Guides and Leaders

ASIA

• Vassi Koutsaftis: one of our all-time, all-destinations aces; he’s at affable ease from a pub to a tent.
• Bob Jones: a most astute Asia hands. Few know China and the Silk Road’s byways, history, and magic as well.
• Rick Montgomery studied Mandarin in Beijing and has visited the majority of China’s provinces.
• Bodio, Monkhtuya, and Ishee both manage tours and are great interpreters of their up-and-coming country.
• Bill Jones, one of our most polymathic leaders, has led more than 100 trips across Asia and Europe.
• Dr. Robert Thurman is a Tibetan Buddhism expert, Tibet House founder and professor at Columbia University.
• Neel Pratap lives in Varanasi and has years of experience introducing travelers to India, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.
• Yatish Ba Huguna has the unusual distinction of dual graduate degrees in tourism and ancient Indian history.
• Vishu Singh was educated at the prestigious Mayo College of Ajmer before beginning his career as a trip leader.
• Yam Gurung, one of our most popular trip leaders, has led countless Himalayan and Silk Road adventures.
• Kabir Heimsath holds a doctorate in anthropology from Oxford and leads trips in India, Nepal and Tibet.
• Karma Lotey and Karma Choden have inexhaustible energy and attention to detail for our Bhutan tours.
• Bart Jordans, who lived with his family in Bhutan from 1999 to 2004, has led more than 80 treks since the ’80s.
• John Roskelley made the first American ascents of K2, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Nanda Devi, and Gaurishankar.
• Tshering Dorji, Sha Phurba, Ugyen Yoesar, Tsewang Rinchen, Namgey Dorji, Ratu, and Tandin Gyeltshen are just a few of our most senior and respected leaders in Bhutan.
• Patti Seery, National Museum of Jakarta’s travel program founder, has deep knowledge of Indonesia.
• Sona Hishi Sherpa is a superb guide; this warmly elegant man is, quite simply, one of the great Sherpas.
• Amy (Emiko) Sakaoka brings a fine mix of companionship, passion, and expertise to her Japan tours.
• Andrew Bender is fluent in many languages, a frequently-published travel author and is a multifaceted leader.
• Susy Barry established Hanoi's first international-level recruitment and training consultancy.
• Ted Callahan has been a trek, river, and mountain guide for years in Nepal, Chile, Argentina, Patagonia, Tibet, and China.

MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA

• Carolyn McIntyre, former GeoEx Middle East and Asia lead, exchanged her desk for the open road.
• Sarah Timewell’s wanderlust was nurtured by a family of classic English adventurers.
• Sylvie Franquet, who is also fluent in Arabic, has written voluminously on the Middle East.
• Tese Wintz Neighbor, Senior Director at the World Affairs Council, leads tours to China and the Silk Road.
• Leyla Topal, a talented Mediterranean guide, exudes her love of photography, sailing, and archaeology.
• Serdar Balin is an avid art collector, history buff, and is always up for a good hike.
• Levent Evkuran’s Instanbul roots feed his deep affinity for his country, its history, and archaeology.
• Masha Nordbye, a TV producer and author, has more than 50 trips to Russia and Central Asia under her belt.

AFRICA

• Jackson (Sigilu Ole) Looseyia was once described as a fellow “who can name every bird, animal, insect, and plant in Swahili, Maa, English, and Latin.”
• Luca Belpietro and Antonella Bonomi partner with the Maasai for the exquisite Campi ya Kanzi.
• Joe Charleson, an Association of Professional Safari Guides’ favorite, is renowned for his charm and verve.
• Judi He Lmholz is a Renaissance woman living with her family on the banks of the Zambezi.
• Khalid Mouzaki hails from coastal Casablanca and shares his passion for the culture, its cities, sea, and Sahara.
• Worku Sharew calls Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, home and when not guiding or writing.
• Brad Hansen, once a Tanzania guide, launched his own safari company with a practiced eye for the magnificent.
• Thuto Moutloatsi is a passionate conservationist, a generous storyteller, and a natural ambassador.
• Brooks Kamanakao shares with us his insider’s perspective on the Botswana ecosystem – from its birding boon to the vivid cosmos overhead.

AMERICAS

• Janko Gorse is one of Patagonia’s premier guides and passes along his stupendous enthusiasm and knowledge.
• Jose Antonio Gonzalez —poet, artist, and avid outdoorsman—knows just about every Central American corner.
• Merlin Lipshitz has summited Fitz Roy and the ultra-daunting Cerro Torre, along with most of the region’s peaks.
• Efraín “Effy” Valles of Cusco leads treks, rambles, and in-depth explorations of the Inca heartland.
• Zacharias de Ugarte is an avid birder and botanist, plus a peerless introducer of his native land, Peru.
• Alex Rodríguez, native of Colombia’s coffee-growing region, is said to make our travelers “feel like family.”