Born in the Netherlands,
Rinie has been a keen naturalist his entire life. He received his education in forestry and civil engineering and then set out to travel the world in search of wildlife, particularly in the polar regions. With more than 200 expedition voyages around Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land, East and West Greenland, and the Canadian High Arctic,
Rinie is one of the most experienced European Arctic Expedition Leaders in the world, often employing his expert wildlife photography skills for our photo tours. He has thus far observed more than 1,000 different polar bears and has developed a strong affection for the “King of the Arctic” while guiding Arctic expeditions as well as subarctic adventures in Churchill, Manitoba.
Rinie has also published several books on polar bears and polar
environments, and has had many photographs published in magazines and photo books.
Upcoming Adventures with Rinie:
Polar Bears of Churchill
Praise from Nat Hab travelers:
G. Heemink
“He was right on top of everything—if you had a problem he had an answer. He was right at the door to be sure we did not slip or fall getting in and out of the buggy, smiling all the time. He was the greatest!"
D. Gale
“
Rinie was a fantastic guide with a wealth of information on the polar bears, the environment and photography in general."
S. Donlon
"
Rinie was a great guide—informative, funny, helpful and handled the group very well. He worked well with other guides and the lodge staff."
H. Holdsworth
“
Rinie was fun to be with, extremely knowledgeable and very entertaining. His sense of humor and love of the bears made for a very enjoyable experience. I would gladly go on another trip with him and hope to sometime in the future. Hats off for a job extremely well done."
S. Miller
“His presentations were of professional quality and not condescending or pretentious. No one wanted to squander those fabulous opportunities. He was incredibly generous with his time from sunrise to past sunset.
Rinie must have been exhausted by the end of our trip, but certainly gave us our money’s worth."
D. Quinn
“I was continually impressed with the expertise of Rinie. Clearly, he knows and loves the work he does and loves polar bears. He answered all questions asked. He was extremely flexible, especially when his presentations were interrupted by bear sightings! He has a warm, engaging personality that made me feel right at home.”
