| HISTORY |
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| OUR STAFF |
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| OUR TOUR LEADERS |
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WHY TRAVEL
WITH US |
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RESPONSIBLE
TRAVEL |
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| MEDIA |
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Our guide (Hosam) was part of this special service. It seems that he knows everybody in Egypt and was able to smooth out many of the difficulties and hassles we may have encountered without him. He was very well informed, friendly and very enthusiastic about what he was telling us.
ur drivers, and especially Khalid in Cairo-Alexandria, also deserve special mention for handling the endless hours of traffic chaos with a friendly smile.
John & Mary W.
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MEET OUR TOUR LEADERS
Holly Dyment
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A former graphic artist with an art-school background and a 20-year career as a decorator, Holly knows India inside and out, having traveled and researched there on almost annual trips over the last 10 years.
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Annette Bering
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Each year, Annette plans to host an exclusive specialty tour to a new destination and has planned this return trip to include all her favourite highlight moments. This time she is bringing her daughter to share in this exciting journey. She is a community resident, FNC member, a retired Globe and Mail Travel Advertising Account Manager for 18 years and travels multiple times a year. She is currently working with DreamScapes Travel and Lifestyle magazine.
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Ian Shanahan
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Currently head naturalist at Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Ian's travels have taken him through much of Canada, the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe. A life-long naturalist and second generation Quest leader, Ian's interests include "anything that flies", photography and the creation of nature art.
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Lourens Gaseb
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Lourens is a Damara who began his career as a field guide in the south of the country. For almost a decade, he has introduced travellers to the nature, wildlife and communities of Namibia with a refreshing combination of vast knowledge, excellent communication and infectuous enthusiasm.
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Marguerite Low
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Marguerite has travelled extensively in South America and has a passion for the archaeology, culture, natural history and most of all the peoples of this sometimes overlooked continent. She speaks Spanish and loves to share her knowledge of mysterious Easter Island.
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Aaron Lawton
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Aaron has guided and instructed sea kayaking, canoeing, hiking, climbing and rafting trips on five of seven continents. He has worked as Assistant Expedition Leader or Expedition Leader on over 70 polar expeditions. Aaron has been working with Quest for the last 5 years.
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Adrienne Mason
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Adrienne is trained as a marine biologist and has worked as head of interpretation at the Bamfield Biological Research facility on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Since then she has been a prolific natural history writer with some ten books now published.
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Alan Watson
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Alan is Director of the Arboretum at the University of Guelph, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology and a specialist in adult education. His research interests are wide-ranging, from Harbour Porpoises in the Maritimes to trees in Central Canada. He is an expert, as well, in bird ecology. Alan is an experienced Quest leader who had led our trips to Point Pelee, Magdalen Islands & PEI, and Trinidad & Tobago.
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Alison Watt
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Alison is an experienced nature tour leader whose academic training is in botany. She has worked as a resident naturalist in BC, and in the lowland Amazon rainforest of Peru, explored Mexico and Costa Rica, and led trips on Canada's west coast and the Yukon. She is a writer, an excellent birder and teacher with her main focus as a botanical painter. We are pleased to have Alison continue to lead this Quest tour to Honduras as our participants give her rave reviews.
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Brian Ratcliff
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Brian is a wildlife biologist who has worked with owls in Ontario, caribou surveys in the Yukon, and Peregrine Falcon rehabilitation and release programs. Brian has led previous Quest trips to Churchill, Cuba and Antarctica. A skilled leader and interpreter, he lives near Lake Superior.
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Chris Earley
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My name is Chris Earley and I'm the University of Guelph Arboretum's Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator. I've been a nature geek my whole life. I enjoy teaching a variety of bird, insect and art workshops at The Arboretum as well as designing signage and leading tours. I do a variety of special lectures on campus and I am the co-professor of a first-year course called Hawks and Humans. I'm the author of 5 bird books published by Firefly Books: Warblers; Sparrows and Finches; Waterfowl; Hawks and Owls of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America; Birds A-Z. I have travelled to many places, sometimes for study purposes, sometimes for work, but always for pleasure! Exploring the world's varied habitats and watching its wildlife is one of my passions. I have been a part of many interesting research projects and field trips in places such as Australia, New Zealand, Bolivia, Nevis and, of course, Ontario. I have also travelled to Mexico, Cuba, Peru, England, South Korea, Bermuda, Fiji, Cooks Islands and all Canadian provinces and most U.S. states. Recently, I did some filming in Nunavut for a birding tv series I was hosting. To expand my knowledge base, I've started a part-time Master of Science project studying an invasive paper wasp that may be competing with cavity-nesting birds for nest boxes.
I have been leading trips for Quest Nature Tours since 1999. These have included the Best of Baffin Island, Churchill to Greenland, Southern Ontario Spring Migration and Point Pelee Birding Weekends. Since 2001, I have been leading Quest tours to Kenya and Tanzania. East Africa is a truly amazing place. It is incredible to be able to watch so many large mammal species out in the open in their natural environment. If you have never been, I strongly suggest you consider going!
These pursuits still leave me with enough time to go to the cottage; play basketball and soccer; and hang out with my awesome (and obviously very patient) wife and wonderful kids.
