Adventure Travel with Sagar Pandey - Himalayan Glacier Adventure & Travel Company

Sagar Pandey
Founder & CEO
Himalayan Glacier Adventure & Travel Company

Sagar Pandey, a name synonymous with excellence in adventure tourism and hospitality, has carved a remarkable legacy as the CEO and Founder of Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company. With a career spanning decades, his passion for connecting people with the splendour of the Himalayas and his commitment to uplifting local communities have established him as a transformative figure in the travel and hospitality industry.

A Trailblazer in Adventure Tourism
Born with an innate love for the mountains, Sagar Pandey founded Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company, a pioneering organization in adventure tourism. His vision was clear: to create authentic, life-changing experiences for travelers while promoting sustainable tourism. Under his leadership, the company has grown to become a global leader, offering bespoke trekking, climbing, and cultural tours across Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, India, Africa and South America.

His expertise in curating unique travel experiences, coupled with an unwavering focus on quality and safety, has attracted thousands of adventurers from around the world. Himalayan Glacier’s commitment to preserving local culture and ecosystems reflects Sagar’s deep-rooted philosophy of responsible tourism.

Hospitality Innovator
Beyond adventure tourism, Sagar Pandey’s entrepreneurial spirit has driven him to establish several ventures in the hospitality sector. As the founder of Kathmandu Grill, a premier dining destination, he has elevated Nepalese cuisine to new heights, delighting both locals and international patrons with a perfect blend of traditional flavors and modern dining experiences.

In addition, Sagar is the owner of multiple hotels, each designed to provide unparalleled service and comfort. His properties are not just accommodations; they are immersive experiences that showcase the warmth of Nepalese hospitality. His innovative approach to blending cultural authenticity with luxury has redefined the standards of the hospitality industry in the region.

Leadership in Tourism and Society
As the current President of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Sagar Pandey continues to shape the future of Nepal's tourism sector. His leadership has been instrumental in advocating for sustainable tourism policies, improving trekking infrastructure, and ensuring the well-being of trekking guides and porters. He is widely respected for his ability to unite stakeholders and address pressing challenges in the industry.

Sagar’s influence extends beyond business. A firm believer in giving back to society, he actively supports community development initiatives, focusing on education, health, and environmental conservation. His leadership is a testament to his belief that entrepreneurship should force positive change.

A Visionary Entrepreneur and Role Model
Sagar Pandey’s achievements exemplify the impact of combining passion with purpose. Whether he is orchestrating world-class travel experiences, elevating hospitality standards, or championing societal progress, his vision and dedication are unwavering.

In recognition of his contributions, Sagar has received accolades from various international organizations and remains a sought-after speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, sustainable tourism, and leadership. His journey inspires countless individuals to dream big, work hard, and impact their communities meaningfully.

summary
In this episode of the Big World Made Small

Learn more about Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Marketing and join our private community to get episode updates, special access to our guests, and exclusive adventure travel offers on our website.

Transcript

Jason Elkins (00:01.109)
Welcome back everybody to another episode of the Big World Made Small podcast for the adventure traveler. Today we've got a special treat. We've got Sagar Pandey. He's the founder and CEO of the Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company. He's a, I believe Sagar, you're in Nepal right now, right?

Sagar Pandey (00:18.722)
Yeah, mean, Katten, Nepal, in land of Himalayas, just saying.

Jason Elkins (00:25.013)
Very, very cool. Super excited to have you on the show. I've interviewed and I've spoken with some people kind of close to you in India and stuff, but nobody from Nepal. And I'm super fascinated by your region. And we're going to go into that quite a bit, but I also really kind of want our listeners to get to know you and hear your story. So welcome. I'm so happy you're here.

Sagar Pandey (00:47.416)
Yeah, Justin, thanks for having me. And it's a great opportunity to be on your show. And I think it's a very big beginning. was just searching things because I do like the research and then and actually I was looking for the marketing company and then I saw your titles, you know, Big War, you know. And then I jumped in and I looked at and then, you know, that's how I.

put the emails on your website. So I born and raised here in Nepal and in the mountain regions. It's the eight highest mountains that belongs to Nepal and I came from the Gorkha because obviously most of the British people they know about the Gorkhas because it's a historical war, right? And so

In my childhood, the trekking is our way of life, that time, An hour and half from home, go to the schools, upside down to the hills. So that was the real life that time. And later on, when I came to the industry, I knew that about the trekking. But actually, I did the trekking when I was like, you

six, seven years old back in the villages. that's and so we're I'm doing in a different way now and educating the tourists for the adventures and trekking and climbing. So, yeah, it's been a long time. I've been in the industry almost, let's say, 30 years or more. But actually, this Himalayan glacier has been established almost like 20

Jason Elkins (02:17.377)
Very cool.

