Lucho Verdesoto

Born and raised in the tropical country of Ecuador, Lucho is a passionate naturalist that has been working for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since 1998. With a marine biology background, he started as a naturalist in the Galápagos Islands in 1994. Since then, he has filled numerous roles with Lindblad-National Geographic, such as naturalist, undersea specialist and expedition leader in the Galápagos Islands, Costa Rica and Panama, and Baja California.

Currently, Lucho spends much of the year traveling the world aboard the National Geographic Explorer. Working for Lindblad-National Geographic has given him the opportunity to explore remote locations from the Arctic to Antarctica and everything in between, while the opportunity to lead and explore the Amazon has only increased his passion for evolutionary biology and the understanding of how biological communities interact in such a complex ecosystem.

During his time off, Lucho enjoys traveling and spending time getting to know the vast National Park system in Ecuador. Holding a dive master's license, he tries not to let a place pass without exploring the underwater ecosystem - he considers Antarctica to be the wildest place he has ever been able to dive!

He also enjoys writing nature articles for a major newspaper in Ecuador, as he strongly believes that nature can only be protected when it is fully understood and appreciated by its inhabitants.