• Captain Uli Demel began his career as a naval architect in the shipbuilding industry before going to sea. A Master-graduate from the Maritime Academy of Bremen, Germany, he sailed the oceans on reefer and container ships, bulk carriers and tankers before getting his first taste of expedition cruising in the mid-1980s. Since 1992, Uli has commanded 'Explorer,' and with more than 80 ice-voyages to Antarctica, the Polar Regions, the Amazon and the Pacific, he is recognized throughout the industry as one of the most experienced shipmasters.

• Captain Peter Skog has been a professional seaman since 1963, and has sailed to the most remote corners of the world on innumerable voyages. A graduate of the Nautical Academy in Malmo, Sweden, he first went to sea as a teenage deck boy. In 1974, Skog discovered the thrill of exploration cruising aboard the 'Lindblad Explorer,' on which he sailed first as Second Officer and later as Chief Officer. To date, he has spent more than 14 seasons in polar regions and has sailed the length of the Amazon River numerous times. Captain Skog is widely recognized as one of the most skillful navigators in the expedition cruise industry.

• Victoria Underwood-Wheatley and 'Explorer' have a long history together, beginning in 1986. Now Director of Ship Staff and Educational Programs, and Cruise Director, Victoria is A&K's resident expert on polar and environmental affairs. She has traveled to all seven continents, including many expeditions to the Amazon and North Atlantic.

• Peter Graham, Cruise Director, began his career as a child actor. As an adult he appeared as a regular on some of Britain's most successful "soaps." He went on to work as a theatrical agent and as Cruise Director on Rhine River cruises and on a Russian cruise ship. He joined 'Explorer' in 1994 and agrees with so many repeat passengers that "to return to 'Explorer' is like coming home."

  Catalysts for Adventure: Your Expert Amazon Guides
'Explorer' isn't the only expeditionary vessel to travel along the Amazon, but she is the only ship that sails with lecturer-guides of the caliber you'll find here. Travelers tell us time and again that our guides make the difference between a good trip and an absolutely unforgettable adventure. At introductory briefings, on Zodiac expeditions, shoreside sightseeing tours, and back on board as the events of the day are reviewed over drinks and dinner, every traveler has an opportunity to interact with the botanists, anthropologists, ornithologists and zoologists who travel with us. The knowledge and personal experience of these dedicated individuals help create an atmosphere of discovery that draws every passenger deep into the Amazon world.

Joining us throughout the 2002 season are experts including:

• Juan José Apéstegui was born and raised in Costa Rica. His primary areas of interest include general rain forest ecology, local natural history, disguise and camouflage in tropical insects, and the lives of reptiles and amphibians.

• David Ascanio has been leading birding and natural history tours for more than 15 years in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru and the bordering areas of Colombia and Brazil. He is also a contributor of the Phelps Ornithological Museum in Venezuela.

• Chris Cutler, a keen birder and naturalist, has worked as an ecological consultant conducting surveys for rare and threatened species of flora and fauna, and has led natural history tours in many neotropical ecosystems.

• Trip Dennis is a seabird biologist with a master's degree in biology. He has worked aboard 'Explorer' since 1996 as a Zodiac driver, naturalist, lecturer and expedition leader.

• Rhan Flatin has worked as a naturalist in the U.S. and the Amazon for the past 14 years. He has a special fondness for wild edible plants, mushrooms and insects. He directed the School for International Training's college semester abroad in the Amazon.

• Dr. John Harwood studied botany and microbiology at London University, and worked in Swaziland, France, Burundi and the U.S. before moving to his present home in Manaus. He worked for Brazil's National Institute for Amazonian Research for eight years before embarking on his current career as a naturalist and lecturer.

• Hugo Hoyos was born in the small community of Yanomono near the confluence of the Amazon and Napo Rivers, 50 miles downstream from Iquitos, Peru. Hugo learned about river and rainforest ways of life with his father, a river trader. Hugo has been guiding tourists along the river since 1976.

• Ed Hudson followed his passion for travel and has led more than 30 expeditions to the Amazon. He is an avid historian, specializing in the often turbulent and surprising history of the region.

• Dr. Palma Ingles completed her doctoral degree in anthropology at the University of Florida where she is currently an adjunct professor. She made her first trip to the Amazon in 1991 and has worked as a tour guide and lecturer since 1995. Her research for her doctoral degree focused on the impacts of tourism on the four indigenous tribes in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon.

