ExplorerGirls.com loves photography and of course the people behind the lens.  We have a huge appreciation for how people see the world around them and the ability to tell a story with photographs. 

Karen Graham, travel writer and photographer AND ExplorerGirl is one adventurous woman and one great storyteller.  She chooses to travel the world and document her trips with images and words sharing her experiences and her passion.

It can take a lot of guts to get out there and travel for adventure but it is also passion that drives Karen to keep travelling and documenting her life and the people and wildlife around her.

Karen has had a love affair with travel since childhood when she spent three years living in Malaysia, but thirty years later she combined her passion for travel with photography and writing to embark on a completely different journey – as a freelance photographer and travel writer.

Today she concentrates on work/travel programs that combine adventure with conservation and community development or fund raising work.  Another reason we think Karen is awesome!

This year Karen travelled for 10 weeks in Europe and Africa.  She cycled along the Danube River in Austria, volunteered at a brown bear refuge in Croatia and trekked to see endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda.

Photos from Uganda can be seen on her ExplorerGirls web page and articles will be published in places soon.  One magazine, Adore , highlights Karen’s work surrounding animals and wildlife.

Looking for some adventure travel ideas…send Karen a message.  She has completed over a dozen trips around the world involving her favourites trekking and camping.

Karen has travelled extensively across Africa, Europe, North America and Asia. Some of her treks include the Mt Kilimanjaro climb, trekking in Alaska and the wilderness of Denali National Park, camping and hiking in the Canadian Rockies, and tramping the Routeburn Track in New Zealand.

Other highlights include hot air ballooning over the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, taking to the skies in a micro-light plane in South Africa, and adventures in New Zealand – heli-hiking on Fox Glacier and paragliding in Queenstown.

Exploring the world for interesting people and beautiful places has led Karen to the opportunity to witness astonishing wildlife which in turn added more to her passion.

She has visited game parks in Africa, encountered grizzly bears in Canada and Alaska, and been swimming with dolphins in New Zealand. Karen has volunteered on Montague Island in Australia, a unique place supporting a vast array of wildlife, including little penguins and Australian and New Zealand fur seals.

Eco and volunteer travel is a great way to help people while seeing the world and really getting to know a culture.  Karen has spent a lot her time travelling giving back to people or organisations.

There are many organisations to get involved with.  Some of Karen’s include teaching photography to children during a summer camp at Chimney Corners Camp in Massachusetts, USA in 1998.

In 2004 she participated on ‘Tour for a Cure’, a charity challenge fundraiser with the Cancer Council Victoria (AUS). This involved trekking the Great Wall of China and using this challenge to raise $6,000 for the charity.

Next on her agenda is travelling to South America in 2009, once she replenishes her travel funds. In preparation Karen is busy learning Spanish.

We say time well spent Karen!  Thanks for all the great ideas for future travels, what an inspiration!

www.ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

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