Christos was born in Athens, in 1985. His passion for Nature started at a very early age, when he would spend hours snorkeling and observing the underwater world. Later he became a diver and started to study systematically the underwater world. Because of this passion of his, he slowly started delving into the work of Natural Photography, taking pictures and monitoring various underwater species.
Since then, he became interested in all Natural aspects, starting to photograph Birds, Reptiles and then Mammals, Insects and Wildflowers. Today, he is mostly interested in Mammals, Marine animals, Reptiles and particularly Nocturnal animals. He has been a diver for 9 years and an avid Birdwatcher for the past 6 years.
Eleni is an Environmental Scientist (Bsc, PhD) that always finds it difficult to choose between field work or conservation management and environmental awareness activities..! She has been working for projects about birds (ecology and conservation) and for environmental organizations around Greece and Cyprus, and is currently a scientific advisor of the Kalloni Environmental Information Center (Lesvos Island, Greece), where she is monitoring the birds of the Kalloni Gulf and organizes outdoor activities for the public.
She is deeply interested in birding (although only twiched on a Demoissel Crane 12 km away from home…), she is a keen ringer, member of the Charamida (Lesvos) and Attika (Athens) Ringing groups and, during recent years, an amateur bird photographer. She also runs the www.lesvosbirdnews.org blog and the Facebook group “Lesvos Bird News”.
Maria graduated from the School of Forestry and Natural Environment of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. She did her 1st Master’s Degree in the Biology School of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Protected areas Management). Her 2nd Master’s Degree was in the Ecology Department of Lund University, Sweden, on population and evolutionary ecology. Maria has worked on conservation projects in all the major wetlands of Northern Greece. Publications include work on Cory’s Shearwater, White Storks, Capercaillie, Great Cormorant, White-headed Duck and the Lesser White Fronted Goose.
She is professionally occupied as a free-lance ornithologist for NGO’s, Natural Greece and Universities. She speaks Greek and English fluently.
Dimitra was born in Athens, in 1993. She has had a fascination for Nature, be it flora or fauna, from a very early age. As a natural consequence, she completed her studies in Biology and graduated from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, with an orientation towards the fields of Ecology and Zoology. In 2020 she obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice at the University of Oxford.
Dimitra has been volunteering for many environmental NGOs, both in Greece and abroad. She has participated in field monitoring of many species, having a keen interest in cetaceans and birds. Nowadays, she collaborates professionally with the Greek wildlife charity Callisto, that protects big land mammals like wolves and bears. Apart from field monitoring, she also offers environmental education for children of various ages.
Dimitra could share stories of Greek Nature with you in fluent Greek and English, as well as in good French and Italian. She is willing to give you some secrets in Spanish and in Portuguese but only if you are patient!
Erik joined Natural Greece in 2017. After a long and international career in Construction Industry he now supports us with video production and editing & photography. He is passionate about Greece, Nature, its People and all outdoor activities. He attended the phytotherapy training in Freiburg, Germany.
Over the years he worked furthermore at a yoga centre, at a farm in Italy and attended guitar and massage workshops. He strongly believes that eco-tourism is the way forward, a way for people to connect with nature again. “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” said Albert Einstein. His other passions include: swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, playing guitar and cooking. Erik speaks Dutch, English, German, and French.
Armin is an environmentalist and nature guide. Armin Riegler was born in 1973 in Austria. While working in an animal rescue shelter, he finished the school of animal caretaker and veterinary assistant in Vienna. Since the foundation of wildlife charity CALLISTO he was a stable member of the Field and Bear Expert Team for many yuears. He finished his study of bio-resources and environmental management in January 2009 at the University of applied Life Science Vienna (BOKU). He recently finished his MSc on “Conservation and Management of Protected Areas” at Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a local expert for the Pindos Mountain range in Northern Greece. He moved back with his family to Austria but likes his beloved Northern Greece whenever he can.
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, Andrea studied Biological Sciences at the University of Pavia, Italy and moved to Greece in 1995 to begin a personal research on migratory birds. His researches brought him close to Wildlife Photography, which slowly became his second occupation. More than ten years ago he started traveling extensively around Greece on his old Land Rover which was transformed into a 4×4 home. He has published many articles and several books on Greek nature, and his pictures have also been published in various magazines around the world, including the BBC Wildlife Magazine and National Geographic (both Greek and international editions). They can be found on his website www.andreabonetti.com and at the UK Photo Library www.nhpa.co.uk.