• Suzana Machado D'Oliveira was born and raised in Brazil and has worked at sea for many years as an expedition leader, naturalist and historian.

• Dr. Bob Meade has worked as geologist and hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1957. Since 1974 he has studied the waters, sediments, and aquatic life of large rivers, including the Amazon, Orinoco, Yangzi and Mississippi, and has authored nearly a hundred scientific publications.

• Ignacio Rojas, a biologist, has worked aboard expedition ships since 1992 as naturalist, lecturer and expedition leader. His scientific work has concentrated on aquatic foods in varzea lakes (one of many Amazon habitats) and with caimans, lizards and frogs.

• Dr. Carol Walton spent the last five years working at a research facility in the Ecuadorian rainforest. She has an extensive knowledge of basic Amazonian rainforest ecology and is an avid birdwatcher, having participated in several bird-banding projects and research expeditions. She has also spent 11 summers working as a naturalist-guide in southeastern Peru.

• Peter Zika has traveled to the Amazon basin for the last nine years to study the co-evolution of its fascinating plants and animals. He frequently serves as botanist, ornithologist or ecologist on natural history tours.

  Catalysts For Adventure: Your Expert North Atlantic Guides It's no secret. Travel on board 'Explorer' simply wouldn't be as exciting, educational and fun without our outstanding lecturer/guides. Our travelers tell us, again and again, that they make the difference between a good trip and an absolutely unforgettable adventure. At introductory briefings, on Zodiac expeditions, during shoreside sightseeing tours, and back on board as the events of the day are reviewed, every traveler has an opportunity to interact with the naturalists, geologists, historians, ornithologists and zoologists who travel with us.

Joining us throughout the 2002 season are experts the caliber of:

• Dr. T.H. Baughman of the University of Central Oklahoma has taught Modern European history for more than 30 years. He is the author of seven books related to his teachings and his research. Tim brings a scholar's background and a storyteller's perspective to the 'Explorer' experience.

• David Clammer and his professional career has spanned more than 30 years, including teaching history at the secondary level. A military historian, his books have been published internationally. He also has an avid interest in the polar regions.

• Dr. Kim Crosbie is a doctoral graduate of Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, England and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Her specialty is the ecological monitoring and management of Arctic, Antarctic and Atlantic waters, work that has led to several publications and presentations at international symposia.

• Chris Cutler is an experienced naturalist and field biologist who has a particular fondness for birds and marine mammals. For the past ten years he has led natural history tours to the polar regions and the neo-tropics. He has worked as an ecological consultant conducting surveys for rare and threatened species of flora and fauna.

• Trip Dennis is a seabird biologist with a master's degree in biology. He has worked aboard the 'Explorer' since 1996 as Zodiac driver, naturalist, lecturer and expedition leader.

• Dr. Ralph Eshelman, former Director of the Calvert Museum in Solomons, Maryland, is a specialist in maritime history, polar exploration and vertebrate paleontology. A research associate at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Ralph has served as geologist and historian on numerous voyages aboard 'Explorer.'

• Jonás Helgason is an Iceland native. A student of geography and geology at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, he works as a teacher in a secondary school and during the summer months as a tour guide and lecturer.

• Roger Lovegrove, a radio and television broadcaster, was a joint presenter for several TV series, including In Deepest Britain, In the Country and the live series Birdwatch. He was awarded the OBE in 1997 for services to nature conservation in Wales and is the author of nine books on birds and natural history subjects.

• Geoff Renner has a background in geophysics. While his professional career has concentrated on the polar south, private expeditions have taken him to the high Arctic; during one trip he lived, sledged and hunted with the Polar Eskimos of North West Greenland.

• Dr. Graham and Dr. Anna Ritchie have conducted archaeological fieldwork and excavation throughout Scotland and the Orkney Islands for more than 30 years. They have lectured and written extensively on archaeology and history. Graham is currently President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Anna was awarded an OBE for services to archaeology in 1997 and is a Trustee of the National Museums of Scotland and the British Museum.

• Dr. Bill Romey, Professor Emeritus at St. Lawrence University in its Department of Geology and Geography, has authored a dozen books on geology, education and natural history. He has lectured on oceanography, geology, volcanology, glaciology and geography on numerous voyages around the world on the "Little Red Ship."

• Charles Wheatley is a marine biologist, oceanographer, research diver and internationally recognized photographer. A marine naturalist with the Scripps Aquarium and a teacher of oceanography and environmental sciences in San Diego, California since 1987, he has participated in well over 150 sea voyages aboard 'Explorer.'