Sagar Pandey (02:41.704)
six years and in 1998 it has been started. And myself, I'm a science student. I graduated in geology and then I ended up in the adventure, you know, work, adventure business. And I'm fascinating once I came on this job and every time you met the different people, different backgrounds, know, and different professions and different history.

And also it gives you the opportunity to travel within the country itself and abroad. So yeah, that's how I came to the industry.

Jason Elkins (03:22.551)
Very, very cool. You've got quite a story and I've already got quite a few questions because I'm fascinated by several things. One, I want to touch on, because you mentioned Gurkha and you like, well, you know, the British people know the Gurkhas. Maybe some of our listeners don't. I know a little bit. So tell us more about, the, tell us what are Gurkhas?

Sagar Pandey (03:48.558)
Okay, let's go because it's a big army right in the world back in first World War and Second World War. All right. And after that, because back in 200 years before East India Company was in India ruled by the British. And so they try to conquer Nepal and Nepalese army. You know, but defeat actually not defeated, but is defeated.

and then, you know, and pushed the British army back to India and then we have made a treaty. So that time the Gorkha war is becoming very famous because Nepal was divided that time in small 22 kingdoms. And then the king from the Gorkha area, he unified the Nepal's as one country.

So, and that time Nepal has a militant trained armed force built in the Gorkha districts. So finally those Gorkha soldiers, unified all the other kingdoms of Nepal and finally those Gorkha army, Gorkha regiments, fought.

the British Army that time in the Second World War, I think before the First World War, think. and then Nepal government that time and the British government, East India Company that time we call in India. So we had a treaty. So British government decided to open a Gorkha regiment, battalions in the

British military and those those regiments known as the Gorkha regiments and later on these Gorkha regiments army being used in a Falkland, you know, island or in Singapore, in Hong Kong and wherever the British has a colony. Right. So that's how the Gorkha wars is becoming very famous.

Sagar Pandey (06:14.782)
and within the British peoples and in a military world.

Jason Elkins (06:20.897)
Very, very cool. appreciate that. Cause I served in the US army for a while and I actually had a guy in my unit that had been a former British Royal Marine and the term Gurkha came up and he was trying to explain that to me. I, so I appreciate your, your explanation was, was better, frankly. And I'm curious. So in order for someone to say, may be back in the day or now I'm a Gurkha. Does that mean that they

had to come from that original region in Nepal or could they have maybe, or did they have to serve in one of the Gurkha regiments regardless of where they came from or so how do you identify like if someone says I'm a Gurkha, what does that mean?

Sagar Pandey (07:03.64)
Well, that's back in the back in the very early stage. The people who came from the work district is known as workers. But in the modern time, you know, so the person who work the British Army, right, or who works in the Indian worker resumes.

Jason Elkins (07:26.689)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (07:31.596)
Those are known as Gurkhas.

Jason Elkins (07:34.401)
Okay, got it. And correct me if I'm wrong, but they carry a very distinct or unique looking knife, right? That kind of is the symbol of the Gurkha, right?

Sagar Pandey (07:42.348)
Yeah, Gorkha knife is very famous. Yeah, This is weapon of the Gorkha military, Gorkha army and Gorkhas.

Jason Elkins (07:52.183)
All right. Cool. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. I know that was kind of a little bit of a maybe off topic, but I just thought it was fascinating. So thank you for sharing that. And you said when you were young, you kind of grew up and quite young, you were out doing these tracks and stuff. So tell me a little bit about your parents and your family. How did you get into that at a young age? What were they doing?

Sagar Pandey (07:57.175)
Yeah

Sagar Pandey (08:15.95)
What the?

Well, it's interesting that's because initially I was not thinking to come on this job. So I was thinking either I'm to become the doctor or medical doctor or the engineer. And finally, when I did my graduation in geology, I was thinking to go for the mining engineers, for mining engineering.

