Lisa Choegyal is a writer, traveller and sustainable tourism specialist who has made Kathmandu her home since she first arrived in 1974 to trek the Himalayan trails, and became captivated by the soaring peaks, low land jungles, diverse people and rich cultural traditions of Nepal. Still here, nearly fifty years and two half-Tibetan sons later, she spends her time trying to write, worrying about the Himalayan climate crisis, advising on ecotourism projects in Nepal and beyond, looking after Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, tending to New Zealanders, and savouring the splendours of Nepal.
An author and editor of a number of books, Lisa contributes articles to magazines and blogs, writing regularly on tourism, wildlife and conservation. Her So Far So Good columns appeared fortnightly in the Nepali Times from 2017 to 2021 featuring stories of her early years in Nepal amongst the colorful characters who initiated tourism and trekking in the Himalayas. She is currently struggling to write her memoirs.
Publications that have made it into print include EVEREST: Reflections on the Solukhumbu and its companion volume, Nepal Himalaya: A Journey Through Time, both with Indian photographer Sujoy Das. Kathmandu Valley Style, written with Gautam SJB Rana and photographed by Craig Potton, celebrates the art, crafts and architectural heritage now under threat by the proliferation of concrete buildings.
Together with Mikel Dunham she edited The Nepal Scene: Chronicles of Elizabeth Hawley 1988 to 2007, a detailed record of events for those interested in modern Nepal history. Other collaborations include Offerings from Nepal with New Zealander Craig Potton and a stint as producer of the original South Asian Insight Guides titles.
Soon to be published in 2021 are Nepal Remembered, historical images from the Dirgha Man and Ganesh Man Chitrakar collection which she produced and edited with the family, and Corner of a Foreign Field: The British Cemetery at Kathmandu with Dr. Mark F Watson and Dr. Andrew R Hall.
Lisa’s tourism consultancy assignments have taken her to over 30 countries, mainly throughout the Asia-Pacific, and benefit from her private sector background. As a director in charge of marketing Tiger Tops Nepal and Tiger Mountain until the mid-1990s, she is still associated as an owner of Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodgewww.tigermountainpokhara.com.
One of Asia’s foremost nature and adventure operators, the group pioneered icons such as Tiger Tops lodges and camps in Chitwan and Bardia National Parks, and Mountain Travel Nepal, the first trekking and mountaineering company in the Himalaya, as well as river rafting and various specialised nature, adventure and village tourism operations in Nepal, India and Tibet.
Her ongoing documentary and feature film handling under Durbar Associates UK has included production liaison for movies such as Little Buddha with Bernardo Bertolucci and Jeremy Thomas in Nepal and Bhutan, IMAX Everest for David Breashears, EVEREST for Working Title, and Doctor Strange for Disney Marvel in Kathmandu.
In terms of international consultancy work, Lisa’s destination planning, tourism marketing and product development experience feature sustainable and adventure tourism in protected areas, world heritage sites, and coastal regions, often with TRC Tourism www.trctourism.com.
She is familiar helping communities to use tourism as a tool to improve local livelihoods, with UNESCO and heritage NGOs in cultural tourism attractions, and with the mainstream travel industry in major source markets. Clients have included multilateral and bilateral donors, development agencies, government ministries, national tourism organizations, NGOs, community owners and private sector operators, ranging in scale from multi-country regions to village level.
Lisa serves pro-bono on a number of conservation boards and non-profit organizations including the Himalayan Climate Initiative, International Trust for Nature Conservation and Greater Himalayas Foundation, and was appointed as New Zealand Honorary Consul to Nepal in June 2010.
Affiliations
- New Zealand Honorary Consul to Nepal since 2010
- Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for “services to New Zealand-Nepal relations” New Year Honors 2017
- Coordinating Committee Member: Sustainable Summits 2021, Kathmandu Valley
- Judge: English poetry on the theme of Emotional Mental Wellbeing and Cultural identity UNICEF Festival with Daya Foundation 2020
- Member panel of judges: Hyatt WOW Women Achievers Award 2020-21
- Co-chairperson: Advisory Committee GAMCE Global Adventure and Mountaineering Conference and Expo 2018 and 2019, Kathmandu
- Vice President: International Trust for Nature Conservation, London & Nepal
- Adviser: TOF Tigers Sustaining the Wild www.toftigers.org, Nepal
- Ambassador: Chance for Change, Inspiring Young Futures, Nepal Malawi & UK
- Co-Chair of Trustees: Mingma Norbu Sherpa Memorial Scholarship, Nepal & New Zealand
- Co-Founder & International Outreach Coordinator: Himalayan Climate Initiative, Nepal
- Member: Elizabeth Hawley Memorial Scholarship selection committee American Himalayan Foundation, Nepal
- Consulting Partner: Siddharth Inc, Nepal
- Member 1996-present Vice President 2013-2020: Rotary Club of Kathmandu Mid-Town, Nepal
- Board of Directors: Tiger Mountain Pvt Ltd, Nepal
- Board of Directors: Greater Himalayas Foundation, USA
- Board of Directors: Glacier Works Inc, USA
- Financial Director: Himalayan Database
- Member: Nepal Tourism Board Great Himalaya Trail Advisory Committee
- Member: Lumbini Development Trust Technical Advisory Group for Buddhist Circuit of Nepal
- Tourism Advisor: Dolma Ecotourism and Dolma Foundation
- Advisory Board: Yardstick, JUST Report Verification Systems Ltd, UK
- Patron: Manaslu Community Conservation Project / Gurkha Manaslu Homestay Nepal
- Founding Committee Member: Nepal Heritage Society, Kathmandu
- Secretary & Treasurer: World Elephant Polo Association, Nepal
- Founding Director: Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust
- Founding Committee Member: Sustainable Tourism Network Nepal
- Coordinating Committee: Great Himalaya Trail Alliance
- Life Member: Bird Conservation Nepal
- Board Advisor: Kathmandu Triennale (KT) international contemporary arts festival 2017
- Member: Tongariro Natural History Society, New Zealand
- Member: UNESCO Asian Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme Advisory Board, Bangkok
- Former Associate: International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT), UK
- Committee Member: Nepal UK Trust for Nature Conservation, London
- Certified: PADI Open Water Diver