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David Euler
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After finishing his Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology in 1973 at Cornell University, Dr. Euler worked as a Wildlife Habitat Biologist for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), was a Research Scientist and then became a Senior Policy Advisor in the Forest Management Branch. He was part of the Ministry team that wrote the Crown Forest Sustainability Act and the forest management planning manual. In 1995 he became Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment at Lakehead University, where he taught fish and wildlife ecology and forest management. He has published scientific papers on forest - wildlife habitat management, and was an editor and chapter author of a book titled "The Ecology of a Managed Terrestrial Landscape: Patterns and Process in the Forests of Ontario". He is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Wildlife Management.
Following retirement in 2001, Dr. Euler has worked as a consultant in forest and wildlife management including: auditing forest management plans, technical consultations with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and providing advice on forest landscape management in Ontario. He served on the Ontario Provincial Forest Technical Committee for 4 years and was involved in developing the Boreal Standard for the Forest Stewardship Council. He wrote a report on High Conservation Value Forests in the Algoma Region, for use by Clergue Forest Management as part of the certification audit for the Forest Stewardship Council.
Dr Euler also developed and conducted workshops on forest management planning in Ontario to help members of the public participate in the planning process. During 2006, Dr. Euler served as a technical consultant to the Commission on Environmental Cooperation concerning the context, constitutional basis for, and scope of the Migratory Bird Regulations with respect to incidental take of migratory birds. He was a regional coordinator and participant in the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas for Region 34, an area along the Highway 17 near Thessalon, Ontario.
Currently Dr. Euler also edited a book entitled "Algonquin Park: the human impact". This book is a scientific analysis of the impact of people on Algonquin Provincial Park. It includes chapters on fish and wildlife, road development, visitor impacts and the changes wrought by logging in the Park. It is intended to be a "State of the Park" report to establish a base line for ecological values in this specific Park.
Dr Euler has traveled widely in South and Central America, Africa and parts of Asia, as well as most states and provinces in North America. He lives near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
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David Milsom
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David is an expert naturalist who has travelled throughout Europe, North and South America. He is a keen nature photographer with an excellent knowledge of birds, mammals and butterflies. David has led Quest trips to Newfoundland, Texas, Colorado, England, Galapagos Islands, Tunisia, Spain and Canada's High Arctic and the Antarctic.
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Don Shanahan
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Don is formerly a Secondary School Science Department Head who has had extensive experience as a nature tour leader. During his travels to many parts of the world, he has been able to hone his natural history interpretive skills. He has participated in many studies with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Service and Bird Studies Canada and has also written for a number of publications. Don will be using his knowledge, experience, intuition and humour to ensure that everyone on this trip enjoys it to the fullest.
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Gavan Watson
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Born in Southern Ontario, Gavan is a third-generation naturalist and a second-generation Quest tour leader. Growing up in Guelph, he attended the University of Guelph (BASc) and York University (MES) where he is currently completing a PhD in environmental education.
Some of Gavan's earliest memories involve birding with parents and grandparents. During his undergraduate degree, Gavan began working as an interpretive naturalist and moved to the Midland area after graduating to work as the Program Co-ordinator at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre. While working full-time on his graduate degrees in Toronto, Gavan has continued to interpret the natural world, teaching popular experiential Natural History courses in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. An overall goal in all of his work is to introduce others to the natural world and inspire life-long learning about it.
Gavan has extensive travel experience, including the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, Peru, North-Western Europe and many Provinces and States within North America. As a Quest leader since 2007, Gavan has lead groups through the Yukon Territory and State of Alaska. Mature and thoughtful, he employs his sense of humour to help make the best of any situation. With a passion for the natural world, Gavan sees his role as a Quest leader to share the interesting & unseen connections between the ecology, geology, birds, plants and animals of a region in addition to ensuring that participants have a safe and inspiring trip.
Currently living in Toronto with his wife and two Border Terriers, he spends his free-time photographing in the ravines around his house, and becoming an (even) better botanist.
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Geoff Carpentier
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Geoff's interest in nature started when he was 13 as he used to wander through the woods and countryside near his Canada home, learning about nature first hand. Educated at the University of Guelph in Canada, he studied zoology and biological sciences. Recently retired, he worked for over 33 years with the Canadian Ministry of the Environment. In his spare time, he maintained an active personal life where he taught nature and pesticides courses at community colleges and has led hundreds of nature walks and trips. He is a widely published author in nature magazines and books, wrote regular nature columns for local newspapers, and worked as an interpretive guide in several national parks. Geoff's latest triumph is the recent publication of his second book "Antarctica First Journey," a resource guide for Antarctic travellers.
Over the years, various tributes have recognized his contributions to the protection of wildlife and wild places. He has travelled the world, visiting over 60 countries on all seven continents, where he has shared time with polar bears, Amazonian snakes and piranhas, observed the private lives of lions, avoided riots in Venezuela, hiked the Andes, camped with Pademelons, walked with penguins and canoed Ontario's northern lakes. He is now embarking on his second career as an expedition guide and interpretative leader, where he will build on his lifelong passion for nature, and where he has already led numerous trips to Antarctica, South Georgia, the Falklands, Svalbard, Russia & Alaska, Cuba and Borneo.
