EXPLORER. AUTHOR. PHOTOGRAPHER. FILM-MAKER. PRESENTER.
Levison Wood is a world renowned explorer, writer and photographer who has written eleven best-selling books and produced several critically acclaimed documentaries which have been aired around the globe.
He has travelled and filmed in over one hundred countries worldwide, and his expeditions include walking the length of the river Nile, the Himalayas, all of central America and circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula.
He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club, Honorary Doctor at Staffordshire University and an ambassador of Unicef and for a number of other charities. When not abroad Levison lives in London.
MILITARY BEGINNINGS
“I think earning that maroon beret set the tone for the rest of my life because it proved that it doesn't matter what your background is—you can push your boundaries and achieve incredible things.”
EARNING THE MAROON BERET
Levison spent a number of years as a Regular Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, where he served in Afghanistan fighting against Taliban insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar. His military services has seen him deploy on operations and exercises on five continents.
HUMILITY AND POSITIVITY
“In any scenario, whether dangerous or just pushing your limits, you need almost blind optimism. I never envision failure or disaster. And when disaster does strike, you have to look for the opportunities and positives in it.”
“The people I meet in remote places - farmers, fishermen - teach me so much. Often, those with the least to give are the ones who give the most, and that humility is infectious.”
WORLDWIDE EXPEDITIONS AND ACCOLADES
In a nine-month expedition, Lev walked the length of the Nile, 4,250-miles, which became Channel 4's top factual series of the year. His resulting book, Walking the Nile, became a Sunday Times bestseller.
In 2015, he walked over 1,700 miles across the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to Bhutan, which aired as a five-part Channel 4 series. The book about this expedition, Walking the Himalayas, won Adventure Travel Book of the Year.
Lev then walked 1,800 miles through Central America, including the notoriously dangerous Darien Gap, documented in a Channel 4 series in 2017. His book Walking the Americas became another Sunday Times bestseller.
Lev hitchhiked on the Silk Road and in August 2017, From Russia to Iran: Crossing the Wild Frontier aired on Channel 4, and his book Eastern Horizons - based on the experience - was published, shortlisted for Adventure Travel Book of the Year.
The following year, Lev completed a 5,000-mile Arabian Peninsula journey; his book Arabia was shortlisted for an Edward Stanford award, and the documentary Arabia was nominated for a Broadcast Award.
In 2019, he walked across Botswana, following elephants and documenting conservation efforts, which inspired his book The Last Giants and the Channel 4 series Walking with Elephants, which aired in May 2020.
In 2023 he travelled to Borneo to meet endangered orangutans, Nambia to learn about the work being done to protect desert lions an Greenland to search for the elusive polar bear for the series Walking with....
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LEVISON'S KIT BAG
THE PIONEER PROGRAMME
