A life of adventure

About Catherine

Hello!

I’m Catherine Edsell FRGS, an adventurer, conservationist and global expedition leader with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. Having worked in some of the remotest areas of the planet, (sometimes with my kids in tow), I keenly noticed the benefits of being completely off-grid, immersed in the natural world. Wishing to share my experiences with others, I created The Matriarch Adventure – a transformational extreme wilderness expedition encouraging women to ‘step into the wild’.

I also recognise the importance of grassroots conservation and have worked alongside some of the worlds most pioneering biodiversity scientists in an effort to further our understanding of the natural world. To facilitate the many aspects of my life, I am a Qualified Field Guide of Southern Africa, a PADI Divemaster, and Reef Check trainer, Day Skipper, yoga teacher, TEDx Speaker, published author and an ambassador for EHRA supporting endangered desert adapted elephants.

In a nutshell...

Professionally

I have worked on the beaches of Costa Rica protecting leatherback sea turtles and their nests, and as a jungle guide in the Corcovado rainforest...

Held the position of Forest Operations manager for Operation Wallacea, running jungle training courses, and organising logistics for extremely remote scientific biodiversity studies in the forests, mountains and coral islands of Buton, Kabaena, and Wakatobi national park, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia... 

Trekked for 700km down the ephemeral rivers of Namibia, tracking, (and being charged by), desert elephants, whilst leading groups of 17-25 year olds... 

Built harpy eagle hack boxes in the jungles of Belize, explored hidden sinkholes, crystal caves and Mayan ruins, performed reconnaissance trips and developed a new county project for Operation Wallacea in the cloud forests of Honduras, Central America... 

Worked as a PADI divemaster, and lectured in coral reef ecology on the remote island of Hoga in the middle of the Banda Sea, Indonesia, led Reef Check expeditions in the incredible Musandam peninsula, Oman, and the Maldives archipelago , facilitated sperm whale monitoring surveys in the Azores, whale shark identification in Tanzania, rainforest biodiversity surveys in Peru, and wild writing and sailing expeditions around teh Scottish isles.

​Most recently, of course, I lead The Matriarch Adventure, an all-women expedition to Namibia to track desert elephants and experience true wilderness, The Bluemoon Adventure, a coral reef conservation expedition in Madagascar and The Mother & Daughter Adventure for mums and their teenage daughters to step into the wild together.

Next on the agenda are writing and nature connection retreats in the wilds of Scotland, along with new Whale Shark Retreats in Tanzania and expeditions in Deepest Peru.

Now I’m giving talks all around the country encouraging people to ‘Step into the Wild’, I’ve been interviewed for numerous podcasts and had my work published in books and magazines. Who would have thought!

Independently

I have explored the Kelabit highlands of Borneo, trekked through the (really!) remote, hill tribe villages of Northern Laos... 

​Worked as a line-handler in the Panama canal, then sailed from Panama to Florida on a 31ft ketch called 'Seahorse' (should be re-named 'retch' and 'seasick')... 

 Trekked in the breathtakingly stunning Langtang and Annapurna regions of Nepal, spent a year in India living in ashrams, elephant hides, mountain huts, desert palaces, and experiencing the full sensory experience that India has to offer, including nearly falling to my death in Ladakh's infamous Zanskar river... 

 Climbed Mount Semeru, (an active volcano in Indonesia) by moonlight - stunning! Paddled downriver and stayed in longhouses in Borneo, trudged from Malaysia to Indonesia, (mostly in knee deep mud), mushed husky dog-sleds through the snow shrouded forests of Lapland. 

​With my children

I have watched the migration of humpback whales off the east coast of Australia, (technically I was pregnant, but she was almost full term, so I definitely wasn't alone!)... 

 Hiked in the Dolomites, Italy, visited the 12 Apostles, (Victoria, Australia, not heaven), campervanned around Australia's Northern Territory, watched platypus, tasmanian devils, and glow worms in Tasmania... 

 Worked in an elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand, lived on a remote coral atoll in South East Sulawesi, Indonesia - 3 summers running teaching coral reef ecology and monitoring the reefs, tackled via-ferrata routes in Bavaria, Germany,  climbed temple mountains and watched baby pandas play in China...

 Hiked the Camino de Santiago de Compostella in Northern Spain, (we have a certificate in Latin to prove it!), and most recently trekked from Shivalaya to Namche Bazar in the footsteps of Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, covering 115km and ascending the height of Everest! 

The children are now teenagers and have been on many expeditions, can sail, dive, trek at high altitude and are about to launch their own independent expeditions following in my footsteps. From mother to daughter in the way of the Matriarchs!