Tour Guides, Scholars & Lecturers

Jim Hagan has lived, studied, and traveled in South Asia for more than 25 years. He is an adjunct professor of Asian Studies at Castleton State College of Vermont. He has lectured in the U.S. and Europe on Buddhist art, architecture, meditation and philosophy. As a photographer, Jim's keen knowledge of the Himalayan region and cultures has served him well as a location scout for commercial film productions. He has trekked extensively throughout the Himalayas. Personable and witty, Jim's expertise has attracted travelers from around the world. Jim leads every tour the way he teaches — with passion and concern that each traveler has the experience of a lifetime!

Shelley Warren Hagan teaches fine arts at the University of Vermont. An accomplished sculptor with an MFA degree from Yale University, she has studied Tibetan art, tangka painting and bronze cast statue making, with local Nepalese and Tibetan artisans. Shelley has always had a passion for adventure travel. At age 15 she left home to travel through Denmark and Sweden on her summer vacation. By the time she was 18 she had traveled through Afghanistan to Nepal to trek in the Himalayas. Art and adventure travel have been a major part of her life that she shares enthusiastically.