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People Behind EXALT
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It is the people behind EXALT that make our excursions truly unique and alternative. The EXALT team is an international assemblage involving individuals from differing points of origin, areas of expertise and backgrounds:
Karin van Beurden
Paphos excursion scene. Having been involved with Cypriot tourism for over 6 years, Karin joined EXALT as a specialist in the Akamas and Troodos regions. Known for her ‘laid-back’ excursion style, out-going personality and very competent driving skills, Karin has quickly become one of our most popular Excursion Leaders. Hobbies: Motor-biking, animals, cooking, web-surfing. Languages: Dutch, English, German.
Simon Demetropoulos
Environmental Biologist is finishing his PhD research at the University of Wales, Swansea. One of Cyprus’ foremost experts in local flora and fauna, Simon is a founder member of the Cyprus Wildlife Society and an active campaigner for the creation of a national park in the Akamas. With his unique skills and insights, few are better qualified to lead nature expeditions into the wilderness of Cyprus. Like the Green Turtles who lay their eggs on the beaches of western Cyprus, Simon returns every summer to the sands of Lara, where he has worked at the Turtle Conservation Project since 1978. (Holder of a First Aid certificate.) Hobbies: Rock-climbing, hiking, jazz,"mucking around with computers". Languages: English, German, Greek.
Jan Horton
‘Chief-of-Staff’. Born in Surrey, UK, she holds a diploma in bi-lingual Business Studies (English/French) and has lived all over the world: in London, Ghana, Libya, Spain, Italy and in Austria for over twenty years. Jan has vast experience in the tourism industry, is a superb communicator, and has organisational skills second to none. She is also a keen animal-lover and possesses that rare people-come-first attitude, so lacking in today’s money-oriented world. Hobbies: Trekking, skiing, music, fitness, international cuisine. Languages: English,French, German.
Lionel Horton
joined EXALT in the mid- 1990s as our Land Rover Fleet Manager. Hailing from North London, UK, he originally studied Agriculture at Chester College and was later involved in such diverse fields as advertising, the construction industry, running his own building company and working in tourism in Austria before coming to Cyprus in 1994. An extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic Excursion Leader, Lionel first introduced the ‘bump-sensitive’ approach to off-road driving that sets EXALT apart from other excursion agencies in Cyprus.
Hobbies: Golf, skiing, tennis, cooking…and especially eating. Languages: English.
Zenon Zenonos
One of Paphos’ best-known excursion guides, Zenon joined EXALT in 1991 and helped build it into what it is today. An avid environmentalist and former Coordinator of Friends of the Earth (Paphos), he possesses extensive knowledge of Cyprus and has tremendous experience throughout the island. Originally from Limassol, Zenon studied agricultural engineering in Switzerland and worked for several years in such varied fields as organic farming and computer sciences. In 1996, he became a licensed CTO Guide. Known for his superb communication skills (including obscure Swiss-German dialects), gourmet vegetarian cooking and earthy sense of humour, Zenon enjoys a close rapport with the birds and flowers of Cyprus and lives in a small hinterland village together with his British-born wife and their two children.
Hobbies: Organic gardening, cooking,travelling. Languages: English, German, Greek. |
Panikos Neophytou
coordinators active in Cyprus today. Panikos has several years’ experience in the excursion business under his belt and graduated from the C.T.O. Guide School in 2001. A specialist in small group adventures to the Akamas and Troodos areas, Panikos possesses a wide knowledge of Cypriot culture and landscape. His soft-spoken, friendly mannerisms along with his natural sense of humour and informative discussions make Panikos a perennial favourite with children and adults alike.
Hobbies: Marathon running, Greek music/dancing, reading books. Languages: Dutch, English, Greek.
Stelios Papadapoulos
studied Mechanical Engineering at the Universite de Claude Bernard. He returned to Cyprus and earned a certificate in Public Relations, which led to several seasons’ employment as a receptionist at some of Paphos’ finer hotels. With vast knowledge of Cypriot culture and landscape, Stelios is a specialist in the Akamas and Troodos forest areas. He is also a trained Life Guard (bronze medal in life-saving). Soft-spoken and somewhat intellectual, Stelios is one of EXALT’s most often-requested Excursion Leaders.
Hobbies: Cycling, swimming, travelling, wine-making. Languages: English, French, Greek.
David Pearlman
in contact with Cypriot culture and landscape. He holds a B.A. in Classics from the University of Cincinnati and an M.A. in Archaeology from the University of Minnesota. Between 1977 and 1988, he dug dozens of prehistoric tombs, was a major participant in the Late Bronze Age excavations at Kalavasos, and served as crew leader for the Canadian Palaipaphos Survey Project, mapping remote corners of the Paphos District. The author of several articles about wilderness tourism in Cyprus, and a veteran of more than 350 trekking expeditions through the wild gorges and inner recesses of the island, David is ideally qualified to lead groups into the field. As the founding Director of EXALT and its chief excursion architect, he remains an on-going student of Cyprus and her landscape. (Holder of a First Aid certificate.)
Hobbies: Star-gazing, tennis, trekking and dreams. Languages: English, German, Greek.
Wouter Polder
Cyprus! The quintessential outdoor/adventure sports fanatic, this native Amsterdamer began his adult life custom-designing surfboards for a small water sports company in Holland. He then moved into diving and by the mid-1980s found himself in Latchi, Cyprus as a fully qualified diving instructor (PADI) running his own diving school. An expert in the underwater and terrestrial landscapes of NW Cyprus, Wouter brings his unique insights and empirical knowledge of Cyprus to bear during each expedition he leads. He joined EXALT in 1996 and now lives in a small village house together with his British-born partner, their two children and two dogs. (Holder of a First Aid certificate.)
Hobbies: Rock-climbing, wind-surfing, stone-carving, environmental issues. Languages: Dutch, English, German.
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From
Hilversum in the Netherlands comes
this fresh new face to the
One
of the founding members of EXALT,
this Nicosia-born
A
key member of the EXALT Team, Jan
functions as our Manager and
Probably
one of the most skilled 4x4 jeep
drivers active in Cyprus, Lionel
He
was born the son of a school-teacher
in the famous village of Pano Panayia.
He grew up just a stone’s throw
from Makarios’ birthplace, on the
edge of the Paphos Forest and amidst Cyprus’
most esteemed vineyards. In the mid-1980s, Stelios
made his way to Lyon, France where he
A
true hunter-gatherer of the outdoor
experience, David has logged
countless hours
Whether
he is behind the wheel of his Land
Rover, or leading a trekking
group through river valleys and
gorges, Wouter exudes a tremendous
sense of knowledge, experience and competence.
Simply put: This man knows