Corporate Roadies

Off-roading seems to be the latest idea for corporate incentives in India. feBusiness Traveller goes road trippin’

All pics: Vivek Sharma

Off-roading, simply put, means driving off the road. No, not onto pavements and into side benchers but off roads and onto rough, difficult terrain where driving is a challenge. Despite its dangers, off-roading could be the new chapter for the corporate incentive market in India. And it could well be the answer to the constant quest of the corporate world for a different experience.

Adventure travel company, Mercury Himalayan Explorations (MHE) Ltd, has introduced an off-roading package as an incentive trip for corporate travellers. The general manager of operations at MHE, Akshay Kumar, claims it is the first of its kind and feels that this concept is bound to catch the fancy of corporates since most of them are passionate about cars and driving. "Besides, unlike an incentive trip to a destination in Southeast Asia, which involves fun and leisure, an off-roading trip is a challenge of sorts with more opportunities for bonding and team building, and of course adventure," he adds.

More than 70 executives from a Delhi-based company recently undertook a four-day trip in Rajasthan organised by MHE. The group was to begin driving from Jodhpur to Osiyan in 15 Mahindra Bolero Camper 4WD.

To acclimatise participants to the hectic schedule, the first day was kept relatively easy with a leisurely drive that gave drivers enough time to get used to the tough configuration of the gears. "They learned new terms like 4x4 high, 4x4 low, skid control and were taught basic off-roading techniques on dirt tracks and small sand dunes. While some drivers took to it naturally, others took some time to get used to the concept," Kumar says.

The following three days were spent in some serious off-roading action. The group spent almost eight hours completing a 80 kms stretch driving over sand dunes, descending 65 degree inclines and pushing and pulling cars out of trouble.

According to Kumar, it was a once in a lifetime experience for the team and remarks like 'Wow, I never thought I could do this', 'I've seen this in Dubai, never thought India had so much to offer', 'If you're scared, I'll drive', were common. Kumar says that it was adventure all the way as the team spent nights under the uncountable stars, sleeping on the roof of a 200-year old Haveli in a small village, cooking dinner, and organising team games and activities.

Kumar claims that MHE pioneered the concept of self-drive off-road tours in India with its Isuzu Challenge in 2000. It later took the concept forward by organising the first ever ATV (Quads) expedition from Manali to Leh and shipped special ATV bikes for this. In October 2004, MHE organised 'Queen of the Desert', the first self-drive expedition in Rajasthan (covering more than 800 kms from Ajmer to Pushkar via Jorawar, Chattrasagar, Narlai, Kumbalgarh, Osiyan, Jodhpur and Ranakpur) with an all-women team of 80 from across the globe. For this, MHE tied up with Avis and procured a variety of 4x4 vehicles like Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Scorpio, pick-up trucks, etc.

MHE, with its tie-up with Avis, is offering 4x4 self-drive safari holidays to customers and has conducted similar trips for groups in Rajasthan and Ladakh. According to Kumar, the concept, though at a nascent stage in India, has huge potential and is sure to become popular with the corporate segment. "We are in the process of charting new routes in South India, Arunachal and even destinations close to metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore," Kumar adds.