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Accomodations & Fees
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Traveler Testimonials from Past Journeys
The Facilitator: Prapanna Smith
Accomodations and Fees
Our accomodations in Auroville are provided by the Afsanah Guesthouse. Being the premier guesthouse in Auroville, Afsanah's offers a variety of accomodations which include a dining hall, two private cottages, rooms with air conditioning and attached baths, and rooms with cieling fans and outside baths. Afsanah's also provides all meals (vegitarian or non-vegitarian), laundry service, and an excellent staff ready to make the guests' stays enjoyable and comfortable. Along with its first-rate facilities, Afsanah's has a harmonious feng shui garden, fish pond, beautiful landscaping, and an internet computer center.
The fee for our Auroville Journeys is variable, ranging from $152 to $163 per day (for 16 days). The different fees depend upon which rooms at Afsanah Guesthouse the travelors select or are assigned to. In addition to rooms, laundry service, and all meals at the guesthouse, the travel fee covers:
- Roundtrip flight with Singapore Airlines from Los Angeles to
Chennai, India and back;
- Transit hotel room (double or triple capacity) in the Singapore
Changi Airport;
- Transportation between the Airport and Auroville;
- Guest passes to Auroville facilities and activities;
- Motorcycle, scooter, or moped rentals in Auroville;
- Transportation to Pondicherry (two trips);
- Four-day tour of Auroville (see Activities page);
- One-day tour of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram;
- One dinner at the Rendezvous Restaurant in Pondicherry;
- Services of our facilitator, Prapanna Smith, before and during
the entire journey.
The travel fee will not cover expenses for shopping, additional travel outside Auroville, medical emergencies, and dining outside of that provided by the guesthouse. All travelors are strongly urged to bring extra cash for emergencies and for taking advantage of shopping bargains to be found in India. A minimum of $500 in spending money is suggested. Purchases of rugs, artwork, and jewelry can easily amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Shipping of oversized item such as statues, rugs, or brassworks to the U.S. can also be expensive.
Rooms at Afsanah Guesthouse will be assigned at the time the non-refundable deposit is received (see below). Travelors are asked to provide their first three choices of rooms, which will be assigned as available upon receipt of deposit. Friends or family members who intend to share a room must indicate their preferences as a group, send in deposit for all members of the group, in order to ensure they are assigned to the same room.
The travel fee, per person, and Afsanah Guesthoust room descriptions, are as follows (rooms reserved for the Summer Journey are marked with * and rooms reserved for the Fall Journey are marked with +):
Room 1:
Outside common bath
Room 2:
Outside common bath
Room 3:
Outside common bath
Room 4:
Attached bath
Dalai Lama Room:
Attached bath
Room 6:
Attached bath and A/C
Room 7:
Attached bath and A/C
Mirani Cottage:
Outside private bath
Japanese Cottage:
Outside private bath, A/C,
private kitchen and fridge
Payment of Deposit and Travel Fee
In order to reserve a seat for the journey a non-refundable deposit of $250 is required. Please note that while the deposit is not refundable, it is transferable, which means that the deposit can be applied toward another person's fee. Rooms will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis as deposits are received.
The schedule for deposits and payment of the balance of the travel fees are as follows:
Fall Journey: October 13-31, 2004
To Register for an Auroville Journey
In order to register for a trip, please send your information and request of room choice by going to the Registration Page. You will receive an email which will tell you how you can send your deposit.
Or, simply make out a check, payable to "Prapanna Smith" and mail it, along with your first three choices of room accomodations to:
Prapanna Smith
Rainbow Kids Integral School
11345 Zapata Ave.
San Diego, CA 92126