I was born in Chalish (Ward no. 4), Sertung, Dhading, which lies on the border with Tibet in the lap of Ganesh Himal. I started to go to school at the age of 6. From the very beginning, school was not something people talked about in my village. Surprisingly, most families did not even know why education mattered. I was very lucky in this matter. My parents, especially my father, wanted me to be educated, so he took me to the next village, Sertung Gaun, which was 30 minutes on foot, to study. There were only 10 students in my whole class. This number shows that very few children would go to school to receive an education.
Later, for secondary school, I had to move again, this time to Borang village. Every day, I walked two hours to school and two hours back home to Chalish. It was a tiring chapter of my life, overshadowed by the reality that my parents, as subsistence farmers, had no steady income to cover my fees. In moments of exhaustion, I envied my childhood friends who had already started working as laborers and earning income. Slowly, I realized my parents were giving me the only gift they could not lose to bad weather or a poor harvest.
Despite the lack of trained teachers and good facilities, I studied as hard as I could and consistently led my class. Our batch was the first to graduate from the newly established high school in Borang, and out of four students who passed, I was one of them. Sometimes I wonder if the government had not opened that school when it did, my parents would never have been able to send me to high school, nor would I have completed high school. I finished high school in 1998. It was the same year Nepal promoted “Visit Nepal 1998,” and tourism began to shine as a path full of possibilities. From this year, my journey into trekking began.
Journey Into Tourism
I moved to Kathmandu the same year, which is 1998. I decided to step into tourism and plan to continue my studies at the same time. But it wasn’t as easy as I planned. It became so difficult for me to carry both loads, textbooks and trekking loads together, and eventually I had to pause my formal education to build a foundation in trekking. I worked as a porter for one and a half years, carrying heavy loads along the Himalayan trails. Then, after training, I became a trekking guide. Each step I took with my guests on those rocky paths also felt like a step towards my own future.
Later, in 2003, while still guiding, I returned to my academic journey by joining Saraswoti Multiple College, under Tribhuvan University. I completed my Intermediate level in Political Science and Nepali in 2005. Then I joined Tri-Chandra College to study Nepali and Sociology, and I completed my bachelor’s degree in 2008. I continued on to a Master’s in Nepali Linguistics, which I completed in 2011 at the same university. Recently, I completed my second Master’s degree in Tourism Studies from Kathmandu Academy of Tourism and Hospitality (KATH) under Purbanchal University, and I have now been admitted to Lincoln University in Malaysia for a PhD in Tourism.
For a boy who once walked four hours a day just to reach a simple classroom, this journey has felt like a long, steep ascent, one that I am still climbing.
Along the way, I have had the chance to share Nepal’s story with the wider world. In January 2014, I attended the 11th International Conference on IT Applications and Management in Taiwan, organized by the Korean Database Society, where I presented a paper on “The Present Situation of Tourism Management in Nepal” and received recognition for my work. In August 2017, I presented another paper, “The Challenges of Tourism Management in Nepal”, at the 18th IT International Conference in Shanghai, China, hosted by Fudan University. Standing on those stages, I carried with me the voices of my village, my fellow guides, and the countless people whose lives depend on tourism.
Social Involvement and Community Work
Social involvement has always been close to my heart because I know firsthand how much a small opportunity can change a life. In 2003, I founded “Rising Nepal Youth Club” (RNYC) to work at the grassroots level. Through RNYC, we organized social awareness programs and medical camps, distributed sports equipment to local youth, and worked on garbage management, environmental protection, water and sanitation, toilet surveys, and more. I led the organization as chairperson for three years.
Leading rising nepal youth club and leavning campagin at my village – Chalish
Furthermore, at Tri-Chandra College, I was elected president of Ghantaghar Sahitya Sangam, a literary institution. I led the organization for 2 years, and one of my proudest contributions was publishing a literary journal called “Akunchan.” I was also so determined to uplift my home region. So, I initiated the establishment of a grassroots tourism NGO, the Ganesh Himal Tourism Development Committee (GHTDC), dedicated to promoting the Ganesh Himal area. I was elected as vice president in 2012 for 2 years, and currently I am elected again as senior vice president.
Letter of appreciation receiving after supporting Ruby valley warm clothes in 2017
We surveyed the region to identify its tourism potential and rebranded it as “Ruby Valley.” With support from development partners like DFID and TAAN, we began building essential tourism infrastructure, aiming to create sustainable livelihoods for local people. For me, every new trail opened, every homestay built, and every guest welcomed is a way of giving back to the mountains that raised me.
Music and Personal Expression
Music has been another way for me to share the soul of rural Nepal. In 2003, I released a folk album titled “Mayako Pirati,” for which I wrote and composed the songs and also did the male vocals. Meanwhile, my wife, Sunita, joined me as the female vocalist. I later worked on my second folk album, “Sukeko Daali,” continuing to blend my roots, emotions, and experiences into music (It’s still yet to be released).
Business Involvement and Establishment of Nepal Alternative Treks
My business journey began the day I left my village for Kathmandu in 1998. After finishing school, I spent just one night at home and then ran away to Kathmandu, not out of rebellion, but because I had a responsibility: to help pay back the loan my parents had taken for my education. In Kathmandu, I went to Nepal Vision to ask for a porter job. There, Kul dai, who is now the manager of Nepal Vision, introduced me to Devendra sir, the Managing Director. They gave me my first opportunity. I worked as a porter for two years, completed trekking guide training, and eventually became a guide. For six years, I guided treks there and later worked with Experienced Treks alongside Chandra dai and with Alliance Trekking, gaining experience, trust, and a deeper love for the mountains and the people I served.
Everest Base Camp Trekking as guide cum porter in 1998Trek guide career in 2002Tej as Trekking Guide
Then, in 2008, I took a bold step and founded my own trekking company, “Nepal Alternative Treks & Expeditions Pvt. Ltd.,” in a joint venture with Mr. Rankesh Gurung and Mr. Himal Ghale. I served as chairperson of the company. Over time, my partners moved in different directions, and I continued to lead the company on my own. Besides this, from 2015 to 2019, I was also involved in running a hotel, “Kathmandu Garden Home,” in Paknajol, Thamel. This experience helped me understand how a warm welcome, a clean room, and a genuine smile can make a weary traveler feel at home in a foreign city.
What Nepal Alternative Treks Means to Me
Today, when I welcome guests through Nepal Alternative Treks, I see much more than itineraries and bookings. I see my long walks to school in the dark, my parents’ sacrifices, the heavy loads I carried as a porter, the nights spent studying, and the villages that still hope for better opportunities. My life has been an evolution through education, hard work, and the kindness of many people I met along the way.
Welcoming Guest
Nepal Alternative Treks is my way of honoring that journey.
When you trek with us, you become part of the story of a boy from Chalish who followed a narrow mountain trail all the way to the wider world, and who now hopes to guide others, with heart and humility, into the soul of the Himalaya.
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