Rajan Jolly - Operations Manager

Rajan joined the Naturetrek Operations team in November 2001 and since then has enjoyed managing the operations of a range of different holidays to Southwest Asia. He has travelled extensively through these countries, seeing their wildlife and experiencing their rich culture – from Tigers in India and Leopards and Blue Whales in Sri Lanka to exploring the dramatic Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan and Burma. Rajan’s office role also involves curating and developing bespoke tours for clients who wish to travel privately. He has a passion for logistics and complex itineraries which, through his intimate knowledge and in depth comprehension of certain eccentricities of the Indian subcontinent, he can ensure flow effortlessly. His vivacious and bubbly personality, as well as his profound understanding of our client’s requirements, are a major asset to the company.

Rajan was born and raised in India as a member of one of Kashmir’s prominent families. Having been fortunate enough to be born in the beautiful valley of Kashmir, he has always been close to nature. As young boy, his favourite adventures were to trek up hills to enjoy fabulous local landscapes and visit the Dachigam National Park to look for the endangered Kashmir Stag and the Himalayan Black Bear. When he moved to Delhi to start a career in tourism, he lost his touch with nature in the hustle and bustle of the city life. He graduated in Business Studies and also has a diploma in Travel and Tourism from Delhi University. Initially, his work was mainly focused on India’s rich culture, but he then began leading wildlife tours and the memory of his first guiding trip is still fresh in his mind – it was Naturetrek’s ‘Just Tigers!’ tour in central India and was the first time he came face to face with the majestic Bengal Tiger (or rather a family of six with four 18 month-old cubs!) In addition, he saw seven Jungle Cats, Dholes, a Sloth Bear and a Barasingha (Swamp Deer), one of the world’s rarest mammals. Since then, Kanha National Park has been his all-time favourite and it never disappoints! Rajan was delighted to rekindle his passion for wildlife through Naturetrek and, after working in the Indian travel industry for nine years, moved to the UK in 2001 to become a full time member of the team in our head office.