Yossi Ghinsberg

Yossi Ghinsberg was born and raised in Israel serving three years in the Israeli navy on the Red Sea where he befriended the Bedouins of the Sinai Desert that greatly influenced him with their wholesome philosophy and nomadic lifestyle.

Following his amazing story of being lost in the depths of the Amazonian rainforest for three weeks with his three companions never returning alive, Yossi Ghinsberg has lived beyond the comfort zone - much further than anyone would choose to go. In 1981 as a young budget traveller in search of adventure, he headed into the Brazilian rainforest with three companions, his imagination fired with tales of gold and a lust for the unknown.
Ill prepared and ill conceived the trip turned from being a folly into a living nightmare that almost cost him his life. Two of his companions never re-emerged; their fate remains unknown. After nearly drowning in a misguided attempt to navigate a balsa-log raft down a tributary of the Amazon, Yossi survived, utterly alone for three weeks, with little more than the clothes on his back, wandering through the dense jungle, attempting to get back to the civilisation he had so hastily left. He encountered terrible hunger, deadly snakes, wild boars and leeches, but most of all he encountered himself.
Yossi endured his ghastly odyssey and ever since the rainforest and its people have been part of his life. Discovering that the forest and its isolated communities were rapidly being destroyed by logging and mining, Yossi became their champion. With a US $1.25m grant from the Inter-American Development Bank, he initiated alternative economic projects for the forest dwellers, including a world class eco-tourism lodge, opened in July 1998.
His book 'Heart of the Amazon' based on his harrowing adventures in South America was first published in 1986 and soon became an international bestseller.In 1992, Yossi returned to the Amazon to initiate 'The Chalalan Project' demonstrating that the best strategy to conserve pristine rainforest is sustainable development in cooperation with indigenous inhabitants rather than mere conservation. Yossi's contribution to the region won him international acclaim. In 1995 he was recruited to and appointed Vice President of The Center for Investigation & Treatment of Addiction (CITA). In this capacity, Yossi promoted a new humanitarian approach to treatment of opiate addiction, establishing 12 treatment and research centers around the world from Mexico to China.
Yossi Ghinsberg has great interest in conflict resolution from personal through organizational and to global levels. His new book 'Glimpses' was also published in 2004.Through passionate commitment Yossi transformed his vision of sustainable development into reality. Yossi Ghinsberg turned tragedy into triumph. His Amazon survival experience changed his life forever.
His story and the lessons it teaches about conviction in one's self whilst facing overwhelming odds demonstrates that we are all adventurers on our own journey.