Scott Ramsay Africa, Cape Town (2026)

08/12/2021

No matter where you were born, or your nationality, every human being on Earth is originally African. For 99,98 percent of our evolution, about 3 million years, our ancestors have lived on this continent in a complex network of the richest megafauna on the planet.

Technically, we are African apes who have populated the rest of the world only in the last 50 000 years.

When people from other continents visit Africa and say “I feel at home here”, they’re inadvertently stating a wonderful fact. Africa is our first home. Is that why many people respond so viscerally to it?

The first people, the first stories, the first technology, the first languages arose here.

I love books about people who know African wilderness. But I have yet to come across words which fully describes the feeling of being in African wilderness. That feeling of…

A leopard’s eyes, locked on you like laser beams.

The simple but profound presence of an elephant.

A perching kingfisher, immersed in every moment of every day.

The silhouette of a white rhino, backlit in copper-toned savannah.

Being all alone with a lioness in the middle of the Kalahari on a Tuesday morning. (Of course, the day of the week is irrelevant, right?)

Zebras following ancient pathways long forgotten by most of us.

Baboons warming up in a sunbeam on a cool winter’s morning.

A chimp makes eye contact, dismantling in an instant our illusions of superiority - and separateness.

Bee-eaters taking off into the sky above the Zambezi (can you feel yourself taking off with them?)

There are many such “ordinary”, everyday moments in the last remaining places of “old Africa”.

But at times I find them extraordinary – even transcendent. “Here was a drumbeat of the earth that permeated my entire psychic being,” wrote Ian Player, the man who did so much to conserve the southern white rhino.

Perhaps our relationship with Africa is so ancient and primal that it precedes the evolution of the neo-cortex, that part of our brains responsible for language.

Maybe our connection with this continent is coded so deeply into our DNA that words can’t do it justice.

01/12/2021

The festive season is here, along with the inevitable onslaught of consumerism.

Wilderness has taught me many things, but one of the most profound learnings is how content I can be in wild nature with few possessions.

Simply by being in wilderness, my sense of self is deprioritized and my awareness becomes focused on my surroundings. My vision is sharper, my hearing more nuanced. I sleep better and I dream deeper (especially when sleeping outside under the stars). My thinking becomes more intentional.

Without trying, I become more aware of the present moment – and more content. It’s as if I’m recalibrated back into my original human design.

So instead of buying more stuff this festive season, consider spending that money to head off into any of Africa’s national parks or reserves, even if it’s just for a day. Some of the most beautiful are very close to urban areas. Others are very remote, and require more planning. Message me for advice.

Consider contacting the following guides in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. I’ve worked with all of them. Like all brilliant guides, they’re special people with remarkable life stories.

Caiphus Mthabela is my go-to mountain guide in the beautiful Drakensberg mountains. He has lived there his whole life, and knows these mountains probably better than anyone. Contact him via Whatsapp message +27 73 603 9107.

Nunu Jobe is one of my favourite wilderness trails guides in Big 5 territory. He takes guests on walking trails in Zululand’s reserves. You can also stay at his tented safari camp near Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. +27 71 896 8464.

Lewis Mangaba of is based in Victoria Falls. Lewis has worked in Tanzania and Namibia, but Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe is his specialty. +263-78-266-8474.

Okwa Sarefo is a Bayei guide from the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and is one of the region’s most respected wilderness instructors too. He can take you deep into the Delta. +267-76-934-472.

Robbin Uatokuja is an excellent local guide based at the small village of Puros in the vast arid Kunene region of northwest Namibia, home to the famous desert elephants. +264-81-716-2066 or +264-81-664-2102.

12/11/2021

About 2 000 millimetres of rain falls every year in Congo’s rainforest. Importantly, most of the rain is generated by the forest itself. Billions of trees suck up immense amounts of water. Through evaporation and transpiration, the water moves up through the trees and its leaves, ending up back in the atmosphere as water vapour, where it condenses and falls again as rain onto the forest.

The Congo forest and weather are one ecological system, each inseparable from each other. It supports one of the most bio-diverse places, home to the largest populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants, plus thousands of other species – including humans.

In a recent study, Congo’s forest was proven to store 30% more carbon per hectare than the Amazon. In this era of accelerating climate change, it is critically important to conserve it.

But like most of us on Instagram, I grew up as a privileged beneficiary of a developed urban society, one which has already destroyed much of the natural habitat and wiped out most of the wild animals (in my case, South Africa). I can afford to view Congo’s forests as an inviolable place of natural beauty - and campaign for its conservation, partly so that it can slow down the climate change which developed societies like mine caused in the first place.

