गुरुर्ब्रह्मा ग्रुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ॥

(Guru is truly the representative of the Divine. He creates, sustains knowledge and destroys the weeds of ignorance. I salute such a great Guru.)

For all of us who have been lucky enough to have been mentored and taught by Bapu, no words are truer. This octogenarian, who gets younger by the day, has been instrumental in instilling this undying love and unbridled passion for nature and the great outdoors, in all of us!

Fondly called ‘A Walking Encyclopedia of Nature’ by the thousands who revere and adore him, Bapu remains the innocent and simple nature lover for whom nothing is sweeter than being in nature, with the trees and plants that he has loved so dearly all his life! His wisdom, his love, his mesmerizing words is what gives us the courage to do more in this beautiful field.

To Bapu, we owe everything!

Bapu’s son, Dr. Parag is no less an encyclopedia on nature and botany. Being a well established medical practitioner in Pune, wildlife and nature has been his biggest hobby since the early eighties. His calm demeanor, willingness to help at all times, ability to adapt to changing circumstances and above all, his integrity and ethical spirit toward everything he does is what sets him apart.

One of Pune’s and India’s most liked doctor and nature mentor, being on field with Dr. Parag is an experience in itself. If you ever get a chance, do take part in this experience once, for when he is on a nature trail on a fine evening as the sun sets and the last birds sings, he is at his most natural, wonderful self. You shall go home a transformed person, for the better!

Some people call him ‘One of the best tiger storytellers around’, while others sing praises about his incredible work efficiency and perfection in all he does! This 20-something young boy, who many years ago quit Engineering from one of Maharashtra’s top colleges to pursue his great love for nature and tigers, it is quite an experience doing a tiger safari or a snow leopard expedition with him! No one else that we know of can match his passion, energy, tiger tracking skills and above all, an ability to predict things before they happen and ensuring most of the tours that he leads are super successful.

Mihir leads tours for almost 300 days a year and swears by the fact that it is in the great wilds that he finds his true happiness. Do safari with him once, when late in the evening as you all sit around a warm campfire and he narrates his stories from the last decade with an unstoppable smile on his face, you know you are with the right person! 

Mihir is also a fine photographer and has won many awards over the years! Beyond Wild’s engine, Mihir, is someone you won’t forget easily, for he will lovingly charm his way, making you a nature (and Big Cat) addict for eternity.

Having broken his jinx of sighting his first wild tiger with Beyond Wild, a chat probably over a bonfire in the wild reignited a childhood spark in Nirav to be in the wild. He joined us in 2015 and has been an integral part of our teams managing our Mumbai and now operations in Dubai as well.

Juggling a corporate life in Dubai, Nirav shuttles efficiently between Dubai, India and Africa managing business development and customer experience for Beyond Wild apart from leading tours for Beyond Wild both in India and Africa. Don't go by his subdued and soft spoken demeanor whilst of tour, he leads Beyond Wild's tours with the principal ethos on which Beyond Wild is built - guest first.

He values details and you see him going out and beyond to make sure guests on tour with him are not left with much to complain.