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Glenn Barrett
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Growing up in a family that took regular summer camping trips throughout Canada and the United States, Glenn's interest in nature and the outdoors began early in life. He pursued those goals by attending the University of Guelph where he graduated with a B.Sc., specialization in Wildlife Biology. With interests in both biology and environmental education, Glenn worked for the Wellington County School Board helping teachers and students naturalize portions of school properties to provide learning opportunities for students. Glenn also led outdoor education programs at the University of Guelph's Arboretum and Mountsberg Conservation Area, and he volunteered at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in California for six months, where he participated in all facets of this NWR's busy environmental education program.
Employed as a Wildlife Technician for Environment Canada since 1994, Glenn assists with a wide range of wildlife toxicology and population conservation projects on birds, herpetofauna and mammals at study sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Glenn gained additional fieldwork experience assisting with studies in Alaska on Black-legged Kittiwakes and in the Galapagos Islands where he camped for five months on Espanola Island. During his time on Espanola he studied the reproductive ecology of Nazca and Blue-footed Boobies, had the thrilling opportunity to band Waved Albatross chicks and snorkelled almost every day enjoying the amazing underwater environment found in Galapagos! Each year he enjoys showing a new group of Quest clients this hidden part of the Galapagos and sharing with them tales from his five-month camping adventure.
A keen naturalist and published nature photographer, he has pursued both interests while travelling throughout all Canadian provinces, many parts of USA and a lot of Ecuador. A Past President of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club, Glenn continues to be an active member involved in leading hikes, writing articles for the Club newsletter The Wood Duck, participating in land trust activities, and taking on leadership roles in Club projects such as the publication of the Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas book and the Nature In Your Neighbourhood community initiative.
A Quest tour leader since 2002, Glenn has led trips to the Galapagos and the Southern Ontario Spring Migration tour. To view some of Glenn's photos from past Galapagos trips please visit:
www.pbase.com/glenn_barrett/ecuador
Glenn lives in Southern Ontario with his family where they enjoy hiking, biking, camping, paddling and making music together.
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Jean Iron
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Jean is a very well travelled person who follows her natural history interests to many parts of the world. Jean is a Past President of the Ontario Field Ornithologists. She has led Quest land tours to Honduras, Cuba, and Point Pelee and Quest expedition cruises to Georgian Bay, Costa Rica and Panama, and the High Arctic of Canada and Norway.
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John Fletcher
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John is the owner of a Jamaican coffee plantation who also has a very keen interest in birds. He is treasurer of BirdLife Jamaica and is an advocate for wildlife conservation on the island. John will be our Jamaican naturalist and birdwatching guide for the first half of the tour.
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John Haselmayer
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John is a field biologist who has been very active in research projects in Canada, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. He spends the month of May at Point Pelee NP, during the peak bird migration, leading bird hikes and giving bird identification workshops. John is fluently trilingual in English, Spanish and French.
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Jorge Barraza
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Jorge is a Honduran who was born in Copan and who had been leading special interest tours including archaeology and natural history in Honduras. Jorge is a graduate of the Universidad Pedagogica de Honduras. He has been the Quest co-leader for this tour for six years.
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Sara Waxman
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Sara Waxman is an award winning restaurant critic and food/travel writer who has eaten her way around much of the free world over the last two decades, and lived to tell about it in books, magazines and newspapers. Sara has visited China and Hong Kong extensively with many secrets to share.
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Michael Malone
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Mike is an avid naturalist who has had professional connections with nature over the years including working as a "Keeper" at the Metro Toronto Zoo, and as a seabird colony researcher for the Canadian Wildlife Service in the Maritimes and Arctic. From spring to fall, Michael operates a nature store at Point Pelee, Ontario. Each winter he migrates to Oaxaca, Mexico. Here for 24 years, he has interpreted nature and culture of Oaxaca State to visitors.
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Mike Street
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Mike Street is a widely travelled naturalist with many and varied interests. Mike's careful trip planning and attention to detail are appreciated by his tour participants. He has led successful Quest trips to Cuba, Newfoundland and Turkey.
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Richard Craik
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A native of the UK, Richard has been living in Vietnam since 1992 and leads specialized birding tours.
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Peter Cunnington
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Peter Cunnington was for many years curator of Ness Botanic Gardens. A long time member of the UK Alpine Garden Society and part of its seed collecting expedition into Yunnan in the early 1990's, Peter has led several botanical trips to this and other regions.
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Pete Read
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Pete has been a dedicated educator and expert interpretative naturalist for many years. He has travelled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, and Australia. He served as ship's naturalist on board the R/V Akademic Ioffe in Antarctica. He is fond of disseminating his vast natural history knowledge to others, and has led previous Quest tours to Cuba and Georgian Bay. Tirelessly working for the environment, you might find him each Spring guiding bird hikes at Point Pelee National Park particularly to encourage new birders or find him taking part in many volunteer projects for his local naturalist group and other organizations.
Since retiring from the teaching profession, he has also been active as an environmental consultant doing field work throughout Ontario and been designing and working on building projects for preservation of an endangered species, the Loggerhead Shrike. Currently, he is thrilled to be leading Quest trips to Iceland and to Costa Rica.
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Expedition Staff
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The on board program of lectures and excursion is delivered by expedition staff.
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Robin Tapley
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Robin is a great naturalist and an expert tour leader, who always garners accolades from the participants on his tours. He is, currently, Director of Recreation and Environmental Development for a famous Muskoka resort. He is developing a Natural History program for a resort in British Columbia and consults on many other natural history projects. He has led many Quest tours including the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, Antarctica, Muskoka and New Brunswick.
