About Us — ItsHimalayas

📍 Dharchula, 2018 — where it all began

Chapter 1

It Started With a Single Photo

In the summer of 2018, Arjun Bisht — a 24-year-old from Pithoragarh — hiked to the Nabhidhang viewpoint with a borrowed DSLR and no prior following. The photo he posted that evening — Om Parvat glowing gold at sunrise, the OM symbol crisp in fresh snow — was shared 40,000 times in 48 hours.

The comments were flooded with one question: "How do I get there?"

He didn't have a tour operator license. He didn't have a website. But he had something more valuable: he'd grown up in these mountains. He knew every trail, every guesthouse family, every weather pattern. The next week, he took his first group of four to Nabhidhang. ItsHimalayas was born.

🏔️ 500+ pilgrims guided safely

Chapter 2

Growing Without Compromising

By 2020, word had spread far beyond Instagram. Travellers from Mumbai, Bangalore, Dubai, and Singapore were reaching out. The team grew to include certified mountain guides, a dedicated safety officer, and a network of trusted local families who provide homestay experiences along the route.

Through the pandemic years, rather than shutting down, the team spent the quiet seasons deepening their knowledge — studying high-altitude medicine, building emergency protocols, and forging relationships with local communities that would sustain responsible tourism for decades.

Today, ItsHimalayas runs 20+ departures per season. Every single one remains personally overseen by the founding team. The mountains haven't changed. Neither have our standards.

What We Stand For

Mission & Vision

🎯

Our Mission

To make the sacred Himalayan pilgrimage to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat accessible, safe, and deeply meaningful — while protecting the fragile mountain ecosystems and communities that make it possible.

🔭

Our Vision

A Kumaon Himalayan tourism ecosystem where local families are the primary economic beneficiaries, the trails remain pristine for generations, and every pilgrim returns transformed — carrying the mountain within them.

What We Believe

Our Core Values

🛡️

Safety Above All

No summit view is worth a life. Every decision on every trek is filtered through this non-negotiable principle.

🌿

Leave No Trace

We pack out everything we pack in. Plastic-free camps, composting toilets, and zero single-use plastic — always.

🤝

Local First

80% of every rupee spent on our tours stays within the Kumaon region — in the hands of guides, cooks, and families.

🙏

Sacred Respect

These are pilgrimage routes. We approach every site with reverence, and ask the same of every traveller we lead.

📖

Radical Transparency

No hidden costs. No misleading itineraries. What we promise is exactly what you experience — or we refund the difference.

✨

Magic Moments

We obsess over the details that create unforgettable moments — perfect viewpoint timing, surprise dal-baati dinners under stars, and more.

The Humans Behind It

Meet the Team

Every person on this team was first a passionate Himalayan traveller. Now they make it happen for you.

Arjun Bisht

Founder & Lead Guide

Born in Pithoragarh. Has trekked every route in the Kumaon Himalayas 30+ times. The visionary behind ItsHimalayas.

Deepak Rawat

Head of Safety & Operations

Former ITBP mountaineer. Certified Wilderness First Responder. Has managed 200+ high-altitude group movements without incident.

Meena Joshi

Experience Manager

The architect of the perfect trip. Handles bookings, pre-trip briefings, and the surprise touches that make every journey unforgettable.

Suresh Dhami

Senior Mountain Guide

Third-generation Bhotiya from Gunji village. His family has lived on these routes for generations. No map needed — these trails are in his blood.

Our Story