So in my family, have a still, I have my parents. My father is 94 years old. He's still with me here in Kathmandu. And my mother is 85 years old. And she's also very good by health. And I married with two kids. I have my son living in Baltimore, Maryland. And now my daughter is traveling. She's here in Kathmandu with me.

So she's working for the big American marketing company called the Big Villains. And then my son, he joined the family business because know, Himalayan glacier is a family business and he is working for the business development and marketing in the U.S. And we have the office, the register office in two locations, one in the U.S.

and one here in Nepal, which I started back in 1998.

Jason Elkins (09:45.879)
Very cool. What did your father do? What kind of work was he doing when you were growing up?

Sagar Pandey (09:51.502)
Well, that's my father. Actually, he was a civil servant and he worked as an attorney in the office. In the law, he studied law and he was an advocate and he got retired. I think it's almost 30 years before he got retired. And so, yeah.

And I didn't follow his path. And so because the way I came on this industry or on this job or in the business, because, you know, that time I was not thinking that I'm going to be there, you know, but like adventure, especially story, adventure people. Right. So that time it was very hard to get a job. It's very hard to get a job in Captain with that time. And so

When I finished my graduation and I got married, I got married with my lovely wife, Pramila. And so that time I didn't have a job, either she didn't have a job too. So I was looking for the job actually, to be honest. then I got an opportunity that's very first time.

Jason Elkins (11:05.303)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (11:15.252)
And people offered me the business partners, right? Because that time I didn't know any about the adventures, how the business worked, and my family is not from the business, right? My grandfather was a very famous farmer in the village. So they have, let's say, 30 cows, or 30 buffaloes, and 400 thousands of sheep-signed goats.

and four or five horses, right? So, and I think in my family, I'm the first generation in the business. And then I was looking for the job and I got, that's, there was one tracking company and one of my relatives was running and they were not running pretty well. And I used to go there and instead of working as an employee, I say that, okay.

Jason Elkins (11:46.615)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (12:12.686)
I want to invest and I know work. that's I want to become the boss and I want to learn by myself, you know, how business works in the adventure. But that time it was very hard. The people are speaking English, but I had a background of the science. I know all our syllables was, you know, in English, we need to study in English, speak in English. So that's why my English was not that bad.

But again, to match the pronunciation with the British people and American people, I was pretty quite comfortable to understand the American and Canadian voice as well as the Australian. But at some point, British accents were very hard to understand at that time. And later on, used to understand.

all this. And now I can say that if I speak someone with someone, I can tell the nationality, OK, you are from Italy or from Russia or from Israel or from Australia or from the US or from Wales, you know, kind of thing. So and so that's how I started my adventure career. And then I started to go to the

professional tracking as well as guiding things. then so, and the reason that I put the name of the Himalayan glacier is as I know that because I studied the geology and I know there are, you know, very few major glaciers in the world. One is the Polar glaciers, is the biggest glacier in the world. And second, the very largest and longest and you know, glaciers might be false in the Himalayas is the highest, longest range.

of the snow mountain in the world. that's why I am from the Himalayas. It's better to put the Himalayan Glacier. That's how the name that I put myself. And you have seen the logo with the peaks and different colors. That also I designed by myself because that time I didn't have money to hire the designer to design my logo. And then all the documenters and I did that. It's funny things.

Jason Elkins (14:13.393)
Yeah.

Jason Elkins (14:27.377)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (14:34.614)
And that time when I started the Simalan Glacier, I didn't know how to get the clients. There was no internet at that time. So how were you going to get the clients first? And what I did was I built the local networks, very strong networks within the hotels and guest houses here in Kathmandu. At that time, tourists used to carry their Lonely Planet's guidebooks and the writers who put up the recommended hotels and guest houses.

So I build the network with the reception people in the town. And then I flood up commission for them. Hey guys, if you are referring me the clients, you're going to get the X amount of the commissions if they go the trekking and any other climbing and adventures. So that's how people start sending me the clients to my office.

and I started slowly building up a tracking business. I think in 2000, I had an opportunity, very first time, to travel to the US, right? And that time I built the website. it's a funny thing, in that time, every office didn't have computers and the internet.

So there was one very first internet cafe been introduced and then and every local people they lined up to open the hotmails. Right. And then the people was charging less than 20 rupees for opening the hotmails. And then every day morning you go that's whether you have a

Jason Elkins (16:10.052)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (16:22.606)
email coming from somewhere and then if they print that and they again charge the 20 rupees, you know, that's how it started. And in 2000, there was one American guy called Randy. He came to Kathmandu, used to live in Kathmandu and he had one big apartment and then he invited a few tourism business entrepreneurs like hiking operators. And I was one of them.

