Ravi Tickoo
World traveller, professional mountaineer and passionate adventure entrepreneur, Ravi has over 25 years of experience conducting adventure, experiential and culture tours across the length and breadth of India.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"Active India Holidays is an award-winning independent travel company offering safe, authentic and memorable India holidays for families, small groups and individual travelers. Founded by Ravi Tickoo, Active India was born out of his vision to build a dedicated, high-quality and sustainable brand for active, experiential and adventure holidays across India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Active India offers an expanding range of engaging activities and immersive experiences including soft and challenging trekking, walking tours, cycling and motor-biking adventures, experiential culture and discovery holidays, wildlife safaris and nature tours.
We conduct our trekking and walking programs in Ladakh, Zanskar and across the Himalayas, pioneering multi-activity programs (cycling, motor-biking and safaris) across the Himalayas, Rajasthan and Kerala, wildlife safaris and tiger trails in prominent national parks and tiger reserves, experiential culture and discovery tours across the length and breadth of India. In partnership with KimKim, Active India offers on-demand tailor-made India experiences designed around your needs and crafted with a clear focus on the quality of service, authenticity of experience and enriching engagement with the cultural charms, natural splendor and unparalleled diversity that defines India.
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How did you get involved in travel?
"Being born and brought up in Kashmir valley, in the lap of great mountain ranges, tourism and in particular adventure travel has always seemed like a part of my DNA. The world-renowned natural beauty, alpine climate and the grand altitudes and outdoors have been attracting visitors to the valley for generations and shaped tourism as the dominant industry in the region. Starting out as a young, passionate tour leader back in the 80’s, I had the unique opportunity of exploring the most popular and remotest corners of the region and realizing how much I truly enjoyed my job. Very soon I joined a niche adventure company as a co-founder and spent over two decades contributing in its pioneering growth story from a local niche service provider to a multi-award winning nationwide tour operator.
Realizing the need and unmet demand for a dedicated, high quality Indian brand for active, experiential holidays, I founded Active India in 2011 to offer a wide range of safe, authentic and engaging activities with a focus on high quality, tailor-made services for truly personalized and memorable India experiences. We are proud that within a short span of our operations, Active India has seen great success and just last year was awarded the prestigious National Tourism Award for the Best Adventure Tour Operator."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"Having had the privilege to travel across Asia, Europe and North America, I have had my fair share of adventures and experiences over the years. However, the one that is truly unique and unforgettable, comes from my first attempt to summit the peak Deo Tibba (6001m) one of the highest peaks in eastern end of Pir Panjal range of Himalayas. The entire expedition, from being one of my first “serious” climbs and accompanied by my dear friend and world-renowned mountaineer, Fred Harper, was a deeply transformative experience. The scenes of unparalleled beauty and immense power of nature combined with the thrill and vulnerability of adventure and wilderness have remained so vivid until this day. Unfortunately, Fred passed away soon after in 2000, which further made this experience a unique privilege and personal honor to have shared my rope with someone I admired and learnt so much from. "
Ravi's favorite itineraries and travel advice
Top itineraries and travel advice
With its vivid colors, glittering heritage, fascinating cities, and beautiful countryside from lush green oases to the Thar desert, North India is like nowhere else on earth....
This exciting 10-day itinerary introduces travelers to South India's serene state of Kerala. Kicking off in the historic city of Cochin, located on the Arabian Sea, you'll set...
This relaxing seven-day itinerary is the perfect way to explore Kerala at an easy pace. Spend the night on a houseboat in the backwaters, enjoy beautiful Marari beach, trek...
Family itineraries
This exotic itinerary is the ultimate introduction to South India's state of Kerala—an up-and-coming destination for savvy travelers. Kick off with an Arabian Sea sunset in...
Spend a week and a half exploring the state of Rajasthan with the family on this packed 10-day itinerary. You'll start and end your trip in lively Delhi, completing a circuit...
Spend a week discovering India's culture and history with this immersive family tour. Start in the vibrant city of Mumbai to stroll the greenery of Kamala Nehru Park, see...
Luxury itineraries
Admire some of India's most spectacular buildings, have cooking lessons with a local family, and spot wildlife on this 13-day cultural tour of Rajasthan. In Agra, you'll marvel...
Come face to face with some of India's most amazing wildlife on this 12-day tiger and temple itinerary through the heart of Central India. Start in Delhi, where you'll take a...
This South Indian adventure gets to the heart of Kerala's spectacular layered landscapes. After touring the historic city of Cochin, you and your guide will drive toward tea...
Road trip itineraries
Only an hour’s flight from Delhi, Ladakh looks like nowhere else on earth. Turquoise lakes reflect snow-dusted peaks. Monasteries tower like beehives over the stark,...
The eastern end of the Himalaya and their neighboring foothills is one of the least-visited sections of the mountain range, but other travelers' loss is your gain as you explore...
