Leadership Expeditions Guide

Guillermo “Willie” Parra is a naturalist, polar guide, mountaineer, expedition leader, and photographer with more than two decades of experience leading outdoor, educational, and expeditionary programs in some of the most remote environments on Earth. He studied Ecotourism at Andrés Bello University in Chile and has dedicated his career to connecting people with nature through exploration, leadership development, and environmental education.

As part of Leadership Expeditions and Vertical’s experiential learning programs, Willie has worked since 2004 designing and leading leadership, team-building, and environmental education experiences for universities, corporations, and organizations from around the world. Since 2006, he has served as guide and logistics planner for leadership expeditions in Antarctica, Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, and other wilderness regions, supporting programs for institutions including Wharton Leadership Ventures and the McColl School of Business.

A lifelong outdoor professional, Willie is a Senior PTGA Polar Guide and Assessor, PADI Divemaster, NACD Cave Diver, and Wilderness First Responder (WFR), certified through NOLS and recertified through NASAR. His mountaineering experience includes numerous ascents throughout Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, including Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.

His passion for exploration has led him to participate in a wide range of scientific, cultural, and expeditionary projects. Between 2010 and 2012, he was part of a multidisciplinary archaeological project documenting high-altitude Inca ceremonial sites on remote mountain summits in northern Chile in collaboration with researchers from the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

Willie has also played key leadership roles within the expedition travel industry. He served as Explorations Manager for Explora Hotels in Torres del Paine, the Atacama Desert, and Rapa Nui, helping develop world-class nature-based experiences in some of Chile’s most iconic destinations.

Since 2015, he has worked with Antarctica21 as a Senior PTGA Polar Guide, Naturalist, and Zodiac Driver, leading expeditions throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and beyond the Antarctic Circle. Since 2021, he has also been part of the Silversea Expeditions team, working as expedition staff and Senior Polar Guide in Antarctica and the Arctic, including operations in Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, and Arctic Canada, where he serves as a naturalist and bear monitor.

Willie was also a member of the support team and Base Camp Manager for the 2014 Everest Expedition in Nepal, contributing to the planning and execution of one of the world’s most demanding mountaineering environments.

Today, Willie serves as Corporate Director of Outdoor Experiences for Experiential Hospitality Group, based in Memphis, Tennessee, where he develops high-end adventure and experiential travel projects around the world. He divides his time between Santiago and the island of Chiloé in Northern Patagonia, continuing to guide, explore, and inspire others through meaningful experiences in the natural world.