And I went to his house and then very first time I saw that's like 52 inches computers in his screen computers before I, you know, one desktop, you know, like a 40, 14 inches computers. And when I went in his apartment and it was like 52 inches computer and he start telling that, hey, gentlemen, you know, website is the next futures.

Jason Elkins (16:59.813)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (17:17.774)
of the business in the world so you need to learn about that and you need to build the website if you have a good website you get the business in the future so I learned that and then in 2000 I went to the US and there was one of my friends who was working in the big internet company that they designed the website they watched the server or everything they do

And very first things that I saw the biggest office in my life that time, I think it's like 500 square feet office. I think, you know, almost like 100 computers and 100 people is coming with an open space with you know, half partitions, you know, and then, and his name was also the Jason. And by the way, Jason, and then say he was the boss and right in the corner with his computers and my friend introduced.

his boss, know, Sagar is from Nepal and my friend. So that's he has a tracking company and so he has a website. then I when he browsed my website and then it's just like a Tika, you know, in a big screen he has a 52 inches computer as well and a small website that's been shown. And I stayed there almost like 15 days.

And I learned that how a website works and I need to focus that. And as soon as I returned to Kathmandu, I hired an in-house IT boy to work for me only in the office. And I built the Himalayan Glacier website then. And after one year, when I started this website, I didn't get a

Jason Elkins (18:58.288)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (19:11.726)
any business or before that before 2000 I think 1999 I have a one Friend from Florida. He was a tour leader to the one of the you know high-end, know adventure travel company calls up Condor adventures So and he came to Nepal's and then he used to guide the tour to Nepal and Bhutan is very rich people he's to travel with

And then we became friends, although we have a gap in the ages. So then he asked me, hey, do you have a website? No, I don't have a website. And then he asked me, do you have the photos? At that time, there was no digital photos. I had printed photos I gave him, and he went to the US. And then he made a website in the backlink, and he sent me that.

Jason Elkins (19:57.572)
You

Sagar Pandey (20:09.518)
just open that. it's a sock. that's very nice. My photo is there. Everything is there. So that's how it started. And again, when I built the website in 2020, 2001 and 2002, I didn't get any bookings and anything. So and then I went to this Paul Seamer, the you know, who works in the Cornwall adventures. And I called him, Hey, Paul, you know, I have a fantastic website.

Jason Elkins (20:14.404)
Uh-huh.

Sagar Pandey (20:38.19)
But I'm not getting any bookings, any inquiries. How does this work, man? Because you are in the US, always the technology evolves from there. So that's a, you guide me. then, and he gave me the tips. Hey, Sagar, I don't know whether you can spend the money or not, right? Because try the Google AdWords that time. Now it's Google AdWords, that time it Google AdWords.

Jason Elkins (20:47.793)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (21:03.31)
So I started researching that and, OK, let's put in. I don't know how much I'm to put that, whether I get the business or not. And then I made like $300 budget for a month that time. It's lot of things, $10 a day. And today we launched the Google AdWords with that IT guy help. And then I came home. And next morning,

Jason Elkins (21:17.509)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (21:30.582)
I got an inquiry from Australia of a group of five people. And then that time trunk line was very expensive, right? And then instead of just writing the email, I send the email by myself. That time I'm doing all the marketing myself, know, for sales myself, you know, and then operation myself, everything I was doing myself.

Jason Elkins (21:34.885)
Nice.

Sagar Pandey (21:56.875)
I made a call, hey guys, I got your email that you are interested to go to the Everest Base Camp, right? I'm for this, know, I'm Sagar Pandey from the Himalayan Glacier, how I can help you and this and that. After a few days of, you know, conversations, and with a few email like since, and they finally booked that. And, you know, by that time my price was $999 for

Jason Elkins (22:16.849)
nice.

Sagar Pandey (22:24.138)
Everest Base Camp trek to one person, the two nights in Kathmandu and 11-12 days trekking to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Jason Elkins (22:34.737)
Okay, so $9.99 for two weeks, really. For about two weeks of trip, okay.

