Niceto Yalan
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Niceto earned a degree in journalism from Jaime Bausate and Meza University in Lima, Peru, where he specialized in photography. During these years, he split his time between studying and competitive kayaking, where he represented Peru on the international whitewater slalom world circuit. He trained and competed in Brazil, Chile, France, Spain and Germany.
After university, Niceto moved to Cusco, Peru, where he worked as a rafting and kayaking guide. He participated in several river expeditions, completing the first river descents at some of the deepest canyons in the world—the Colca, Cotahuasi and Apurimac in the Andes. During this time, he discovered his passion for showing others the rich culture of his home country.
A rafting job took Niceto to Canada, where he lived for 10 years and worked as a kayak instructor. He then landed an opportunity to be a Spanish and history teacher at a traveling school for kayakers, taking teenagers to explore rivers in Canada, the U.S., Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, China and Nepal. After that, Niceto moved back to Cusco to work in the tourism industry, guiding trips locally as well as in Canada, Italy and Portugal. In 2023, he joined Natural Habitat Adventures as the Adventure Director for Peru and Ecuador, where his values related to conservation and sustainability align perfectly.
Niceto splits his time between Peru and Canada with his growing family. His hobbies include mountain biking, permaculture and enjoying fatherhood.