Andrea has a knowledge of Greek nature like few others. Along his travels through the country he discovered many ¨secret spots¨ where to watch rare wildlife – from rare endemic flowers and butterflies, to secretive birds and mammals. He speaks five languages (Italian, German, French, English and Greek) and he is happy to share his passion for nature with people. Andrea is also passionate about water sports and is an experienced sailor and diver. As a gifted photographer he not only captures scenes of wildlife, he is also a photographer of the political scene and of the social issues that Greece faces.
Annie was born in Athens in 1973. Her love for the sea and marine world brought her together with the rest of the Mystic Blue crew. Annie started her career in the world of marketing and publishing but soon sailing and diving stole her heart.
Annie is a certified Day Skipper (RYA) and has sailed around 15,000 miles in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. She’s also a PADI certified Diving Instructor (Open Water Diver Instructor & EFR First Aid Instructor). She’s dived in Belize, Thailand, Red Sea, the Society islands in the Pacific Ocean but the Mediterranean Sea is her biggest love. She’ll be glad to share with you the secrets of the underwater world! Annie is also a keen hiker and mountaineer and has been guiding travellers around the traditional paths of the Greek islands for the last 8 years. She is also the founder of NoFootPrint, the ultimate guide to Eco walking tours around the Greek islands.
Sotiris is one of the leaders in nature in Greece, with 20 years of field experience. He has a passion for wildlife, having an intimate knowledge of Greek Flora and Fauna in every corner of Greece. He works as an eco-tourist guide for many years now. He is also the editor of the journal Parnassiana Archives. The journal publishes papers concerning wildlife of Greece (taxonomy, check-lists, new records, etc). Furthermore he owns the publishing company ‘Wild Greece Editions’. He is the author of the book ‘100 Endemic Plants of Greece’, published in 2012. Sotiris Alexiou speaks English and Greek.
Minas is a resident of Karpathos Island. He has been studying the local flora and fauna for over 20 years now. He immersed himself in Karpathian nature and is now ready to publish a book about the plants of the island. He collaborates with the Management Agency of North Karpathos and Saria in recognition of the plants and he is an expert guide in botanical tours around the paths of Karpathos. He owns a blog called “ΚΑΡΠΑΘΙΑ ΦΥΣΗ – KARPATHIA FISSI” about the nature of Karpathos.
He speaks English and Greek.
Author of “The Orchids of Karpathos island” – October 12, 2020
& “The Endemic and Rare Flora species of Karpathos Island (Flora of Karpathos island)” – July 26, 2020
Evangelia – Marina was born in October 1988 on Karpathos Island. She is a Geographer with a Masters degree in “Environment and Development” of the National Technical University of Athens. After completing her studies, she decided to come back and live permanently on Karpathos Island. She is a member of the Management Agency in Regional Marine Park of Northern Karpathos and Saria and in addition she is the tour leader in an Eco-tourism program on Karpathos.
She speaks Greek, English and basic French.
Anastasia was born in Thessaloniki in 1988, where she studied at School of Forestry and Natural Environment (BSc) and Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Exploitation of Native Plants (MSc) at School of Biology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). She has a passion for wild flowers and in her master studies specialized in aromatic plants of Greece. More specifically, she was involved with the taxonomic identification, extraction of essential oils and properties of Greek aromatic plants. She participated in botanical tour at Aristotle path in Ancient Stagira. She is also an active member of Callisto, the wildlife charity that protects the bears and wolves of Greece. She loves nature, culture and travelling. She loves the Natural Aroma of Greece!!
As a biologist, with a MSc in Environmental Biology, Katerina had the wonderful chance to work with rare and protected plant and animal species in the most beautiful places of Greece: flora of paths at Zagori area, plant-monitoring for Directive’s 92/43 species at high mountains of north and central Greece, sea turtle monitoring in Zakynthos. Moreover, she has found the best places for plant-hunting alone, by travelling and exploring the country. Travelling, locating rare plants and photographing them is more than a passion for Katerina, it has become a way of life. She enjoys speaking about plants, telling their stories and she does it at any chance: in congresses and conferences, in botany related seminars for children and adult education, in articles for scientific journals or magazines or at her blog “Plant Hunters”. Her camera has become part of her and she has a great record of plant and landscape pictures. She has published part of her photographic work in magazines and participated in photography exhibitions.
