In search of wilderness with adventurer Simon Reeve

26.01.2024 - 16:09 / nationalgeographic.com

In your latest series, you’re journeying to the planet’s wildernesses  — the Congo Rainforest, Patagonia, the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle and the Kalahari. Why focus on these areas now?

We have to know what’s going on in these destinations, because then we can start to understand and respect them and hopefully love them, too. I think this is just about the most important series I’ve ever made as we’re highlighting areas people know next to nothing about, but we’re fundamentally connected to them as they govern and help shape the weather systems that affect us all. Unless we know about these areas and care for them, we will ultimately lose them. For example, we’re not shying away from deforestation around the edge of the Congo Rainforest. I’m still a believer in the power of responsible, careful, sustainable travel in places like this, too. They need visitors to put some money into the local economy to protect and preserve the local nature.

What’s wilderness to you?

There’s nowhere that’s untouched by humanity. There’s plastic at the bottom of the ocean and at the top of our highest mountain, but I think it’s about the places where the human impact is low and where nature still makes the rules.

What did you learn from being out in the wild?

Probably, that there’s still a wild planet out there. It’s enormous and beautiful, and it’s life-affirming to be a part of it. When we were filming the Patagonia episode, we were up high spending a night on an ice field. At about four in the morning, I had to find a quieter spot away from the camp — so there I am at a ridge with my little portable potty and toilet roll, and I’m confronted by this incredible sight of dark mountains in front of me, illuminated by moonlight, wind howling. I was transfixed by this night-time view of the mountains and the utter rawness of this wild moment.

Do you have a standout moment from your travels?

Yes! I was crawling on the ground with two San [Indigenous hunter-gatherers in southern Africa] trackers in the heart of the Kalahari in 2008, while filming the series Tropic of Capricorn. I only had my GoPro and a small can of pepper spray to ward off any lions, should they fancy a nibble. We were trying to get up close to a herd of wildebeests and it felt as primal as anything I’ve ever done. It still sends a proper shiver down my spine thinking about that moment.

Your series tend to have people at the centre of them. What motivates you to tell the human stories in relation to nature and places?

I think it’s become my little niche, perhaps. I’ve been privileged to meet people with interesting stories to tell and we’ve had genuine interactions with people who love to share their stories. There’s always going to be a story