KE Leaders are really important to us and are crucial to the success of each trip. Each year we like to recognise our leaders for their efforts as we simply could not function without them.

Every year we ask you to vote for your favourite leaders and to let us know why they helped to make your adventure that extra bit special. From over 1000 votes received from KE Customers a shortlist of the Top 5 leaders has been selected and with the help of our expert panel we are delighted to announce our 2015 Leader of the Year!

The WINNER is...

JOE BERNINI from Costa Rica

Joe (pictured above) comes from the Golfo Dulce region of SW Costa Rica and leads our Costa Rica Walks and Wildlife trip. He has worked in tourism for 10 years and started working as a leader for KE 2 years ago. His feedback from clients has been without fail, outstanding, and he is a worthy winner of this years KE leader of the year award. 

Here is what some of our clients have to say about Joe:

"Joe was one of the best guides I have ever been with. He was enthusiastic, likeable and had a great sense of humour. He was very knowledgeable, and very good at spotting wildlife. He was tireless in his efforts to give clients the best possible experience. How many guides, on discovering it was the 40th wedding anniversary of two of the clients, would get a present and arrange for a card to be signed by all the rest of the group? "  M. Plackett, UK

"Joe Bernini is far and away the best guide I have ever had on any trip… across the two weeks we were together there were literally countless occasions on which Joe did small and not so small things he knew would make the trip that little bit more special for one of the group. He did not play favourites either. He really tried to tune in to each and every group member's needs and wants. What really makes Joe stand out though is that his caring is so genuine. We never had the impression that anything he did for us was simply because it was his job. It felt like we were visiting a friend who was hosting us in his country for the first time and sincerely wanted us to have the best experience possible." G. Eldridge, Australia

"The skill required of a tour leader is generally and vastly underestimated. Joe is the best, most professional and most well-rounded tour leader I've come across yet. I don't think I can express in words what a fantastic Leader Joe was, he has it all: he has the people skills to manage the group, suppliers, drivers, etc. He has great organisational skills and is attentive to every detail, regardless of how small. He has the passion and local experience, including local knowledge of the country, wildlife, birds, etc, etc. If he came across something he did not know, which was rare, he made sure to follow up. His passion for what he does absolutely shines through. On top of this the leader has responsibility to keep the group safe, which Joe did well. Some people do a job, others become true professionals at what they do, Joe fits into the latter."   J. Klepal, USA

Our other shortlisted finalists...

Ismet Inan (Turkey)

Ismet leads our ‘Cappadocia and the High Taurus’, ‘St Pauls Trail’, ‘Mount Ararat’, ‘Lycian Way’ and ‘Towers and Trails of Cappadocia’ in Turkey. She is truly an all rounder and happy in both the high mountains and explaining the historic sights of Turkey. Our groups love Ismet and she always gets great feedback!

"Female leader on her own in very remote location. Clients spanning 6 decades (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s). No injuries, no illnesses, very tough trekking, care for all clients individually. Cared for environment and wildlife. Absolutely loves her job and is so much fun! Cares for her crew very much - runs a very tight excellent team! LOVED HER! "  W. Ovenden, Australia

Joaquin Aragon (El Salvador)

Joaquin is from El Salvador and leads our ‘Highlights of El Salvador’ trip and ‘From the Pacific to the Caribbean’ tour that visits Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras. He’s worked in adventure tourism for 15 years and his experience and knowledge are greatly appreciated by our clients.

"We had the pleasure to travel with our wonderful guide, Joaquin Aragon. Joaquin is informative, helpful, and warm. He is excellent to providing individual attention to all the travelers. He has clearly made our trip one of the best we have experienced."  J. Hsu USA

"From the moment we met Joaquin he was bright, enthusiastic and welcoming. Similarly he was very knowledgeable about every aspect of the trip and the local areas, amenities, communities and cultures - pretty impressive considering we covered visited 3 countries and multiple towns in them. I (and I think the rest of the group probably agree) think Joaquin was a superb leader, great character who added to the fun of the trip." G. Sparrey, UK

Ruben Choque (Peru)

Ruben is from Cusco in Peru and is our expert on the ‘Choquequirao and the Vilcabamba’ trek. He has led this trek countless times and in 2015 alone led the trip 7 times. All our groups have without fail sung his praises.

"Ruben was so knowledgable about the history of the Inkas. Not only that, he gave us no end if interesting information on the geography of the area and how it was changing and developing, as well as pointing out interesting flora and fauna along the way. He had unending patience with all our questions and problems. Absolutely nothing was too much trouble and he adapted and changed things willingly to suit our group's needs. He also had a great sense of humour. He was absolutely excellent and should be winning awards all the time!! " C. Symons, UK

Marie Le Ray (French Alps)

Marie is born and bred in the French Alps and lives near to the Mont Blanc Massif. She has led all variants of our Tour de Mont Blanc trek (‘Best of the Tour de Mont Blanc’, ‘Classic Tour de Mont Blanc’ and the ‘Ultimate Tour de Mont Blanc’), as well as the Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn trek. KE clients have consistently given rave reviews about Marie’s local knowledge and experience in the mountains.

"Marie was excellent! She was extremely competent and had such a strong knowledge of the mountains, the culture, and the region. She really made the trip a real joy."  H. Maroun, USA

"Marie was an excellent leader throughout. Obviously extremely experienced & knowledgable. With an excellent welcoming personality." K. Glendinning, UK

"Marie was a superb leader with an intrinsic knowledge of the area. She set the pace perfectly and 'tweaked' the route to show us superb scenery that we may otherwise have missed. Very conscious of potential danger and ensured that we were as safe as we could be." N. Maxfield, UK