The sex monkey has a twin, and this one wants to get you high on adrenaline rather than alcohol: all hail the entrance of Bonobo Adventures, a travel company by the same guys behind Bandra’s beloved bar, designed to introduce amateurs (yes, I’m talking to you) to the great outdoors.

What’s the connection between a bar and a vacation planner, you may ask, and rightly so – they seem like two different animals. But according to Sahil Timbadia, a partner at Bonobo, they are actually the same species. “Running Bonobo, we’ve learnt what people need to have a good time,” he explains. “We know what they want, and we know how to deliver it. A lot of those can be applied to the tourism industry. Plus, internationally, pubs often organize trips for their patrons and we wanted to do something similar at Bonobo.”

The Ape of Good Hope

Timbadia is an adventure junkie himself, and one of the key players behind Bonobo Adventures. During his multiple mountaineering, rafting, kite surfing and don’t-even-ask trips, he has built a repertoire of knowledge and personal relationships with major travel agencies, both of which he plans to leverage for his new venture. “I know all the major tourism players personally, so they’ll give me flexibility and deals that are otherwise impossible to get,” he told us. Plus, Bonobo Adventures promises to monitor each stage of the trip closely, making sure all of their 15 to 30 travellers are well served.

Boot(y) Call

For their first run, Bonobo has chosen a week-long rafting and trekking expedition to the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, kicking off on October 22, 2011. The trip will include rafting on major rapids of the Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers; a visit to the Shiva temple at Tungnath; hiking through the rhododendron Chopta forests; and camping at Devaritayal Lake. The trip is designed for first-timers, Timbadia assures, but is “not lame, like going rafting on a small rapid somewhere in Maharashtra”. Future trips with the sex monkey include kite surfing, scuba diving, sailing and more.

Come, come, we say.

Getting there: Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further inquiries or to make a booking, Rs 29,000 per person for a seven day trip, including living, food, licenses, activities and travel from Haridwar/Dehradun and back.