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World Travel & Tourism Council
That top-of-the-world feeling
Explorer, mountaineer, environmentalist, adventure travel
and eco-tourism guru, Mandip Singh Soin, founder and managing director
of Ibex Expeditions and president of Eco-Tourism Society of India, is all of
the above, and more. By Anupama Sushil
Mandip Singh Soin in front of a monastery in Shigatse in Tibet |
At the age of 15, Mandip Singh Soin was studying at the Air
Force School, Delhi when he got a chance to experience the excitement and the
fear at 19,000 feet in the Garhwal Himalayas that left an everlasting impression
on him and got him extremely up-close and personal with nature. "This passion
for adventure has definitely been passed down by my father with whom I travelled
around the country as a child," he says.
He graduated from St Stephen's College, Delhi in 1974, after which he planned
to pursue higher studies and a career in civil services. Fortunately for him,
Hiking Club took precedence and adventure activities climbed his priority list.
That is when Soin took a year off to travel to Scotland and specialise in climbing
and mountaineering. These two early experiences gave him the opportunity to
discover his love for nature.
He also taught at outdoor schools in Scotland and Wales. His interest turned
to passion and later a career option. Ibex Expeditions was formed in 1979 and
started with mountaineering and trekking holidays. It was initially started
by four friends but was later bought by Soin. "We were the first to start
an organisation serving such a niche area, which still remains our flagship
product. Then by the mid 80s, more players started to come in and that is when
the areas of rafting and wildlife started to open up. The area of adventure
tourism started to crystallise and even the tourism ministry started to realise
its potential," he says.
| A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Soin
is the only Indian to be conferred the NESS Award in 1992 by the RGS for
his expeditions and explorations and was titled Man of the Year for being
'India's Most Versatile Adventure Sportsperson' by the Limca Book of Records.
He represents India on the UIAA (World Mountaineering Federation) on the
Access & Conservation commission.
Soin has climbed, trekked and explored the Himalayas,
Alps and the Arctic for over 35 years. He has made first ascents of Z1
and Meru over 6000 metres high in the Indian Himalaya, cycled 1,500 kms
from Delhi to Kathmandu, made the first crossing of the 450 km Indian
Thar Desert on camel back, led an elephant expedition of 101 km through
the jungles of Kerala, rafted 150 kms down the Zanskar river and participated
in a UNEP supported Environmental Expedition to the Arctic near the North
Pole besides several other adventures.
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It's a quicksand!
Soin feels that once people get into adventure, its difficult to get out of
it. Which is why Ibex Expeditions moved on to create more specialised tours
that covered areas like cuisine holidays, archeological holidays at newer destinations
and newer tours. Soin's wife Anita, who joined the business in 1992, created
many more unique tours. She is currently working on creating all-women tours.
One of the company's many achievements was exploring the Zanskar area, where
it initiated home-stays. This won them the PATA Asia Discovery Award. "The
biggest hurdle that came our way in all this was minimal support from the government.
Since this is a highly adventurous activity, the safety guidelines are of utmost
importance. This is what the government needs to realise immediately,"
Soin comments.
Ibex Expeditions also has a Himalayan code of conduct signed with the Himalayan
Environment Trust and abides by it by using solar equipment, bringing back non-biodegradable
garbage, and even support the PATA India Chapter and WWF India. "Empowering
the locals also becomes our concern as we make our guests contribute to the
locals at places they visit. We have taken up this cause very seriously. Even
other companies should take it up as they have the ability to make a difference,"
Soin asserts.
When he's not shouldering the world's burden, he is enjoying personal journeys
with his family. Mandy, as he is popularly referred to, can sleep in a tent
or a palace hotel. His other passions are fishing, golfing, photography, wildlife
and bird watching, and indulging in puns. He is as fond of Beethoven and Puccini
as The Doors. And when he's in the mood, he flips omelettes to perfection and
indulges in an occasional bungee jumping.
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