National Geographic Wild has announced the premiere date for Ghost Elephants, a new feature-length documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog that follows South African conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Dr Steve Boyes on a remarkable expedition into one of Africa’s most remote landscapes.
Dr. Steve Boyes, with a rainbow in the background, experiences the first signs of the rainy season. (Credit: Ariel Leon Isacovitch)
The film will air on National Geographic Wild on Wednesday, 11 March at 6pm (CAT) and will also stream on Disney+ in South Africa. Directed, written and narrated by Herzog, known for films such as Grizzly Man, the documentary blends cinematic storytelling with scientific exploration as Boyes searches for a creature long believed to exist only in legend.
Deep within Angola’s mist-covered Lisima highlands lies a persistent mystery. Reports describe elusive “ghost elephants” believed by some researchers to be descendants of the largest land mammals ever recorded. Determined to uncover the truth, Boyes leads an expedition into forests that remained largely inaccessible for decades, guided not by advanced technology but by traditional knowledge.
The first photo of a ghost elephant captured by a motion controlled camera. The eyes glow in this night shot. (Credit: Courtesy of The Wilderness Project Archive)
Joining him are fellow National Geographic Explorer Kerllen Costa and three KhoiSan master trackers, Xui, Xui Dawid and Kobus, whose tracking expertise proves essential in navigating terrain where modern tools have repeatedly failed. Their journey highlights the enduring value of Indigenous knowledge in conservation science and wildlife discovery.
San Master Tracker Xui finds signs of the ghost elephants in a stretch of wetlands. (Credit: Ariel Leon Isacovitch)
Ghost Elephants unfolds as both an adventure and a reflection on humanity’s relationship with wilderness. Herzog’s distinctive storytelling presents the expedition as a meditation on survival, reconnection and the fragile balance between modern progress and ancient knowledge systems.
The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Herzog received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, reinforcing his status as one of cinema’s most influential documentary filmmakers.
Released alongside the film is Boyes’ new coffee table book, Okavango and the Source of Life. Expanding on the expedition featured in the documentary, the publication includes more than 100 photographs, detailed maps and personal reflections drawn from years of exploration in the Angolan headwaters of the Okavango River. With a foreword by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the book offers a deeper look at the ecosystems, waterways and communities encountered during the journey and is available for preorder.
Produced by Skellig Rock, Inc., The Roots Production Service and Sobey Road Entertainment, Ghost Elephants forms part of National Geographic Documentary Films’ growing slate of conservation storytelling that combines science, adventure and cinematic narrative.
Dr. Steve Boyes stands in the rotunda of the Smithsonian Museum. He describes his emotions seeing Henry the elephant. (Credit: Skellig Rock, Inc)
How to tune in to National Geographic Wild:
DSTV: Channel 182
StarTimes: 221 on DTH, 210 on DTT (250 on DTT in Uganda)
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