ACERCA DE
Equipo | Geoversity | Valle de Mamoní | Instalaciones | Eventos | FAQ’s
Misión
Experience Mamoní potencia la restauración ecológica, inspira la preservación biológica y cultural, apoya a nivel local y desarrolla el liderazgo ambiental a nivel global mediante la facilitación del aprendizaje práctico, los eventos y el turismo sostenible.
TEAM
Mark Knetsch serves as Managing Director for Experience Mamoní. He facilitates all programmatic development, both in and out of the Preserve, and is in charge of creating your meaningful experience in Panama. Mark has been leading local and international student groups of all ages throughout the Valley and parts of Panama for the past three years, and has developed a deep knowledge of the local biodiversity and culture. He is our resident PAWGI certified wilderness guide, trained in emergency response and jungle survival. While living in Canada Mark studied accounting and business administration at Laurentian University, where he graduated Cum Laude. During this period he also specialized in landscape construction and heavy machinery operation, and is a true waterman, having been raised in Aruba. His ability to speak 4 languages: English, Dutch, Spanish and Papiamento has helped Mark with supporting our NGO partner Earth Train in program development and management, along with many personal global adventures, which includes extensive time in Latin America and Asia.
Anna Gili is Experience Mamoní’s Business Development and Program Coordinator. Utilizing her experience as a postgraduate in International Cooperation and Development she is focusing on expanding our curricula offerings for EM’s experiential learning programs, along with a strategy to market those through our web and social media channels. Originally from Barcelona, Anna studied Biology at Barcelona University and Agronomy Engineering at the Polytechnic University; later on, while living in England, she got her MSc. in Natural Resource Management.
She is a dog lover who has recently finished a graduate diploma in Canine Unit Instruction, a wanderer with a passion for travel adventures, and an outdoor enthusiast finishing her Wilderness Guide certification with the International Wilderness Academy.
Her experience as a researcher, animal trainer, dancer, diver, and world traveller has adapted Anna to be our perfect candidate for creating all types of user experiences while understanding the challenging environments we offer our adventurous visitors.
Nico Armstrong serves as Facilities Manager for Experience Mamoní. With six years of hosting and management experience Nico is our key guy who manages your experience in Mamoni. His programmatic involvement is focused on agriculture and community development. Arriving to Bocas del Toro, Panama in 2006 as a Peace Corps volunteer Nico integrated himself with indigenous Ngabe cacao farmers to teach sustainable techniques to increase the production of their plantations. After completing his services Nico moved on to become a tour guide and operator for six years in the highlands of the Chiriqui province, specializing in treks, agro-tourism and indigenous cultural experiences with his Ngabe friends. He is a PAWGI certified wilderness guide and in his spare time he loves to go on “waterfall quests” — in search for beautiful, undiscovered falls.
Ezequiel Coniglio manages our Communications and Digital Marketing through the Photo and Video Journalism Internship Program. After several years working as a journalist in Argentine media, he decided on traveling to seek communication styles in other areas in search of further inspiration for his master’s thesis in journalism. He worked as a photographer in Costa Rica and finally adopted Panama as his second home. While working at the Isaac Rabin high school as a communications officer, he discovered his passion for education and it was there where he found the ideal balance. Being a musician he believes that «Art is everywhere and is one of the best ways to communicate. If you want to compose you have to know how to look, listen, process and express and, if you know that, you can apply that to almost everything in life.»
Gabriel Salazar serves as Wilderness Guide for Experience Mamoní. His programmatic involvement is focused on local jungle expertise in survival, animal tracking, and navigating. In his youth Gabriel was once a prolific hunter trained by Noriega’s military forces in the Mamoní Valley, but he has since been able to create a more sustainable livelihood for himself when joining our partner NGO Earth Train in 2006– a start of a new era as he is now one of the Preserves biggest supporters for conservation. Running a quaint but efficient and beautiful integrated farm system, while also developing and managing our animal husbandry program, Gabriel is a true ‘hombre de la selva’ (man of the jungle); he is a master horsemen and agriculturist and he has a deep knowledge of the plants and animals of the Mamoní Valley.
Leandro Toribio serves as Facilities Caretaker. Leandro was raised in the Valley and the jungle has always been his backyard. He’s worked with our partner NGO Earth Train since 2001 and is now in supporting both organizations as the on-site carpenter and in maintaining the grounds around our jungle campus, Centro Mamoni. When not maintaining our site beautiful, Leandro helps out with guiding and adventure trips and in his spare time he helps out on his family’s farm and tends to his gardens that include unique, native species of orchids.
Enrique “Kike” Arias serves as Principle Advisor – Indigenous Affairs for Experience Mamoní. His programmatic involvement is focused on GIS mapping and community development. Kike is a Guna elder from the San Blas archipelago of the semi-autonomous indigenous Guna Nation. He served as the Assistant Secretary General of the Guna Congress, and is one of the original cartographers of the Mamoní Valley, as well the indigenous Guna territory (“comarca”) to the North. He spent many years trekking and mapping the jungles of Mamoní and the comarca, and is an invaluable part of our guiding and activities offerings. Kike is also an important member of the operations team for the Mamoní100 partnership and the Mamoní Valley Preserve.
Carlos Andres Gonzalez is our internal legal counsel and has since 2008 been working on our projects in the Mamoní Valley with our partners Earth Train, the Mamoní 100, as well as other for profit and non-for-profit partners operating in the Valley. He also participates in acquisitions and sales of land for the Mamoní Valley Preserve and its partners, developing legal strategies around titling and conservation easements, as well as supporting our community development and sustainable livelihood initiatives.
