Bio

Thomas Andy Branson is a tour leader, travel writer, and photographer with more than a decade of professional travel and photographic experience gained across over one hundred countries worldwide. He has received numerous international awards and recognitions for his contributions to nature and wildlife conservation, alongside a number of international awards and distinctions in the field of professional photography. He organises and leads journeys throughout Oceania, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central and South America. A significant part of his professional work has been devoted to the African continent, where, following specialist training, he obtained qualifications to independently lead safaris across all national parks of Central and East Africa. Drawing upon extensive first-hand experience and long-standing collaboration with local communities and partners, he has developed his own travel programmes in more than thirty countries around the world. Each itinerary is built on genuine on-location experience, carefully considered pacing, logistics, and accommodation selection. His journeys combine natural wonders, cultural heritage, and local gastronomy, with a strong emphasis on meaningful experiences, safety, and seamless travel. His professional work extends beyond the framework of conventional tourism and evolves at the intersection of expedition leadership, authorial photography, and narrative travel writing. Through years spent working in remote and often logistically demanding destinations, he has developed a distinctive approach that combines immersive travel with personal experience and on-the-ground insight. This perspective is equally evident in his travel writing, which combines the expertise of an expedition leader, documentary precision, and a strong individual narrative voice. With the aim of publishing the photography book Scotland From the Sky, as well as organising a series of solo exhibitions under the same title around the world, he launched an extensive aerial photography project in the first half of 2023 focused on Scotland’s landscapes and landmarks. Even in the early stages of the project, several photographic works emerged that went on to receive recognition in competitions for prestigious international photography awards. In addition to his wider photographic work, he has exhibited extensively, most notably through a solo exhibition dedicated to the Falkland Islands. Created through extensive photographic work across this remote South Atlantic archipelago, the exhibition Falkland Islands: Kingdom of the Wild presented selected scenes of dramatic landscapes and rich wildlife, including several species of penguins, as well as sea lions and elephant seals. The exhibition was accompanied by a lecture bearing the same title, offering visitors a deeper insight into the natural and cultural uniqueness of the islands. He has also personally supported the development of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda - a purpose-built research and conservation complex dedicated to strengthening the protection of mountain gorillas, advancing scientific research, expanding educational programmes, and deepening engagement with local communities. The construction and opening of the campus significantly contributed to the long-term sustainability of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and its conservation efforts focused on mountain gorillas and biodiversity protection. He is a member of several international organisations, including The East African Wild Life Society, The Royal African Society, The Royal Society of Biology, The Royal Photographic Society, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The British Institute of Professional Photography, The Society of International Travel and Tourism Photographers, and The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers. His commitment to exploration is further reflected in personal achievements, including summiting Africa’s highest peak on two separate occasions. These repeated ascents of Mount Kilimanjaro further reflect his long-standing connection with East Africa and his deep understanding of the region’s landscapes and natural heritage - an approach defined not by simply passing through destinations, but by returning to them and maintaining a lasting presence across the regions in which he works.