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Roy John
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Roy has travelled extensively around the world and has led previous Quest trips to Western Canada. He is an experienced and accomplished interpretive naturalist and a keen nature photographer.
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Ryan Love
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Ryan is the park ranger for the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. He is an excellent naturalist with a keen interest in birds. He visited Canada in Fall 2002 to participate in a Bird Studies Canada bird-banding program at long point, Ontario. If anyone can find his country's endemic birds, Ryan can!
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Ian Green
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The flowers and mountains of the Middle East are Ian's prime area of expertise. This will be his fifth tour to the Zagros Mountains, where he has discovered new sites for some of the region's choicest bulbs and alpines.
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David Elkins
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Indian culture has long fascinated David Elkin, the publisher of Doctor's Review. When he was a kid in knee pants his grandfather, who taught school in Madras (now Chennai) for ten years, regaled him with stories of the sub-continent. On this trip David will explore both the stunning sights and modern accomplishments of a country on the forefront of technology and bio-medicine. This trip will appeal to professionals interested in visiting India with an eye to both the historic and the modern.
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Sherry Kirkvold
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Sherry is a naturalist who has worked in the provincial, national and regional park systems in British Columbia, in museums and has run her own business in the field of interpretation. The west coast has been her home for 25 years and she has explored many areas of it. She is the principal author of the art book that helped raise awareness and led, eventually, to the protection of the Carmanah Valley. She has previously been a Quest leader in the Queen Charlotte Islands and on Quest's Vancouver Island trip.
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Tony Beck
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Tony is a professional naturalist, wildlife photographer and teacher who has travelled extensively in North and Central America. He is a caring tour leader who shares his contagious enthusiasm and well-honed skills with his tours participants. Tony has lead previous Quest tours to Hawaii, Costa Rica and Eastern and Western Canada.
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Yasemin Konuralp
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Yasmin was a high school music teacher, has climbed many of Turkey's major mountains, is an accomplished photographer, and is an excellent botanist. She is currently completing a book on the wildflowers of Turkey.
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Frank Lazaro
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Frank was born in Marangu, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. He is one of our most experienced guides who has spent over a decade leading hundreds of trips throughout Kenya and Tanzania. His professionalism, enthusiasm, wonderful sense of humor and uncanny ability to spot game ensure the trip of a lifetime.
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Hema Mounir
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An Egyptologist by profession, Hema also has a degree in psychology and social work and, of course, a passion for travel. After travelling through Europe and spending five years living in Canada and the United States, Hema returned to her home city of Cairo. She has been guiding and sharing her love of Egyptology since 1983.
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David Seddon
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David was born in London and emigrated to South Africa in 1971. He has been leading trips for the past six years and takes great pleasure in showing visitors the natural beauty of South Africa, and in particular the western Cape region. David runs marathons, has a passion for all types of sports and delights in introducing people to the wine, good food and different cultures of South Africa.
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Siju Mangot
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An MBA graduate, Siju worked as a marketing manager before joining our office in India. After four successful years in marketing and sales, he has returned to his true love: showing India in "worldwide" style. Siju has travelled extensively in north and south India and has led many of our special interest groups. He understands exactly what it takes to ensure that our clients have a wonderful time in India.
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CV Singh
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One of our most popular leaders in India, CV Singh is a Management graduate, holds a Masters in English Literature, and is a licensed pharmacist. Despite these qualifications, he has a real passion for travel and quit his job to become a full-time tour director. CV has guided more than 120 trips and is an expert on north India art, architecture and religion. Our clients love his enthusiasm for topics both current and historical.
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Ethel Kellen
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Ethel is a long time ROM volunteer, Museum Tour Guide, and currently vice-chair of the Travel Committee. She has toured India on a number of occasions including very successful ROM travel trips to north and south India as coordinator. Her careful research, attention to detail, and passion for sharing the unique treasures and experiences of south India ensure a memorable trip.
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Sanjeev Shrestha
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Sanjeev has been guiding trips in Nepal for over a decade. He is a university graduate, and has accompanied numerous clients from around the world including several prestigious groups from North America.
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P. Asoka
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P. Asoka is the President of the Indian Tour Guides Association and one of the most experienced guides in India. He has accompanied numerous trips throughout the country, and has a particular expertise and love for Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. He looks forward to introducing you to these Himalayan Kingdoms.
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Sangay Wangchuk
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Sangay has been leading trips for over five years and is a very popular leader. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is an expert on the history of Bhutan and Buddhism in particular. He takes great pride in introducing our clients to his native country and works hard to make every trip a memorable experience.
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Phillis Xu
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Phillis is a graduate of the Beijing Tourism Institute, and has been guiding trips for over a decade. She is fluent in English and Chinese, and is particularly knowledgeable about Chinese history, and takes a real pride in introducing China to her clients.
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Guido Vittone
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A certified mountain guide, Guido has lived in Patagonia for over ten years dividing his time between managing his berry-growing farm and taking WQ travellers to his favourite places. Guido has a passion for glaciers and has amassed a wealth of knowledge on everyting related to Patagonia, writing about the history and geography of the region in his free time.
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Genaro Torres
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Genaro was born in Lima and has been guiding trips for the past decade. Although an industrial engineer by profession, his real passion is travel. He is fluent in Spanish and English and his enthusiasm, sense of humour and attention to detail make him an excellent leader.
