Natural Mystic Takes the Pain out of Travel

Words: Kumkum Ramchandani

Snapshot 1: You are on a small but lush island with blue waters lapping at your feet and miles of sunny beach just a swim stroke away. A picturesque white villa adorns this island. It was built by either a plantation owner or spice route trader, and while retaining its old world charm, has all the modern amenities. A stylish pool lies on its perimeter with the ocean beckoning just beyond. The villa has four luxury suites and a chef who concocts the most enticing meals at the drop of a hat. No, you haven’t won a lottery. All this is possible starting from as little as $150 per night. The place? Sri Lanka. Location? One of around 20 boutique villas and resorts in and around Galle, Kandy, Tangalla, Bentota and Colombo.

Snapshot 2: Its late morning and accompanied by an experienced guide who knows all the deep secrets of the jungle, you have just come back from a three hour jeep ride in the forest. You may have been lucky enough to have spotted a tiger but even if you haven’t, the fresh morning air and wild deer, boar or bears have rejuvenated your soul. Now you are served a scrumptious breakfast by the poolside and you rest for a while in your luxury airconditioned tent or soak your aches away in a relaxing tub bath. Or you opt for a swim in the heated pool and get yourself a soothing massage in the spa. In the afternoon you try your luck with the tiger again and take in a beautiful sunset. At dusk relax and chat with a few drinks by the campfire and dine on Indian, Italian or any other cuisine of your choice. The cost? Could be just $125 per day. The place? Ranthambore National Park, just a 3 hour drive away from Jaipur, Rajasthan.

So you think it costs an arm and a leg to arrange a holiday like this? You probably dread the hours you think you will have to spend surfing the net and arguing with your travel agent. Forget it. All you do is wave your magic wand and let the adventure mystics handle things.

The two travel genies are Asheesh Malaney and Nikhilendra Singh who founded Natural Mystic in 1996 to take the sting out of planning your dream holiday. The market was more than ready.

Whether you are Naomi Campbell or simply Nimmi Kapoor, the process is the same. Explains Asheesh, “Clients get in touch with us. We shoot them a list of questions. Once we get an idea of what they want to do, when they want to go, the number of people in the group and so on, we customize an itinerary for them. The itinerary then goes back and forth 3 to 4 times on email and once we hit upon the final trip we send them a final costing. If they are fine with everything, we go ahead and start making the arrangements.”

Trips can range between $100 per person per day to $300 per person depending on the add ons. “One group of clients wanted a private fashion show in the desert. Models, a coordinator and a designer had to be organized and then they had a 1930s party in a 1930s palace with a jazz band flown down from Mumbai for the next night. They also stayed in the best hotels along the way. This cost them $270 per person per day all inclusive,” Asheesh said.

The concept of Natural Mystic, named for a song by Bob Marley, was born over a beer with an American friend, Eric. “It was during my third year at college in the US,” recounted Asheesh. “We were all of 21 and naïve enough to believe we could pull it off. He had just come back from Costa Rica, which inspired him to forget about his medical school dreams and start an eco travel company instead. I told him about South Asia with its stunning potential and he agreed. After college he went travelling around the world and I worked as a management consultant in New York. During those two post-college years we wrote the business plan, saved some money and I got in touch with Nikhilendra, an old friend from boarding school (Doon School in Dehradun) who had similar aspirations. Then in 1996, I quit my consulting job and the three of us met in India and travelled all over South Asia setting up partnerships and filming our destinations for our marketing material. The irony was that Eric eventually pulled out of the business and Nikhilendra and I kept going. We did our first trip in 1996 and have grown ever since.”

Today Mystic has organized trips for over 2000 clients from more than 30 countries. Offices are located in Mumbai and Rajasthan and one is on the cards for Delhi.

For international desis, Rajasthan, South India, Lakshwadeep and Sri Lanka are strongly recommended for a first trip. For diving and the private beach/island experience, Lakshwadeep is ideal while the Maldives are also amazing but a little more commercial and expensive. For the adventurous traveller, North East Himalayas, Ladakh, Spiti and Bhutan are great places and for those who want to relax, opt for spa and luxury wildlife holidays, Asheesh recommends.

At the risk of sounding corny, Natural Mystics is going places and for those who want a dream holiday without a major drain on the purse and the minimum of fuss, these are the guys for you. Ask Naomi. She says Jodhpur is her favourite place in the world……

Natural Mystics: http://adventuremystics.com

For information: info@adventuremystics.com

Phone (Mumbai): 9122-2492-0913/14