Our story
Two random Europeans working in development deep in the Amazon basin of Guyana, Tjeerd and Benny immediately connected. In 2010 they’d both already realised that they absolutely weren’t going to save the day… the best they could do was to learn from their Makushi friends and facilitate empowerment of the community. After many years of mapping, walking, swimming and training in the jungle, they went their separate ways, Benny to Uganda, Peru and Spain, Tjeerd set off to cycle the Silk Road with his wife and two young children. They never lost touch, investing in their friendship and scheming on how, one day, they’d get it together and work as a team again.
Fast forward 13 years, and in 2023, with Tjeerd as an International Mountain Leader and Benny as an even more enthusiastic naturalist, they got together running expeditions in the Italian Alps with Otro Elements. The joy! But wanting to connect once again with our dear friends around the world, we’ve started our own programmes, based not only on adventure, but also on togetherness, equity and joy. Because of these ideals, we chose ‘Pata’ for our name, which means ‘The World’ in Makushi, the dialect of our friends in the North Rupununi.
Our Team
Benny Palmer Fry
All Benny’s ancestors are sailors and pirates, so, despite growing up in the craziness of central London, it follows that he’s spent his whole adult life living on boats, slowly navigating the rivers and oceans of the world. He has salt in his veins.
In terms of knowledge and experience, Benny is a serious naturalist, a facilitator with 15 years of small-group experience and holds a PhD in community rainforest conservation. As you then might imagine, his ability to create safe spaces, connect with others and draw them into the calm rhythms of the natural world is pretty special. He’s lived and worked all over the world, often in some of its most remote corners, sharing the joy of song, music and games along the way.
He lives in the hills of the Basque Country with his dog Otto and otherwise works bringing South American coffee from subsistence farmers to European coffee cups.
Tjeerd Wits
Tjeerd’s body may be from the flat lands of The Netherlands but his spirit is from the mountains. As a physical geographer, the dramatic geological processes and observable meteorological shifts of the high places appeal to his keenly analytical mind. He is a true mountain man.
Like Benny, he’s been very fortunate to have lived in and travelled to many of the relatively unknown, untouched, unexplored places on this Earth. Holding the International Mountain Leader qualification, being well keyed into Mission Joy (an initiative of the Dalai Llama) and living as a role model of authenticity, there are few better people to guide you into the wilds.
He lives in the wild dunes of western Holland with his wife Sanne and their two children, coordinating a nationwide rewilding programme for Dutch rivers when he’s not leading expeditions.
We collaborate with a variety of other individuals and organisations who we consider as part of our broader family. These are people who share our values of generosity, equity, joy, inclusivity, adventure and inspiration. We help, support and empower each other, like a real family.