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Jim Coey
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Jim has been an avid naturalist since the age of 10 and studied botany and zoology at university. His birding and natural history interests have taken him to many parts of North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Jim is an experienced leader and has led trips to Cuba, Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, Ireland, Western Canada, Antarctica and the High Arctic.
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Lewie Gonsalves , President, Worldwide Quest
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Over the past thirty years, Lewie has researched and led trips to some of the most exciting destinations in the world. From early days leading Himalayan mountain treks to most recently scouting out Iran, Lewie's vast experience and regular inspection trips make him the 'go to' person for all our guests' questions. Each year Lewie offers "President's Trips" to a selection of favourite destinations including his native India.
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Hai Tran , Proprietor, Hanoi Three Seasons Restaurant, Toronto
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Hai is a native of Hanoi and has traveled extensively throughout Vietnam. He will share his passion for food and cooking during visits to his favourite restaurants, markets and cafes and introduce you to Asian antiques along the way.
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Geoff Henderson
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Geoff was raised on a farm and has always been a keen studentof nature. After graduating with a biological degree majoring in botany, Geoff took up a career in teaching, where he taught in New Zealand and England. During these years he taught outdoor education and natural science.
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Elizabeth Knowles
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Liz has researched and accompanied numerous wildflower tours around the world including Crete and Patagonia, Sichuan, Yunnan and Western Australia. She is an enthusiastic gardener and photographer.
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Anne Donohoe
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Anne Donohoe holds a degree in food
science and nutrition from the University of Western Ontario. For the past 35 years
she has been involved in the marketing of Canadian food products both nationally and internationally. She is also a food and wine enthusiast who has traveled extensively for both business and pleasure. Anne is currently a marketing communications consultant in southwestern Ontario.
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Luis Godoy
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Luis has been a certified naturalist guide in Belize, for over 15 years, with special credentials in wild orchids and Mayan archaeology and culture. He is very well-known throughout the country for his wide-ranging expertise in natural history and now operates his own nature tour company. We are pleased to have him return as one of our Quest leaders.
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Martin Hrouzek
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Martin grew up in the
southeast corner of the
Czech Republic, speaks
fluent English, and has
been leading European
nature and cultural tours
for the past 10 years. He
has a keen eye and
knowledge of the wildlife and flora of the
region, and immerses his tour participants in
the local culture and history of the heart of
Europe.
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Helen Coltrinari
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Helen has a passion for art nouveau and art deco and has travelled extensively to find the best examples whether it be called Jugendstil, Stile Liberty, Sezession or Modernista. From the first moment she saw the brilliant examples the Baltics, she fell in love with the area and has visited several times.
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Laurielle Penny , Director, Cultural Explorations
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Laurielle's love of travel has taken her from Asia to Europe and South America. Heading up the Cultural team with a focus on affinity groups and special interest travel gives her free rein to create each trip's signature moments.
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Francisco Klimscha
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A chef and sommelier based in Valparaiso, Francesco is active in the Slow Food movement in Chile.
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Agustin Landeta
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A former product manager for fine wines and Concha y Toro, Agustin has a real passion for the wines of the Southern Hemisphere.
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David Brown
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Dr. David Brown is a professor in Brock University's Department of Tourism and Environment, past Associate Vice President for International Cooperation, and former Director of Brock International. Over the past 15 years, he has lived, worked, and travelled extensively in Thailand, Hong Kong, and other Asian nations, and has conducted field courses, research projects, and collaborative educational activities in Asia and beyond.
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Inci Turkoglu
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Inci received her PhD in Ancient History and an MA in Byzantine Art, and has been leading specialty study tours
throughout Turkey for more than a decade. A scholar and an charming host, Inci looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge of ancient archaeological and historical sites.
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Orlando Romero
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A 20 year veteran of the Galapagos, Orlando is as keen on geology and reptiles as he is on the human history of the Islands. He will make the Islands come alive in a very personal way and keep you up to date on his favourite "futbol" team.
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Gail Hall
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Gail Hall is a food activist and owner of Seasoned Solution's Loft Cooking School which focuses on the use of local and regional Alberta ingredients. Gail organizes and hosts Culinary Tours and provides food consulting for the agriculture, food service and hospitality industries. She regularly takes groups of discerning gourmets on food adventures worldwide.
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Chiara Gai
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Chiara comes from a family tradition of Piedmont wine growers and Sicilian pastry chefs. And so it was a natural for this multi-talented sommelier to make her way
to Barcelona where she works as a maitre-sommelier in a leading restaurant and wine shop and devotes herself to our visiting GastroNomads.
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Linda Stephen
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A cooking instructor and author, Linda has been active in the food business for more than 35 years. She has searched for culinary inspiration all over the world and always tries to collect both recipes and textiles in her travels.
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Ohnmar
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Our fabulous "go to person" in Burma brings an infectious enthusiasm and incredibly thorough knowledge of the intricacies of Burmese life and culture to our trips.
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Jamal Guma Sasi
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With a Masters degree in psychology and a love of music, Jamal brings fascinating insights to our travellers exploring the Sahara and the coastal cities of Libya.
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Sami Rouatbi
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A polyglot and lifelong student of archaeology, Sami takes great pains to introduce the "real" Tunisia to WQ travellers.
