Nomad, adventurer, mystic, and peace advocate. This is Yossi Ghinsberg. Born and educated in Israel, he got his first taste of foreign cultures through the friendship he established with the Bedouin communities of the Sinai Desert along the Red Sea. He traveled next to South America where his arduous explorations of its rivers and jungles gave inspiration to his first publication, "Heart of the Amazon," and to his founding of the Chalalan Project which proposes innovative ways to conserve vital planetary resources through cooperative engagement with indigenous peoples. In 2001, during the second Palestinian intifada, Yossi returned to Israel to produce a series of festivals intended to bring people together from both sides of the conflict so that the hope for peace would not be entirely lost during the struggles. In his book tours and keynote speeches, Yossi Ghinsberg describes these challenges and adventures, inviting his audiences open their minds and their hearts to the possibilities for good that are everywhere in our world.

A truly cosmopolitan figure and an eternal nomad Yossi travels the world extensively and unceasingly for work and personal explorations.

He was born and raised in Israel serving three years in the Israeli Navy on the Red Sea where he befriended the Bedouins of the Sinai Desert that greatly influenced him with their wholesome philosophy and nomadic lifestyle.

Yossi graduated from Tel Aviv University with Philosophy and Business degrees, followed by a comprehensive study of the 'Kabala' in academic as well as authentic environments.

His book 'Heart of the Amazon' based on his harrowing adventures in South America was first published in 1986 and soon became an international bestseller.

In 1992, Yossi returned to the Amazon to initiate 'The Chalalan Project' demonstrating that the best strategy to conserve pristine rainforests is sustainable development in cooperation with indigenous inhabitants rather than mere conservation. Yossi's contribution to the region won him international acclaim.

In 1995 he was recruited to and appointed Vice President of The Center for Investigation & Treatment of Addiction (CITA). In this capacity, Yossi promoted a new humanitarian approach to treatment of opiate addiction, establishing 12 treatment and research centers around the world from Mexico to China.

In 2001 during the peak of the Palestinian intifada, Yossi was invited to return to Israel to produce a reconciliation festival. Despite the escalation of violence in the region, the festival managed to attract spiritual leaders of Judaism and Islam as well as unprecedented audiences.

Yossi has great interest in conflict resolution from personal through organizational and to global levels.

His new book 'Glimpses' was released in 2006.

He is married to Belinda and father to two girls Mia and Cayam. Yossi shares his time between the rainforest of Australia and the east coast of the United States.