Royal Enfield and Unesco rev up for Ladakh docuseries on Nat Geo

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Royal Enfield and Unesco rev up for Ladakh docuseries on Nat Geo

The docu-series rides into living heritage with food AND two-wheel folklore.

Royal Enfield

MUMBAI — Royal Enfield and Unesco are shifting gears from adventure to archival with the third edition of ‘The Great Himalayan Exploration’—a four-part docuseries that captures the heartbeat of Ladakh’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The series premieres on National Geographic and streams on JioHotstar from 8 PM, 21 June.

Featuring 40 handpicked rider-researchers out of 1,500 applicants, the project blends motorcycling with meaningful discovery, traversing Ladakh’s remote valleys and high passes to document cultural practices that rarely make it to mainstream maps. From butter tea and Brokpa weaves to archery in Kargil and horse polo in Drass, the docuseries doesn’t just observe heritage—it lives it.

Notable voices such as Gul Panag, Prateek Sadhu, Bandana Tewari, and Clifton Shipway join the journey, each episode peeling back a different cultural layer, ‘Food, Sports, Crafts, and Community’. Together, they chronicle stories that echo with centuries of tradition but are increasingly at risk in a world spinning faster than the Himalayas can handle.

For Royal Enfield Social Mission, this marks a significant step forward in our long-term goal of partnering with the Himalayan communities to build resilience.”, said Eicher Group Foundation, executive director, the CSR arm of Royal Enfield, Bidisha Dey.

“Ladakh’s fragile mountain ecosystems and increasing exposure to climate risks make it more urgent than ever to recognize and value the traditional knowledge embedded in its living heritage. These cultural practices—whether in sustainable land use, food systems, or collective rituals—offer not only a sense of identity and continuity, but also vital insights into how communities adapt and thrive in harmony with their environment. At UNESCO, we believe the goal must extend beyond safeguarding and transmission. This is about understanding heritage as a source of resilience, creativity, and social cohesion in the face of global challenges. Our partnership with Royal Enfield's 'The Great Himalayan Exploration’ reflects this spirit—showing how heritage is not confined to monuments, but lives in the way we eat, speak, and gather. It is, at its core, a celebration of our shared humanity,” said Unesco Regional Office for South Asia, director and representative, Tim Curtis.

Launched in 2022, the project is part of a multi-year partnership between Royal Enfield’s Social Mission and Unesco to document 200 ICH practices across the Eastern and Western Himalayas. With Ladakh in focus this season, the series brings visual storytelling to the forefront—culturally immersive, environmentally urgent, and filmed with boots (and wheels) on the ground.

Because sometimes, preserving the past takes a little petrol, a lot of purpose, and a camera on the move.