The Wanderers
was formed with a view to promoting unconventional and offbeat holidays for the discerning traveller. Our tours are for those who would like to explore the land and its people, for those who wish to uncover the superficial layers that can never reflect the truth of a great culture and to finally discover the real gem that shines within. The idea is to show people a world that exists beyond brochures and boundaries, beyond luxuries and beyond imagination! The stupendous natural beauty, the cultural diversity, the exotic flora and fauna, the historic sites steeped in time and the warm and gentle people will all be a part of your travel experience. For the days you spend with us, we will be the catalyst watching you evolve as you experience the magic that unfolds.
How it all Started!
A chance meeting at a personal development course between two strangers, Abhik Dutta and Rajinder Singh, followed by frantic calls to Ashis Das, a college friend of Abhik’s from Kolkata led to the beginning of The Wanderers – a travel company that focuses on lesser known exotic destinations. The year 1997! The common interest- Sikkim, a place all 3 had travelled to before and loved immensely.
With less than Rs 10,000 as capital, two offices were set up in Mumbai and Kolkata – one in Singh’s garage and the other on the ground floor of Dutta’s residence in South Calcutta. And the only place they decided to promote was Sikkim, which they did for almost a year! With no prior experience in the travel industry, days and nights were spent learning, engaging in insightful conversations with local partners in Sikkim and pouring over Survey of India and TTK maps of Sikkim.
Their first client was a honeymoon couple, after which business took off through references and promotional tie-ups with various companies including Crossword bookstore. The Wanderers have been featured on All India Radio (FM Gold’s safarnama), Economic Times, Business India, The Telegraph (Kolkata), Mid Day (Mumbai), Bombay Times, India Today, Namaskaar (in-flight Air India magazine), Trav-Talk, Mumbai Mirror, Express Travel & Tourism, Business Standard, Fe Business Traveller, Rediffmail, Moneycontrol (dot) com etc. In 2005, The Wanderers were featured in CNBC-TV 18’s programme ‘Young Turks’, focusing on young achievers.
Meanwhile, destinations kept getting added as clients returned for more and as the trio began their travels. Over the course of next 2 and 1/2 decades they have travelled to over 100 + countries between them.
Today, The Wanderers organises tailor made and fixed schedule tours to destinations as far flung as the Canadian Arctic, Papua New Guinea, Easter island, Mongolia, Namibia and other mesmerising places in between.
From individual travellers seeking to infuse a breath of fresh air in their holidays to Corporate clients keen on experimenting with ideas that enhance their business goals, The Wanderers and its event arm, Colour Purple Events is well poised to take advantage of the immense potential of domestic, inbound and outbound travel.
The professional team at The Wanderers is currently led by Abhik Dutta and Ashis Das, who carry the vision forward. A vision to transform lives through travel.
Meet The Team
Ashis Das met Abhik in college in Kolkata and thereafter the two drifted in various directions. His occasional disappearance in the midst of work to surface hours later in a remote hamlet in Darjeeling or Sikkim (and even Bangladesh, a fact he rarely admits!) baffled his bosses and family alike.
Chucked the rigours of the nine to five job for his first love - the mountains, he dived headlong into forming The Wanderers. Today, he is the backbone of the firm and is the 'figures' guy and work takes him to some incredible places in search of wilderness lodges & quality 'chhang.' He has forayed into off beat locales across the Himalayas, as well as places in Tasmania, Indonesia, China, Borneo, South Africa, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Rockies etc and just ONE quality snap to establish his reputation as a photographer! (Of late, digital technlogy has come to his aid and he has come up with snaps that have finally met with critical acclaim!)
An Army brat, Abhik Dutta's love for the Himalayas started at the age of 10, when he began studying in the little known hill station of Kurseong that lies under the shadow of its more famous cousin, Darjeeling. The frequent picnics in the tea gardens, the chugging of the toy train, the distant views of the mighty Khangchendzonga range, the midnight trek to Tiger Hill, Senchal Lake as well as to the Balason river valley tugged at his heart and many years later he returned to promote the areas in which he grew. After a short stint in the corporate world, he met up with two close friends who shared his passion for travel and together they started The Wanderers. With his special love for the Himalayas, he has traveled the the length and breadth of the Indian Himalayas. Some of his most memorable forays have been through Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, the dimly lit backstreets of Thailand to the temples and erstwhile 'killing fields' of Cambodia. Other adventures both foolhardy and exciting have caught up with him in the Amazon, the glaciers of New Zealand, the Arctic Circle, the skies of Namibia, the silk route in Uzbekistan, the pubs of Budapest and other places. Passionate about bird watching and fishing and inept at both, he hopes someday he will land himself a fish. He dreams of having a mountain lodge near a stream with loads of rainbow trout in it and birds above it.
