Our Team

We are a travelling school of practising professional naturalists with the goal to expand India’s body of qualified nature and safari guides. Our 40 years of combined expertise spans all habitats of India and our catalogue of experience is incredibly varied. We have trained the professionals at wildlife lodges, non-profit organisations, luxury travel companies…we even provided skill development courses for the forest department, themselves! We love what we do, and more than that, we love sharing our passion with others - every course we teach cultivates new guides who will leave lasting impacts on this planet, which ultimately, is why we formed Nature Guides Academy.

  • Fondly called Nara, he comes from the tiny village of Belathur, which adjoins the famous Nagarahole National Park. Having grown up around the elephant paradise of Kabini, his early inspiration to observe nature came from studying the birds around home. As he grew, so did his fondness for them and the other denizens that share their space, leading him to set foot in his current profession as a naturalist.

    With over a decade of experience in his chosen field, Narayana’s first full-time stint as a naturalist was in Kabini. He spent over five years with various wildlife lodges in Karnataka, particularly around Kabini and Coorg. His love for travel and the desire to explore the wildlife that lay beyond the boundaries of his home state brought him to central India and Taj Safaris, a company he chose for its reputation as the foremost name in luxury wildlife experiences in India. Arriving in Madhya Pradesh in 2010, he was one among a few people handpicked and trained by expert &Beyond trainers. His desire to explore central India and its wilderness has so far taken him to Pench, Bandhavgarh, Panna and Kanha, where he was the Head Naturalist at Banjaar Tola lodge, and Chief Trainer for Taj Safaris.

    He has led wildlife expeditions to Ladakh for snow leopard, Himalayan wildlife, Kaziranga, Dudhwa and Ranthambhore in addition to Southern Indian wildlife, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

    He hopes to inspire youngsters back home to dream big and work hard to make what they want out of life!

  • Born and raised in Bombay, Payal completed her Masters in Geology from St. Xavier’s College. Alongside, she got trained as a Mountaineer and got her diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. After her post-graduation, through her interactions with the Bombay Natural History Society, she learned about and went through the Taj Safaris-&Beyond naturalist training program. She spent the most joyful 3 years working as a naturalist stationed at Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park with the company.

    She has been freelancing as a Tour Leader since 2011. She guides in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka & Borneo. Along with her husband Harsha, she has been involved with training guides across the country for over a decade and finds that to be the most rewarding work. They also curated and ran India’s first online guide training programme for rural youth during the covid lockdown.

    She has authored a few book/booklets-

    Butterflies of Rao Jodha Park (Mehrangarh Museum Trust)

    The lifelong question (Story Weaver)

    Handbook for Nature Guides (NCF)

  • Harsha who is now one of India’s leading freelance nature guides, trainers, and educators, left formal college early to rescue urban wildlife with People for Animals in Bangalore. From Sanctuary Asia to Jungle Lodges & Resorts, he honed his skills before joining Taj Safaris in the Central Indian jungles. Trained by experts from India and South Africa, he excelled as Head Naturalist and Assistant Guide Trainer for a large variety of their sites.

    In 2010, he went solo, leading wildlife tours and photography expeditions across India and beyond, from Nepal to Brazil. With his wife, Payal, they've trained nature guides nationwide, crafted India's inaugural online Nature Guide course, and authored the definitive 'Handbook for Nature Guides.' Every year, they share their expertise as visiting faculty at a Forestry College in Maharashtra.

    Harsha's expertise extends to collaborations with global documentary giants like BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery, where he's spent countless hours behind the lens, enriching his naturalist experience.