Explore tour leaders | Meet our expert guides

Sajid

Tour Leader

Tell us about yourself

I am an adventure lover, who was born and raised in a mountainous community of Karakoram. When I was just 15, I joined a trekking tour as a helper reaching the base camp of K2 (the second-highest mountain in the world). Later, while still a student, I occasionally worked with cultural tours as an assistant in our country.

I started working with Explore in June 2022 and was promoted as local leader in 2024. I have also worked with local companies across a variety of tours, mainly cultural exposure, blossom seasons and autumn tours.

Which Explore tours do you lead?

I lead our Pakistan Discovery tour, Pakistan’s Karakoram Highway.

How long have you worked for Explore?

I’ve worked for Explore since 2024.

What is your favourite local food?

I love freshwater trout fish.

What do you most love sharing with Explore groups?

Though I am good at speaking on a variety of topics, culture and history are my favourites. Our itinerary takes us to new cultural and lingual destinations where I usually share related information.

Mountain communities continuously adapt and innovate in ways that inspire others, having developed unique methods to sustain their livelihoods. I like explaining these aspects because they offer valuable insights and inspiration. While on long drives, talking about culture and history creates space for discussions that makes the journey alive.

What are you most proud of in your country?

Our country is an extraordinarily diverse in terms of its people and landscape. The level of warmth locals show for tourists is received with overwhelming appreciation. Their character makes tourists feel genuinely welcome and generously offered space to enjoy. Nothing more I expect and achieve than showing the real face of our society.

What do travellers find most surprising when they visit?

To see an unexpectedly diversified landscape, from beautiful valleys to local communities welcoming tourists. Most importantly, it’s the warmth of the visitors who have changed their perspective to what they had heard about Pakistan before visiting.

Meiling, Explore customer:

“Sajid was a brilliant guide, supported by Jehangir. He stopped at nothing to give us an amazing, safe and authentic experience. He was always on hand, always patient, always reliable. He was well briefed on all aspects of the trip, prepared to be flexible, and always planned ahead. He always put the needs of the group as a whole and as individuals above his own.”