The story of two Navy commanders who did not retire but has started

Sam has started putting on a uniform decades ago, when he was admitted to the Sainik school in Kerala. This is where he was exposed to a diverse range of adventure activities, an army and travel arrangements. He went to the National Defence Academy and from there went on to get the Wings to become a pilot. Commander Sam has traveled far and wide and served the nation for a long time in various roles. In 1995, he was posted in Kochi, Kerala, where he met the Commander Thomas Zacharias, who was an electronics engineer. They became good friends and two things tied them tightly-nature and adventure.

Sam and Thomas continued to speak for about five years and finally decided on launch in 2000. They left the Navy and started a company called Kalypso adventures in Kerala. "People have called us crazy," recalls the captain Sam. Kerala was not a place associated with the adventure tourism and the duo to change exactly this. "Adventure tourism was considered as possible only in the Himalayas and we wanted to change this perception. We wanted people to try something out of the ordinary, "says Sam. Through the years it has remained focused visits Kalypso of special interest in adventure travel, nature and eco tours.

Initially, it was a hard ride. Financing was hard to come by and Kalypso was to bring on four years of funding from the founders and a few friends. They were persistent, and their efforts started bearing fruits and spread the word and became a household name in southern India. They had to broaden the offerings from more adventurous things like paragliding in things like kayaking, cycling and hiking that could be made from a larger collection of people, but then they found their space.

Kalypso adventures caters to individuals, as well as large groups, and now have the ability to manage a group of about 150 people on a journey of adventure cycling. Kalypso organized cycling tours extremely along the entire length of the company, starting from Kanyakumari to Mussorie. Kalypso is a 32 team members now of which about 15 are guides that six people from the local community who have received training and climbed the ladder. "We believe in responsible tourism and all of our efforts are the environment and the local community in mind," says Sam. Over the years, the company has grown and now operates about 1100 days in a year.

Starting from Kerala, Kalypso is also present in other States such as Rajasthan, Goa and other North-Eastern India. A majority of their clients are foreigners. "We have many offers, where companies have wanted to acquire us but we are in this because we love doing it. I could have been a commercial pilot and Thomas might have joined a great company and earned much more than we are earning, but we Kalyso gives us joy, "says Sam. The intention is to continue to grow steadily and give many more people an option to taste adventure as we all have an adventurous streak.

Website: Kalypso adventures