Meet the Team

Suman Aryal is the founder and CEO of Dream Heaven Adventure Pvt. Ltd. Born and raised in a village in Dhading, Nepal, his early life was far removed from the tourism offices of Kathmandu. Like many children growing up in rural Nepal, his school years were shared with everyday responsibilities at home, including helping his family with household work and livestock.

One memory he still recalls from those years is waking early and walking down the steep hillside to collect drinking water for his family. Growing up in this environment gave him an early familiarity with the landscapes, communities, and practical realities of rural life in Nepal.

Suman later moved to Kathmandu to continue his education, where he completed a Masters's degree. His career in Nepal's tourism industry began at the operational level, working in an office role at a trekking agency and learning how trips were organized behind the scenes, from communicating with travelers to arranging permits, transportation, guides, and other logistics.

As his experience grew, he also worked on trekking trips and spent time guiding in Nepal's mountain regions. Working on the trail gave him first-hand experience of how altitude, weather, walking pace, accommodation, transportation, and decisions made by the trekking team can affect a journey.

He later progressed into trekking-agency management, combining his field experience with responsibility for planning and operations. After working across these different areas of the industry, Suman established Dream Heaven Adventure in Kathmandu in 2013.

With more than 15 years of experience in Nepal tourism, Suman remains directly involved in the company's day-to-day operations. He works with the Kathmandu team and field crew on itinerary planning, guide coordination, customized journeys, trip logistics, and communication with travelers before and during their trips.

Suman also contributes to Dream Heaven Adventure's trekking information and travel content. His experience across office operations, trail work, guiding, and management helps shape the practical information the company shares about routes, acclimatization, transportation, seasonal conditions, and preparing for trekking in Nepal.

For Suman, tourism is also closely connected with the communities where trekking takes place. He believes that when tourism is operated responsibly, its benefits can extend beyond individual travelers and businesses to guides, porters, lodge owners, drivers, and mountain communities across Nepal.

Louise Watsham first came to Nepal in 2014 for what was intended to be a short visit and ended up living and working in the country for almost a year. During 2014 and 2015, she worked as a travel writer for English and Nepali newspapers in Kathmandu, giving her the opportunity to travel extensively across Nepal while covering hotels, restaurants, destinations, and travel experiences.

Her time living in Nepal gave Louise first-hand experience of the country beyond a typical visit. Through her work and travels, she developed an understanding of Nepal's tourism industry, local culture, accommodation, transportation, and the practical considerations involved in traveling through different parts of the country.

Now based in London, Louise remains connected with Dream Heaven Adventure and supports travelers from the UK and Europe who are planning journeys to Nepal. She works with our Kathmandu team on trip enquiries and customized travel plans, helping bridge the initial planning process with the team that will operate the journey on the ground in Nepal.

Louise also continues to share her experience of Nepal through travel writing and regularly returns to the country, maintaining her connection with the destinations and people she first came to know while living in Kathmandu.

For travelers contacting Dream Heaven Adventure from the UK or Europe, Louise can provide an additional point of contact while working directly with Suman Aryal and our Kathmandu operations team.

UK & European enquiries: +44 7905 085076

Gokarna Aryal is the Director of Sales & Operations at Dream Heaven Adventure, with more than 10 years of experience in Nepal's tourism industry. Originally from Dhading, Nepal, he completed his degree in Business Studies before developing his career in travel and trekking operations.

At Dream Heaven Adventure, Gokarna works closely with travelers during the planning and preparation of their journeys. His role includes responding to trip enquiries, helping develop itineraries, coordinating bookings, and working with the operations team to arrange the services required for each departure.

His experience covers a wide range of trekking and touring programs across Nepal. This gives him a practical understanding of how available time, route choice, transportation, accommodation, seasonal conditions, and individual preferences need to be considered when preparing an itinerary.

Gokarna also works with guides, drivers, accommodation providers, and other members of the field team to help ensure that arrangements discussed during the planning stage are carried through into trip operations. When itineraries are customized or circumstances require changes, he helps coordinate the necessary adjustments between travelers and the team in Nepal.

With his experience spanning both sales and operations, Gokarna's role is ultimately about connecting what a traveler plans before arriving in Nepal with the practical arrangements required to operate that journey on the ground.

Amrit Khadka is the General Manager of Dream Heaven Adventure and has been part of the company since 2018. He originally joined the Kathmandu office as an Accountant, giving him a detailed understanding of the financial and administrative work behind the company's trekking and travel operations.

Over the years, Amrit's responsibilities expanded beyond accounting as he became increasingly involved in the day-to-day coordination of the business. His experience with company finances, payments, operational costs, and internal administration provided a strong foundation for understanding how different parts of a trekking operation work together.