Sagar Pandey (22:40.782)
Yeah, that's two weeks and then say in a back in 2003 or two, think. And then I got it now with $5,000 in my pocket. This is starting, you know, paying some bucks in the Google ads. And then the reason why I made this 99, you know, pricing philosophy when I traveled that time to the US and everywhere I saw the 99, you know.

They then put the hundred, that's 99, 199, or 299, or 89, like that. And I was so curious, why these guys are putting this number, you know? Why not the hundred? Why is it 99? And I found that it's like customer psychological things. And I changed all my prices that way. It's funny.

Jason Elkins (23:27.825)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, no, it's a weird one. It does work.

Sagar Pandey (23:36.6)
So that's how I started growing the business. And I think I'm the very first person in Kathmandu to use the Google AdWords back in that time.

Jason Elkins (23:47.641)
Are you still using them? Is that something that has continued to work well for you?

Sagar Pandey (23:55.182)
Yeah, that's how I still am using that because I meant no pain, no gain, you know, so...

Jason Elkins (24:01.531)
Now you've got to invest a little bit.

Sagar Pandey (24:04.236)
Yeah, otherwise, you so you cannot overcome it. At least that's because that that keep you in the marketplace. Right. It doesn't matter how much business you are getting, actually. Now is a lot of competition, as you know that. But it's keep you in the marketplace as a competitors. You know, that's so. And so that will help for, you know, brand exposures.

Jason Elkins (24:32.401)
I'm curious, you mentioned, you kind of said I was doing the marketing, I was doing the sales, I was doing the operations, I was doing all this stuff. Was there a period of time where you were also leading the trips and guiding on the trips?

Sagar Pandey (24:47.852)
Yes, that's a... I would like to once a year.

Jason Elkins (24:50.821)
Okay. All right.

Sagar Pandey (24:52.846)
Only that I used to go in the low season time when the season getting in, right? Getting in after the season getting in, so that time I used to go.

Jason Elkins (25:03.291)
What is the season? Because I'm sure someone listening to this might be curious. I'm curious. What is your tourism season there?

Sagar Pandey (25:10.19)
You know, that's a we have two categories. That's a for the tour and the adventures. We have a season all the way from, say from, you know, September all the way to the May, June. Right. Like if you don't go to the high altitude to trade or the climb, but if you are aiming to go to the high altitude trades and then.

They're climbing in the ice climbing or the high altitude climbing, let's say the 6,000 meters, 7,000 meters, including the Mount Everest. The season is from September to December and March to May. One is six months that we consider for the high altitude adventure, trekking and climbing. And Everest is only

climbing during the spring season which is from April to May and it takes around like 60 days to complete the Ebrus expedition.

Jason Elkins (26:17.649)
Wow, I didn't even realize that. 60 days, so if someone wants to go climb Everest from the time they land in Kathmandu until they get back to Kathmandu is about 60 days.

Sagar Pandey (26:24.504)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because the reason that's two things that need to be considered, one is the weather window and another is you need to be acclimatized to the altitude because every space camp itself supply the 50 % less oxygen than in the sea level. So that's where human body need to be acclimated.

Jason Elkins (26:34.331)
Mm-hmm.

Sagar Pandey (26:51.171)
on that you know attitudes to handle the list for month of seasons for that you know complete metabolism of the human body

Jason Elkins (27:02.149)
Right, okay. How far, so if someone's at base camp and they're acclimated, they're ready to go and the weather cooperates, how long does it take to get from base camp to the summit and back?

Sagar Pandey (27:17.186)
Well, that's because we have a record holders that the fastest climbers even people did in 20 hours, right? That's, you know, from the base camp to the top of Mount Everest. So that's for the record holder. But in general, I think we have four camps. So how this climb will be handled, that means, okay, you are in the base camp, you'll stay a few days in the base camp and also go to the lower than the base camp in the lower valley.

Jason Elkins (27:24.753)
Okay.

Sagar Pandey (27:46.774)
and come back again and then when you are okay with the base camp to leave constantly then you're gonna go to the first camp and you stay one night or two nights first camp and again come to the base camp and again go to the second camp and come to the first camp and go to the again third camp and come to the second camp and then go to the fourth camp and come back to the third camp

and go back again to camp and then plan for the summit because based on the good weather. So what they do if the weather is bad, they're to climb down to the lower camps, right? And then when they found the right dates for the good weather to climb up, then they make a summit bus from the fourth camp.

