A View from the Top

Adventure tourism in the Himalayas

He reached India after a year long car journey. And found the Indian summer of '63 irresistible. Parakeets...jungles...nature, for Jim Edwards it was a dream come true.

"I immediately knew this was going to become one of my homes," says Edwards, chairman and CEO of Tiger Mountain, an adventure vacation group with resorts in Nepal and Ladakh.

Edwards's three decade plus association with India and Nepal began with a brush of royalty... over a game of polo. Prince Vasundhara, the brother of the King of Nepal and an avid polo player, encouraged Edwards to visit Nepal. The little Himalayan kingdom bewitched the Englishman, a fascination he was never able to sever after that.

"In those early days I didn't differentiate between India and Nepal," he says. Perhaps Edwards saw in the jungles, mountains, tigers and rhinoceros, a gift of nature - the vastness of which could not be restricted nor measured within narrow geographical boundaries.

"I was enthralled by thick jungles and the towering mountains I saw here," he says, "but when I saw my first ant-hill and a tiger foot mark, I knew this was it."

Edwards went on to start a hunting company in association with Charles McDougal, a tiger expert based in Nepal. "In those days hunting was considered very fashionable," he adds. So with the Nepal Wildlife Adventure began Edwards's lifelong romance with the tigers. And a few years later he named his company after this lithe creature of the jungle.

Christened Tiger Tops, the lodge caters to individuals who enjoy wild life. Situated in Nepal's Chitwan National Park, it has tree houses, tented camps and village resort. "We wanted to provide a real wildlife adventure to our customers. If someone wanted to climb the Everest we could give that and if someone wanted to study butterflies, we could even provide that," he explains.

His foray into wildlife tourism was a result of an adventurous spirit to begin with. After studying finance at university he joined a bank in Sweden, only to chuck it after some time. The reason: He thought he was too young to be stuck in office. Dissatisfied with the experience gained in the hunting company, the camel safaris... the stray tiger encounters, Edwards joined PanAm in between to "learn more about tourism.". But soon he was back in the wild and making plans to branch into India.

"With us, customers can experience the true wild life flavour," proclaims Edwards, "nature walks, jungle treks, white water rafting - the complete adventure holiday." In '88, Tiger Tops had to withdraw its operation in Kashmir because of the insurgency in the state. The retreat from paradise remains a sore point with him, the only remnants of which are a few houseboats still floating in the beautiful Dal Lake. But for Edwards there is still hope. "In spite of the people's pessimism, the Kashmir problem will be solved," he says.

The company's greatest draw is trekking and the mighty Everest. He says his staff comprises of trained trekkers, zoologists and naturalists. With a location in Ladakh and keeping tracks on elephant migration routes in Karnataka, he believes in maintaining a small operation. To make customers feel the real ambience, he says there is both western and Nepalese food and a lot of attention to hygiene.

Ladakh Sarai in Leh is a yurt camp perched high above the Indus, run in association with Tiger Tops. River rafting trips down the Indus and treks in the hilly regions are the main draw for tourists.

"We have had many prominent visitors," says Kersi Dubash, Director of Tiger Tops, India. Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Princess Anne, Mick Jagger, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Prince Charles...he rattles a bedecked guest list.

Edwards is quick with the reasons that contribute to Tiger Tops's appeal. "Our customers appreciate our efforts in environment protection," he says. "Tourism has a mixed reputation, more often of over exploitation," adds Edward, "but we can say we invented eco tourism." Elaborating further, he says that Tiger Tops has a delicate approach to nature because all operations are restricted to approximately 20 rooms. The company also has been a long term member of the Tiger Trust, concentrating more on the Snow Leopard habitat.

After having conducted business here for such a long time Edwards feels India can exploit its tourist potential further by coordination and careful planning of tourist requirements. "There is a lot of positive development in the tourism policy. Though it's still very slow and India is a long way behind Switzerland and the USA, tourism has started getting its due here." He says.

The opening of the economy has also ushered a change in the attitude of the people, says Edwards. "Indians have become more outgoing on doing business with foreigners," he says, "Once we wondered whether doing business here was worthwhile, now we're happy."

However, he feels as the business climate has improved, business travellers have driven the hotel costs higher. "But what's missing is hotels for the middle income level."

With a long association with India behind him, Edwards seems very upbeat with India catching up very soon. But what is most heartening for him right now is to see that India has now taken the crucial step to join the rest of the world.

Jim Edwards's photographs: Jewella C Miranda