But what if I had grown up as a small boy in a remote Congolese village, and the forest was all I had? What if I had to chop down trees to plant crops, or to make charcoal so I could cook food and boil water? What if I had to hunt in the forest to feed myself and my sisters? What if I had to work for a foreign logging company at minimum wage because there were no other jobs? Would I still view the forest in the same way? There are no easy answers.

02/11/2021

I was recently with in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in Congo. This protected area is 4 000 sq kms, at the heart of Africa’s immense lowland forest. Nouabale-Ndoki is considered the best example of rainforest left in the Congo Basin. It has never been logged, contains no roads, and most of its wildlife has had little or no contact with humans.

Until the 1990s almost no-one knew of it. Explorer Mike Fay called it “The Last Place on Earth”, an aptly enigmatic moniker. Much of it remains unknown. Many more people have been to Antarctica, for example, than to Nouabale-Ndoki.

The Ba’Aka people have lived nearby for millennia, but even they rarely ventured here, because it was too remote, too dense, too swampy.

Conservationist Paul Telfer told me that when biologists first arrived, the gorillas and chimps behaved as if they’d never seen a human before – the incredulous apes walked up to the researchers to inspect them.

Nouabale-Ndoki has some of the highest densities of lowland gorillas, forest elephants and chimpanzees. Astonishingly there are an estimated 130 000 lowland gorillas in Congo’s forests, compared to just 1 000 mountain gorillas in all of East Africa.

A few years ago when I photographed mountain gorillas in Virunga, I came away delighted, of course. However, I knew it had been on our terms: the gorillas were effectively trapped on the mountains, surrounded by dense human settlements. The apes were there because they had nowhere else to go.

But in remote Nouabale-Ndoki, I felt like I was there on Earth’s terms, a privileged visitor to Nature’s inner sanctum. Gorillas and elephants rule the land, and I was no more important than thousands of other species. It’s a critical distinction, right?

In 1995 Douglas Chadwick wrote in National Geographic: “Nouabale-Ndoki does not conform to romantic notions about nature. It is simply nature unto itself - real wilderness: ancient, potent and unfathomed.”

In a largely human-centric world, Nouabale-Ndoki is valuable beyond any measure. Yet like all wilderness, it is not immune to outside forces. It deserves to be protected at all costs, not only by and Congo, but by the rest of the world too.

28/10/2021

I’ve spent six months away from home but at times I’ve never felt more at home. On a course in Kruger, photographing in Botswana, and more recently, in Congo with at Nouabale-Ndoki and Lac Tele.

From Brazzaville it’s a two-day drive north. This part of Congo’s forest has some of the highest densities of lowland gorillas and forest elephants, but few visitors get there because it’s a long way from anywhere. It’s not tourist friendly, yet (but that’s changing – drop me a line if you’re interested).

At times I felt a little out of my comfort zone. Congo’s forest is intimidating. An ocean of dense green, spreading for 2 million square kms. It’s flat, and very thick. If you get lost, you won’t find your way out. The local Ba’Aka people live as hunter gatherers, but most of us wouldn’t survive long on our own. Hot. Humid. Dark. Wet. Swamps. Malaria. Leeches. Sweat bees. Ginormous thunderstorms. Drenching rain. But always beautiful.

Once we were confronted by angry locals who started fighting with our forest guides. (Everyone else I met was friendly). Another time, walking in particularly dense forest, a steam train came crashing towards us - a grumpy elephant having a bad day.

Other times, I felt like I’d wandered into heaven. The forest clearing of Mbeli Bai, with gorillas, elephants, sitatungas, colobus monkeys, clawless otters, buffalos and red river hogs. Then camping overnight on a high platform at Wali Bai, a shallow lake, and waking up to elephants below, silhouetted by the light of a full moon. At Mondika research camp, I spent three days photographing gorillas. I remember sitting quietly near a silverback as he took his mid-morning nap, while his infants played nearby, a remarkable display of trust in our presence.

There were countless other such scenes, almost too wondrous to comprehend. For me, Congo’s forest and its animals represent an apotheosis of life, an exquisite distillation of fifteen billion years of cosmic intelligence. That they still thrive in an era of rampant environmental destruction is surely one of the greatest achievements ever in conservation. Thank you to and all the people who have worked here for 25 years.

15/08/2021

For the next six weeks, I’ll be in the Congo rainforest, photographing for , an organisation that has worked for more than 20 years to protect important parts of this massive African wilderness, home to forest elephants, gorillas, chimps, bonobos, golden cats, bongos, okapis, pottos and giant pangolins.

The Congo Basin in central Africa is 1,8 million square kilometres, about the size of western Europe. It’s a complex geographical and political region, extending across the countries of Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Zambia and even Tanzania. (Don’t get confused: there are two independent countries with “Congo” in their names).