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Various
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We have many very special guides in Nepal who open the eyes of our travellers to the cultural, spiritual, and scenic facets of this magnificent country.
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Jack Lightstone , President, Brock University
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An expert on ancient and contemporary North American Judaism, he has lectured extensively and written six books. He is fluent in English, French and Hebrew.
Jack Lightstone will address three specific themes during this trip; the Judeo-Christian historical tradition, the contemporary conflict and possible avenues of resolution and the transformation from an agricultural to a knowledge based economy with special lectures by
Jack Lightstone and local scholars.
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J. Douglas Grenkie , Foreign Conference Director
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It is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the OBA Foreign Conference Committee, I extend an invitation to you to join us on what promises to be a most fascinating tour while attending meetings
and receptions with lawyers and judges throughout the lands, learning and imparting legal knowledge and skills.
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Rev. Wayne Walder , Minister of Neighbourhood UU Congregation
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Wayne teaches and leads meditation with a combination of humour, reason, and respect for religious tradition. Having led UU journeys to India, Santa Fe, Peru, and Turkey, he finds that getting together every day to pause and reflect gives cohesion and focus to the group.
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Beverly Carr
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Beverly has facilitated trips to England, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain, and France where they met with Unitarians. India, Santa Fe, Peru, and Turkey had a bit of a different focus, but the dynamics of taking a journey with 'fellow travellers' adds a special something to the experience.
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Lalaina Mamisoa Rakotomavo
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Lalaina was born and raised in Madagascar, and is the local guide for our Quest Madagascar tours. He is an extremely sociable person, and well respected throughout the country, and is familiar with the natural history of all the major regions of Madagascar. In addition to Lalaina, we'll also be using the services of expert local naturalists throughout the tour.
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Justin Peter
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Justin works as senior naturalist at Ontario's world-renowned Algonquin Park, where he coordinates the park's interpretive program and acts as lead howler for the celebrated Public Wolf Howl events. A keen and intense observer of nature since childhood, he is always ready to point out and interpret interesting natural phenomena wherever he goes. He has travelled to India, Europe, North America, the Yucatan in Mexico and the Caribbean. Justin is particularly interested in bird behaviour. He speaks three languages fluently and dabbles in several more. He has led bird walks at Point Pelee NP during spring migration.
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Paulo Boute
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Paulo is a professional ornithologist who has been guiding nature tours in Brazil since 1982. He has a degree in Agronomy from the University of Mato Grosso which provides him with a great knowledge of the ecology of the Amazon and the Pantanal. He founded Boute Expeditions in 1992 and is Quest's Brazilian tour operator. He will be accompanying the tour from start to finish.
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Lorne Greenspan , Dr.
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Dr. Lorne Greenspan is the founder of Medical Challenges CME. He is an Emergency Medicine specialist and leader who helped pioneer many of the current practices in his city of Toronto.
He has been an award-winning educator and consultant to private and public organizations.
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Andrew Thomasson
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South African born Andrew Thomasson, has a passion for travel photography. As director of his company Focus 10, Andrew spends his time co-coordinating and teaching a series of training courses throughout Australia and running photographic workshops around the world. Andrew has led many photographic tours for World Expeditions including recent trips to Western Australia, the Flinders Ranges, the Red Centre, Morocco and southern Africa. During the course of his photographic tours you will learn about your film and digital camera, and pick up invaluable tips and techniques from a master trainer.
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Al Bakker
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Al has a long standing relationship with World Expeditions dating back to the early 1980's with his river rafting days down the Franklin river and later running our Australian adventures program. Nowadays Al operates our trips to the pristine islands in Fiji and Vanuatu as well as our Antarctic and Arctic sea kayaking program.
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Andrew Lock
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Andrew is Australia's most accomplished high altitude mountaineer. His impressive mountaineering resume includes successful climbs of 13 of the world's 14 eight-thousand metre peakd including Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Makalu, a solo ascent on Broad Peak and alpine ascents on Manaslu and Lhotse in the same season! In between expeditions and Antarctic postings, his easygoing nature makes him an ideal choice to lead some of our high altitude expeditions.
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Andreas Holland
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Andreas makes our South and Central American programs special. He has lived in South America for over 25 years. Much of this time has been spent in Peru where he has amassed a wealth of experience that would be hard to equal. His innovative itineraries and desire to share his love of South and Central America are key factors that ensure the success of our outstanding program. His expertise also extends south to the Antarctic.
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Angel Armesto
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Angel, who lives and works in Argentina, has an extensive climbing background and is head mountaineering guide on our Aconcagua Expeditions. Currently completing his UIAGM guiding levels, Angel also on occasion leads our mountaineering trips in Nepal, including Ama Dablam and Lobuche and Island Peak, and is well known for his witty sense of humour and excellent culinary skills.
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Brigitte Muir
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Brigitte has been climbing mountains all over the world for the last 27 years. In May 1997 she became the first Australian women to climb Everest and the first Australian to scale the highest mountains in each of the seven continents. Details of these expeditions are described in her book 'Wind in My Hair'. This year she will be leading our introduction to mountain climbing in the Everest region of Nepal.
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Chris Buykx
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Chris started with the company as guide on our Kakadu and Arnhem Land trips and has gone on to lead treks in the most of the great African mountains ranges including Morocco's High Atlas, Ethiopia's Simien mountains, Egypt's Sinai, and East Africa's Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya. Chris has also pioneered many new African walking safaris including the Maasai Mara Trek, Madagascar Adventure and the Botswana Walking Safari.
