About Iwan Lewylle

Anyone traveling with Iwan Lewylle can count on an enthusiastic guide with a profound knowledge of nature. He is passionate about nature and enjoys giving travelers a fantastic journey. Iwan also provides a grain of salt during the trip, and always manages to treat his participants with a healthy portion of humor.

This extensive knowledge enabled Iwan to participate in the national TV show Dieren in Nesten. Amphibians and reptiles, birds or mammals? Iwan is at home in all kinds and knows how to combine youthful enthusiasm in the field with a serious background that he gained from the books. With this very accessible and pleasant guide you are always certain of a fantastic travel experience!

Gripped by nature

Only at the age of eight did Iwan discover the magic of bird watching. He was given a pair of binoculars as a present, and he set off with a bird book that he found in the attic at his grandmother. He hit jackpot from the first moment: he spotted a bullfinch! Slowly the ball started to roll and soon he began to look beyond Belgium: first in Europe, then further afield. Destinations like Argentina, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Botswana, Namibia, … They all followed shortly. Gradually, Iwan started to develop a strong interest in mammals which took over.

Getting hot from from cold-blooded life

Iwan worked for a long time as an amphibian and reptile expert for Natuurpunt on a professional basis and was able to spend hours in preserving all 21 endangered species that our country hosts. For years he was often found on cold spring nights in all corners of Limburg to monitor the seriously endangered spadefoot toads, catching great crested newts or to count tree frogs.

The outside world called

After a long time, foreign countries started calling and Iwan decided to take a career break and joined various projects in New Zealand, together with his partner Ellen. He quickly became one of only a handful of Belgians who succeeded in seeing all kinds of kiwi, a group that he still cherishes in his heart. He also gained experience with pelagic trips where the albatrosses and other seabirds flew around his head, but he also enjoyed all the bizarre marsupials that occur in New Zealand as well as Australia. Eventually he decided to set foot in British Columbia, Canada, where he now enjoys otters in the garden, black bears at the mailbox and pumas at the front door.