With a week to visit Ladakh, you'll have the chance to see all of the region's highlights. Start by exploring the city of Leh and touring the surrounding monasteries, then head...
Honeymoon itineraries
With its colorful culture and rich history, Rajasthan is a splendid display of a unique Indian heritage. This trip focuses on spectacular sights of India’s largest state,...
Ten days in India is enough to go beyond the highlights of one region, enjoying off-the-beaten-path sites or remote locales that wouldn't be possible with a shorter trip. Pair a...
Spend nine days in northern India, learning all about its food, culture, and history. Start in Delhi sightseeing and tasting its street food, feast on Peshawari cuisine in Agra...
Recent trip reviews for Ravi
Experiencing A New Culture in India!
India
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Aug 10 - Aug 15, 2024
Thank you so much for sharing your detailed feedback about your recent trip to India! We’re thrilled to hear that you and your daughter had a memorable experience and enjoyed exploring Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. It’s wonderful to know that our local guides and our driver Mr. Puran made a positive impact on your journey. We’ll be sure to pass along your compliments to them! We appreciate your honest feedback about the accommodations. Your insights are invaluable, and we’ll take... Read more
Family trip to South India
India
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Jun 25 - Jul 1, 2024
Right from planning, answering questions and arranging for logistics- hotels, guides, car etc, Ravi and team were on top of everything.
We had a wonderful experience with our 2 guides, Sam Benjamin and Marimuthu who were extremely knowledgeable about the area and provided us a lot of insights and also recommendations on places to eat, shop etc.
Ajith, our driver for the trip was always on time and kept... Read more
Namaste!
Thank you so much for taking out time and sharing your reviews of the recent trip. We are happy to hear that you and your family had a nice and enjoyable trip. Guest feedback is of paramount importance to us as it helps us to improver the services wherever required and also encourages our team members to wrk even harder once they receive appreciation for their hardwork. We are very grateful to you and your family for allowing us this chance to arrange your south... Read more
Resort at Kanyakumari was not up to the mark....
India
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Jun 25 - Jul 1, 2024
Resort at Kanyakumari was not up to the mark.Food quality was poor .
Dear Sriram,
Namaste!
Thank you so much for your trip review. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to design and operate your special India holiday tour.
We have noted your feedback for the Resort at Kanyakumari and have decided to no longer use this property for our future guests as your feedback is valuable to us.
We look forward to welcoming you and your family to another India adventure in the near future.
Best Regards,
Ravi
Excellent Trip to Golden Triangle
India
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Jun 3 - Jun 12, 2024
Dear Yannic,
Namaste!
Thank you so much for your trip reviews. We are happy to hear you had a nice and enjoyable trip to India. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to design and operate your special India holiday tour.
Apologies for the minor mix-up with the surname, We notified all the hotels beforehand, therefore not causing any check-in issues!
We look forward to welcoming you and your family to another India adventure in the near future.
Best Regards,
Ravi
Average tour
India
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Apr 23 - May 2, 2024
The driver was fantastic but the tours all felt a bit bland - like the guides had delivered the same tour for 20 years - nothing spectacular.
Kimkim removed all the hassle and risk of making any decisions ,was good to know we had support if anything in India went paired shaped. Read more
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India
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Apr 7 - Apr 27, 2024
The trip was very well planned out. We appreciate all the effort provided by the driver, the guides, Ravi and Aditya. Thank you!!!
Dear James and Anne,
Namaste!
Thank you so much for your trip reviews. we are happy to hear you and Anne had a nice and enjoyable trip to India. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to design and operate your special India holiday tour.
We look forward to welcoming you and your family to another India adventure in the near future.
Best Regards,
Ravi
A great way to travel!
India
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Mar 23 - Apr 5, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about your recent trip to India! We are pleased to hear that your experience in India was wonderful and that both you and your wife enjoyed every moment of this journey. We truly appreciate your kind words and appreciation of our team. On behalf of the entire Active India team, we thank you for trusting and choosing us to organize your India tour.
We hope you visit India again in the future and explore even more of what our... Read more
I already filled this out elsewhere and think...
India
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Mar 25 - Apr 9, 2024
Dear Dorothy,
Many thanks for taking out time and sending us your trip feedback. Glad to hear you have enjoyed the overall trip and your suggestion of splitting sightseeing with an offer of optional activities is well noted.
We look forward to welcoming you on another Indian experience,
Best Regards,
Ravi
Active India and Ravi were awesome!
India
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Mar 25 - Apr 4, 2024
We had a seamless trip put together in a short timeframe. Besides the amazing sites and people in India, we especially were grateful for transfer agents, guides, and drivers. They were all well versed in what we were doing, easy to commicate with, and made our trip to India very enjoyable.
Dear Dorothy,
Thank you so much for taking out time to share reviews of your recent trip with us! We're happy to hear that you and your friends have enjoyed the holiday and we have met your expectations.
We look forward to welcoming you on another India adventure,
Best Regards
Ravi