I grew up in a small village on the banks of Satluj River near Shimla in the western Himalayas. My memories are of wonderful days at school followed by plenty of daily chores on the small farm we lived on, such as picking fruit and vegetables, tending goats, ploughing with oxen and planting rice and various crops.
Encounters with wild animals or cobras were normal and I even ended up once wrestling with a Himalayan wolf to rescue a farm worker. It was a strict upbringing but I treasure my memories of the times sharing, learning and working with family members and within our community.
After my schooling, my interest in education and in the Himalayas inspired me to become a Tutor, Trekking Guide, a school teacher and finally a full time Tour Leader. The air was clean, the landscape inspiring and the friendships strong.
I have lead various trekking expeditions and tailor made tours to Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Ladakh, Sikkim, Kerala and Nepal.
My longest expedition was 18 days trekking route over Bhaba pass 4890m and Parangla pass 5580m via Pin and Spiti valley to Tso-Morari Lake in Ladakh with the Everest participant Mr Anton Muller and a German documentary was produced on this tour in 2003.
A Tree For Clean Air
Expedition Leaders is one of the first companies to make planting trees or contribution towards reforestation a compulsory part of our holidays and expeditions for all of our travellers.
Since 2012, Puran has encouraged all our travellers to have a plantation and community task included in their itinerary to make a positive change for people and the environment. All our guests highly enjoy this and feel enriched with the experience.
In 2019 Expedition Leaders managed to plant over 200 trees in Rural villages of Himachal and Rajasthan.
Our guests have provided over 350 goody bags filled with toothpaste, brushes, drawing books, paints, notebooks while cycling or trekking in the rural villages throughout India.
Puran has also provided clean water filters for more than 400 students in Karsog Valley for different schools.
We have established our own charity ASRA in the area and re-invest some of the profits back in local communities, as well as running valuable community projects.
Those who have travelled with us tell us that they have been unable to find this level of sustainable travel elsewhere and it’s one of the reasons they choose to travel with us again.
We provide a range of assistance from water filters to solar lights and assistance for the disabled in often isolated communities.
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Our Indian Field Operations Team is a close-knit team of educated and trained local ‘Paharis’ (mountain people) who speak English and have decades of experience in India & The Himalayas.
For those who want to trek, we have organised and guided expeditions at over 5,000 metres. We are professionals with our own equipment and local connections, able to deliver memorable adventures.
