About Us
WHO IS WEST FRIENDS?
We're brothers, not by the same mothers, but by the bonds of friendship and life experiences. Our mutual love of exploring the world of natural beauty is something that has brought us together more than anything, so naturally we decided that we want to share the universally bonding experience of discovering the wonders of nature with as many people as possible. We owe some of our best memories to simply getting out there and exploring together and with that we set out to make more than a company, but rather a community of friends joined by our shared love of what makes us happiest, being outside in the awe of nature's beauty. We are both multi-generational Angeleno's (born in Los Angeles, California) and we both grew up in the coastal areas that we share on our EcoCultural hiking adventures.
If there's one thing we both agree on, it's taking care of our precious natural world and exploring it with the same respect and gratitude that we would show our best friends and family. Because the experience of wilderness is so dear to our hearts, we're committed to inspiring the utmost respect for the wild places we love by educating others about how we can all do our part to protect them by getting involved in local conservation opportunities and simply being aware of our individual impact and responsibilities when we visit special places and through simple everyday lifestyle choices that make a huge difference in ensuring our next generations can experience our beloved wild places just like we have been so fortunate to do so ourselves. As far as we're concerned, our wild places and fellow nature exploring friends like you are our best friends and family - our West Friends!
OUR MISSION
We're here to share the wonder, excitement and passion that comes from forming a deeper sense of personal relationship and connection with our amazing natural world. We do this by creating memorable outdoor experiences that take you face-to-face with the breathtaking scenery of Malibu and Los Angeles and bring it to life through the incredible stories of LA's native ecosystems full of wildlife biodiversity and the little-known true cultural legacy of the Southern California coast that has been the center of the most diverse range of human history since prehistoric times. We offer regular volunteer community events to make our hiking experience accessible to all and it is our goal to share this opportunity as much as possible with our fellow Los Angeles community members and travelers who have not had the chance to explore our precious local natural environment or make their own connection with our hometown natural beauty and wildlife neighbors. If you have a program or group that you would like to recommend for this offering, please email us at info@westfriends.org
We're committed to giving back to the natural source of all our happiness and well-being through active engagement with our local and global traveler community and promoting conservation participation and self-awareness of each of us on a personal, individual level. Cheers to getting out there, new experiences and exploring!
OUR GUIDE, ANDY
Andy's passion is exploring and admiring the intricate beauty of nature and most of all he loves sharing the experience of wonder that our precious natural ecosystems inspire with fellow explorers. He has been guiding naturalist hikes through Airbnb Experiences since 2019 with guests from over 30 countries and has nothing but 5-star reviews from dozens of happy hiker clients. But don't just listen to us, please browse the reviews on Airbnb here to see what others have to say about their experience with Andy. If you'd like to learn about his personal life story and motivation to create West Friends Hiking based on his lifelong pursuit of conservation starting with his career in ecological restoration and research right here in Malibu we invite you to read his recent interview article featured in a local LA magazine here.
Aside from being the friendliest, laid back, fun loving California explorer, Andy brings the unique insight of a born and raised, multi-generational LA local who has a lifetime of exploring his hometown Santa Monica Mountains ecosystems coupled with his decade of professional experience working with conservation agencies from Malibu to far Northern California. He has spent years working on local ecological restoration projects in LA with the California State Parks as well as conducting ecological research on endangered species throughout California's famed Sierra-Nevada Mountains as a US Forest Service Biological Research Technician. He also holds a BS degree in Wildlife Conservation & Management from Humboldt State University. His passion for all things wild started by exploring our hometown Santa Monica Mountains with dear friends and family and becoming obsessed with photographing all of the stunning sights and new wildlife neighbors that live in our backyard LA wilderness. Above all, he loves to share the most special experiences possible with everyone who joins him out on the trails the same way that it all started for him.
COVID PROTOCOL
As much as we love getting everyone together, we want to make sure everyone's safety is a priority. As a courtesy for our hiking friends, we are currently only offering exclusively private tours to ensure the safety of your group. Andy will follow all public health social-distancing guidelines to guarantee your safety above all.