Matt Brewer serves as our mentor Master Forester. His programmatic involvement covers all project development, implementation and management, as well as feasibility assessments, community development, land appraisal and procurement, and due diligence needs related to forestry, carbon, bioenergy and community development projects, which as the Chief Forester with our partners Rainforest Capital Management he manages projects in Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ghana, Bahamas, Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua, and the USA. Matt also serves as Chief Forester. After receiving a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Forestry, he spent most of the past ten years in Latin America managing forestry, bioenergy, forest carbon (AR/REDD+), and land use optimization projects. He is fluent in Spanish. Matt’s work includes design and implementation of landscape management and agro- forestry investment packages, biodiversity and watershed conservation programs, and participation in several REDD+ initiatives. Matt Previously Matt worked with US Forest Service wilderness programs for five years as a ranger and forestry technician and loves being in the mountains and wild places.
GEOVERSITY
Geoversity es un ecosistema de líderes y organizaciones que colaboran en la búsqueda de avances en el diseño humano, la empresa y la expresión creativa, inspirados en la naturaleza.
La Fundación Geoversity (anteriormente Earth Train), es la organización panameña sin fines de lucro responsable de la gobernanza sostenible, la conservación y el desarrollo de todas las iniciativas tanto de Geoversity como de la Reserva del Valle de Mamoní.
VALLE DEL MAMONI

Convenientemente ubicado a 2 horas al este del aeropuerto internacional de Panamá, y en el corazón del valle de Mamoní, se encuentra nuestro campus selvático, un territorio gestionado por la ONG Reserva Valle del Mamoní. Nuestros esfuerzos apoyan su proyecto de conservación a gran escala y restauración del hábitat dentro y más allá de los 28,000 acres de la cuenca del Alto Mamoní. Nuestro exclusivo campus se encuentra dentro del corredor biológico que es el nexo para la cultura y la vida silvestre del continente americano y hogar de muchas especies endémicas y en peligro de extinción.
El valle de Mamoní contiene una mezcla de selva primaria tropical, bosque secundario avanzado, regeneración natural, plantaciones de árboles maderables nativos y exóticos, y un mosaico de grandes pastos con áreas de agricultura de tala y quema.
Tu participación contribuye a este entorno único mediante la investigación, las prácticas sostenibles y los programas de desarrollo comunitario que permitirán la restauración de este frágil ecosistema: una cooperación para la conservación del medio ambiente de forma sostenible.
INSTALACIONES
Nuestro, Centro Mamoní, consta de instalaciones integradas en la naturaleza donde los estudiantes, pasantes, investigadores y aventureros nos ayudan a lograr el objetivo de ser 100% autosuficientes. Todas las instalaciones cuentan con energía eléctrica generada de forma sostenible gracias a un sistema hidroeléctrico único. Las cabañas y los muebles están hechos a mano, construidos a partir de maderas duras recuperadas localmente.
En medio del bosque tenemos seis cabañas elevadas, con capacidad para hasta 26 huéspedes en camas, o hasta 50 cuando se combinan con tiendas de campaña. Todas las cabañas están equipadas con lujosas camas o carpas privadas, duchas, inodoros y electricidad, y están convenientemente conectadas al mundo exterior a través del servicio de Internet de alta velocidad.
En nuestro comedor podrás disfrutar de comidas frescas preparadas con ingredientes orgánicos cultivados localmente Fuera del horario de comidas, este espacio se convierte en nuestro espacio de lectura y encuentro para hasta 50 invitados.
Descansa plácidamente en una hamaca mientras los colibríes sobrevuelan tu cabeza, nada en nuestra piscina natural olímpica de 25m de longitud, desarrolla tu creatividad en nuestro anfiteatro, o ponte manos a la obra en nuestro taller o en los jardines orgánicos.
EVENTOS

Permítenos planificar tu próximo evento en Panamá con la ayuda de nuestro personal profesional. Podemos ayudarte a personalizar tu evento con todo incluido en nuestro campus en la selva, incluyendo una combinación de aventuras y actividades por todo Panamá.
Sumérgete en la naturaleza mientras nuestro masajista, chef y el personal profesional y bilingüe te atienden desde el momento en que llegas a Panamá. Ya sea relacionado con temas de salud y de bienestar, talleres de liderazgo, celebraciones, o congresos científicos, disfruta de nuestros espacios amplios y cómodos, ideales para actividades grupales, talleres o reuniones de negocios.
Nuestras cabañas e instalaciones están ubicadas en medio de la selva tropical, donde los huéspedes pueden conectar fácilmente con la Madre Naturaleza, al tiempo que tienen acceso a Internet de alta velocidad.
Contáctanos para ver cómo nuestro entorno tropical único, las actividades de ecoaventura y el alto nivel de servicio son ideales para tu próximo evento.
FAQ’s
¿Cómo es el alojamiento básico para un estudiante, pasante, investigador o voluntario?
¿Cómo es el alojamiento durante los eventos?
¿Qué tipo de comida se sirve en el Centro?
¿Se atienden dietas especiales?
¿Se proporciona transporte o recogida desde/al aeropuerto?
¿La capacidad es limitada?
CONTACTO
© 2017 Experience Mamoní | Geoversity | Todos los derechos reservados