Who Are the Guides?

Dave Santillo, Lead Guide.  Dave has worked in nature his entire professional life. In 2009 he left his career as a biologist working on ecological planning throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Since then he’s concentrated on his passion for adventure travel and writing, and doing volunteer work for nonprofit organizations. He is a Licensed Maine Guide whose specialties are sea kayaking, canoeing, and hiking, and he holds a PhD in Biology. He’s studied birds, mammals and plants, and loves to share his skills and passion for nature with anyone who’ll listen! Priding himself on being an expert at “reading nature and the land,” he challenges himself to help others get more from time spent in nature. Dave has spent almost half of the last 10 years traveling throughout the Americas, immersing himself in other cultures and habitats, and learning passable Spanish as a second language. He writes a blog about mindful travel, nature, and the environment called the Puma Diaries (www.Puma-diaries.com), where he touches upon many of the themes woven into Venture Outside trips.

A Favorite Quote: “I don’t want to lecture people about saving the natural world. I want to share with them the joys of experiencing it.” Edward O. Wilson

Kevin Santillo, Lead Guide in Peru and International Trips Advisor. Kevin has lived and worked in Peru for 12 years, and has studied with and apprenticed under numerous traditional Andean and Amazonian shamans. Well versed in all aspects of Andean culture, cosmology, and mysticism, Kevin brings incredible joy and celebration to his journeys. On top of that, he is amazingly good on Andean flute, and music is always a big part of his adventures.

A Favorite Quote: “A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest–a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” – Tom Robbins 

Ilene Price, Adventure Guide and Kayak Instructor. Ilene is the happiest sitting in a sea kayak, especially when there are others to share in the experience. After realizing that she wasn’t going to become a jazz pianist, Ilene attended a Canadian university in British Columbia and completed an Adventure Studies Guide Diploma Program, “majoring” in sea kayaking. Since becoming a professional sea kayak guide and ACA (American Canoe Association) kayak instructor, Ilene has been guiding in some of the most spectacular paddling destinations in the world since 2011: Alaska, Panama, and Patagonia. She is thrilled to add Croatia to her repertoire. Ilene’s annual migration finds her guiding summers in Prince William Sound, Alaska and winters guiding in both the Caribbean and Pacific of Panama. Fall and spring bring her to the Adriatic Sea of Croatia, Vermont, and her hometown of Philadelphia. She loves encouraging others to discover their own sense of adventure, as well as to find peace within through being in nature. When she’s not sitting in a kayak, Ilene can often be found practicing her Spanish and Bachata dancing, and daydreaming about where else she can paddle. Ilene also loves practicing yoga, which she believes to be imperative for sitting comfortably in a kayak for hours. Ilene also loves to share photos and write about her paddling adventures. Find her blog at www.ileneinakayak.com/blog

A favorite quote: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” -Lao Tzu.