Meet Ambassador Ash
We are delighted to welcome author, travel journalist and filmmaker, Ash Bhardwaj, as an Ambassador for Explorers Against Extinction.
Ash will be hosting our conservation evening at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Thursday 14 November. It promises to be a memorable event, dedicated to the wildlife and wild spaces of the world. Special guests include Dr Julian Fennessy, Director of Conservation at Giraffe Conservation Foundation, reporting fresh from Africa's savannah, and Rebecca Stephens MBE, the first British women to climb all seven summits. Rebecca will be transporting us to the icy peaks of the Himalayas and reflecting on how the landscape and our relationship with it, is changing.
Get to know Ash
Ash says that science and space were his first loves - as far as we know he hasn't gone into orbit yet but he did have a stint as a sixth form Physics and Chemistry teacher!
Other vocations include working as a cowboy in Australia, playing rugby in New Zealand, being a ski instructor in Switzerland for six seasons, and in more recent years, being an accomplished filmmaker and broadcaster, often reporting from some of the world's most challenging locations.
Some of Ash’s assignments include:
- trekking to Everest Base Camp with wounded British soldiers in 2012
- retracing WW2 secret missions through Albania’s mountains on foot
- walking 800km through India on Walking The Himalayas, meeting the Dalai Lama on the way
- walking 1100km through Uganda and Sudan with Levison Wood on Walking The Nile, including the first summer crossing of the Bayuda Desert
His most recent assignments include becoming a father for the first time, a six-part Telegraph podcast Edgelands detailing a 3,500 mile journey along the new Iron Curtain, and a journey along the border between India and Pakistan for the four-part TV series Expedition Borderlands.
Ash’s journalism can regularly be seen gracing the pages of The Telegraph, The Times, Huffington Post, Evening Standard and Sunday Times Travel, amongst others, and he has also made numerous appearances on the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent and fronting Radio 4 documentaries such as How Ukraine Made Us Care. He is also co-host of the popular travel podcast The First Mile alongside Pip Stewart.
Much of his writing intersects with current affairs, environmental protection, and the balance of risks and threats through tourism.
Ash’s ability to connect deeply with people, cultures and traditions lies at the heart of his debut book Why We Travel: A Journey into Human Motivation. Here he explores why humans experience wanderlust, what inspires us, what drives us on and what we gain from venturing out into the world.
Order your copy of Why We Travel here
Find out more about Explorers Against Extinction's Team, Supporters, Patrons & Ambassadors here>>>