As Paddle Nepal continued to grow, so did our confidence in what the future could become.

Each season brought more guests, more guides, and new opportunities. What had started with a handful of kayaks and a simple dream had become a well-established adventure company.

During these years, Nim continued travelling to Japan each summer for seasonal work. Rather than seeing it as a path away from Nepal, he saw it as a way to invest in its future. The income he earned overseas helped fund Paddle Nepal’s steady growth—expanding equipment, improving infrastructure, and creating opportunities back home.

With that growth came new investments.

Our kayak and raft fleet continued to expand, allowing us to welcome more paddlers and offer a wider range of adventures and training programs. Purchasing our own jeep and bus gave us greater independence, improved logistics, and created new employment opportunities for drivers, mechanics, and support staff.

But perhaps the most significant investment of all came on land.

Like Chhimkesory Adventure Camp and the Jalberi Canyoning site, this was another investment in Paddle Nepal’s long-term future. Yet the Lakeside property represented a different kind of milestone.

Chhimkesory Adventure Camp was developed on family land, creating opportunities in Nim’s home village while honouring his roots. The small plot of land purchased at the Jalberi Canyoning site was a practical investment—chosen to improve logistics, safety, and the guest experience while also supporting the local community.

The Lakeside property was different.

It was independently earned through years of guiding, seasonal work in Japan, careful saving, and continually reinvesting in Nepal.

For many business owners in Pokhara, owning land in Lakeside marks an important milestone in their journey.

For Nim, purchasing Paddle Nepal’s Lakeside property was about much more than owning land.

It represented the quiet confidence that Paddle Nepal had earned its place within Pokhara’s tourism community. It reflected years of hard work, the trust of guests from around the world, the dedication of an incredible team, and the support of family, friends, and partners who believed in the journey.

Our Lakeside property became Paddle Nepal’s permanent operations base, centred around the boathouse where equipment is stored and maintained, trainee guides are housed, and every adventure begins and ends. It is a place of early morning preparations, post-trip stories, guide training, equipment maintenance, and the daily rhythm that keeps Paddle Nepal moving forward.

Growing up in a small riverside village where opportunities were limited, owning even a piece of Lakeside had once seemed unimaginable.

For a young village guide who dreamed of sharing Nepal’s rivers with the world, it was a deeply personal achievement—not because of the land itself, but because of what it represented.

It was proof that years of hard work, perseverance, and believing in Nepal had made it possible to put down permanent roots in the heart of Pokhara.

More than twenty years later, Paddle Nepal continues to grow.

Not because of the land we own…

But because of the people, communities, and values we’ve chosen to invest in.

The kayaks have changed.

The vehicles have changed.

The buildings have grown.

But our purpose remains the same.

Sometimes growth isn’t measured by how big you become.

Sometimes it’s measured by the roots you choose to plant.

(To be continued…)

This reflection is part of Paddle Nepal’s 20-year journey on Nepal’s rivers.