two multi-day trekking trails across the islands.
The signing took place in the presence of Gyanesh Bharti, IAS, Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Vinayak Chamadia, Secretary, IP&T, Dr S. Dinesh Kannan, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests and Smti. Akanchha Singh, IAS, Director (IP&T). From Indiahikes, COO Sandhya UC and Operations Manager Abhishek Tiwari were present at the signing.
The one-year collaboration will bring together trekking, nature, local communities, cultural heritage and exploration of lesser-known parts of the islands.
As part of the project, Indiahikes will explore and document the trails, conduct pilot trekking experiences, create photo and video content, and develop a guidebook covering the two routes.
A dream that began more than a decade ago
For Indiahikes Founder and CEO Arjun Majumdar, this collaboration brings back a dream that began more than a decade ago.
“It has been a dream for us to open trekking in Andaman. I personally came here looking for trails as early as 2012–13. But at the time, I found it very difficult to put a trail together. So, when the Administration invited us this year to explore trails in Andaman, it genuinely felt like a dream coming true.”
The MoU gives Indiahikes a year to work with the Administration and explore what multi-day trekking in the islands could look like.
The first six months will focus on identifying, exploring and documenting the trails. This will be followed by pilot experiences on the two identified routes, along with the creation of detailed documentation, photography, films and a digital guidebook.
Discovering Andaman on foot
The treks will combine trekking with nature, camping, cultural engagement, community interaction and exploration of lesser-known landscapes.
The routes will take trekkers into a landscape very different from the Himalayan and Sahyadri trails that Indian trekkers are more familiar with.
“There are so many parts of Andaman and Nicobar that people simply don’t know about yet,” says Sandhya UC, COO, Indiahikes.
“Walking along a beach, camping in a rainforest and climbing into the hills here feels very different from trekking anywhere else in India. That is what makes this so exciting for us.”
For Sandhya, the experience will also extend beyond the physical trail.
“Andaman has a very high concentration of endemic bird species, so birdwatching can become a wonderful part of the trekking experience. And the islands have extremely low light pollution. They make for a terrific setting for stargazing experiences.”
“At Indiahikes, we have never looked at trekking as simply walking from Point A to Point B. We want people to experience the landscape they are walking through. The forests, the wildlife, the communities, the food, the night sky, all of these can become part of the journey. Andaman gives us a completely different landscape to work with.”
Building trails and local capability
An important part of the collaboration is creating opportunities for local participation.
Alongside identifying and developing the two trails, Indiahikes will conduct skill-building workshops for local participants in medical and technical safety, guiding and trek facilitation, sustainable trekking practices and campsite setup.
The intention is to build local skills around trekking and create potential employment opportunities connected to these new experiences.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism, the Department of Environment & Forests and the District Administration. Trail development will follow the applicable trekking, forest and wildlife regulations and the management plans of the Forest Department.
Indiahikes will also document the two trails through photography and video and create a guidebook that brings together the routes, landscapes and experiences for future trekkers.
A new landscape for multi-day trekking in India
Indiahikes began primarily in the Himalayas. Over the years, its multi-day trekking experiences have expanded into the Central Indian jungles and the Sahyadris.
Trekkers from across India now travel to these regions to spend several days walking, camping and experiencing landscapes that are very different from the high mountains.
Indiahikes already has an ongoing MoU with the Government of Madhya Pradesh to explore and develop trekking trails in the state’s forests.
Andaman brings yet another dimension.
For Indiahikes, the MoU is an opportunity to understand this landscape properly before opening it up to trekkers.
The next year will be about walking the trails, meeting the people who live around them, understanding the forests and documenting what makes these places special.
And eventually, making it possible for trekkers to experience Andaman not just as a destination they visit, but as a landscape they can spend several days walking through.
Indiahikes is grateful to the Tourism Department and Forest Department of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration for this opportunity and for inviting us to be part of the process of exploring and developing these new trekking experiences.
“We are very excited to begin this journey,” says Sandhya. “There is a lot for us to discover, and we are looking forward to doing that safely and sustainably, together with the Administration and local communities.”
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