Red Panda's Founders- Woody, Lenduk, and Phurpoo

Red Panda's Founders- Woody, Lenduk, and Phurpoo


It all started when...

Phurpoo grew up in a small village about two hours walk from Lenduk. They went to school together and saw each other frequently. From their villages, they could see Makalu. Occasionally trekkers and climbers trekked through on their way to the mountain. They would play and walk to school and back with this mountain as their backdrop. Eventually they moved to Kathmandu around the same time and began to work as porters to make meager rupees. It was enough to pay for their food but not much else. They both worked hard and made their way up to being Junior Guides.

After some time, Phurpoo and Lenduk also took the government's Guide License Course and then began to be Lead Guides. Soon after, Phurpoo began putting his time and interests into culture and language study. Phurpoo has a big heart for helping other people and also for preserving and understanding culture. He did translation work for over 9 years with the purpose of preserving culture and to allow people to read manuscripts and books that are in other languages. These learnings would have been lost if he had not taken time to translate them. Lenduk continued to work as a guide and trek higher and higher. He took the Basic and then Advanced Mountaineering Course through the NMA and then was a part of the first Nepal Mountain Leader certification course from the UIAA.

By this time both Lenduk and Phurpoo were married with kids and they began to consider their future. Lenduk loved to trek and climb and Phurpoo loved helping others and interacting with other languages and cultures. So in 2015 they decided to create their own trekking company to combine their passions- A professional and affordable cultural treks and mountaineering expedition company that positively impacts the people of Nepal. They knew in order to accomplish this they would need help.

They both had an American friend named Woody who always seemed to be planning trips for him and his friends to go trek or climb in different places in Nepal. He was a former expedition guide in America, and they thought he could help. They approached him for his help, and he agreed. As a volunteer, he helps with marketing, staff training, and guiding. Together, the three of them decided to start a company. But they wanted to do it right. They would hire only staff that they knew and trusted, host their own mandatory staff trainings, have high standards for staff and itineraries, and always put quality above quantity in all aspects of the business. In early 2015 Lenduk and Phurpoo registered Red Panda Treks and Expeditions PVT LTD. The rest is history...