About Wild Frontiers
In 1996 travel writer Jonny Bealby set out across India and the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province to follow in the footsteps of his two heroes from English literature, Peachy Carnehan and Daniel Dravot, from Kipling's classic tale, The Man Who Would Be King.
Travelling on foot, on an often gruelling and dangerous journey, he became captivated by a land of harsh natural beauty, political intrigues and a diverse and fascinating population. And when he finally emerged from Afghanistan back into Pakistan and the valleys of the Kalash - the last of the pagan tribes to inhabit the Hindu Kush - he was so taken with these warm and welcoming people that he put down his bags and stayed for three months.
What also amazed Jonny was the near total lack of tourism to what was a relatively accessible region. So, having written his second book, For A Pagan Song, in India, about this journey, the following year he returned to Northern Pakistan and swapped his travel-writing hat for that of a tour operator. Seeking advice from the Kalash themselves, as well as other ethnic groups along his chosen route, Jonny created the first of his itineraries and a few months later lead his first group... and so Wild Frontiers was born.
Whilst maintaining the same sympathetic approach to the people we visit and the regions through which we travel, Wild Frontiers now takes travellers to a total of 40 countries on four continents. Using passionate and knowledgeable guides, as well as a dedicated and experienced office staff, we are able to provide unique and original itineraries that allow our clients to take a journey beneath the surface of the region, and into those special and secret places we all love to discover.
And here in lies the fundamental difference between us and so many other travel companies.
Go to most travel websites and what you will find are homogenised travel packages lacking both originality and imagination. Most itineraries have simply been sourced from partner agencies in the country to which the tour runs, with little regard for the fact that the same tour is being sold around the world to any number of other organisations. The itinerary - that soon becomes a circuit - is therefore not only run by the one company as many times as it can, but by umpteen others as well.
By operating our tours only once or twice a year, and on routes we have discovered for ourselves, we are able to give a truly off-the-beaten-track experience and all the benefits that go with that.
Also by teaming up with carefully chosen Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) - the Hope Foundation in Calcutta, the Ladakh Project, the Mines Advisory Group in Cambodia, A-CET in Ethiopia to name a few - we are also able to help local communities come to terms with their ever-changing environment, provide funds for better water, housing and education and ultimately help to put something back.
To give our clients the kind of personal service we know they like, we operate from an office in Fulham, West London, where we have 10 dedicated members of staff - all with a wealth of knowledge about our destinations - on hand to answer your questions.
While expanding steadily Wild Frontiers maintains the same personal, flexible and deeply knowledgeable service that served us so well in Northern Pakistan.
To find out more please choose one of the info boxes to the right.
