+Program Leader(s)

Scandinavian Greats

Barikiel Joseph Bee – “Bariki”

“Bariki," now in his early thirties, was born in Karatu near the Ngorongoro Crater and is a member of the Iraqw tribe. His college training prepared him to become a professional tour guide. He eventually returned to the crater where he worked for four years, participating in a research project on cheetahs. He also attended an exchange program, which took him to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe for further guiding and naturalist training. He’s an avid birder (paradise fly catcher is his favorite), and enjoys being with groups and sharing his love of Tanzania.

Doug Gualtieri

Doug received both his B.S. and M.S. in Biology at Central Michigan University, his degrees focused on ecology, animal behavior, and conservation biology. While working on his graduate degree, Doug spent nearly 3 months of each year on a Nature Conservancy preserve observing migratory behavior and habitat use of long distance migrants in Michigan’s wild Upper Peninsula. Graduate school offered the opportunity to work as a teaching and research assistant, where he discovered the joy of leading others into the field to share different aspects of the natural world.

Alaska and all her rugged beauty beckoned Doug since childhood. In 1999 he packed up his truck and his trusty Siberian husky “Koda” and drove north to Alaska. Landing in the small town of Talkeetna he found the people and surroundings to be a perfect match. He has been working as a naturalist in Denali National Park since1999. Doug considers Kantishna and Denali National Park his summer home.

Recent opportunities to lead trips for Orbridge to South Florida's Everglades, and The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador have brought Doug to places on the globe he had always dreamed about. Being able to step in Darwin's footprints of history on the shores of the Galapagos Islands, or ply the diverse ecosystems of South Florida is a naturalists dream come true. In recent years Doug has also worked as a naturalist in both Baja, Mexico and in Southeast Alaska. Only time will tell where he'll end up next.

Doug has been proud to serve the community of Talkeetna for the past two years as a member of The Talkeetna Community Council. As well as volunteering for the community public radio staition, 88.9 FM KTNA as a show host and fundraiser. Doug's winter pastimes have included handling and training Iditarod sled dogs for Iditarod musher Melanie Gould, grooming cross country ski trails for the local highschool ski team, tying flies for trout and salmon fishing, and playing music with his friends in Talkeetna. His other interests include photography, backpacking, writing and enjoying all Alaska has to offer.

Orbridge Program Leaders

Every departure will be accompanied by one of our premier Program Leaders, all of whom have extensive knowledge and experience as program guides. With our talented and enthusiastic staff, you will be able to see and learn more about this fascinating and complex destination than you ever dreamed possible.

Chiara Sanguineti.

Chiara's opinion is that wine and food are the best ways to understand and get to know a country.

Chiara is Milano-born and has lived in Northern Italy for many years. After studying art and literature, she relocated to Tuscany where she worked with the producer of the famous Chianti Classico in the hills between Siena and Florence. In charge of export, grape harvest, and olive oil production, she is expert in her knowledge of Italian foods and wine. Having owned an Agriturismo working farm in the Siena countryside, she understands what people appreciate most about the significance of Italy’s ‘slow food’ roots. Speaking five languages and a gifted sommelier, she is among the founders of the national association “Donne del Vino” (women of wine). Chiara loves nothing more than imparting to travelers her wealth of knowledge.

Doumina Whyman

Understanding the ingredients of an extraordinary and authentic Italian experience, Doumina aims for ‘la dolce vita’—intimate adventures that are perfectly balanced with culture and education, food and wine, and the opportunity to relax and truly enjoy a moment.

With a successful catering background, Doumina decided to pursue her love of cooking and Italy by learning the language and constructing tours for adventures in this country that she now calls home. Her presence always adds a chef’s knowledge of food and wine, an infectious passion for living life fully, and a connoisseur’s ability to gather the beauty of all senses to a traveler’s experience in Italy. Doumina owns a pastoral Italian villa and lives there half the year, and otherwise resides in the Pacific Northwest.

Gabriella Cavalieri

The magic of the food and wine of Northern Italy was taught to Gabriella by her mother, and it has become as much a part of her as her hometowns of Verona, Valpolicella, Soave and Lago di Garda.

Gabriella’s years at the University of Padova near Venice sharpened her understanding and developed her appreciation of the art and history around her. And, for many years, while working for a multinational company for which she traveled extensively throughout Europe and the U.S., she developed her love and understanding of Italy’s charms, realizing its unique qualities in the world. Finally settling in Rome in 2003, she began guiding tours both in Italy and in other European countries. Now Gabriella divides her time between Rome, her adopted city, and Verona, where her heart remains.

Stefania Meloni

Stefania's love for the food, wine, and places of Italy can only be compared with her enthusiasm for sharing new and enriching experiences with others.

