Our Story - Celebrating 26 Years Of Guiding Educational Algonquin Park Tours
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Stuart Lorne Letovsky has been classroom teaching, wilderness guiding, pursuing adventure, and taking pictures, around the globe for over 30 years. His connection with Algonquin Provincial Park began as a child, in 1979, while on a car camping trip with his parents. At the tender age of 10, after attending a guided nature walk and wolf howl facilitated by park staff, Stuart declared that he wanted to be an Algonquin Park guide when he grew up.
In 1981, Stuart began attending Camp Arowhon, inside Algonquin Park, and got hooked on canoe tripping. A background in Canada's elite Ceremonial Guard infantry unit, college level outdoor leadership/skills courses and local wilderness survival study with Nepali Sherpas, Vietnamese hill-tribesmen and Philippine aboriginals, all contributed to Stuart's development as a wilderness guide and educator. |
While Stuart was teaching a 1995 wilderness survival course to students in Japan, the idea of starting a tour company to share his favourite Canadian wilderness area, Algonquin Park, was born. In 1996, Algonquin Adventure Tours (then called Go Camping Canada) began offering luxury Algonquin Park canoe camping trips to travelers from around the world.
Always up for a challenge, Stuart has enjoyed victory in the Sumo circles of Japan, XC mountain bike circuit of Canada and, most recently, a 2011-12 battle with stage 4B salivary gland cancer. Despite having pulmonary lobectomy surgery only weeks before, Stuart was cancer free and back out guiding travelers in May 2012. Facial paralysis, reduced mobility and right side eye/ear limitations have required many adaptations, on Stuart's part, to continue leading Algonquin Adventure Tours into it's 27th successful season of being an outdoor adventure industry leader. Many clients find his perseverance to be motivational on their own adventures and life challenges.
Stuart has degrees in political science and education from Concordia University in Canada. He also has a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate from Kennesaw State University in the USA. English is his mother tongue. With extensive travel/living experience in over 20 countries, Stuart can also communicate in French, Japanese, Hebrew and a little German. Spanish is his current linguistic challenge.
A passionate cycling and environmental advocate, Stuart has been deeply involved, for many decades, in spreading the word about healthy living and respect for mother nature. His greatest pleasure is facilitating memorable, and sometimes life changing, client connections to nature, through the many educational adventures offered by Algonquin Adventure Tours.
When Stuart isn't personally guiding clients to catch (and usually release) their first Algonquin Park trout, or capture spectacular Algonquin Park wildlife and landscape photography, he is personally triple checking that all aspects of Algonquin Adventure Tours staff guided programs are meeting clients expectations. In his free time, Stuart enjoys traveling for cultural and photographic exploration.
Chin Chia Yang Letovsky, who was born in Taiwan, is also a certified teacher and adventure seeker. She has degrees in agriculture and education from the Chiayi Technical Institute in Taiwan and Concordia University, respectively. A native Mandarin speaker, her English is excellent, and she is comfortable communicating in basic French, as well. She thought her Algonquin Adventure Tours guide was so amazing, she married him and joined the company. In her free time, she enjoys violin, piano, painting, reading and making matching clothing for Stuart and Hercules, the team adventure yorkie.
Chinchia is the Algonquin Adventure Tours farm master gardener. She lovingly tends the expansive and organic edibles garden which provides most of the produce served on all multiday adventures. Exceptional dining is a big part of all programs offered by Algonquin Adventure Tours. Clients eat the same organic veggies, filet mignon, chicken schnitzel, Japanese rice, blueberry pancakes, fresh ground organic fair trade coffee, and/or Henrietta's Pine Bakery delights, that Stuart and Chinchia enjoy on their own.
Both Chinchia & Stuart have taken the same ORCKA canoe (all staff are certified canoe instructors), wilderness first responder, safe food handling and pleasure craft certifications required by all Algonquin Adventure Tours employees. Freelance guides are never used. All employees are full-time seasonal career guides with extensive related college/university/military, and proprietary, training. Safety is the #1 priority at Algonquin Adventure Tours. Alcohol, smoking and flip flips are not permitted on any adventure. And, life jackets must be worn, and zipped up, whenever in a canoe or cliff jumping.
Until 2011, Stuart & Chinchia were also primary school teachers during the guiding off-season. In 2012, Stuart & Chin Chia invested all to live & share the Algonquin Park experience 365 days a year. A 6 acre farm, just outside Algonquin Park's west gate, makes the perfect base camp for Algonquin Adventure Tours' educational experiences. Algonquin Adventure Tours became the first and only Algonquin Park tour operator to offer daily guided bicycle and VIP motorized canoe (also great for those with mobility issues) photography tours in 2014. In 2015, Stuart fractured his back in three places due to chemotherapy induced advanced osteoporosis. Fortunately, his recovery was swift and he is still guiding in Algonquin Park every day. Since cancer has been a big part of their lives, in 2016, Algonquin Adventure Tours began giving back to the community with Canoe4Cancer, a free therapeutic nature program designed to benefit patients dealing with their own cancer battles. In an effort to reduce our limited environmental impact, in 2019, Algonquin Adventure Tours became the first Canadian company to start guiding with eco-friendly Torqeedo electric motors. In 2020, Hercules, a canoe & snow loving Yorkshire Terrier, joined the team as our company mascot.