Katerina tells the best nature stories in Greek and English, but she could also try it in French.
Lavrentis Sidiropoulos was born in Drama, N Greece, in 1981. He has been taken with birds since his childhood and after finishing a theology degree in Aristotle University in Thessaloniki he got a BSc in ecology and conservation in Manchester Metropolitan University, soon to be topped by an MRes from Imperial College London. He has been active in raptor monitoring and conservation in Northern Greece in the past 10 years from Evros to Epirus and has been part of the Egyptian Vulture Conservation Life+ program field team for Hellenic Ornithological Society. More recently he has been involved in the Lesser White Fronted goose program also, as well as bird monitoring in various National Parks in the North. He has a keen interest especially in raptors and particularly the golden eagle in North Greece. He is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina.
He speaks Greek and English fluently.
George was born in Cyprus in 1988, where he first started birdwatching as a teenager. He was always fascinated by nature and wildlife, so just after the end of his army duty in Cyprus he moved to Thessaloniki to study forestry and environmental management, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has since travelled to many parts of Northern Greece, visiting most of the wetlands and mountains of the region. He now resides in Kerkini village, just next to Lake Kerkini, where he has become involved in the Lesser-White Fronted Goose conservation program and the monitoring of other birds and wildlife, in collaboration with the National Park Management Authorities. He also now leads birdwatching tours in Lake Kerkini National Park and to others parts of north Greece. He leads a couple of tours each year in Cyprus as well. George is an excellent birder and general naturalist, with a keen interest in mammals and reptiles.
Chantel was born and raised in The Netherlands where she studied International Agricultural Trade (BSc at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences) and Agricultural & Environmental Economics (MSc at Wageningen University & Research). Chantel started her “second life” in Greece in 2006, after a career in The Netherlands in Environmental Management and Project Management at The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Fisheries, and a major Dutch engineering consultancy company. In Greece, she has worked for Birdlife Greece and WWF Hellas. Her experience in nature conservation, fundraising and the travel industry combined with CSR helped her to start up Eco & Wildlife Tour Operator Natural Greece in 2013.
Christos was born in Athens, in 1985. His passion for Nature started at a very early age, when he would spend hours snorkeling and observing the underwater world. Later he became a diver and started to study systematically the underwater world. Because of this passion of his, he slowly started delving into the work of Natural Photography, taking pictures and monitoring various underwater species.
Since then, he became interested in all Natural aspects, starting to photograph Birds, Reptiles and then Mammals, Insects and Wildflowers. Today, he is mostly interested in Mammals, Marine animals, Reptiles and particularly Nocturnal animals. He has been a diver for 9 years and an avid Birdwatcher for the past 6 years.
Eleni is an Environmental Scientist (Bsc, PhD) that always finds it difficult to choose between field work or conservation management and environmental awareness activities..! She has been working for projects about birds (ecology and conservation) and for environmental organizations around Greece and Cyprus, and is currently a scientific advisor of the Kalloni Environmental Information Center (Lesvos Island, Greece), where she is monitoring the birds of the Kalloni Gulf and organizes outdoor activities for the public.
She is deeply interested in birding (although only twiched on a Demoissel Crane 12 km away from home…), she is a keen ringer, member of the Charamida (Lesvos) and Attika (Athens) Ringing groups and, during recent years, an amateur bird photographer. She also runs the www.lesvosbirdnews.org blog and the Facebook group “Lesvos Bird News”.
Maria graduated from the School of Forestry and Natural Environment of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. She did her 1st Master’s Degree in the Biology School of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Protected areas Management). Her 2nd Master’s Degree was in the Ecology Department of Lund University, Sweden, on population and evolutionary ecology. Maria has worked on conservation projects in all the major wetlands of Northern Greece. Publications include work on Cory’s Shearwater, White Storks, Capercaillie, Great Cormorant, White-headed Duck and the Lesser White Fronted Goose.
She is professionally occupied as a free-lance ornithologist for NGO’s, Natural Greece and Universities. She speaks Greek and English fluently.
Dimitra was born in Athens, in 1993. She has had a fascination for Nature, be it flora or fauna, from a very early age. As a natural consequence, she completed her studies in Biology and graduated from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, with an orientation towards the fields of Ecology and Zoology. In 2020 she obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice at the University of Oxford.