Stefania was born in Cortona, an ancient town in Southern Tuscany. She spent her young adulthood on the magnificent island of Elba, rich with the remains of ancient populations, sparking her passion for classical study and research. After pursuing her degree in Italian, foreign language, and literature, she started working in tourism. In Cortona she handled public relations in the internationally acclaimed Il Falconiere while soaking in art history and gastronomic traditions. In her free time, she guides wine tours, conducts cooking classes, and leads hikes through the Etruscan tombs.

Orbridge Expedition Leaders

Every departure will be accompanied by one of our premier Expedition Leaders, all of whom have extensive knowledge and experience as naturalists. With our talented and enthusiastic staff, you will be able to see and learn more about this fascinating and complex destination than you ever dreamed possible.

Andrew Moran

Whether spotting birds and animals on a nature walk or considering a historical artifact, Andrew brings a spirit of discovery a passion for knowledge to your travels.

Andrew's touring career began with nine years supporting guided expeditions behind the wheel of a motor coach, an experience that inspired him seven years ago to become an Expedition Leader. He loves the opportunity to share knowledge with travelers, and is fortunate enough to spend summers in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Yellowstone National Park. He spends his time exploring its hundreds of hiking trails and walking paths, where there is always something new to see.

Steve Osten

Steve loves the thrill of being able to make a difference when educating his audience about the intricate and delicate symbiotic relationships within America’s National Parks.

He has guided throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and South Africa for nearly 25 years. He studied Wildlife Biology with an emphasis on Animal Behavior at Kearney State College in Nebraska. One of his favorite projects focused on ethograms of River Otter Behavior. He trained with Sam Ham in Environmental Interpretation and Marilyn Dahlheim with NOAA regarding the Orca whales of Puget Sound, and had the privilege of being a local naturalist/guide in Yellowstone while continuing his studies.

Godson Mollel

Godson loves Tarangire National Park, baobab trees, elephants, and his favorite bird – the crested crane.

After finishing his early studies in Arusha, he moved to Tanga on the coast for college. He attended teacher-training college and also studied French before completing his tour guide course. Godson works as a Safari Expedition Leader in both French and English, and has been leading Safaris in Tazania for five years.

Allan Alais

Allan is fascinated by the interaction of wildlife and humans in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and loves spotting the rare black rhinoceros in the crater.

Allan grew up in the north of Tanzania in the Maasai area of Longito. After attending Wildlife Professional Tour Guide College, he worked for the World Food Program distributing food in the Ngorongoro District and spent three years studying environmental issues in Seattle. In 2006 he returned to Tanzania and began working as a Safari Expedition Leader.

Salim Mgonja

Salim became interested in animals by spending time with his father, a veterinarian.

After his secondary education, he joined Mt. Meru Wildlife College and became a safari guide. He is from the Pare tribe on the South Eastern side of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and his favorite park is Tarangire National Park, as he loves elephants. Salim has been a safari expedition leader for 11 years and is a highly skilled naturalist.

Maricarmen Ramirez

A native of Quito and current resident of Ecuador, Maricarmen started her naturalist career working as a guide in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

A passion for nature drew her to the Galapagos Islands where she has enjoyed working as guide and Chief Naturalist for almost twenty years. Maricarmen has studied tourism and environmental development and was a major contributor to the Viva Travel Guides handbook to the Galapagos. She is also multilingual, and can chat with you in English, Spanish, French, German, or Italian!

Brigitte Maier Karall

Brigitte was born and educated in Austria. She studied law at the University of Vienna and worked in export/import before she let her passion for traveling redirect her professional career. In her free time, Brigitte enjoys theater and sports, and especially loves sailing and skiing.

Werner Hartlieb

With his Masters Degree in art and background as university lecturer and language teacher, Werner shares expert knowledge and contagious curiosity with his groups. In his free time Werner bikes, swims and enjoys reading books about art. Werner was born and educated in Germany.

Elizabeth Bradfield

Liz grew up exploring the shores of Puget Sound and the waters of the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. Wanting to see more of the Pacific Coast after college, she went to Southeast Alaska as a deckhand aboard a boat that ran week-long natural history trips, an experience that inspired her to become a naturalist.

In the ensuing years, Liz apprenticed herself to research projects on birds, marine algae, and a variety of marine mammals; worked as a kayak guide; and for the past ten years, has worked as a marine educator and naturalist. She brings with her a wide-ranging fascination for the world and an interest in how literature and natural history can together encourage empathy, understanding, and curiosity.

She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and is the author of two collections of poetry: Approaching Ice (Persea, 2010), and Interpretive Work (Arktoi Books, 2008). A former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, her poems have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, Orion, Poetry, and elsewhere. She lives on Cape Cod, where she assists with research on whales and seals and is a member of Cape Cod Stranding Network.