Naveen Upadhyay

Naveen is the co-founder of Camp Hornbill, a community initiated and managed enterprise that focuses on rural and ecotourism in Ky ri village near Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand. He has weaved his passion for wildlife with his entrepreneurial spirit, the outcome of which has been Camp Hornbill. Being a grassroots tourism enterprise, Camp Hornbill functions with special focus on education. Naveen sees tourism as an opportunity to educate people about nature. He has used his interest and skills in wildlife and tourism as a means for education. Camp Hornbill functions on this model of tourism. Naveen, along with the co-founders, bring their vision and local knowledge to the Camp’s functioning. Camp Hornbill has thus acted as a positive force within the village community as it has also created employment for other villagers.

Born in the foothills of the Himalayas, Naveen has always had a deep interest in wildlife and nature-based activities. This interest led him to become a trained mountaineer and avid birder. Naveen has always had a keen entrepreneurial spirit reflected in starting out small businesses while studying at Kumaon University. The experience has led him to get involved in a tourism initiative in Ky ri village for 15 years.