Jason Elkins (28:45.795)
I mean, I knew it was hard physically to do it, but that's, yeah, yeah. So are you guys doing a lot of summits? mean, do you have a lot of your clients doing summits or do you do more of the other stuff or what does your business look like when it comes to?

Sagar Pandey (28:51.192)
Well, that's definitely hard, know.

There are, you know...

Sagar Pandey (29:06.83)
Well, that's because we do not do that much higher climbs. We do have, you know, climbs in a year, but we do the lower peaks, like let's say that's 6,500 meter peaks, or the trekking, know, most of our climbs are the trekkers, not like the extreme climbers.

Jason Elkins (29:30.545)
Okay, I got it. And where do most of your clients come from?

Sagar Pandey (29:35.167)
from the US.

Jason Elkins (29:35.971)
Okay, all right.

Sagar Pandey (29:38.734)
Yeah, that's it. We have our clients from Australia as well as Canada as well as the UK. Most of them are English speaking countries. More importantly, we have a higher percentage in our portfolio of customers from the US. I can say that it's 70%.

Jason Elkins (30:05.817)
Okay. And what would you say to someone that's never been in Nepal and maybe is all they think of is Everest? Cause I'm probably fit into that camp. It's like people going to Nepal, go to the base camp or they summit the mountain and I really don't know much else about it. So help our listeners that, that might be interested in Nepal really kind of understand the variety of options and what is it all about besides just Everest?

Sagar Pandey (30:35.502)
Well, let's say that's because Nepal has huge diversities of the geography and it's biodiversity as well. And the geography as well. We have 200 meters low levels from the sea levels and all the way to the top of the wars. So, Bound Everest. So, you know,

If anyone is planning to come to Nepal and there are lot of options, so that's what he wants. If you want a leisure tour or luxury tours, you have a low altitude trek, luxury hotels, national parks, animal parks, mountain resorts, lakes, these things. And we have a...

a lot of cultural heritage as well. you know, Buddha was born in Nepal, so that's Buddhist sites and Hindus, pilgrims, a lot of monuments like pagoda style architectures, temples, and monuments. So but in the adventure, and there are a lot of peoples have a misconception if they are talking about the Everest base camp, they think they are going to the Mount Everest top. That's not true.

The base camp is about 5,300 meters. Anyone can do that very easily. But for that, you need to have preparations and good health conditions and good physical conditions. And you need to be trained physically, even if you are not the outdoor people. So you can go to the gym.

and stretch your muscles and because it's a multi days and multi hours tracking right up in the high elevation where there is

Jason Elkins (32:27.857)
I heard you say, yeah, but I heard you say, I heard you say anybody can do it, but you need to be a good shape. You need to train for it because it's tough conditions, right?

Sagar Pandey (32:44.142)
Well, even this, yeah, because, you know, last time, last time, 76 years old, you know, man's reached to the base camp and from my company, I have taken 10 years old child up to the base camp, till to the 84 years old woman from Canada to the base camp, right? and it's like, you know, if you have the strong mindset and willpower, yes, you can do that.

Jason Elkins (33:13.777)
Let me ask you this, why go to base camp? you know you're going, I mean, why does somebody want to go to the base camp if they're not planning to go any higher?

Sagar Pandey (33:13.802)
And so, but.

Sagar Pandey (33:26.702)
Well, the base camp is a landmark. So that's because everybody knows that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world. that's a base camp is something like that. You are proud of yourselves to reach that high. Connect with the Mount Everest so that you can see the Mount Everest, you know, very closely and as well as that's an experience.

of that's how the climbers on that extreme landscape and the weather, you know, they are spending like almost like two months to bring up to the, you know, to the summit. So is that, is that like, you know, experience people wants to do the experience and also is is a landmark. And so, so that's why we have started the one, you know, product itinerary that's, know,

as sleeping experience at the base camp. So that's a we we have a chains and the cooking's there. so even though you are not climbing the Mount Everest, think about that and sleep there. I know how the climbers dream at night. I know what you think about sleeping there, you know, somewhere else. You know, that there is no any humans, right? There is no any set up on that.

high elevation and sleep like a climber. That's a very unique experience to the people who join this trip.

Jason Elkins (34:58.363)
Yeah, okay, I gotcha.