The Amazon is generally considered to be the biggest rainforest on Earth. But a recent scientific, peer-reviewed study published in Nature has shown that the Congo forests now take out more carbon from the atmosphere than the Amazon. While the Amazon is increasingly transformed into soybeans and cattle ranching, the Congo forests remain relatively untouched. With climate change, the protection of Africa’s rainforests are even more important.

Then there’s the sheer sensory impact of the forest. Compared to Africa’s savannah, bushveld, desert or mountains, Congo’s forest is another experience entirely. On previous trips to Odzala and the Virungas, my mind struggled to compute the immense size, pureness and biodiversity. There is so much life, that spending time here is like being plugged directly into the Original Source of Life. The mind gives up, and the heart takes over.

I recently found this quote from Jane Goodall, which summed it up well:

“Do animals have souls? During my many years alone in the forests of Africa, I felt very close to a great spiritual power. It seemed to be all around. I came to believe that there is a spark of that spiritual power in all living things. I came to believe that the spark of the Great Spirit that I sense in myself is my soul.”

13/08/2021

I once worked in an office in Johannesburg, a city built on the highveld grasslands, where millions of wild animals roamed just 200 years ago, rivalling the Serengeti. Like other mega-cities, the wild land is now covered with concrete. Further out, massive farms have transformed biodiverse nature into mono-agriculture. I certainly benefited off this privilege of living in a “developed” society. I had all the material benefits anyone could wish for. Yet something didn’t feel right. Something was missing. I’d stare out the office window on the 17th floor for hours, listless and lost. Wonderfully, elephants started appearing in my day-dreams, walking among forests of baobab trees. These visions gave me energy and meaning. They also forced me to question some of the beliefs and values of the culture in which I’d been raised, and which I’d mistakenly accepted as truth. Here are a few fallacies which still pervade modern society: Earth belongs to humanity, economic growth is paramount regardless of the damage to nature, and humans are separate - and above – the rest of nature. In our quest for “progress”, what have we lost? Not only the landscapes and oceans, and their creatures, but what have we sacrificed in our own hearts too? In 1930, there were probably ten million elephants. Today there are about 400 000. Colonial hunters shot many of them. Elephants, like all large wild species, need lots of space, but we’ve forced them into ever-smaller areas. A few parks – where elephants are better protected - are considered now by some to have “too many” elephants. These parks now apparently have “an elephant problem.” There has been loose talk of culling again. But these thriving elephant populations are effectively trapped. Surely there is only one species which is a problem, and that’s us? And yet, we’re also the only solution. Can we consciously step down from our pedestal, and see ourselves from an elephant’s perspective? Can we use our remarkable brains to create more space not only for wild nature, but also for new ways of being, of thinking? Whatever future we create, I hope with all my heart and mind that elephants are a big part of it.

10/08/2021

Every day should be World Lion Day. What would Africa be without wild lions? No other animal symbolises this continent as much as Panthera leo. Images of lions are ubiquitous around the world: on our bank notes, as the name of sports teams and fast food outlets, on numerous retail products. It stands on the British monarch’s royal coat of arms. The Zulu people call their chiefs “Ngonyama” (The Lion). Yet the actual, real, live species is under big threat in the wild, where its presence is definitely not ubiquitous any more.

Here are some extracts from my interview with Dr Paul Funston, head of the Lion Program for Panthera. Full interview on my website.

“There are fewer than 20 000 wild lions in Africa. Two hundred years ago there were probably more than a million roaming across most of the continent. In 50 years the lion has been eliminated from much of its former range. Lions should be listed as endangered.”

“There are usually about 10 to 12 adult male lions per 100 lions. So there are only around 2 000 adult males on the continent.”

“Lions are increasingly targeted by poachers, because of the demand in Asia for lion bones, teeth and claws. These days, there are increasing numbers of Chinese trading stores in Africa. They’re ready to make money off animal parts like ivory, rhino horn – and lion bones. A bush meat hunter is targeting lions as much as any other animal.”

“You can only improve human tolerance of large predators by showing people the benefit of having predators around.”

“We worked out that there are sixty-six protected areas in Africa where lions still occur. It would cost US$2 billion per year to ensure these parks are managed properly so that there is 50% carrying capacity of its wildlife. Aid to Africa is between US$60 and US$100 billion per year. What if we used a percentage of this aid to protect landscapes, wildlife AND ensure the social and environmental security of rural people?”

“There could be at least 80 000 wild lions in Africa – a four-times increase on current numbers of 20 000, but only if parks are properly managed.”

