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GUIDING PROFESSIONAL

Jeffry works as a professional guide all over our beautiful globe

He is passionate about living a life in the outdoors, embracing the forces of nature. With a strong background as a qualified International Mountain Leader and Canadian Wilderness Guide he has the technical skills to safely guide you through the the world’s wildest places.

Share your dreams with Jef and let him lead you through your wonderland. He will evaluate your dreams, effectively plan your trip, and guide you on a journey of a lifetime.

Let’s start making dreams become reality today.
 
Sweden
Norway
Antarctica
dog-sledding

International Mountain Leader

With this training guides are entitled to lead groups in mountainous terrain all over the world

IML

Certified Wilderness Guide

With this intensive wilderness training guides are able to deal with any situation in remote places

Wilderness First Responder

This in-depht training focuses on extended First Aid in remote wilderness settings in all ecosystems


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Upstream, in the inner canyon, dark silences are deepened by the roar of stones. Something is listening, and I listen too: who is it that intrudes here? Who is, breathing? I pick a fern to see its spores, cast it away, and am filled in that instant with misgiving: the great sins, so the Sherpas say, are to pick wild flowers and to threaten children. My voice murmurs its regret, a strange sound that deepens the intrusion. I look about me— who is it that spoke? And who is listening? Who is this ever- present “I” that is not me?

           The voice of a solitary bird asks the same question.

           Here in the secrets of the mountains, in the river roar, I touch my skin to see if I am real; I say my name aloud and do not answer.

 

Peter Matthiessen – The Snow Leopard (1973)

guiding

GUIDING

Talking about the guy with the map

Jef has a master’s degree in Biology with a specialization in animal behavior and ecology. He is an International Mountain Leader, a Certified Wilderness Guide and a Wilderness First Responder. Jef is passionate about sharing his love for wild places and wildlife photography, whether it is on the cold and wet tundra, at high altitude in the mountains or the extensive savannah plains, in dense tropical rainforest or bone dry deserts.

He has years of outdoor experience in his backpack: extensive photo expeditions in some of the world’s most remote areas, several years as a safari guide and manager of remote luxury tented camps in east Africa, long unsupported trekking through vast wilderness. Jef is guiding international guests on mountain trekkings and nature tours throughout the world for different companies. He can be found guiding guests on long trekkings through the large mountain ranges, over the tundra, into the rainforest and deserts, snowshoe walking, x-country skiing, dog-sledding tours and safari .

Throughout his work nature conservation is an important aspect. He is known to show his guests “the great dance of life”, because everything is interlinked in nature. Furthermore, Jef embraces the overwhelming effect that physical exercise has on us, modern men. As a former elite ultra-distance runner he knows exactly what it takes to push your own limits. Besides Jef is a scriptwriter for wildlife documentaries and author for different magazines.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Talking about the guy behind the camera

During his early teens Jeffry could be found exploring the local woods around his hometown in the Netherlands or he was bended over different maps of the world, dreaming about journeys to the remote corners of our planet. Jef made 700-mile long solo hike in the endless fjalls of northern Scandinavia in 1990. Half a year later, in 1991 a dream came through, when he first set foot on African grounds, together with his girlfriend Marleen. Despite their tight budget they travelled for five months in east and southern Africa where they experienced the local life. The African seed was planted.

In 1998 Jeffry got his MS in behavior ecology for which he conducted a ten month field research on wild orangutans in the rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia. The Sumatran forest was enchanting and Jef felt completely at ease being so close to nature.

After his study, wildlife photography became the way to explore the wild corners of our planet. He spend three months in the remote Ndoki National Park in P.R.Congo photographing western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees for the Wildlife Conservation Society. He liked being in the beautiful Tarangire National Park in Tanzania where he worked for Nature Conservation Films, a Dutch film company.

Jef entered the dark forests of D.R.Congo for three months to photograph the forgotten ape: the bonobo. He was the first Westerner to visit this area in 15 years. For this assignment he got different funds from the National Geographic Society and he was working in close cooperation with the Washington based Bonobo Conservation Initiative. An other highlight was a three month assignment to Inner Dolpo, a hidden corner in Nepal, where he followed the footsteps of Peter Matthiessen, a famous American writer.

Emotion, expression and empathy are Jef’s keywords in wildlife photography. Through the publication of his work he shows the public the intimate life of our closest relatives, the great apes, the animal life on the wide open African plains, and other fascinating natural wonders in the world. To optimize his efforts, Jef works closely with international organizations specialized in wildlife conservation.

In his photographic style Jef tries to capture the behavior and the atmosphere of the situation. For months he will submerge himself in to the world of wild animals, and with an animal-like patience and instinct, the scene will enfold before his eyes. His unassuming manner, knowledge of the animal kingdom and field research experience makes that many researchers and organizations appreciate working with Jef.