National Geographic Experts
A National Geographic expert will accompany each departure to share insights and a rare behind-the-scenes perspective. Listed below are some of the experts and the departure date(s) they will be joining.
Bill Jones
Bill Jones has led more than 100 trips across Asia and Europe and to destinations as far-flung as Madagascar and Kazakhstan. He has recently specialized in Southeast Asia and Bhutan, where he was given the honorific name Dorje Wangchuk by the Oracle of Minji village. Bill is widely respected in Bhutan, where the government consulted him on the training of local tourism operators. He speaks fluent French and German, is proficient in Italian and Spanish, and has a good working knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. He has a degree in politics and economics from Liverpool University in England, and, when not on the road, divides his time between London and Paris. Bill has been a popular National Geographic Expert on previous Bhutan and Tibet trips.
David Silverberg
Geographer David Scott Silverberg (Ph.D. MIT, postdoc Harvard) has worked throughout the Himalaya since 1985 helping to map new parks, establish sustainable development NGOs, and design and teach wilderness and sustainable development programs for U.S. and international universities. His programs help young Buddhist women from protected-area communities attend the best regional schools and develop conservation education resources throughout the Himalayan region. His digital photo and video talks on Buddhism and Himalayan culture have been popular with National Geographic travelers. With National Geographic Society and National Science Foundation support, David has published numerous professional papers on the geologic development and natural history of the Himalaya. He has served as executive director for research at EarthWatch and helped launch AmeriCorps's environmental programs. David is a fellow of the Explorers Club, the Society for Tibetan and Ladakhi Studies, the Royal Geographic Society, and the Royal Asia Society.
Carroll Dunham
Medical anthropologist Carroll Dunham has resided in the Himalaya for the past 25 years and currently resides in Nepal. Carroll is the director of Wild Earth, an organization that works with rural Nepalese women who create handcrafted products to generate income. An expert in Himalayan cultures, she is passionate about sacred geography, pilgrimage, and indigenous medicinal plants. Carroll has written four books and produced films for National Geographic, PBS, and the BBC.
