78,000 Images 51,000 Kilometers
Over the span of a decade, our explorers have covered more than 51,000 miles of travel. In that time we have accumulated an extensive catalog of images and stories. More than tales of adventure, they are colorful glimpses into the beautiful cultures and landscapes of the Himalayas.
Those images and stories now fill the pages of our new journal series, Petrol & Tea.
Rather than wait for each volume to roll out one by one, we’re releasing the first year of books in a complete limited edition set.
The Journal
Three volumes per year. Images and stories from Nepal.
THE JOURNAL
Each volume of Petrol & Tea contains three thematic chapters of Nepal’s cultures and natural landscapes. The images within are paired to short essays to add context to each fascinating scene.
Printed on premium grade, 100 gram paper, our softcover books contain dozens of full-page photographs in wide frame format. Perfect bound for durability, we sought to create a journal worth keeping for years to come.
BEFORE THEY ARE GONE
VOLUME ONE: Before They Are Gone
Time is nebulous in Nepal. It seems to stand still for centuries only to change in a flash. In our first volume, we explore three cultures clinging to survival. We travel to western Nepal in search of Nepal’s last forest nomads, the elusive Raute. We push deep into the foothills of the Karnali region to meet the descendants of Nepal’s most feared warriors, the Chhetri War Dancers of Jajarkot. In a story most of our travelers know well, we visit Lalit Prajapati in Bhaktapur to tell the tale of Nepal’s last traditional black clay potter.
DEVOTEE
VOLUME TWO: Devotee
It’s impossible to visit this enchanted land and not feel the influence of collective devotion. From the Hindu Sadhus of Kathmandu, to the Buddhist monks of Upper Mustang, we turn our lens to the people for whom devotion is foundational to daily life. We also journey to the remote hills of Rukum to experience the last of Nepal’s black magic shaman, the Jhankri. For those to travel with us to Lo Manthang, the visions of monks and temples will undoubtedly rekindle colorful memories.
STRATA
VOLUME THREE: Strata
Nepal is the land of layers. From the lowland jungles to the vast expanse of the country’s endless foothill regions, the topography is rugged and unforgiving. Set against the word’s largest mountains, the Great Himalayas, the strata of Nepal are not just diverse, but profoundly beautiful. In this issue we dive deep into lush jungles in search of wild rhinos, travel the idyllic tea regions of the foothills, and breathe thin air in the Everest region.
PETROL & TEA 2027
As we reach the midway point of 2026, we are already finishing the final pages of our next three volumes. For those to join us on Far Xplorer trips this fall and next spring, it is almost guaranteed scenes from those travels will land in next year’s journals. The next three volumes will explore:
Village: Life unchanged in the hills of Nepal
City: The crush and chaos of Kathmandu
Buddha: In the steps of Lord Buddha, born in Nepal.
The Storyteller
For more than a decade, I have traveled Nepal in pursuit of Nepal’s many stories. Not the canned yarns printed in travel brochures, but the real narratives written by the people of the Himalayas.
If you join a Far Xplorer journey, and you should, there’s a good chance the Himalayas will help you find - your story. Are you ready?
- Christophe