09/08/2021

It’s been a difficult time for African conservation and safaris. Good people I know have lost their jobs. Some have lost their lives. In times like these, I’ve wondered if social media can be relevant. Does posting pretty photos on Instagram make a difference? In the rare case of African Parks and Prints for Wildlife, it does. If you have some spare cash to spend, please consider buying a beautiful fine-art print for US$100 from . Some of the world’s best wildlife photographers have donated their favourite images. All proceeds go directly to , the most effective, large-scale conservation organisation on the continent. They look after 19 national parks in 11 African countries, working with governments and local people. Their goal is to take care of 30 parks by 2030. I’ve been fortunate to photograph some of these: Liuwa Plain in Zambia, Akagera in Rwanda, Odzala in Republic of Congo, Bazaruto in Mozambique. There is huge pressure on Africa’s wildlife from all sorts of threats, but the most important factor is habitat conservation. If we don’t protect wild spaces AND provide a viable alternative to farming, agriculture, mining and fishing, then Africa’s iconic animals simply don’t have a place to live. African Parks is leading the way in protecting and restoring many of the continents national parks, as well as helping develop tourism and safari jobs for locals (Covid, please can you just go away now?). But it requires plenty of funding. Prints for Wildlife has still got some way to go to reach their goal of US$1 million. The campaign ends in three days’ time, so if you love African wildlife, please buy a print from . If you buy my donated photograph (the first in this series, from the Zambezi Valley), then please come visit me. I’ll light the campfire, open a few cold beers and we can watch the sun go down as lions roar nearby.

05/02/2021

A recent trip to Kruger National Park reinforced my love and gratitude for Africa’s wilder places. It is a privilege – especially these days – to be in the close company of lions and leopards, elephants and rhinos - and thousands of other species. The diversity and magnitude of natural life in Kruger is astounding.

But it’s the spirit of the place that I love most, the intangible essence of primal Africa that soaks into your body, mind and soul. It just feels good to be here.

The long-term future of Africa’s parks is not necessarily assured. Conservation in Africa is difficult. Parks are beset by social, economic, political and ecological challenges.

But whatever problems may exist, these issues are only present because we – as humans – created the conditions for the problems to arise.

Does any part of Earth have a right to exist independent of our human requirements? Yes! Where is the balance to be found? Just 15% of the Earth is protected by parks, and many of these are too small to make a real difference.

The Convention on Biological Diversity states that 30% of the planet needs to be protected by 2030, and 50% by 2050.

We’ve had the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and more recently the technological revolution.

Isn’t it now time for the ecological revolution, where the primacy of Earth is acknowledged and ecological health forms the foundation of every decision we make as individuals, as corporations, as societies and as a human species?

Ultimately, we rely totally on Earth for our own wellbeing. If the elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos - and other creatures - are thriving, then chances are we will too. We’re all in it together.

03/02/2021

There is much concern about rhino poaching, and rightly so. But few people know there are fewer wild lions than rhinos in Africa. Lion populations have declined precipitously. I recently interviewed Paul Funston (), an internationally-recognized lion biologist who has worked across Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Angola and Benin. Paul is Lion Program Director for . Read full interview on my website.

“The world needs to wake up. There are no more than 20,000 wild lions left. They’ve been eliminated from 94% of their historic range. Lions should be listed as endangered.”

“Lions are extinct in 16 African countries where civil war was - or is - rife. For example, there are fewer than 50 lions in the whole of Angola. Political stability and law enforcement is critical.”

“In addition to rhino horn, ivory and pangolins, poachers are targeting lions because of increasing demand in Asia for lion bones, teeth and claws.”

“We can’t blame rural Africans for wanting lions dead. You’d also be scared if there was a lion walking down your road towards you. Tolerance of lions can only be improved by showing rural people the benefits of having lions around.”

“There are only six regions that still have more than 1 000 wild lions. Their conservation must be prioritised. We have to reverse the downward spiral. It can be done. For example has done it in Malawi and Rwanda.”

“Based on remaining intact savannah, Africa can potentially hold 80 000 lions, four times the current number. But only if parks are properly managed and well-funded.”

“There are sixty-six parks where lions still occur. It would cost US$2 billion per year to ensure these parks are properly managed. Governments and NGOs are spending a total of about US$360 million. This is a drop in the ocean, considering aid to Africa is up to US$100 billion per year.”

“In the context of climate change, Africa’s savannahs are big carbon sequesters. The west and Asia have the funding for us to protect Africa’s landscapes, restore wildlife and ensure environmental security. It’s a partnership that can benefit the entire planet.”

Scott Ramsay Africa

08/12/2021

01/12/2021

12/11/2021

02/11/2021

28/10/2021

15/08/2021

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