Our Team

M.A. International Education Policy, Harvard University

Uttara’s love for the mountains began in the Palani Hills in Kodaikanal, India. Here, amongst eucalyptus trees and bison, she went to boarding school for nine years.

She went to the US for college, where she studied psychology, geography and development economics. She spent six months in Mannheim, Germany in an intensive German language school. This immersive experience involved many failed attempts to find the biscuit aisle in supermarkets - but by the end of her stay, she was able to direct others to where the best sweet snacks were!

After graduating she found her way to SECMOL, an alternative school in Phey, Ladakh, where her planned month of volunteering was extended to a yearlong adventure of learning and teaching. SECMOL’s entirely green and sustainable campus is a natural extension of the classroom, and it has continued to inspire and inform her approach to education. Over the year, Uttara developed a deep and enduring connection to Ladakh, which brought her back every year since.

She later worked at Navdanya, an NGO that works to preserve traditional agricultural methods, creates and maintains seed banks across India and advocates for women farmers’ rights. This also took her back to her favourite mountains to work with the Womens’ Alliance of Ladakh, an all-women NGO that works on sustainability and women’s rights.

The following year, she followed her passion and went to Harvard to study International Education Policy.

At companies like Where There Be Dragons and Putney Student Travel, Uttara has led experiential education programs since 2017. Drawing from her own experiences, she loves curating immersive learning experiences for others, witnessing their journeys and being introduced to new ways of seeing the world.

Uttara loves to run, bake and play tennis in equal measure. Her library of novels is endlessly growing, and her questionable taste in music is something she will happily defend.

M.A. History, University of Cambridge

Claire is a great believer in the transformative power of educational travel. She has lived and worked in Cambodia, Senegal, Indonesia, Bhutan and India, and currently resides in Nepal, and is at her best when helping others experience the magic of these countries.

In her native UK, Claire has spent time working in development education, training teachers and supporting educational institutions and universities to develop curricula. She facilitated a global youth work project, Global Youth Action, working with disadvantaged youth, and coordinated a regional strategy for the UK government about how to embed a global dimension into school classrooms.

After moving to Asia 15 years ago, Claire’s work has (sometimes awkwardly) straddled the fields of international development, experiential education and advocacy for responsible tourism.

In 2018, Claire published her first book, Learning Service, that offers a powerful new approach to “service” that puts learning at the heart of helping. The endorsement that was offered by Noam Chomsky, that the book was “An exceptional contribution…a manifesto for doing good well” was probably the pinnacle of her career and life.

Passionate about global equality and social justice, these values drive everything that she does. Claire is an incurable optimist and has boundless energy – mainly fuelled by caffeine from her British tea-drinking habit.

Jigmet began his journey in the travel industry over two decades ago. Using his abundance of knowledge, eager attitude and helpful nature, he has deepened the experience and understanding of countless visitors to Ladakh.

While working for boutique travel companies like Shakti Himalaya, Jigmet was also busy envisioning how he could align his work with his values in the place he calls home. With the dream of creating unforgettable, enriching and sustainable experiences for travellers, he founded Mantra Himalaya in 2011.

A few years later, noticing a lack of spaces for travellers to meet and network in Leh, he opened the Mantra Travel Lounge in the heart of town. It is a place where previously impossible travel plans have easily materialised and fast friends have been made. But Jigmet has also created a space where like-minded people with a deep love and concern for Ladakh can come together to learn how to make a positive impact so they can be visitors on this land for years to come.

When Jigmet isn’t busy with clients you can find him rock climbing, on long-distance bicycle rides or taking big bundles of laundry to the cleaners for his newest initiative, Wornwear Ladakh, where he sells pre-loved, affordable outdoor wear.

Chamba’s introduction to experiential education was at SECMOL, an alternative school in Ladakh, where he was a student in 2010. Amongst many other things, it was here that his belief in the benefits of a hands-on education were cemented. After finishing school, he returned to the campus as a college student, attending classes in the day and mentoring and tutoring younger students in the evenings.

Following college, Chamba was a Young India Fellow at Ashoka University, where he received a postgraduate diploma in the Liberal Arts. He followed this up with the Mother Teresa Fellowship, where he learnt more about the social impact space, and gained valuable skills in understanding and navigating the complexities (and rewards) of building a career in social entrepreneurship.

Upon his return to Ladakh, Chamba began working with the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL). Here, he continues to design and lead experiential learning programs.

Along with his myriad work commitments, Chamba is on the Indian men’s Ice Hockey team. While he spends most of the winter months practising with his team, perfecting his strategies for international tournaments, he travels across Ladakh to teach and encourage the younger generations to take up the sport. He recently founded the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh and hopes to organise the Pangong Frozen Lake Marathon in 2023 to create more understanding and awareness about the impact of climate change on Ladakh.