Dimitra has been volunteering for many environmental NGOs, both in Greece and abroad. She has participated in field monitoring of many species, having a keen interest in cetaceans and birds. Nowadays, she collaborates professionally with the Greek wildlife charity Callisto, that protects big land mammals like wolves and bears. Apart from field monitoring, she also offers environmental education for children of various ages.
Dimitra could share stories of Greek Nature with you in fluent Greek and English, as well as in good French and Italian. She is willing to give you some secrets in Spanish and in Portuguese but only if you are patient!
Erik joined Natural Greece in 2017. After a long and international career in Construction Industry he now supports us with video production and editing & photography. He is passionate about Greece, Nature, its People and all outdoor activities. He attended the phytotherapy training in Freiburg, Germany.
Over the years he worked furthermore at a yoga centre, at a farm in Italy and attended guitar and massage workshops. He strongly believes that eco-tourism is the way forward, a way for people to connect with nature again. “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” said Albert Einstein. His other passions include: swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, playing guitar and cooking. Erik speaks Dutch, English, German, and French.
Armin is an environmentalist and nature guide. Armin Riegler was born in 1973 in Austria. While working in an animal rescue shelter, he finished the school of animal caretaker and veterinary assistant in Vienna. Since the foundation of wildlife charity CALLISTO he was a stable member of the Field and Bear Expert Team for many yuears. He finished his study of bio-resources and environmental management in January 2009 at the University of applied Life Science Vienna (BOKU). He recently finished his MSc on “Conservation and Management of Protected Areas” at Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a local expert for the Pindos Mountain range in Northern Greece. He moved back with his family to Austria but likes his beloved Northern Greece whenever he can.
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, Andrea studied Biological Sciences at the University of Pavia, Italy and moved to Greece in 1995 to begin a personal research on migratory birds. His researches brought him close to Wildlife Photography, which slowly became his second occupation. More than ten years ago he started traveling extensively around Greece on his old Land Rover which was transformed into a 4×4 home. He has published many articles and several books on Greek nature, and his pictures have also been published in various magazines around the world, including the BBC Wildlife Magazine and National Geographic (both Greek and international editions). They can be found on his website www.andreabonetti.com and at the UK Photo Library www.nhpa.co.uk.
Andrea has a knowledge of Greek nature like few others. Along his travels through the country he discovered many ¨secret spots¨ where to watch rare wildlife – from rare endemic flowers and butterflies, to secretive birds and mammals. He speaks five languages (Italian, German, French, English and Greek) and he is happy to share his passion for nature with people. Andrea is also passionate about water sports and is an experienced sailor and diver. As a gifted photographer he not only captures scenes of wildlife, he is also a photographer of the political scene and of the social issues that Greece faces.
Annie was born in Athens in 1973. Her love for the sea and marine world brought her together with the rest of the Mystic Blue crew. Annie started her career in the world of marketing and publishing but soon sailing and diving stole her heart.
Annie is a certified Day Skipper (RYA) and has sailed around 15,000 miles in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. She’s also a PADI certified Diving Instructor (Open Water Diver Instructor & EFR First Aid Instructor). She’s dived in Belize, Thailand, Red Sea, the Society islands in the Pacific Ocean but the Mediterranean Sea is her biggest love. She’ll be glad to share with you the secrets of the underwater world! Annie is also a keen hiker and mountaineer and has been guiding travellers around the traditional paths of the Greek islands for the last 8 years. She is also the founder of NoFootPrint, the ultimate guide to Eco walking tours around the Greek islands.
Sotiris is one of the leaders in nature in Greece, with 20 years of field experience. He has a passion for wildlife, having an intimate knowledge of Greek Flora and Fauna in every corner of Greece. He works as an eco-tourist guide for many years now. He is also the editor of the journal Parnassiana Archives. The journal publishes papers concerning wildlife of Greece (taxonomy, check-lists, new records, etc). Furthermore he owns the publishing company ‘Wild Greece Editions’. He is the author of the book ‘100 Endemic Plants of Greece’, published in 2012. Sotiris Alexiou speaks English and Greek.
