Herpetology [hur-pi-TOL-uh-jee] The study of Reptiles and Amphibians.
Herper [HER-pur] A loosely connected group of self-professed oddballs and kooks, dedicated to the study, care, and observation of these animals.
Herper [HER-pur] A loosely connected group of self-professed oddballs and kooks, dedicated to the study, care, and observation of these animals.
|
About UsWhat do you get when you combine travel-junkie-field-herpers, small-business experience, and partners with local know-how on several different continents around the world? Orion Herp Adventure Travel! An eco-tour company born out of the sheer JOY of jungle adventure travel and the passion to share it with people who want to break out of their cubicles and 5-lane highways.
|
Our Focus |
First and foremost we are field herpers who love to hunt around for snakes, lizards, frogs, etc. We are also macro photography specialists. But then in a multiple-third-place tie, are such things as a grand enjoyment of making new friends (we like people!), a love of ALL things nature (from crazy spikey tree, to a stick insect the size of your hand), we embrace the local mix of cultures (languages, tribal traditions, music, animal myths), all underpinned by an insatiable itchy-feet wanderlust to get out and see new things.
|
|
You may choose to book a guided single-night hike, or a 7-day all-inclusive trip with us. But the real commodities we deal in are wonder, awe, and ADVENTURE. We are not the kind of people who take long-range photos from the air-conditioned tour bus. It is not unusual to never see other westerners or 'tourists' the whole time you travel with us. Chasing herps takes us to out-of-the-way places, where we experience ground-floor local cultures and not just the cleaned-up post card view of a place. |
|
We make every effort to travel responsibly. We want to have a minimal negative effect on the people, animals, and environments that we visit, and in fact 'leave it slightly better than before' if possible. This means shepherding reptiles off of roads or out of man-made structures or traps, supporting local guides, trade and causes, as well as sometimes cleaning up trash where need be. But maybe most of all, the cross-cultural connection between people, and the affection for wildlife that this kind of travel fosters, surely raises awareness for conservation and the protection of exotic ways of life and our remaining global wild spaces. |
|
Kurt Orionmystery (Guek Hock Ping)
Kurt is a wildlife guide and nature/macro photographer based in Kuala Lumpur. He is deeply passionate about the natural world and all the flora and fauna that it has to offer. His main focus is on snakes, but he is very well versed in all reptiles, amphibians, and insects. He spends an average of 3 days per week, hiking, exploring and photographing wildlife. Kurt has intimate local knowledge of Kuala Lumpur and Peninsular Malaysia, including anything from arboreal colubrids, to bad traffic times, to local laws and cultural sensitivities. He is also a top-notch tracker who understands the behavior and habitats of animals, when they're active, and how to spot them. He is amazingly humble given his body of work. His photos have been featured in such varied places as Reader's Digest to The Reptile Report, as well as many field guides and even formal documentation that accompanies new species descriptions. Kurt speaks English, Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese.
[email protected] |
|
Monty Najar
Monty is an international walkabout addict, world-wide field herper, and happy dad who runs a small company near Detroit, USA. Traveling on business for over 25 years, he always makes time to get out for a bit of far-flung exploration wherever he goes. He is interested in snakes, tribal cultures, linguistics, and all the other magnificent creatures waiting to be discovered in every corner of the map. His specialty is off-road travel, bridging the gaps between cultures & faraway people. It is about understanding a place and really walking in another person's shoes, rather than just a few selfies and a store-bought post card. His enthusiasm in the field might best be described, as "an excited golden retriever." For example: having trouble getting to the other side of the bush before the snake disappears from sight?...Monty will generally go THRU the bush. He also has trouble "staying in the boat." :-) A word of warning if you do ever meet him - he is a dedicated hockey evangelist. (Go Wings!)
[email protected] |