Our Team

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Partner at Drenmo Lodge

Featured in Conde Nast Traveler at two separate occasions as one of the “50 amazing ambassadors of sustainable travel” and “50 People to Know in the Himalayas,”Muzammil is a climber, trekker, wildlife enthusiast & a Kargil native who after much wandering around India for a few years decided to come back home and co-founded Roots Ladakh - a responsible travel company with his brother in 2013 with a vision to change the preconceived notion of Kargil as a “war zone”. Muzammil has a background in management, design & research. As a researcher, his work took him to travel to some remote locations in India where his love for traveling and exploration grew. He is passionate about learning new skills and seeing new places. Muzammil wears many hats. Besides running his travel company he loves taking people around his backyard as a qualified outdoor guide, an experienced culture guide, a museum curator, a wildlife conservationist and as a storyteller. He has helped set up various community-run tourism projects in Kargil and is a member of the local Tourism Advisory Board. He is the Founder-Trustee of Himalayan Brown Bear Trust, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of this rare species. He also manages the Munshi Aziz Bhat Museum - his family museum dedicated to the Silk Route trade heritage of Kargil. He is a TedX speaker and was featured in a National Geographic wildlife documentary on Himalayan Brown Bears called “Giants of the Himalayas”. Recently, he was the Gold Winner at the Outlook Traveller Indian Responsible Tourism Awards 2023.

Partner at Drenmo Lodge

Featured in Conde Nast Traveler at two separate occasions as one of the “50 amazing ambassadors of sustainable travel” and “50 People to Know in the Himalayas,” Tafazzul is the CFO at Roots Ladakh which he co-founded with Muzammil. Fondly known as Tafu, he is responsible for all the operations and finance. Tafazzul comes from a commerce background. He could never take to a typical 9 to 5 job. So after finishing his Bachelor of Commerce from SRCC, Delhi University, he decided to come back home and join hands with Muzammil to create something of their own. For obvious reasons he is the main guy who ensures that the money is being spent well in the organisation and our guests get the best service possible.When he is not growing his beard, you might find him playing the guitar or rooting for Man United. Passionate about football, he has also started a street football tournament for locals called “Street Legends” which happens every year in Jammu/Kargil since 2010.

Partner at Drenmo Lodge

Karan is born n brought up in Bombay. 

There is hardly a bigger contrast than leaving a city with a population of over 20 Million and moving into the fringe of the Kanha National park where he owns and operates a Boutique Safari lodge called Flame of the Forest since over a decade. 

His vision was to live a simple life in the forest and share it with like minded people. He is a trained naturalist and hence the dream of living in the wilderness was omnipresent in this life. 

From the first time he visited Kanha, his heart was captured by the magnificent landscapes, the glorious Sal trees and the variety of wildlife the park has to offer. There is always something to discover, something to learn and cherish and certainly there is never a dull moment when you are on a drive with him. 

Karan is always looking for the next adventure, embracing opportunities to grow, learn and transform. He does not take life too seriously, what ever will be, will be. Life around him is full of energy and laughter.

Naturalist at Drenmo Lodge

Kuhelika has majored in Anthropology from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts and has been trained as a nature guide by Nature Conservation Foundation. She has gained experience in the jungles of Corbett National Park before joining us as the in-house naturalist. 

Her passion to work closely with communities manifested itself first as a User Experience Researcher in the startup world, before turning towards the human-wildlife interaction space. She is also a member of our team at The Himalayan Brown Bear Trust and has worked on Humās, a field guide on the flora and fauna of Drass valley. She works closely with the community of Holiyal village to engage them in community conservation practices. 

She’s easily excited by the natural world; be it the birds, the caterpillars they eat, or the network of fungi that sustains their habitat. When inside four walls, she enjoys books, music and cooking.

Host and Manager at Drenmo Lodge

Fayaz is a native of Kargil and a graduate in Travel and Tourism Management from IITTM, Delhi. After spending a few months working with the Department of Tourism Kargil, he initially joined the team in 2021 as a tour guide. It did not take a long time to realize his qualities and today he plays a key role in managing the lodge operations and guest relations. 

His soft spoken and humble nature coupled with his intimate knowledge about the region makes him a great host. His special interests are cooking, gardening and ofcourse wildlife.