FOUNDER

Karen Sandoval Imbert

FOUNDER & LEAD CONSULTANT

Aysén Region, Patagonia · mankechile.com

With over 20 years of experience designing innovative outdoor education programs, Karen founded Mañke Chile with a clear conviction: that learning happens most powerfully in nature, within real communities, through genuine relationships. She leads consulting engagements one-on-one, bringing technical rigor and deep contextual knowledge to every institution she works with.

Experiential Education Curriculum Design Teacher Training Sustainability Community Development Leave No Trace Program Design

20+

years experience

10+

years in Aysén

500+

students hosted
OUR COLLABORATORS

The people behind each program

Gabriela Figueroa S.

NATURE GUIDE · EDUCATOR · TRANSLATOR
Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén
15+ years across outdoor education, Patagonian tourism, and bilingual interpretation. University lecturer at UACh Campus Patagonia, community leader, and specialist in biodiversity and cultural interpretation.
  • Wilderness First Responder (WFR) — ICEEM / WAFA
  • LNT Monitor — NOLS
  • Wilderness Search & Rescue — ICEEM
  • MSc Rural Development — UACh (in progress)
  • Stop the Bleed Instructor — ACS
RISK MANAGEMENT LEAVE NO TRACE BILINGUAL EN/DE COMMUNITY
Valentina Ríos Jarpa

Valentina Ríos Jarpa

MOUNTAIN GUIDE · OUTDOOR EDUCATOR
Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysén
Certified mountain guide (ANGM) and outdoor educator based in Cerro Castillo. Led FNDR-funded outdoor education projects at the rural bicentenary high school. Co-creator of women's and children's nature programs with Manke Chile since 2020.
  • Certified Mountain Guide — ANGM
  • Wilderness First Responder — WFR 2019
  • LNT Monitor — NOLS 2018
  • Nature Education — Asilo nel Bosco 2020
ROCK CLIMBING CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS FNDR PROJECTS BILINGUAL EN/PT
Susana Celedón Vargas

Susana Celedón Vargas

PEDAGOGICAL ADVISOR · EVALUATOR
Santiago · Remote collaboration
MSc in Education — Learning Assessment (PUC, ANID scholarship). Physical Education teacher with 20 years in schools. Pedagogical advisor for Mañke Chile since 2024 — designing evaluation instruments for outdoor and experiential programs.
  • MSc in Education, Learning Assessment — PUC 2023
  • Published researcher — Journal of Sport & Health Research
  • SIEAL 2024 — Workshop speaker & evaluator
  • AEP Excellence Award — MINEDUC 2009
ASSESSMENT DESIGN CURRICULUM TEACHER TRAINING RESEARCH
Luis Ignacio Soto Jara

Luis Ignacio Soto Jara

MOUNTAIN & TREKKING GUIDE
Coyhaique, Aysén
SERNATUR-certified trekking and climbing guide with 16 years of professional driving experience across Aysén. Specialist in mountain rescue, glacier progression, and remote wilderness safety. Environmental monitor and instructor with Mañke Chile since 2019.
  • Trekking Guide — SERNATUR Reg. 70729
  • Sport Climbing Instructor — ENAM Reg. 60436
  • Glacier Progression & Crevasse Rescue — ENAM
  • Wilderness First Responder — ICEEM
MOUNTAINEERING RESCUE 4X4 DRIVING GLACIERS

Lissette Espinosa

Lissette Espinosa

Farmer · Artist · Community cultural manager
Cochrane · Aysén Region
Agronomist with 10 years in adventure and rural tourism. Developer of school garden educational programs for early childhood. Currently a researcher of rural trades in Aysén — focusing on intangible heritage of raw-leather ropework — and founder of La Encimera, a commercial platform for field products.
  • BSc in Agricultural Sciences — UACH
  • Diploma in Integral Tourism — UTALCA
  • Applied Agroecology — CET Biobío
  • "Building citizenship with a rural women's face" — RedLaC
RURAL TOURISM INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AGROECOLOGY RURAL EDUCATION
Alisson Alegría Alarcón

Alisson Alegría Alarcón

NATURE TOURISM TECHNICIAN · LOGISTICS · OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Coyhaique, Aysén
10+ years of experience in nature tourism operations, educational program logistics, and territorial coordination across the Aysén Region. Tourism technician, community-focused, and specialist in sustainable tourism and nature-based education logistics.
  • Nature Tourism Technician — Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Patagonia
  • Diploma in Smart Tourism Destinations — Universidad Andrés Bello
  • Leave No Trace Monitor — NOLS
  • Accessibility & Inclusive Tourism — Certified (2022)
  • Site Guide Certification — Museo Regional de Aysén (2023)
  • MSc Rural Development (in progress via Diplomado, UACh 2025)


LOGISTICS & OPS FIELD COORDINATION SUSTAINABLE TOURISM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Greta

Greta

Francisco Espildora

Francisco Espildora

Photographer
A Chilean photographer dedicated to projects on nature, territory, and conservation. His work explores the relationship between landscape, wildlife, and community. His work has been exhibited in various cultural spaces and published in national and international media.
AT A GLANCE

Collective credentials across the team

01

Wilderness First Responder

3 active WFR-certified members — ICEEM, WAFA, RayenKO.

02

Leave No Trace

2 certified LNT Monitors — NOLS certified, active instructors.

03

SERNATUR Certification

Registered guides under Chile's national tourism authority.

04

Academic Research

Master’s degree in process evaluation and research.

05

Mountain Guide

Rock climbing and backpacking leader.

06

Languages

Spanish, Portuguese, and English — bilingual guiding available.

A NOTE ON OUR MODEL

Mañke Chile operates with a small, deeply committed core team and a trusted network of regional collaborators. Every person here has worked directly with our programs — not as external contractors, but as genuine co-builders.

A team rooted in place.

Get in touch to learn more about our collaborators, programs, and how we work in Aysén.

Contact us