David Henley was born and raised in England, where he studied as a commercial photographer before embarking on an extended adventure throughout Asia. He eventually settled in Chiang Mai, where he has been living for over 25 years. In addition to trip leading and traveling throughout Southeast Asia, David continues to nurture a passion for photography. He is the Managing Director of CPA Media, a mixed media company, and also owns and operates an online picture library that deals in historical and contemporary images of Asia. His guidebooks include Insight Guides and Eyewitness Guides, and his photography has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler, and Hemispheres. David is a founding member of Chiang Mai’s renowned Writers Club. Whether he is photographing people and places, or sharing his historical and cultural knowledge of temples and palaces, his trip members appreciate his keen intelligence, depth of knowledge, and engaging personality.
David is extremely knowledgeable of the history and modern world view of the places we were taken on this trip. He has an uncanny knack for being able to intuitively provide for the needs of the individuals in the group. He was definitely what made this trip so special for me and others.
David is an incredible trip leader. His knowledge and experience are beyond compare. He made each site seem special, pointed out details that we would have missed, and did special things for each of us. In all of my travels, I have not had a better leader.
David’s deep knowledge of the region in all its apects, infectious curiosity, and enthusiasm, mastery, and attentiveness to every logistical detail and his sense of humor and good cheer made him a highlight of the trip.
We always travel with Wilderness because we believe you have the best guides and David certainly reached that high bar. He was well organized and so knowledgeable about the histories and cultures we visited. He’s traveled and lived in the region for so long that his understanding of these places and people is both broad and deep. Also, he engaged with the group very well—he’s easy going, has a relaxed approach, makes it fun and interesting and still gets the job done in a really effective way. We thought he was terrific. And we always felt well taken care of.
David is a rare individual, whose sense of people, places, culture, history, and environment is a tribute to Wilderness Travel, and one of the top reasons I continue to come back for more!
David is a wonderful trip leader and travel companion. His knowledge of the different countries and religious and historical aspects is top notch.
Being guided and inspired by David Henley was a special and core feature of the trip. He is highly experienced, knows the area in great depth, and constantly brought new insights to our journey. David is also a caring person with a lovely personality—engaging, warm and extremely attentive to the needs and interests of those joining him. He is most personable and always happy to engage in conversation, answer our endless questions, and address any concerns we might have had.
David is the ideal guide—knowledgeable, articulate, generous, considerate, and sensitive to the needs of his clients.
David was one of the best trip leaders I have ever had. He is a real gem!
David was really great. He was very friendly, took time to check in with everyone in the group each day to make sure everyone was doing well, and answered all of our many many questions with good humor.
It is not exaggerated to put ‘excellent’ for every category for David. I already miss his good-natured humour and wonder for the culture and sites we traversed. He never appeared impatient, irritated or what. And talking to him is a very easy task.
David was an excellent choice. He did a fabulous job showing concern for all 16 of us.
David was absolutely wonderful.
Personable, knowledgable, always ready to go the extra mile, a joy to travel with!
David looked after us so well that it made the trip really relaxing for us. He was also a mine of information in answer to our questions.
In addition to his strong leadership qualities and extensive knowledge of the history and culture of the various areas we visited, David Henley's warm, friendly, and enthusiastic personality was a perfect match for guiding our compatible group of participants through the many ancient sites and temples we toured.
David is a terrific trip leader—flexible, knowledgeable, and just a delightful person, full of humor, understanding, and a pleasure to know. He went out of his way to share his understanding of the culture and people of Burma.
