Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld
Irene feels a need to share her deep connection with nature, in all its forms and characteristics, with others. This stems from an inner experience that humanity and nature form a magnificent whole, but that we have forgotten this, with all the consequences that this entails. Together with untamed nature, she has designed Spirit of the Wild courses, and with nature as her teacher and partner, she facilitates people toward a rediscovered unity and inner truth. Silence, opening your senses, space for solitude, and a certain lightness are key to this.
Wayne Maspero
Wayne graduated in 1994 with a National Diploma in Nature Conversation and has since built an extensive career in conservation. His experience includes guiding in Sabi Sands, working as a wilderness trails officer with KZN Wildlife, and leading walking safaris in the Masai Mara. Currently, Wayne is Reserve and Conservation Manager at Bergplaas Nature Reserve in South Africa, playing a key role in biodiversity management. As a senior trainer for Spirit of the Wild and a mentor for conservation students, he combines practical conservation with community empowerment.
Raymond Landgraaf
Raymond Landgraaf is the founder and an instructor of Otro Elements. He's a passionate general practitioner, acupuncturist, and a doctor with the mountain rescue team in Alagna, Italy. Raymond is a true adventurer who dares to think outside the box and challenges you to (re)pursue your dreams. In 2012, he and his lovely wife, Blanca, decided to change course. Together with their four children they moved to the Italian Alps...to embark on an adventure. When he first arrived in Otro, he knew immediately, "I want to share this with more people." He took some friends up the mountain, and that's how his back-to-basics expeditions began. A hobby that has truly grown out of control.
Tjeerd Wits
Tjeerd Wits studied earth sciences and is an International Mountain Leader (IML). From a young age, Tjeerd wanted an adventure, to explore the wide world. He was happiest playing outdoors. And he still is, actually. In untouched nature. Whether it's in the mountains of Central Asia, the rainforests of Borneo or the Amazon, or cycling along the Silk Road. Wherever something magical can be experienced, Tjeerd feels at home. When he arrived at 'Alpe Selvaccia', he immediately felt at home and didn't want to leave. He had been searching for this for a long time, and he hasn't been able to wipe the smile off his face ever since.
Ben Palmer Fry
Connecting with nature, moving slowly, embracing joy… these three pillars remain the foundation of Benny's life. Born and raised in central London, his relationship with the wilderness began with his father, watching eels in the streams, buzzards in the sky, and finding glowworms in the grass of the rolling English hills. As a teacher, singer, biologist, and empath, his work in conservation and development has taken him around the world, from the Amazon rainforest to the East African plains and the high Himalayas. After decades of leading therapeutic journeys with diverse groups, he thrives when creating safe spaces, stepping outside our tightly controlled human environments, and listening to the silence.
Annelies Hupkes
Annelies teaches various courses and leads workshops such as Body Reading, Emotions – Guides to Vitality, Grounding Your Sexual Energy, Connecting with Your Body, and programs focused on feminine energy. She also guides individual programs and provides readings and healings. Her approach connects spiritual information with the physical body and daily life, which she considers crucial for an integral process of development.
With clarity, insight, creativity, and space, she invites people to personal growth. Since completing her training as a reader and healer at the CIO in Utrecht in 1986, she has continuously immersed herself in intuitive work.
Nature is a significant source of inspiration for Annelies. She trains NatuurWijzers (NatureWise) practitioners through the NatuurWijs Foundation and coordinates retreats with the Hekademos Foundation, which focus on personal growth and well-being.