Guides

Born the grandson of a forest officer and son of a renowned wildlife tour operator, Amit Sankhala has rambled in the remote forests of India since he was a baby. As the Managing Director of two wildlife ecolodges in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh and outfitter of nature and culture tours in India, Amit has vast knowledge and experience designing and guiding ecotours throughout the Indian sub-continent. Jessika was raised in Vancouver, Canada and after meeting Amit she found herself relocated to India where together they assure that wildlife conservation and ecotourism remains an innate part of the Sankhala family heritage. Shri Kailash Sankhala (Amit’s grandfather) was a celebrated personality in the field of wildlife. He was a distinguished forest officer with the Indian Forest Service and Founding Director of Project Tiger, launched in 1973, acclaimed as the most successful conservation program at that time. He was also the Director of the Delhi Zoological Park and was awarded a Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for his research on the ecology and behavior of the Indian tiger. Known by many around the world as the ‘Tiger Man of India”, Shri Kailash Sankhala authored many books on tigers translated into many languages and was acknowledged as the most distinguished wildlife conservationist of his time in India. Pradeep Sankhala (Amit’s father) was a renowned wildlife tour operator who applied the expertise of his father’s work in conservation with an entrepreneurial interest in protecting tiger habitat through ecotourism: he successfully developed Kanha and Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodges, among the first wildlife lodges in India. Amit Sankhala has vowed to continue the legacy of the Sankhala family by carrying forward the mission of nature conservation and wildlife tourism. Jessika and Amit travel throughout India and the world bringing new and innovative concepts that help foster an international level of service to visitors from around the globe.

Harendra was born in Bharatpur, India at the edge of a National Bird Sanctuary. He cannot remember a time in his life when he was not a nature lover. Harendra has undergone intensive Naturalist guide training at Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench National Parks. He is adept at explaining the local floral and faunta, tracking tigers and explaining the mysteries of the Indian jungle. As a licensed cultural guide, Harendra is one of our favorite escorts in Northern India. He is known for his pleasant personality, flexibility, sense of humor and knowledge. To quote one of our guests, "We cannot imagine a more perfect person to guide us through this amazing country."