Bengaluru-based start up Wandertrails is a one-stop solution for the new-age traveller

Be it a heritage walk or a colonial cycle trail, stopping at an iconic eatery before proceeding to a pottery session, listening to your host Appachu's enthralling stories of his travels around the world before he revs up that jeep to take you on a quick plantation ride, lessons on off-roading, or just relaxing by the camp fire — these are not your average experiences every traveller gets. These experiences are possible only when you’re shown around by true ambassadors of the location. Wandertrails, a Bengaluru-based start-up's strength lies in the fact that they have a closely knit and diverse provider ecosystem.

Wandertrails.com came into being after a series of incidents that are common to new-age travellers. The founders were faced with situations where they couldn't get authentic information about places and so ended up relying on brochures, guides, hotel receptions, desk employees, cabbies, and an inordinate amount of research on the web.

"The convenience of easily discovering bespoke experience-led trails with varied choices to suit the connoisseur’s tastes and the ability to digitally consume the same, while being assured of quality benchmarks, seemed to be the need of the hour. We wanted to build a solution for the new-age traveller — the time-constrained travellers who want an authentic experience, who are service conscious and who value the joy of travel over a 5% off," says Narayan, one of the founders the founders and CMO of Wandertrails. A market study on the viability of experiential travel also revealed that the travel landscape in India is dramatically changing with the experience quotient leading the way in defining and deciding the nuances of travel. 

Wandertrails was officially registered as a company in January 2016. "We truly believe that you should experience a place for all that it has to offer by connecting with the diverse history, culture and people of that place while staying at places, doing things, and sampling the cuisine special to that place. This would further your overall experience and augment the discovery of the place rather than a mere visit," says Narayan. 
 
Some of the unique services they offer include backwater houseboat rides, mountaineering, paddy field farming lessons with local villagers, tribal tours of the unexplored forest, wine tasting tours, a dine-in with a local, night trekking, sky diving, a food trail or heritage tour, experiencing traditional dance or ritualistic art forms like Theyyam, and witnessing an ancient martial art rendition. Each place is brought to life as an experience, rich with choices.
 
When asked how they go about getting information, Narayan explains, "We have a largely feet-on-street model where our teams go on the ground to discover the best experiential stays and activities in that location. The key parameters that we look for while checking out a stay would revolve around the elements that add to it, being experiential in terms of what it has to offer.