Jason Elkins (35:05.839)
Now, so tell me this because sometimes, you know, we know in tourism, there's just certain places that everybody kind of wants to go. And so they sometimes they get crowded and maybe there's other places that are equally nice or maybe even nicer, but people don't know about them. So they don't go. So my question is, if, if I contact you and I say, I want to go on a two week track,

in Nepal, I want to go kind of high and I want to get nice views. Maybe I want to see Mount Everest and I don't care about going to base camp. don't care if it's base camp or somewhere else. Are there other options that might be better fit for some people?

Sagar Pandey (35:56.782)
Yeah, that's because there is a, if you want to see the Mount Everest, definitely you need to go to the Everest Valley, know, that's we call the Khumbu Valley. in alternative, if you don't want to go to the base camp and any other routes in that area that we have like a Gokyo routes, Gokyo tracks, that's a, which is very spectacular and nice views lake up in the, you know, 4,500 meters, right.

And then so that and we have other lot of other like a version tracks equally. You know, panoramics and then so interactive with the cultures and the heritage as well. Because most unique things in Nepal tracking is wherever you go, whether you go to the Everest region or you go to the Annapurna region or any part of the world.

country you go to the trekking. The most important that 80 % of the trail follows the human settlements. Right. So that gives the extra value. Let's say that if you go to the Kilimanjaro, just there is a mountain, volcanic mountains and the forest. That's all. But if you walk to the base camp up in the 4000 meters, 4500 meters,

There was a village since long time, let's say from like 400 or 500 years ago since then. You will find the people living there. So that's why that's a unique part of the Nepal trekking. that's not only the mountain, you have a equally opportunity to experience the mountain culture as well.

Jason Elkins (37:46.865)
Do the Nepali people along these routes, they presumably see a lot of tourists, are they, how do they view the tourists? Are they usually happy to see them or is it, what's the interaction like between the Nepali people and the tourists?

Sagar Pandey (38:06.488)
Well, that's before, let's say that Nepal's trekking exposed to the world when the first time, you know, saw Edmund Hillary's and the Tenging Norgay conquered the Mount Everest, then the Mount Everest been known to the world. Right. So that time it was interesting for the villages. It's like, you know, white people with the cameras, you know, but

with the big bellies coming to the mountain. It was interesting for them. But when the time passed and that time there were no lodges and we used to use camps. We used to carry the tents, logistics, food, kerosene, everything. Mattresses, everything. Food, rice, potatoes, everything. But in early 1990s,

So we start introducing the tea shops and encouraging the villages to convert their, you know, bids, one bids to their guests so that they, you know, that's how they get the money. You know, they can make money. that's before and that's and after that and it's checking, you know, tourism is start sustainable and responsible because when they are making money from the tourists.

and they are responsible to protect the forest. They are responsible to practice the sustainable tourism practices. And so they become more responsible to preserve the wildlife, the forest, natural resources. their life is becoming more easier. So now they are happier as much as tourists go.

Jason Elkins (40:00.667)
Okay, so I think I heard you say that the people in the villages were encouraged to rent out a bed in their house to a tourist. Is that right?

Sagar Pandey (40:01.432)
So they are making good money.

Sagar Pandey (40:16.28)
Yeah. Yeah.

Jason Elkins (40:18.353)
Okay, so just a bed in the house, like a room or are they sleeping with the family? What is that? What is that like?

Sagar Pandey (40:25.55)
Well, that's a number because they say that they have a let's say if they have a two three rooms they rent out the one rooms for the gay guest and then said two beds, you know, and then they start cooking the local foods and feeding them. They're getting the money. And so so that's how the, you know, know, losses started in the mountain and now in the Everest region. So that's, you know,

They are every year they are adding the more facility. Now hot sour, right? Western twilights, you know, and then even that you can expect the pizza burger like and then the Starbucks coffee. didn't I didn't know. There is a nice bar, you know, and then the discotheque as well up in the mountain.

Jason Elkins (40:58.724)
Okay.

Jason Elkins (41:06.458)
my, geez.

Sagar Pandey (41:18.636)
like four thousand meters, right? Three thousand five hundred meters. So, yeah, that's a lot of lot of things is changing and every every time. So, you know, last just last November, I went, you know, to the base camp of the Mount Everest. But I returned back early time because one of my friends, he was really sick and he was in the.

Jason Elkins (41:22.021)
Okay.

Sagar Pandey (41:45.262)
in the hospital so that's why I returned back from the halfway. So but yeah that's I surprised that's and every town is developing they are putting more facilities and even you know you have a birthday you know for a thousand meter you can order the cake you know for the happy birthday.