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Clive Dougherty
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Growing up in the Kenyan bush has inspired Clive to seek out East Africa's greatest adventures. From the summit of Mt Kenya and Mt Stanley to the plains of the Masai Mara, his rapport with fellow Africans and local knowledge ensure that our trips in Kenya and Uganda offer an exceptional insight into the cultures, wildlife and environments of the region.
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Jim Duff , Dr.
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Jim is a mountaineer and medical practitioner who enjoys the distinction of being on a number of Everest climbs including the successful Australian ascent in 1984 and the historic British SW Face Expedition in 1975. Jim is our medical advisor and has over the last decade supervised the medical courses for our local leaders in Kathmandu. He is the author of the definitive medical guide for trekkers to the Himalaya carried by all our leaders. This year Jim will again guide a trek for medical professionals that will cover some of the health care problems of travelling in remote areas and trekking at high altitude.
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Frank Taylor
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For over 30 years Frank has explored the remote trails in the highlands of PNG. His knowledge and experience of the Kokoda Trail would be hard to match, having walked the track on more than 25 separate occassions. He practices "responsible tourism" , having assisted in many social projects in the region.
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Garry Weare
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Garry has been involved with World Expeditions since its inception in the mid-1970s. He is a recognised authority on the Indian Himalaya and his intimate knowledge of the region is documented in his Lonely Planet guidebook 'Trekking in the Indian Himalaya', now in its 4th edition. He is also a founding director of the Australian Himalayan Foundation. As our Himalayan consultant he also spends time on the trail in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.
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Gary Hayes
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Few could match Gary's impressive resume of leading climbs on the trekking peaks of Nepal. He has pioneered many of our exploratory treks while he recently completed a demanding six-month traverse of the entire Nepal Himalaya and an expedition to Annapurna IV. This year he will also lead our Tian Shan Circuit in Central Asia.
Gary also makes a big contribution to trekking in Australia. Gary coordinates all our Tasmanian trekking operations as well as leading challenging trips like the South Coast Track. Gary has also walked throughout Australia including leading treks on the Larapinta Trail.
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Greg Mortimer
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In 1984 Greg and Tim Macartney-Snape became the first Australian's to climb Everest. Since then Greg has completed some outstanding climbs including an ascent on the North Face of K2 in 1993 and Manaslu in 2002. He has also pioneered Polar voyages with over 80 leads to the Antarctic with his company Aurora Expeditions.
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Gustavo Giorgis
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In the wilderness of Patagonia, having a guide with extensive local knowledge, who speaks Spanish and who enjoys nature and people alike is a must. Gustavo certainly fits this bill. As many of our past trekkers to Patagonia will attest Gustavo's energy, his knowledge that goes beyond the norm and the love of his motherland is a highlight of our treks to the region. His knowledge has been instrumental in shaping our Patagonian trekking program.
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Heather Kirkpatrick
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Heather is a true wilderness professional with decades of experience leading expeditions amongst the planets wildest regions. Heather guides many of our Franklin River Rafting Expeditions as well as working in the Antarctic as a trainer. Heather will join Jon Muir as guest lecturer on the Antarctic Explorer in 2007.
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Herve Valluy
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French by birth, Spanish speaking Herve has been leading trips in Patagonia for over 10 years and specialises in the Paine Circuit. His passion for trekking in remote regions is infectious, as our groups on the circuit will agree.
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Hjorleifur Finmssom
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One of Iceland's leading trekking and Mountain guides, Hjorlei has set a strong professional standard for our Iceland adventures. His good humor and insight into Icelandic culture offer a great understanding of this fascinating destination.
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Ian Perlman
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After living in Japan for over a decade Ian lives and breathes the country. His intimate knowledge of the language and culture, his familiarity with the backroads and mountain trails together with his love of Japanese buildings (Ian is an architect) ensure that our unique range of Japanese adventures are led by a true expert and enthusiast.
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Ian Williams
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Ian's travels have taken him to most adventure destinations where he has led countless trips to remote and wild places. His commitment to Nepal and to developing new treks is reflected in his moderately graded ' Annapurna Exploratory' trek. Ian supervises our leader training program in Kathmandu and has been instrumental in establishing philanthropic programs with orphanages and schools in Nepal.
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Joe Robinson
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A work-life balance coach, trainer and author, Joe Robinson is one of the country's most quoted experts on the role time off plays in our time on and the power of vacations. Author of "WORK TO LIVE: The Guide to Getting a Life," Joe helps individuals and companies (from IBM to Imagine Entertainment) turn down the stress and overload and turn up the balance. His programs show that there's a healthier road to success: You can be productive AND have a life. Joe's investigation of overwork's cost to families, health and productivity led him to launch the Work to Live Vacation Campaign, an effort to put a minimum paid-leave law on the national agenda and cure the growing affliction of Vacation Deficit Disorder.
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Jon Muir
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on is recognised as one of Australia's top mountaineers and explorers, as well as one of our most colourful wild-wise characters. He has been on five Everest expeditions and summitted in 1988.
In line with his true expeditionary nature he has also recently completed an unassisted trek to the North Pole. He has a deep love for Australian wilderness has seen him become the first person to cross Australia unassisted on foot. This season he will be leading our Aconcagua Expeditions.
