Our Team

All of our Porters are from the mountain regions of Nepal and come with much experience. Porters are provided to carry your personal belongings in a safe and secure way. They are careful to maintain your belongings in good condition, protecting them against wet conditions, sharp rocks, and other potential hazards. You are hiring a Guide and Porter for your safety, comfort, and a pleasant journey. Porters are employed to provide for their families in the villages. Their salary, as well as your tips, can provide for a porter and their family for months. Our Guides and Porters are treated with respect and dignity and are considered part of the Rugged Trails Nepal family.

We welcome you as a guest but we will send you as a good friend and a part of our family member, Ethics is most important for us. We are a friendly environment team and try to give our best to make your holiday memorable with us. We believe that you will not remember the heights of Mountains nor the roads name but you will remember the moments you made in Nepal. Rugged Trails Nepal humble request for our customers to be friendly with our staff so they can share with you more details about the places, cultures, etc. Once the Tour / Trek lead by the guides, Rugged Trails Nepal allows our guides to put actions and authorities for any kind of changes and possibilities. In group joining and Private trips, if clients don't follow our guide, don't respect cultures, and try to misbehave other members' guides are allowed to take any kind of actions at that time the company will not be responsible or refund.

Humanity is the biggest motive to be happy and make others happy. Namaste

  • Nirajan Chaulagain

    Nirajan Chaulagain

    Founder, Team Leader

    He has extensive personal knowledge of Nepal and has traveled to the Everest region, Langtang, Upper Mustang, Annapurna, Rolwaling and other remote regions of Nepal. He did hiking in the Adirondack Mountains, breakneck trails, and other hiking trails during his visit to New York, USA. Other hikes around HongKong, India, Thailand, Tibet, Bhutan, and other countries are in a bucket list.
    He also has experience as a guide and believes in social and environmentally conscious tourism practices. Nirajan studied Journalism at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu and continues to expand his knowledge on tourism through training and coursework. Nirajan loves to interact with people and to share the natural beauty of the country he calls home. Nirajan loves taking pictures and travel around Nepal to find places and faces to make unique trips. Many company owners don't know what they are selling but he travels, explores and creates the stories.

    Your friend in Nepal! Direct reach: +9779813952417 prefer (WhatsApp), follow Rugged Trails Instagram and Fb pages for amazing pictures that are taken by Nirajan.

  • Dipak Silwal

    Dipak Silwal

    Director

    Dipak Silwal is an eager, knowledgeable, and successful businessman in Nepal. Presently he is focused on the adventure tourism enterprises of Nepal including Director of Rugged Trails Nepal. Mr. Silwal is not only a business person; he is equally active in meeting corporate social responsibility by being part of various social organizations including Lions Club, and SmarterKids and other local social work. He is fluent in writing and speaking in Chinese and Japanese language too. He has attended seminars and travel expos including Japan, China, Taiwan, and India.

  • Sandip Aryal (Sandy)

    Sandip Aryal (Sandy)

    Co-Founder

    As co-founder of Rugged Trails Nepal, I bring a wealth of experience in the adventure travel sector and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of exploration. My journey began as a freelance tour guide, leading visitors from all corners of the globe on unforgettable journeys through the majestic Himalayas.

    This exposure to diverse cultures ignited a curiosity within me. Witnessing the universality of human struggles and aspirations on the mountain trails sparked a desire to connect with people on a deeper level. We all grapple with similar challenges – survival, success, failure – regardless of our background. We juggle societal roles with family obligations, searching for our unique path to happiness. This fundamental unity is what inspires me.

    Throughout my life, I've held various jobs, but a yearning for a platform to connect more people and offer hope remained. My motivation stems from the wisdom of the past, drawing inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Buddha. These foundational philosophies resonate deeply, as do the works of contemporary thought leaders in art and philosophy.

    My experiences are as vast as the Himalayan landscape itself:

    • Himalayan Guide: Leading trekkers through breathtaking scenery and fostering unforgettable experiences.
    • International Triathlon Technical Official: Ensuring the smooth running of competitive events.
    • Swimming Instructor: Sharing the joy and safety of water with others.
    • MTB Cyclist: Conquering challenging trails and pushing my physical limits.
    • Triathlon Coach: Guiding athletes towards achieving their personal bests.
    • Motivational Speaker: Uplifting and inspiring individuals to overcome challenges.

    By joining Rugged Trails Nepal, I aim to leverage this diverse background to connect with travelers from India, and the western people offering them not just breathtaking adventures, but also a glimpse into the heart of Nepal and the universal human experience that awaits them on the mountain trails.

  • Robin

    Robin

    Yoga Instructor

    Robin is a 200-RYT licensed and insured yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance who believes yoga provides not only the movement our bodies naturally want and need but also the clarity and peace our souls are seeking. When practiced with honest intention and dedication, she trusts that yoga can help us find health and comfort in our bodies and the great truth about our selves and the world in which we live.

    Her yoga journey began in 2008 when Robin looked for a physical exercise that may help reduce the stress of University life and restore balance. While living in Central America in late 2012, she dedicated herself to the practice and since then, yoga has provided stable roots as she grows into the woman she trusts she should be.

