Who we are
Built by the people of the mountains.
Not by a travel agency.
Ettiq is not one person with a spreadsheet. It is a Kumaoni guide who knows exactly where the light hits Roopkund at dawn. A homestay family in Kinnaur who keeps a plate warm for you. A group of strangers who become friends by day four. And yes, a founder who spent years walking these routes before there was a business at all. This page is for all of them.
The name
Ettiq is the attic.
That quiet, sunlit corner of a Himachali homestay, where the roof meets the mountains, where the day slows down, where you think thoughts you didn't know you had.
Every great journey has a moment like that. An hour on a ridge. A fire after a cold summit. A breakfast with people you met four days ago and already trust. Ettiq is built around finding that moment.
The people who lead you
Local guides, not tour managers.
The person walking ahead of you on an Ettiq route grew up within sight of it. A Kumaoni guide for Roopkund. A Kinnauri local for Chitkul. A certified mountaineer for the glacier crossings. We spend months finding the right person for each trail, because local knowledge is the difference between a good trek and one you never stop talking about.
They set the pace, read the weather, tell the stories that never make it onto a map, and get everyone home safe. They are the reason these journeys work.
The people who host you
Homestays, not hotels.
Wherever we can, you sleep in someone's home. You eat what the family eats, sit by their fire, and learn how a village actually lives above 3,000 metres. It keeps money in the mountains and turns a trek into an exchange rather than a transaction. The warmth of these homes is a part of the trip we could never build ourselves.
The people who travel with you
A community, curated on purpose.
Groups stay 6 to 14 people, always. We ask about intent, not just fitness, because the right mix of people is half the experience. Founders, creators, first-time trekkers, solo travellers finding their feet. Many come back. Many meet on a ridge and stay friends for years. That community is the quiet thing Ettiq exists to build.
Where it started
Sumit Kulhari
Founder, Ettiq Trails
I started travelling seriously in 2012. By 2016, the Himalaya had become the only place I wanted to be. Since then I've crossed 50+ trails across Garhwal, Kumaon, Spiti, Kinnaur, Lahaul, Ladakh, and beyond, on foot, on bikes, in 4×4s, and on rivers.
In 2019 I started leading small, informal groups on personal routes. No business, just people. Ettiq grew out of that, and my job now is mostly to find the right guides, vet the routes, and build the right group. The mountains and the people who live in them do the rest.
Based in Jaipur. Thinking in the mountains.
Sumit Kulhari, Founder
How we got here
2012
Started travelling India seriously. 25+ states over four years.
2016
First extended Himalayan route. Something shifted. Came back every year since.
2019
Started leading small informal groups on personal routes. No business, just people.
2023
Scouted 15+ new routes across Kinnaur, Sirmaur, and remote Garhwal with local guides. Started documentation.
2026
Ettiq Trails launches. 200+ journeys. 5 categories. One intent: routes worth doing, led by the people who know them best.
Our approach
Five things we stand behind.
Routes before routes existed
We don't copy itineraries. Every Ettiq route has been scouted on foot, by our team or our vetted local leaders. If we can't vouch for it, we don't run it.
Small groups, always
6 to 14 people maximum. Not a policy, a belief. The group dynamic is half the experience. Past 14, it breaks.
Community-first curation
We ask about intent, not just fitness. The right group makes or breaks a mountain journey. We spend more time on this than most operators spend on logistics.
Honest over impressive
If a trip isn't right for you, we'll say so. We don't hide costs. We don't oversell difficulty. We'd rather lose a booking than send the wrong person somewhere unprepared.
The places nobody photographs yet
Nagini Lake. Tilung Kho. Morindha Tal. Phulara Ridge. We exist to take you somewhere still worth discovering, before it stops being that.
Come walk with us.
You don't have to know which trek is right for you. WhatsApp us and we'll ask the right questions and figure it out together.