Galli Zugaro

What makes Galli Zugaro a Global Shaker?

Galli Zugaro is the Founder and CEO of Aqua Expeditions, a boutique luxury river and yacht cruise line that focuses on the world’s most ecologically and culturally significant areas, including the Peruvian amazon, the Mekong river in Cambodia and Vietnam, and the seas of East Indonesia.

The activities take place in small-group excursions with a 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio, contemporary ship design, top-quality cuisine and what it dubs as a “focus on sustainability and conservation.”

Aqua Expeditions stresses that they “live and breathe responsible travel,” and actively encourage guests to work with them to pursue a four-pronged strategy of practising environmentally-sensitive operational practices on the cruises; supporting environmental conservation; supporting wildlife preservation; and encouraging local community health and economic development.

Inside one of the suites on an Aqua Expeditions cruise

This involves adopting procedures to minimise environmental contamination and preserving natural habitats and waterways on which they travel. The ships’ engines are “fuel efficient, quiet, and virtually smoke free.” They minimise CO2 emissions with a wet exhaust system, and have encapsulated marine generators to minimise noise and vibration on board. All waste generated on the cruise ships is treated onboard in fully contained storage tanks, resulting in clean and sterile water that can be safely discharged into rivers. Remaining waste materials, unsuitable for treatment, are distributed once they disembark for recycling or responsible disposal.

They have a close relationship with Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in Peru, and provide detailed information about flora and fauna, and information about activities such as illegal logging. They also support wildlife preservation, with programmes directed at turtles and the endangered manatee, and work to support environmental education for local youths.

Perhaps the most well-known section of the organisation’s community-focused work is that it funds onboard paramedics that visit local communities to prevent disease through proper sanitary care, and helping people to access free health insurance.

Half-Italian and Half-American, Zugaro holds a degree in Communications from Boston College.

Last updated: September 26, 2020

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