An Interview with Saurabh Sabikhi
Q. Who are you and What got you into traveling?
Hello everyone. My name is Saurabh Sabikhi. I am an explorer and I blog a little about my travels, and like to click.
I can’t recall how I got into travelling, maybe it was always there in me. When I was much younger, I used to go to the mountains with family and relatives, and always used to enjoy it.
Guess, a major transformation came in 2005, when I took my first ever biking trip to Spiti. I left a part of me there I guess. And have been trying to find it on every subsequent trip to the Himalayas.
Q. Favourite Himalayan destination and Why ?
It’s like asking a mother who her favourite kid is.I’ve been extensively to the Himalayas, and love each and every place I visit. Still, if I am to pick a few, my first love has always been Spiti. But in my subsequent travels, I’ve been in love with Zanskar (especially Phuktal Monastery), the road from Pangong Tso to Hanle, Kashmir, Chamoli District (Niti Village) to name a few. Here’s a video that shows my love for Spiti
Q. What sort of a traveler are you?
A restless one I guess. Can barely stay put at one place. The urge to drive on the unnamed and unexplored roads, walking a little to see what lies beyond is what keeps me going.Since mostly am short of time, I travel long distances at times. Like once, I drove from Noida to Spiti non-stop as I didn’t have enough days at hand.
Apart from this, I love to promote the love of travelling, and try to make other people’s travel dreams come true.I have represented India and promoted Indian Tourism in South Africa and started a couple of initiatives like #BucketList and #TravelPot towards the same.
Q. Best and worst experiences in the Himalayas ?
All experiences have been great so far.But some are more memorable than the others.Like discovering an unexplored and an unnamed lake in Spiti, which friends and fellow travellers have named SS_Tso (after my initials). It can also be found on Google Maps.
Riding after 8 years, on the stretch from Pangong Tso towards Hanle via Chushul, I can never forget the landscapes and the Kiyangs racing along the bike. Phuktal Monastery would always be special. The drive to Shinku La, and as Army people claimed, I was the first to drive till that point for except Army Vehicles and local Sumo drivers.I’ve never looked at an experience as worst’s, just an experience that teaches you something.
Q. What tip would you give to fellow travellers?
Each has his/her own unique way of travelling, and unique experiences, so I don’t think I have any such advice for anyone. But yes, don’t only travel for a reason or for the destination, rather enjoy every second of the journey. Also, adventure is great. But never underestimate the mightiness of the Himalayas.
And don’t fall in the trap of a travel blog, or agency, that claims to organise something super adventurous. It looks fancy, but if people and travel agency is not well equipped, it may lead to disastrous consequences. A lot of people I know have suffered because of this.
That was a great interview with Saurabh. It was so nice to know his favorites from the Himalayas. Zanskar is the prettiest place, no wonder. He had some great tips for other travelers.
Thanks Shreya.
And what wonderful experiences you have in your kitty. Absolutely loved them (Checked your blog)
What a great interview and what an adventurer! Those videos and images are absolutely stunning and the Himalayas is so on my radar now! That monastery in Ladakh is exquisite and I can’t even imagine what it would be like to discover a lake that its unnoticed or unnamed. I love the idea that can still happen in this day and age of travel and technology.
Hey Amy.
Thanks for such kind words 🙂
That Monastery is truly truly amazing. A must visit.
And that lake truly is special.
I hope, and wish, you get to witness the places you want to.
I happened to follow Saurabh ‘s adventure on Instagram and am quite sure that this boy will go places .. Travel freak indeed
And I’ll say the exact same thing about you Debjani 🙂
Glad to see you here 🙂
Saurabh is such an inspiring traveler. It was great reading about the Himalayas from his perspective. The views at Spiti in the Himalayas look breathtakingly gorgeous. I am surely going to be exploring the Himalayas soon.
Thank you so much Anjali 🙂
You are too generous in your appreciation.
This was a great interview! I would love to visit the Himalayas, so I really enjoyed reading about the awesome places there that he enjoys. I hadn’t followed his travels before, so I am definitely going to look into this account.
Hi Leah
You would love the Himalayas.
I can say, I have never seen anything as magnificent as them.
And looking forward to connect. Instagram?
This was a refreshing blog post format, I liked the interview. Saurabh naturally has a huge passion for the Himalayas and is very knowledgeable. Thanks you for this post, it was a very interesting read.
Thanks Laura for such generous appreciation. So glad to be reading this.
Would love to connect.
This was one awesome interview! I haven’t heard about Saurabh before but I’ll check out his website after reading this. He seems to like similar things as me. Thank you for sharing this
Thanks Daniel.
Glad to connect.
I am friends with Saurabh on social media. He is a great guy. Like him, I too covered the distance between Pangong and Hanle via Chushul. But I did the opposite route. The landscapes were breathtaking.
Hey Archana.
So good to see you here.
And those are some generous words. Thanks again.
Yeah. That stretch is absolutely stunning. Have such amazing memories of that ride.
I have recently met him and traveled with him in Ladakh and can say that he is an amazing travel companion with a lot of knowledge about the terrain. I loved his travelogues on Instagram and closely follow him on social media. Hopefully I will travel soon with him. Lovely post.
Parnashreeeeeeeeeeeee 🙂
So so so good to see you here. Quite a surprise actually.
And you are way too generous.
I absolutely lovely your experiences too.
And yes. we would definitely travel together. Soon Soon. Hugs