Our founders Michael John Cheney and Purna Sherpa Lama
Going back to the late 1960s. Michael and Purna are the inspiration behind the whole of our philosophy at Footloose in the Himalaya.
Michael Cheney started his career as a British army officer, but his later years were destined to be spent amongst the Himalayas. He joined Colonel Jimmy Roberts and together they established the first trekking company in Nepal in 1968. Michael was responsible for organizing many of the early climbing expeditions in Nepal and he was the Base Camp Manager on Sir Chris Bonington’s 1975 successful expedition to climb the SW face of Everest.
Purna Sherpa Lama was a lifelong friend of Michael Cheney and a legend in his own lifetime. Purna started life as a high-altitude guide and trained under Mike for more than 30 years. Purna was well known for some of his contributions to the early climbing expeditions, most famously as a cook on Sir Chris Bonington’s 1975 Everest Expedition and a cook for Prince Charles during his trekking in Nepal.
Although Michael and Purna are no longer with us, their careful organization and ethical, client-centered philosophy have been passed down to Purna’s Son Karma Sherpa Lama, and his wife Dawa Lhamu, who is managing the company today.
Although Michael and Purna are no longer with us, their careful organization and ethical, client-centered philosophy have been passed down to Purna’s Son Karma Sherpa Lama, and his wife Dawa Lhamu, who is managing the company today.
Our philosophy
It is to provide all our customers with a memorable and safe trip whilst emphasizing the importance of environmental protection, social responsibility, and green tourism.
Our core values are to understand and acknowledge the wishes and needs of our clients by following:
- Authentic: For more than 50 years being authentic is what we stood up for. As well as our itineraries and services, reflect the authentic beauty and hospitality of Nepal.
- Reliability: We are a reputed travel agency in Nepal with over more than 50 years of family experience in the travel industry. We make sure we reply quickly to emails and reach out to you on time. As your travel friend, when you put your holiday in our hands we also make sure that everything will be handled professionally.
- Innovative: Responding quickly to changes in the market with time and being innovative are the lifeblood of our company.
- Teamwork: we are a team of highly experienced travel professionals who have been actively involved in the tourism industry for more than four decades. We always believe that the best solutions come from working together as a team.
- Transparency: we always strive to be clear and concise in our products and services. We are always open, respectful, courteous, and helpful toward our clients.
Our vision is to promote eco and green tourism and we believe we are socially responsible in all we do. we aim to be the best travel company in Nepal with our mission plan to deliver a unique and quality travel experience for all our clients in a sustainable, honest, and transparent way.