Minas is a resident of Karpathos Island. He has been studying the local flora and fauna for over 20 years now. He immersed himself in Karpathian nature and is now ready to publish a book about the plants of the island. He collaborates with the Management Agency of North Karpathos and Saria in recognition of the plants and he is an expert guide in botanical tours around the paths of Karpathos. He owns a blog called “ΚΑΡΠΑΘΙΑ ΦΥΣΗ – KARPATHIA FISSI” about the nature of Karpathos.
He speaks English and Greek.
Author of “The Orchids of Karpathos island” – October 12, 2020
& “The Endemic and Rare Flora species of Karpathos Island (Flora of Karpathos island)” – July 26, 2020
Evangelia – Marina was born in October 1988 on Karpathos Island. She is a Geographer with a Masters degree in “Environment and Development” of the National Technical University of Athens. After completing her studies, she decided to come back and live permanently on Karpathos Island. She is a member of the Management Agency in Regional Marine Park of Northern Karpathos and Saria and in addition she is the tour leader in an Eco-tourism program on Karpathos.
She speaks Greek, English and basic French.
Anastasia was born in Thessaloniki in 1988, where she studied at School of Forestry and Natural Environment (BSc) and Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Exploitation of Native Plants (MSc) at School of Biology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). She has a passion for wild flowers and in her master studies specialized in aromatic plants of Greece. More specifically, she was involved with the taxonomic identification, extraction of essential oils and properties of Greek aromatic plants. She participated in botanical tour at Aristotle path in Ancient Stagira. She is also an active member of Callisto, the wildlife charity that protects the bears and wolves of Greece. She loves nature, culture and travelling. She loves the Natural Aroma of Greece!!
As a biologist, with a MSc in Environmental Biology, Katerina had the wonderful chance to work with rare and protected plant and animal species in the most beautiful places of Greece: flora of paths at Zagori area, plant-monitoring for Directive’s 92/43 species at high mountains of north and central Greece, sea turtle monitoring in Zakynthos. Moreover, she has found the best places for plant-hunting alone, by travelling and exploring the country. Travelling, locating rare plants and photographing them is more than a passion for Katerina, it has become a way of life. She enjoys speaking about plants, telling their stories and she does it at any chance: in congresses and conferences, in botany related seminars for children and adult education, in articles for scientific journals or magazines or at her blog “Plant Hunters”. Her camera has become part of her and she has a great record of plant and landscape pictures. She has published part of her photographic work in magazines and participated in photography exhibitions.
Katerina tells the best nature stories in Greek and English, but she could also try it in French.
Lavrentis Sidiropoulos was born in Drama, N Greece, in 1981. He has been taken with birds since his childhood and after finishing a theology degree in Aristotle University in Thessaloniki he got a BSc in ecology and conservation in Manchester Metropolitan University, soon to be topped by an MRes from Imperial College London. He has been active in raptor monitoring and conservation in Northern Greece in the past 10 years from Evros to Epirus and has been part of the Egyptian Vulture Conservation Life+ program field team for Hellenic Ornithological Society. More recently he has been involved in the Lesser White Fronted goose program also, as well as bird monitoring in various National Parks in the North. He has a keen interest especially in raptors and particularly the golden eagle in North Greece. He is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina.
He speaks Greek and English fluently.
George was born in Cyprus in 1988, where he first started birdwatching as a teenager. He was always fascinated by nature and wildlife, so just after the end of his army duty in Cyprus he moved to Thessaloniki to study forestry and environmental management, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has since travelled to many parts of Northern Greece, visiting most of the wetlands and mountains of the region. He now resides in Kerkini village, just next to Lake Kerkini, where he has become involved in the Lesser-White Fronted Goose conservation program and the monitoring of other birds and wildlife, in collaboration with the National Park Management Authorities. He also now leads birdwatching tours in Lake Kerkini National Park and to others parts of north Greece. He leads a couple of tours each year in Cyprus as well. George is an excellent birder and general naturalist, with a keen interest in mammals and reptiles.
Chantel was born and raised in The Netherlands where she studied International Agricultural Trade (BSc at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences) and Agricultural & Environmental Economics (MSc at Wageningen University & Research). Chantel started her “second life” in Greece in 2006, after a career in The Netherlands in Environmental Management and Project Management at The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Fisheries, and a major Dutch engineering consultancy company. In Greece, she has worked for Birdlife Greece and WWF Hellas. Her experience in nature conservation, fundraising and the travel industry combined with CSR helped her to start up Eco & Wildlife Tour Operator Natural Greece in 2013.
