the profile
Ralph
Bo u s f i e l d We catch up with Botswana’s rock star guide for a quick chat about life and style in the bush.
In safari circles, Ralph Bousfield is the ultimate influencer.
The co-owner of Botswana-based Uncharted Africa Safari Co. is a fifth generation guide, known for his deep-rooted commitment to Africa’s wildlife and ecology, as well as the preservation of the native Bushmen culture in Botswana. His father, legendary crocodile hunter, adventurer and conservationist Jack Bousfield, brought wild imagination and creative vision to safari— a sense of the extraordinary that made a way of life into a lifestyle. After the senior Bousfield’s tragic death in a 1992 plane crash, Ralph spearheaded the building of Jack’s Camp in the Kalahari Desert’s striking Makgadikgadi Pans. The camp has gone on to influence the layered luxe of modern safari lodges—antique Persian rugs, starched white linens and the family’s collection of museum-worthy curios. Together with his partner, designer Caroline Hickman, Bousfield launched a safari-perfect apparel line in 2013, called Hickman & Bousfield. True to its creators, sumptuous but hardwearing natural fabrics distinguish the collection.
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K ER & DOW NEY
Photos courtesy of Ralph Bousfield | San Camp | David Crookes
Raiph Bousfield on safari