OLD - Trek the Tribal Lands of Orissa

Take part in this spectacular trek around Orissa, India in aid of LEPRA Health in Action.  LEPRA is a medical development charity with a long history of restoring health, hope and dignity to people affected by leprosy and other diseases of poverty.  LEPRA currently work in some of the poorest communities of nine developing countries, where their local teams work closely with the most disadvantaged people.  As a charity, their work has and will continue to be reliant on the support of the British public, until diseases like leprosy and the poverty that fuels them are a thing of the past.

 The highly cultured tropical state of Orissa lies along the north-east coast of India, on the Bay of Bengal. There are exquisite temples, beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife and bird sanctuaries and many interesting and indigenous tribes.

 The history of Orissa boasts many different cultures and religions. The early days of Hinduism were replaced by Buddhism in the 3^rd Century BC by Emperor Ashoka. This was then overtaken by Jainism under the rule of Kharavela.  By the 7^th Century AD, Hinduism returned and the Orissan culture flourished and countless temples from this classical period still stand today.

 Your trekking route is one of great ethnological interest; to meet the many tribes (Gadabà, Dhurwa, Khonds, Bonda, Koya, Paroja, Bhumia, etc) that you will see in the villages, markets and along the paths you will travel.  It is exciting trekking, with nights in the jungle and many encounters with the Khonds tribe in particular.