Stuart, Chinchia, and Hercules operate Algonquin Adventure Tours to help promote a deeper appreciation of Canada's magnificent wilderness and sustainable outdoor recreation in Algonquin Park. If you are looking for a safe and educational adventure, that will provide memories and photographs (included on every tour) to enjoy for a lifetime, please try out Algonquin Adventure Tours.
Always up for a challenge, Stuart has enjoyed victory in the Sumo circles of Japan, XC mountain bike circuit of Canada and, most recently, a 2011-12 battle with stage 4B salivary gland cancer. Despite having pulmonary lobectomy surgery only weeks before, Stuart was cancer free and back out guiding travelers in May 2012. Facial paralysis, reduced mobility and right side eye/ear limitations have required many adaptations, on Stuart's part, to continue leading Algonquin Adventure Tours into it's 27th successful season of being an outdoor adventure industry leader. Many clients find his perseverance to be motivational on their own adventures and life challenges.
Stuart has degrees in political science and education from Concordia University in Canada. He also has a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate from Kennesaw State University in the USA. English is his mother tongue. With extensive travel/living experience in over 20 countries, Stuart can also communicate in French, Japanese, Hebrew and a little German. Spanish is his current linguistic challenge.
A passionate cycling and environmental advocate, Stuart has been deeply involved, for many decades, in spreading the word about healthy living and respect for mother nature. His greatest pleasure is facilitating memorable, and sometimes life changing, client connections to nature, through the many educational adventures offered by Algonquin Adventure Tours.
When Stuart isn't personally guiding clients to catch (and usually release) their first Algonquin Park trout, or capture spectacular Algonquin Park wildlife and landscape photography, he is personally triple checking that all aspects of Algonquin Adventure Tours staff guided programs are meeting clients expectations. In his free time, Stuart enjoys traveling for cultural and photographic exploration.
Chin Chia Yang Letovsky, who was born in Taiwan, is also a certified teacher and adventure seeker. She has degrees in agriculture and education from the Chiayi Technical Institute in Taiwan and Concordia University, respectively. A native Mandarin speaker, her English is excellent, and she is comfortable communicating in basic French, as well. She thought her Algonquin Adventure Tours guide was so amazing, she married him and joined the company. In her free time, she enjoys violin, piano, painting, reading and making matching clothing for Stuart and Hercules, the team adventure yorkie.
Chinchia is the Algonquin Adventure Tours farm master gardener. She lovingly tends the expansive and organic edibles garden which provides most of the produce served on all multiday adventures. Exceptional dining is a big part of all programs offered by Algonquin Adventure Tours. Clients eat the same organic veggies, filet mignon, chicken schnitzel, Japanese rice, blueberry pancakes, fresh ground organic fair trade coffee, and/or Henrietta's Pine Bakery delights, that Stuart and Chinchia enjoy on their own.
Both Chinchia & Stuart have taken the same ORCKA canoe (all staff are certified canoe instructors), wilderness first responder, safe food handling and pleasure craft certifications required by all Algonquin Adventure Tours employees. Freelance guides are never used. All employees are full-time seasonal career guides with extensive related college/university/military, and proprietary, training. Safety is the #1 priority at Algonquin Adventure Tours. Alcohol, smoking and flip flips are not permitted on any adventure. And, life jackets must be worn, and zipped up, whenever in a canoe or cliff jumping.
Until 2011, Stuart & Chinchia were also primary school teachers during the guiding off-season. In 2012, Stuart & Chin Chia invested all to live & share the Algonquin Park experience 365 days a year. A 6 acre farm, just outside Algonquin Park's west gate, makes the perfect base camp for Algonquin Adventure Tours' educational experiences. Algonquin Adventure Tours became the first and only Algonquin Park tour operator to offer daily guided bicycle and VIP motorized canoe (also great for those with mobility issues) photography tours in 2014. In 2015, Stuart fractured his back in three places due to chemotherapy induced advanced osteoporosis. Fortunately, his recovery was swift and he is still guiding in Algonquin Park every day. Since cancer has been a big part of their lives, in 2016, Algonquin Adventure Tours began giving back to the community with Canoe4Cancer, a free therapeutic nature program designed to benefit patients dealing with their own cancer battles. In an effort to reduce our limited environmental impact, in 2019, Algonquin Adventure Tours became the first Canadian company to start guiding with eco-friendly Torqeedo electric motors. In 2020, Hercules, a canoe & snow loving Yorkshire Terrier, joined the team as our company mascot.
Stuart, Chinchia, and Hercules operate Algonquin Adventure Tours to help promote a deeper appreciation of Canada's magnificent wilderness and sustainable outdoor recreation in Algonquin Park. If you are looking for a safe and educational adventure, that will provide memories and photographs (included on every tour) to enjoy for a lifetime, please try out Algonquin Adventure Tours.
AAT Staff 2015