    In early 2014, Robin trained in Rishikesh, India, with Rishikul Yogshala. Robin received formal instruction in Ashtanga, Hatha, Kundalini, and Yoga Nidra, and studied yoga philosophy, therapy, pranayama, meditation, and shat kriya techniques.

    Robin currently teaches both studio classes and private lessons in the United States and has also taught yoga in Nepal. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to share these ancient healing and transformative tools with others in hopes that one by one, each of us may find peace, compassion, and sustainable happiness.

    Apart from teaching and practicing yoga, Robin is a writer and graphic designer with degrees in Professional Writing and Journalism. She loves to travel, hike, snowboard, swim, paint, garden, cook, and hang out with her golden retriever, Jax.  Email her

  • Vanessa

    Vanessa

    Advisor

    Passionate about the outdoors, American born Vanessa Finley has been climbing mountains and exploring the wilderness since she was a young child. Vanessa is an avid hiker and mountaineer and will try just about any outdoor adventure sport. She has been an outdoor guide for many years and has previously led trips in North America, South America, and Europe. After leaving her life behind in the U.S. to live out of a backpack and travel the world, she found her calling in Nepal. Vanessa holds a Masters Degree in Social Work and has 6 years of experience in the field in New York City.  Vanessa is also a certified Yoga Instructor through the Yoga Alliance. Vanessa is committed to sharing her love for Nepal and the outdoors to give an unforgettable and inspiring adventure to others.

    International Credentials and Summits

    ·         International Expedition Leader: Machu Picchu, Peru

    ·         Co-Trip Leader: Patagonia, Argentina, and Chile

    ·         Summit Mt. Marcy, NY (5,343 ft) - winter ascent of the highest peak.

    ·         Summit Mt. Washington, NH (6,288 ft) - winter ascent of the highest peak in the US North East.

    ·         Summit Island Peak 6189 m ( Nepal, Everest region)

    ·         Everest Base camp trek 5555m ( Nepal, Everest region)

    ·         Annapurna Circuit Trek 5416 m ( Nepal, Annapurna Region)

    ·         Annapurna Base camp 4130m ( Nepal, Annapurna region)

    ·         Gosainkunda Langtang trek 4380m ( Nepal, Langtang region)

    ·         Indigenous People trek 3500m ( Nepal, Rolwaling)

    ·         Rolwaling Bigu Gomba trek 3500 m ( Nepal, Rolwaling)

    ·         Ghorepani Poonhill Trek 3210 m ( Nepal, Annapurna region)

    ·         And normal hikes, Nagarkot, Chisa Pani, around.

  • Rob Woodcox

    Rob Woodcox

    Fine art photographer

    Rob Woodcox is a surreal portrait and fine artist born in Houston, raised in Detroit, and currently residing in Portland Oregon. He exercises his talent for photography with a passion that is unquenchable and contagious. As he creates each piece of his artwork, Rob strives to capture fragments of a vivid life sewn by the threads of reality, memory, and dream. Each concept is a declaration of his experience and seeks to tell a meaningful story to each individual that views it.
    Rob will be joining us on our Everest Base Camp Yoga Expedition to ensure that each member of the trek feels confident in documenting their experience and expressing their creativity further if desired. Rob will not only teach photographic skills but delve deep into creative ideas and theories, challenging us all to go deeper in expressing our inner passions. Robs light-hearted but determined nature will bring a charismatic addition to the crew and will surely aid in the enjoyment of this epic climb to one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders.

  • Deanna Web

    Deanna Web

    Yoga Instructor - Buddhist

    "Over the last 18 months, I have found a new love in discovering the Himalayas and learning about the Tibetan people and Buddhism. My spiritual journey with the Himalayas and its people started in May 2018 when I did a retreat with Alana Fairchild, where she introduced me to the profound energy of the Buddhist goddess Tara in the beautiful land of Nepal and Tibet. I only spent a short time in Tibet but it was enough to have a life-changing impact on me, one I will never forget.

    I was lucky enough to undergo my yoga teacher training through Diamond Heart Yoga, with Scott Namamura, who studies and teaches Tibetan Buddhism and yoga philosophy. From what I have learned from Scott and from my own learnings in philosophy I would like to pass on these philosophic teachings, Tibetan Heart Yoga and Hatha yoga. The Himalayas is a place that has to be experienced, as words and photos will never do it justice. The energy I felt throughout my trek in Northern Nepal to Mt Everest Base Camp was one of total freedom and beauty, it really does feel as though you are on top of the world, surrounded by nature in one of its finest creations on this earth. On the other side of the mountain range, the Tibetan people live on the plateau of the world, surrounded by the natural walls of the Himalayan range. They lived with the land and we were left untouched by the outside world for nearly 700 years. Since being forced into exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama along with his monks and nuns have since taken the Tibetan Buddhism teachings to the rest of the world. Teachings that were once hidden behind the mountains have made their way out to the rest of the world to ease the sufferings of all sentient beings. And it is with this intention that I hope to bring to you some of these teachings in the land that they came from itself in these beautiful sacred mountains that we call the Himalayas. "