AN ADVENTURE holiday instructor from Llangollen is swapping the banks of the River Dee for voluntary work along the banks of the Amazon.

Alistair Scott, 24, who works for Llangollen based ProAdventure is to teach canoeing to teenagers taking part in a British Schools Exploring Society expedition in Peru. Those on the trip will undertake scientific surveys of the river’s wildlife, including counting turtle eggs and moving them to safety.

Alistair, from Regent Street, Llangollen, said: “This is a really exciting chance to canoe on one of the world’s greatest rivers. At the furthest point, we’ll be more than a couple of days away from civilisation. We’ll be going well-prepared and my bush craft skills will come in very handy.”

Alistair, who has been working at ProAdventure for more than five years, has honed his skills for the Amazon on the banks of the River Dee. There he teaches canoeing, kayaking, gorge-walking, climbing and bush craft to children, families, corporate parties and those on stag and hen weekends. He has been kayaking since the age of nine and is a fully accredited instructor.

“At least north Wales doesn’t have the bugs we’re likely to encounter in the Amazon,” joked Alistair. “We’ll have deadly bugs and snakes to contend with on land and piranhas’ and cayman, alligator type creatures, in the water. I’ll be responsible for ensuring all 55 teenagers navigate the water safety and set up camp securely each night. All of this will be just like my work in Llangollen and that’s provided excellent experience to take on this challenge.”

Alistair’s boss at ProAdventure, director, Peter Carol, said: “He’s a very experienced and competent instructor and will enjoy the challenge, if not the heat, of the Amazon.

“ProAdventure employs instructors who have worked all over the world and can bring that experience and sense of adventure to the rivers and hills of north Wales.”

Alistair has taken his outdoor instructing skills abroad previously. Last winter, he worked in Zambia, training South African staff how to operate a large swing which has been entertaining football fans at Durban’s world cup Moses Mabhida stadium.