Ghost Elephants

“Like many of my films, this is an exploration of dreams, of imagination — weighed against reality. The film took me to what the local tribesmen call the ‘Land at the End of the Earth.’” – Werner Herzog, February 2026

In the mist-covered highlands of Angola, deep within its forests, a mystery endures: the elusive ghost elephants of Lisima, the potential living descendants of the largest land mammal ever recorded. Steve Boyes, conservation biologist and leader of the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, is determined to prove their existence.

In order to find these elusive elephants, Boyes and fellow National Geographic Explorer Kerllen Costa have teamed up with three KhoiSan master trackers: Xui, Xui Dawid, and Kobus. Refugees from a war-torn past who have faced considerable marginalization in southern Africa, the trackers return to their ancestral lands to succeed where advanced technology could not.

Directed, narrated and written by legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, GHOST ELEPHANTSis a lyrical tale of survival, reconnection and the enduring power of ancient knowledge in the face of modern loss.

“Extraordinary … mesmerizing from the first moment to the last.” – RogerEbert.com

“A fantastic story” – Hollywood Reporter

“Marvelously warm and engaging” – The Guardian