Today, as General Manager, Amrit helps oversee the daily operations of the Kathmandu office and works closely with the company's management, sales, accounts, and field teams. His role includes coordinating internal operations, supporting trip logistics, reviewing administrative and financial matters, and helping ensure that arrangements are communicated between the office and the people operating trips on the ground.

He also supports the team when travel plans require additional coordination, whether involving transportation, accommodation, guides, payments, or other practical arrangements before and during a journey.

Having progressed from Accountant to General Manager within Dream Heaven Adventure, Amrit brings several years of first-hand knowledge of the company's internal operations to his current role. His familiarity with both the financial and operational sides of the business helps keep the Kathmandu office organized while the field team focuses on delivering trips across Nepal.

Pramila Bhatta has been part of Dream Heaven Adventure's Kathmandu team since 2021, working as the company's Accountant. She is responsible for day-to-day accounting and financial administration that supports both the office and trip operations.

Her work includes maintaining financial records, tracking payments and expenses, preparing accounting documentation, and helping keep the financial side of the company's operations organized. She also works with the management and operations team when bookings, supplier payments, trip expenses, or other financial arrangements need to be coordinated.

Behind every trekking departure are numerous payments and records involving transportation, accommodation, permits, guides, porters, and other services. Pramila's role helps ensure these financial arrangements are properly recorded and managed as part of Dream Heaven Adventure's day-to-day operations.

Since joining the company, she has developed a detailed understanding of the financial processes involved in operating trekking and travel services in Nepal and continues to support the Kathmandu team across its regular accounting and administrative responsibilities.

Kumod Adhikari brings more than 20 years of experience in Nepal's tourism and hospitality industry. Before becoming a tour guide, he spent around 12 years working as a Food & Beverage Manager in the hotel industry, where he gained extensive experience working with travelers from different countries and backgrounds.

He later moved into guiding, combining his hospitality experience with his interest in Nepal's history, culture, architecture, religions, traditions, and everyday life. Today, he leads cultural and sightseeing tours, particularly in Kathmandu Valley, where many of Nepal's most important historical and religious sites are concentrated.

Kumod has extensive knowledge of the Kathmandu Valley's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Pashupatinath. Rather than simply identifying monuments, he helps travelers understand the history, beliefs, rituals, architecture, and local traditions connected with the places they visit.

His years in hospitality also influence the way he guides. He is accustomed to working with travelers with different interests and levels of prior knowledge, explaining Nepal's often complex cultural and religious traditions in a clear and approachable way while leaving room for questions and conversation.

For travelers spending time in Kathmandu before or after a trek, Kumod helps turn a sightseeing day into a deeper introduction to Nepal and the cultural context behind many of the communities, traditions, and religious practices they may encounter during their journey.

Saru Ghimire is a licensed professional tour guide with more than 10 years of experience introducing travelers to Nepal's history, culture, religious traditions, architecture, and everyday life. Originally from a village in Gorkha District, she brings both professional guiding experience and a personal understanding of life beyond Nepal's major cities to the journeys she leads.

Saru specializes in cultural and heritage tours throughout Kathmandu Valley. Her guiding experience includes Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, and other important historical and religious sites in and around the valley.

Her approach goes beyond explaining dates, monuments, and architecture. She helps travelers understand the traditions and beliefs connected with the places they visit, from Hindu and Buddhist practices to festivals, rituals, local customs, and the ways historic neighborhoods continue to function as living communities today.

Years of working with international travelers have also shaped Saru's communication style. She explains cultural and historical subjects in clear, accessible language, adapts the level of detail to the interests of her guests, and encourages questions rather than treating a sightseeing tour as a fixed presentation.

Saru continues to deepen her knowledge of Nepal's heritage and tourism sector while working with Dream Heaven Adventure's travelers on cultural tours and sightseeing programs. Her combination of professional guiding experience, local knowledge, and familiarity with Kathmandu Valley makes her an important part of our cultural tour team.

Originally from Dhading District, Nepal, Gakul Timalsina is a senior trekking guide with extensive experience across Nepal's Himalayan trails. He has developed particularly strong expertise in the Everest and Manaslu regions, where he regularly guides both classic and high-altitude trekking journeys.

Gakul knows the Everest region beyond its major landmarks. His experience covers the trail through Lukla, Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, and Everest Base Camp, together with the practical realities that shape each trekking day, including altitude gain, acclimatization, lodge availability, weather, and changing trail conditions.