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Ken Collins
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Ken's journalist background combined with his love of the outdoors is evident in his definitive guide to the SW Tasmanian wilderness. His other abiding passion is China where his interest and exploration is reflected in our Great Wall of China trip.
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Lincoln Hall
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Lincoln has had a long association with World Expeditions and was in 1978 one of the first guides on our payroll. He is also one of Australia's most accomplished mountaineers and has since 1976 climbed extensively in the Himalaya, the Andes and Antarctica. He is also a well known author, columnist and a director of the Australian Himalayan Foundation.
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Meraj Din
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'Mr Din' has been the driving force behind the operation and management of our Nepal trekking program for the past fifteen years. His tireless commitment to trip quality and focus on responsible tourism practices has ensured that World Expeditions remains at the forefront of the Himalayan trekking scene.
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Peter Hillary
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Peter's long association with the Himalaya needs little introduction. His numerous mountaineering exploits include a successful ascent of Everest in May 1990 37 years after his father. He returned to Everest recently to complete his second ascent. At present he is coordinating a series of trekking programs in the Everest region that will coincide with the 50th anniversary of his father's 1953 summit on Mt Everest.
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Pip Macartney-Snape
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Pip's adventurous spirit is reflected in her great passion for the outdoors. She has guided in the European Alps and is an established World Expeditions leader on our climbing and trekking trips in Patagonia, Pakistan and Nepal. She has also climbed and explored extensively in the mountains of Chile and Argentina.
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Simon Yates
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Simon first came to prominence as a mountaineer in 1985 after the first ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes and the ensuing epic descent described in Joe Simpson's book and award winning film 'Touching the Void'. However his impressive climbing career includes many first ascents to some of the world's most remote peaks, taking to such places as the Karakoram, European Alps, Tien Shan, as well as Patagonia Tierra del Fuego. In 2006 Simon will be leading World Expeditions Spantik Expedition.
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Soren Kruse Ledet
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Soren was a member of the 1995 and 2003 Annapurna 4 Expedition and also accompanied Gary Hayes on a six month trek across Nepal. He has led many climbs and treks in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. His keen and enthusiastic nature, as well as being an accomplished photographer is thoroughly appreciated by those on his trips.
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Su Zhi Wei
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Our association with 'Mr Su' goes back more than two decades when we jointly pioneered the first commercial cycling trips in Southern China. Defying all the odds, Mr Su's vision of providing active, off the beaten track experiences for our travellers to China has been a marvelous accomplishment in a tightly regulated industry.
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Matt Carlin
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Based in Tasmania, Matt is a qualified teacher of Physical Education and lectures at Hobart TAFE. When not in school Matt guides on the peaks of the Himalaya and rafts the rivers of Tasmania. Whenever time allows Matt pursues his love of the mountains and remote wilderness experiences. He was a member of the 2003 Annapurna IV expedition and has also summited Cho Oyu in Tibet.
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Sumit Joshi
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Starting as a trekking guide in Nepal over 12 years ago, Sumit has an insatiable passion for the outdoors and now leads our mountaineering trips. An accomplished rock and alpine climber in his own right, he is fluent in English, Nepali, Hindi, Urdu and Newari. When he is not leading our groups in Nepal and Tibet, Sumit spends his free time climbing rock walls in Australia and New Zealand.
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Tim Macartney-Snape
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Tim is Australia's best known mountaineer and a popular World Expeditions leader. He has climbed Everest twice, from Tibet in 1984 and in 1990 during his famous 'Sea to Summit' Expedition. He has also climbed many other peaks in the Himalaya including Ama Dablam, Dunagiri in the Indian Himalaya and Gasherbrum 4 in the Karakoram. Tim is the Chairman of the Nepal Eye program Australia, a program founded by the late Professor Fred Hollows. Tim regularly leads our exploratory treks in Nepal and in the Indian Himalaya.
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Wangchuk Samshu
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Since 1985 Wangchuk has managed our operations in India and has a real knack for developing programs centered on discovery of the regions using active travel as the vehicle. This philosophy is reflected in our trekking, cycling and camel riding holidays in northern India. Wangchuk, who himself lives and breathes adventure, ensures that our itineraries are at the cutting edge of tourism development.
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Jonathan Smith
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Jonathan Smith is the Permanent Collector Curator at the Burlington Art Centre, a post he has held since 1987. During that time, he has amassed the world's largest and most significant collection of Contemporary Canadian Ceramics. With his Masters degree in Fine Arts from the University of Chicago and his vast knowledge of art and art history, Jonathan special expertise in ceramics makes him a terrific resource for both advanced artists and lay people alike. As well, Jonathan has travelled to Japan several times, where he explored many of the remarkable places that will be seen on this trip.
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Reid Flock
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At a young age, Reid studied at the Burlington Art Centre and instantly showed remarkable aptitude for ceramics. After mentoring under Jonathan Smith and Kayo O'Young, Reid moved to Japan to study the forms and techniques that have been mastered over the centuries. Settling in Hitachi, Reid worked on his art with his work featured on Japanese national television and in many articles in newspapers. During his nine year stay, Reid gained a competent grasp of Japanese language and has a strong understanding of Japanese culture and tradition. Having visited many important art and cultural sites throughout the country, Reid's knowledge of the people and the places will be a tremendous asset to this trip.
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