Boyd Varty was born on Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, a place where lions roam freely and the human heart is invited to return to its natural rhythm. The reserve was founded as a hunting ground nearly a century ago, but Varty’s father and uncle transformed it into one of the world’s first safari lodges devoted to restoration. When Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison, it was at Londolozi that he came to heal.
Growing up, Varty’s teachers were trackers from the local Shangaan community. They taught him to read the land by sensing, listening, and moving with awareness. From them, he learned that tracking is not just about following animal prints but a way of being present to the subtle signs that point us toward meaning. That philosophy later became the foundation of his life’s work. But the wild can be both generous and brutal. Varty survived a black mamba strike, a crocodile attack, and a near-fatal bout of malaria. Yet the greatest danger he faced was a mental one: the disconnection that comes from living without purpose.
That search for direction took Boyd Varty far from Africa. He decided to study psychology and ecology at the University of South Africa, train in martial arts in Thailand, trek through the jungles of the Amazon, and apprentice with a Peruvian shaman. Each experience deepened his understanding that, in both nature and life, every track tells a story — if we have the courage to follow it. Today, Varty is the founder of Track Your Life, a philosophy and storytelling practice that helps people use the ancient art of tracking to navigate modern uncertainty. His talks invite audiences to move fluidly between focus and vision, detail and intuition, helping individuals and teams rediscover the energy, playfulness, and resilience that the natural world has always modeled.
Besides teaching in the United States and South Africa, Boyd Varty continues his family’s legacy at Londolozi and works with communities and organisations around the world. He is also the author of Cathedral of the Wild and The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life.