He is equally familiar with the Manaslu Circuit, where trekking requires a different approach. Remote villages, restricted-area logistics, changing trail conditions, acclimatization around Sama Gaon and Samdo, and the crossing of Larkya La require careful pacing and good day-to-day coordination.

On the trail, Gakul pays close attention to how individual trekkers are responding to the route rather than simply following the itinerary on paper. He helps manage walking pace, accommodation, acclimatization, daily logistics, and communication with the Kathmandu operations team when weather, altitude, transportation, or other circumstances require plans to change.

His clear and approachable communication style is particularly valuable for travelers experiencing the Nepal Himalayas for the first time. Before and during each trekking day, he helps guests understand the route ahead, expected walking time, altitude changes, trail conditions, and what they should prepare for.

Growing up in Dhading and spending years working in Nepal's trekking regions have also given Gakul a strong connection with mountain communities and everyday life beyond the major trekking centers. He enjoys helping travelers understand the villages, local customs, landscapes, and people encountered along the trail rather than experiencing the journey only as a route between destinations.

Gakul continues to guide across Nepal while maintaining Everest and Manaslu as two of his strongest regions. His combination of current trail knowledge, high-altitude experience, practical decision-making, and communication makes him an important member of Dream Heaven Adventure's trekking team.

Originally from Solukhumbu District, home to the Everest region, Kumar Khadka has spent more than 15 years working in Nepal's trekking and tourism industry. Over the years, he has guided trekkers across many of the country's major Himalayan routes as well as remote and less frequently visited regions.

His guiding experience extends across the Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Langtang, Kanchenjunga, and Dolpo regions, along with other trekking areas of Nepal. Working across such different landscapes has given Kumar practical familiarity with everything from established tea-house routes to longer journeys through remote mountain communities where accommodation, transportation, communication, and daily logistics require more careful planning.

Kumar's role on the trail goes well beyond showing the route. He manages daily walking pace, lodge arrangements, acclimatization, changing trail and weather conditions, and communication with the Kathmandu operations team when an itinerary needs to be adjusted. Years of guiding have also taught him that trekkers respond differently to altitude and long walking days, so pacing and day-to-day decisions need to reflect the individual as well as the itinerary.

Coming from Solukhumbu, Kumar grew up close to the mountain environment and communities that have shaped Nepal's trekking industry. His years of travel across other parts of the country have broadened that experience, giving him knowledge of the different cultures, religions, landscapes, and ways of life encountered from the eastern Himalayas to remote western Nepal.

He particularly enjoys helping travelers understand the places they are walking through rather than simply reaching the next overnight stop. For Kumar, villages, monasteries, local traditions, changing landscapes, and conversations along the trail are an important part of experiencing a trek in Nepal.

With more than 15 years in the field and experience across both classic and remote routes, Kumar brings the practical trail knowledge required for journeys ranging from established Himalayan treks to more logistically demanding routes such as Dolpo.

Originally from Dhading District, Nepal, Shambhu Subedi has spent more than 17 years working in Nepal's trekking industry. His career began on the trail as a porter, giving him first-hand experience of mountain work before he progressed into guiding and taking responsibility for trekking groups of his own.

Shambhu still remembers his first trekking assignment, a five-day journey with four travelers from the Netherlands. At the time, he was working as a porter and recalls feeling nervous and excited about being responsible for guests on the trail. The positive feedback he received from that first group stayed with him and encouraged him to continue building his career in trekking.

Over the years, Shambhu progressed from carrying equipment and supporting trekking groups to working as an experienced trekking guide. That progression has given him an understanding of a trek from several perspectives, including the work of porters and field staff as well as the responsibilities involved in leading travelers through Nepal's mountain regions.

His guiding experience covers many of Nepal's established trekking routes and mountain communities. Years on the trail have given him practical knowledge of daily pacing, accommodation, changing weather and trail conditions, altitude, local customs, and the logistical decisions that can affect a trek from one day to the next.

Shambhu has also completed training related to climbing, trekking in challenging conditions, and basic first aid. He applies this training alongside his field experience when managing trekking days and responding to situations that may arise in remote mountain areas.

For Shambhu, guiding is not simply about reaching the destination. He enjoys introducing travelers to the villages, landscapes, cultures, and everyday life encountered along the route while helping them maintain a pace appropriate to the terrain and altitude.

After beginning his career as a porter more than 17 years ago, Shambhu's progression into a senior trekking guide reflects years of practical experience gained directly on Nepal's trails.

Sitaram Lamichhane is a senior trekking guide with more than 10 years of experience working on Nepal's Himalayan trails. Over the years, he has guided travelers from different parts of the world across several of Nepal's major trekking regions, including Everest, Annapurna, and Langtang.

