As a TV host on Daily Planet, York alumnus Dan Riskin (MSc ’00) led audiences on journeys around the world to learn about fascinating scientific discoveries. Now, Dan is leading global trips that enable Canadian university alumni to make their own scientific discoveries while gaining life-long memories.
As a tour leader with , Dan helps guide trip-goers through the sights and sounds of each expedition. For one upcoming trip in 2027, Dan will co-lead an Amazon Rainforest Expedition Cruise in Peru, where travellers will journey through the jungles of the Amazon by boat to explore a locale that is home to many diverse species of wildlife.
“The Peruvian Amazon is an ecosystem that cannot be explored on foot, it has to be explored on boat,” says Dan. “There is such an amazing mix of the most remote, exciting, and exotic creatures you can imagine, all from the comfort of our boat. One of the things that makes this alumni trip so fun, and why it is one of my favourite types of ecosystems, is that you don’t know what you’ll find around any corner.”
Travellers from various walks of life, who may or may not have a passion for nature, come away from each trip with an appreciation of experiencing a new world with their own eyes.
“There’s a famous essay by Edward O. Wilson, Harvard ant biologist, who argues that what makes nature special, is that it’s a mystery,” says Dan. “Imagine I took you to the most magical rainforest you can imagine, but then I tell you that everything in the rain forest is fake. When you imagine that it’s not a real rain forest, it’s not as fun; people want to see the real thing. There’s an excitement for the possibility of seeing something that, in that moment, no one else in the world has seen.”
Making discoveries and seeing what no one else has seen is a common occurrence amongst trip attendees. Sometimes, it even leads to a newfound passion.
“At one of our past trips, we had one guest who did not know much about the Amazon or nature,” says Dan. “But one day, he saw a bird that looked as common as any bird and one of the guides was shocked, because as it turned out, this was a very rare bird called the Brown Nunlet that our guide had not seen before. Since returning home, that guest has picked up bird photography as a hobby. That is just one of the cool guest experiences that these trips bring out in people.”
Dan’s role as tour leader is not just about pointing out fun facts, but also to make the trips themselves as enjoyable for the guests, as they are for him.
“Part of my job on these trips is to have as much fun as I can, because then it gets everyone else excited,” says Dan. “It tends to be a fun group of people brought together who connect in interesting ways. It is a life-changing experience for many of those who participated in it.”
The Amazon Rainforest Expedition Cruise is just one of many upcoming alumni trips. Learn more about all upcoming York alumni travel destinations.
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