Jason Elkins (42:06.929)
Wow, okay. What's the thing?

So the American tourists when they come there, what is the thing that surprises them most about the local people?

Sagar Pandey (42:22.744)
Well, let's see this in our static source that very first times either you station or anyone that's who dreams to come to Nepal's first they come because of the mountain and second times they come because of the people's.

Jason Elkins (42:39.589)
Yeah, that's cool. I thought you might be going there when you said that. That's very cool. What else? So we've discussed, there's so many things. I feel like we could discuss many, many things for many hours. And I'm curious, what's the most important thing maybe that I forgot to ask you or I should have asked you or you wanna make sure that people understand about you?

about Nepal or about your business before we wrap up this conversation.

Sagar Pandey (43:14.574)
Well, that's because I think pretty much we cover, because as you know, I'm best here in Nepal, that's you brought up a lot of questions that's in your mind or that's as foreigner, as a tourist, or what they have on their minds. So it's pretty much cover, I think. But another last thing I to clarify every audience that's, you know, who are going to watch this. So

You know, people have a wrong perception. Nepal means, OK, only the Himalayas and only mountain Mount Everest. I cannot go there. know, it's high mountain this and that. That's not true. So we have a lot of small hikes and the leisure tours, know, luxury tours as well. And, know, very nice hotels now, you know, very luxurious hotels also coming up in the in the town or in the mountain.

So if you don't want to go to Mount Everest base camp or the high altitude trekking, there are lot of areas or the hills you can enjoy without much walking. Having a champagne or wine or beer and see the mountains, right?

Jason Elkins (44:31.729)
Okay, all right.

Sagar Pandey (44:41.216)
You stay in the resorts or in the hotels and see the people. So there are a lot of other options, not only the mountains.

Jason Elkins (44:47.249)
You know what?

You know, that prompted me to ask another question, because I think most people here in the US, if they see Nepal anywhere on social media or TV or movies, it's always cold, high altitude, ice and snow. So I think people have this idea that Nepal is cold. So how do you address that? Is it?

I don't know, I haven't been.

Sagar Pandey (45:28.302)
No, it is a that's not true because if you go in the higher mountain above it, you know 4,000 meters as is called right in a mountain is called Mountain house calls but you know cut from it so we don't get the snow at all but once in a time that we have experienced some little snow, but you know in few years back But even in the deep winter that's here in the town with the one, you know pull over you can walk in the evening, you know

So it's not that cold. Right. And it's is one thousand three hundred meters in elevations. So that's if you go to the other areas like Pokhara is a very warm and nice lakes and mountains. You know, it's a very, very, very chill place. So that's not true. So that's it. Let's come to visit Nepal. And you will totally feel the difference. What you have, you know, here back in

to your country, so it's totally different.

Jason Elkins (46:30.033)
All right, very cool. Well, I'm happy I asked that question because I just recognize that that's kind of the vision I have of Nepal. And oftentimes the vision that we have of a place is not very close to the reality. So I'm happy we got that out. So Sagar, thank you so much. I really appreciate you joining us here on the show. This has been a fascinating conversation and I look forward to having met your son.

Sagar Pandey (46:49.292)
Yeah. Yeah.

Jason Elkins (46:55.761)
The other day we did a call together and I look forward to meeting more of your family and maybe visiting you there in Nepal sometime soon. So thanks for coming on the show.

Sagar Pandey (47:09.538)
Yeah, thank you Jason for your time, know, having me near a beautiful soul. And then I tried to explain something about myself and the country and the mountains, Everest. So, but yeah, you are welcome to come anytime to Nepal. I have a hotel, right? So you are going to be my guest.

So that's a explore your shelves and then you can better portray to the you know, in other so, you know, to the you know, for your audience. So yeah, thank you for your time. And then I'm glad to have talked to you and the audience.

Jason Elkins (49:52.033)
Okay, so I lost you. Can you hear me? Okay. I think something's wrong on my end because it kicked me out of the room, right? As you were finishing up that happened one other time during the conversation, but I think, I think we got enough. can edit it. I can make it work really well. So I apologize for that. I don't know what's happening on this end. Let me stop this recording. We don't need this. It's.

Sagar Pandey (49:56.451)
Yeah.

Sagar Pandey (50:12.151)
Okay.