Years of repeated trekking have given Sitaram practical familiarity with the different demands of these regions. From the high-altitude trails of Everest to the varied terrain of Annapurna and the forested valleys and mountain routes of Langtang, he understands that each trek requires a different approach to pacing, acclimatization, accommodation, and daily planning.

On the trail, Sitaram helps manage walking pace, overnight arrangements, route conditions, and the practical details that arise throughout a trekking day. He pays attention to how individual trekkers are responding to altitude, distance, and changing conditions rather than assuming that everyone in a group will move or acclimatize at the same rate.

His years of field experience have also taught him how quickly circumstances can change in the Himalayas. Weather, trail conditions, transportation, lodge availability, and a trekker's physical condition can all affect the original plan. When adjustments are required, Sitaram works with the travelers and Dream Heaven Adventure's Kathmandu operations team to determine an appropriate way forward.

Beyond the physical journey, Sitaram enjoys helping travelers understand the communities and landscapes they pass through. His experience across different trekking regions has introduced him to a wide range of local cultures, traditions, villages, and mountain environments throughout Nepal.

After more than a decade working on the trail, Sitaram continues to guide both first-time Himalayan trekkers and experienced walkers, bringing the practical route knowledge and day-to-day judgment developed through years of trekking in Nepal.

Originally from Solukhumbu District, home to the Everest region, Sonam Sherpa has more than a decade of experience working in Nepal's trekking and mountain tourism industry. Growing up in the Himalayan region and later building his career on the trails has given him extensive first-hand familiarity with high-altitude environments, mountain communities, and the practical demands of trekking in Nepal.

Sonam has been working with Dream Heaven Adventure since 2015. Over the years, he has guided journeys across the Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, and Langtang regions, giving him experience with everything from established tea-house routes to longer and more remote high-altitude treks.

Alongside his field experience, Sonam holds mountain guiding qualifications and has completed specialized training in navigation and first aid through the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM). His trekking and climbing background gives him additional practical experience in mountain terrain where route awareness, changing conditions, and careful decision-making become particularly important.

On trekking journeys, Sonam helps manage daily pacing, acclimatization, accommodation, trail conditions, and the practical arrangements required as a group moves through the mountains. He also works with Dream Heaven Adventure's Kathmandu operations team when weather, transportation, trail conditions, or other circumstances require an itinerary to be adjusted.

Having spent much of his life in Nepal's mountain regions, Sonam also brings an understanding of the communities and cultures that travelers encounter along the way. He enjoys sharing the stories, traditions, monasteries, landscapes, and everyday life of the Himalayan regions rather than treating a trek simply as a journey from one overnight stop to the next.

His long association with Dream Heaven Adventure also means he understands how our trips are planned before guests arrive and how the office and field teams work together once a journey begins. This continuity between planning in Kathmandu and decision-making on the trail is particularly valuable on longer, high-altitude, and more remote itineraries.

With more than 10 years of mountain experience and over a decade working with Dream Heaven Adventure, Sonam continues to guide trekking and climbing journeys across Nepal's Himalayas.

Originally from Solukhumbu District, home to Nepal's Everest region, Dip Bahadur Karki (Dipak) has more than 15 years of experience working in Nepal's trekking and tourism industry. Growing up in a Himalayan region and later working professionally on trekking routes across the country has given him extensive first-hand experience of both established trails and remote mountain journeys.

Dipak has guided treks across many regions of Nepal, with particular experience in remote and restricted-area routes including Dolpo, Manaslu, Nar Phu Valley, and Upper Mustang. These journeys often involve longer trekking days, high-altitude terrain, basic accommodation, changing weather, and more complex logistics than Nepal's more established trekking routes.

His experience also extends to the Everest region and other major trekking areas of Nepal. Years spent working in different parts of the Himalayas have given him practical knowledge of trail conditions, altitude, daily pacing, accommodation, local transportation, and the cultural differences between Nepal's mountain regions.

On the trail, Dipak helps manage the practical details of each trekking day, from maintaining an appropriate walking pace and arranging overnight stays to monitoring changing conditions and coordinating with the Kathmandu operations team when plans need to be adjusted. His experience on remote routes is particularly useful where accommodation, communication, and transportation options are limited.

Having worked through communities with different languages, religions, traditions, and ways of life, Dipak also helps travelers understand the places they are walking through rather than experiencing the trek only as a physical journey. This is especially relevant on routes such as Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Manaslu, and Dolpo, where local culture is an important part of the trekking experience.

After more than 15 years in the field, Dipak continues to guide both classic and remote Himalayan journeys, bringing the route knowledge and practical experience developed through years of working directly on Nepal's trails.