About us
Mercury Himalayan Explorations (MHE) is one of the pioneers of adventure travel in India. The company was founded in 1982 by Col. "Bull" Kumar, PVSM, KC, AVSM, MacGregor Medal, IMF Gold Medal, Padma Shri, Arjuna Award, Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He is one of India's most celebrated mountain climbers and decorated soldiers, best known for securing the Siachen Glacier for India without shedding a drop of blood. The glacier’s base Kumar Base, is named after him.
MHE operates trekking and climbing expeditions across the Himalaya, owns and operates rafting camps on some of India’s best known rafting rivers and specializes in off-road jeep safaris across north and south India. MHE truly are the off-road and jeep safari pioneers – having handled the famous Isuzu Challenge in 2001, the Queen of the Desert safaris in 2004 and 2012 and several other motor holidays into Spiti, Rajasthan, and Kerala. From trekking in Ladakh to high altitude safaris, from Himalayan mountaineering expeditions to white water rafting down the Holy Ganges, MHE specializes in organizing active holidays and adventure trips across India and Asia.
The company has been awarded multiple National Tourism Awards for being “the most innovative tour operator in India” and for “pioneering off-road and ATV expeditions in India”. The Sunday Times UK rated MHE as the "top adventure travel operator in India."
Known for its innovative approach towards adventure, MHE has a reputation for several firsts to its credit. It was the first adventure tour operator to organize treks to Spiti Valley, Nanda Devi Inner Sanctuary, Kanchenjunga Base Camp and Siachen Glacier. In the world of white-water rafting, the first descents of the Brahmaputra river in 1991, Upper Teesta, Upper Indus, Nubra, Narmada and Suru rivers are all credited to MHE.
MHE’s partnership with Mercury Travels, a leading travel agency partly owned by the Oberoi group of hotels, gives it the largest adventure travel network in the... show more
Indian sub-continent covering 15 cities across India and marketing offices in Frankfurt, New York, and Hamburg.
MHE's day-to-day operations are managed by its CEO Akshay Kumar who is also the president of the Adventure Travel Association of India (ATOAI) and a keen skier, trekker, and rafting guide. show more