Meet the Team

 Jim O’Brien

Jim O’Brien

Jim is an avid traveller with personal experience of some of the world’s most challenging – and interesting – countries under his belt. With almost two decades of experience in the travel industry, Jim started his career as a tour leader in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent before settling down to a slightly more settled life on the Essex / Suffolk border.

With a deep connection with Africa, Jim’s travels include pioneering trips to meet the Toposa people of South Sudan, travelling through Nigeria, a good contender for Africa’s most difficult country, and visiting Somaliland, the breakaway country that no-one recognises.

His experience also includes leading the first ever English speaking group tour to Chad’s Ennedi Mountains, perhaps one of the most exciting destinations we offer, and destinations further afield include such diverse countries as Suriname, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Bangladesh. Most recently, he’s been exploring the tiny African island nation of Sao Tome, the Casamance region of Senegal and the deserts and mountains of Oman.

Chelsea Duce

Chelsea’s passions include trekking, wildlife, traditional cultures and the great outdoors. From hiking in the Peruvian Andes and the northern uplands of Turkey, to meeting hill tribes in Vietnam and exploring the rainforest of the Ecuadorian Amazon, her travel experience includes South America, South East Asia, the Indian Ocean, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

From homestays to jungle lodges, from caves to camping and from sleeper trains to boats, she has stayed in the most remote, authentic and odd locations in each and every country she has travelled to and is always interested in getting to know the locals. Chelsea’s most recent trips have been to Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea, as well as accompanying our groups in Angola and Mozambique.

As well as travel, wildlife conservation and animal welfare is also at the forefront of her interests and she spends much time fundraising and volunteering. Chelsea’s role at Native Eye extends from designing itineraries and answering your questions, to accompanying our newest tours.

 Michaela Tart portrait photo, Native Eye Travel team

Michaela Tart

Michaela’s interest in travel led her to study Travel and Tourism at college, followed by a degree in International Tourism Management. She then went on to spend a year travelling throughout South East Asia, visiting ethnic minority groups in Northern Thailand and exploring Vietnam’s Central Highlands, before continuing on to Australia where she helped with regeneration projects deep within the rainforest. Back in the UK, she lived in the Lake District for a while before relocating to the Essex countryside where she is now settled with her young family.

Michaela’s recent travels include meeting the Taneka people in Benin’s Atakora Mountains and discovering the voodoo rituals of West Africa, as well as exploring Algeria, one of our more popular destinations, and most recently the island of Socotra. Slightly closer to home, she has enjoyed trips to some of Europe’s more hidden corners, from Poland to the Balkans.

With a love of food and cooking, she is always keen to sample new cuisine and seek out the most authentic dining experiences wherever she goes. She’s most content being out in nature, whether it’s a bike ride, a wild swim or something a bit more adventurous like coasteering on the Jurassic Coast.

 Native Eye staff member Karina

Karina Luz Moore

Our newest team member, Karina is a Brazilian-born biologist with a deep love for nature, travel and people. Her career has been shaped by incredible experiences working with primates – from tiny marmosets to powerful chimpanzees, and she has guided travellers deep into the Amazon Rainforest in Peru and Brazil.
Travel has been a passion since an early age when she set out on her first independent journey at the age of 15. This has led her to explore the vibrant cultures and stunning landscapes of Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, India, and the USA, to name but a few. She has lived in some of these countries and for the past 20 years, she has called England home.
When Karina’s not exploring new destinations, you can find her cooking, enjoying time with her family, or trying to learn how to sail.

Jodie Watts

Meet our newest team member, Jodie! Enthusiastic, passionate and positive, she has recently made a career change from the world of hospitality to join us here at Native Eye.

Jodie has a deep love for nature and is always on the lookout for new hiking trails – even in the flatlands of East Anglia! A wildlife enthusiast, she’s happiest out in the wild and as a dedicated foodie, she enjoys cooking and is always eager to try new cuisines, whether that be at home or on her travels.

Jodie’s travels so far have taken her from the Caribbean and Latin America to Asia to Africa, and she is eager to explore some of Native Eye’s destinations next.

 Leia-bio

Leia

We can’t introduce the team without including Leia…. An ever present fixture in the office, Leia has no official duties as such but has taken it upon herself to guard against the postman and other intruders and when no-one’s looking, jump up on Chelsea’s desk and eat her lunch…. Her other hobbies are lunchtime walks in the neighbouring fields and eagerly trying to play with any dog that comes to the nearby dog grooming business.