“I stand for peace, choice, and a life of dignity for all humankind — regardless of skin color, gender, or religion.” – Elena Levon

As a pioneering modern-day Renaissance woman, Elena Levon has moved from the world of elite arts and Hollywood into the last frontier of maritime exploration along the West African coast.

Author of Naked Poetry—endorsed by Lionel Richie and shaped through collaboration with legendary photographer Robert Farber—her work reflects over two decades of movement across extremes. From red malaria zones to red carpets—and pirate zones. In an age of oversharing, she chose the shadows—doing the work first. Her path has led from private circles at the highest levels of global culture and leadership to remote regions of the Amazon, where she documented the Yanomami tribe and their sacred endocannibalism rituals. From the most dangerous maritime waters to the most dangerous jungle in the world—living among tribes in the Darién Gap.

Based on available public records and documented sailing routes, in 2026 Elena Levon entered maritime history as the first woman to sail and anchor a private yacht in Liberia, and the first woman to co-captain a private non-commercial sailing vessel in a rare double-handed crossing of the central Gulf of Guinea—earth’s most dangerous waters.

This passage followed years of solo expeditions: interviewing rebels in Mali, crossing the Sahara, and surviving Category 5 Cyclone Winston.

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“I hadn’t grown up sailing. I started at 39, from absolute zero. Everything I know, I learned along the way — mile by mile.”
— Elena Levon

[ Full Biography Below ↓ ]

Over two decades of adventure as an artist, writer, and solo world explorer.

BIOGRAPHY

A Life of Freedom, Art, Courage and Passion

Elena Levon was born on March 27, 1984, in Moscow, USSR (Soviet Union), into a multi-ethnic family — this Armenian, Russian, Jewish, Ukrainian and Muslim diaspora welcomed Elena into the final years of the Soviet era. She witnessed its collapse in childhood and came of age in the post-Soviet world — a time marked by profound societal change, uncertainty, and economic instability.

But she was fortunate enough to grow up in a family where respect for different cultures and traditions are paramount, regardless of skin color, background and religion. Her mother, Tatjana Melnikova, was a teacher of higher geometry and a professor, who showed Elena by her own example, that no matter how little you have, you must share it with those who have even less.

In 2002, her father Eduard Leonovich Ayrapetov -- world-renowned scientist, author of numerous books and formulas, recipient of several international honors, awards and medals from Russian presidents, passed away after an extended battle with cancer. Elena had just turned 18. In May of 2023 Elena sang her last lullaby to her beautiful mother, who bravely fought in her own unforgiving “cancer war” for several years.

Elena Levon is a woman who has discovered what it means to be truly alive. Elena is a fearless explorer whose life is an ongoing journey of discovery, resilience, and transformation. She has explored the world for decades, in over 100 nations across six continents. Elena has immersed herself in diverse cultures, was accepted as “their own” by remote tribes, dodged bullets, discovered truth regarding the biggest gold heist in Americas of prehistoric Nicaraguan pyramids, and collaborated with some of the most influential figures in art, film, and fashion.

Elena’s life experiences span an exceptionally broad range:

Starting with her daring solo voyage, when she immigrated alone at 19 to a different continent with no help from family, securing second citizenship in the USA, after almost a decade of diligence and hard work and continuing through walking Hollywood's biggest red carpets and plunging alone into the depths of most dangerous jungles in the world, Elena has always lived her own path.

From posing nude for legendary photographers to racing cowboys in South America's wetlands on the back of a stallion. From working on Hollywood sets as an actor to befriending military in the infamous “Darien Gap” jungle near the Colombian border and participating in a sacred endocannibalism ritual with the Yanomami tribe in a malaria red zone.

From living in a hammock and exploring the treacherous Amazon jungle barefoot, to dancing barefoot on top of volcanic glass. Living with desert nomads deep in the Mauritanian Sahara as a Muslim woman, embracing and respecting local customs, surviving on an abandoned island in the Philippines, and celebrating life with local tribes of Papua New Guinea. From attending Oscars and Golden Globes parties to navigating through African and South American continents solo by public transport with no guides or guards in her twenties and thirties. Exploring ancient Voodoo rituals with West African and South American shamans, dancing with mummies in Madagascar and Indonesia.

Sitting at tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-per-plate charitable soirees, being photographed at posh film premieres, and dancing on pianos at secret after parties at The Chateau Marmont hotel. Feasting on jaguars, gigantic royal rats, piranhas and caimans with tribes in the Amazon. Eating snakes, tarantulas and turtles with tribal communities of Asia and Oceania and nibbling on sharks, wildebeests and zebras in Africa.

"Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll" with the most famous personas of our world, being invited to participate in an ancient “men-only” ritual, inhaling sacred Parica “Yopo” drug with elders of the tribe, while getting jabbed in the arm with frog poison and sipping on mind-altering Ayahuasca. Coming face to face with victims of war in Mali and starting to sail an eighteen-ton ketch in the North Atlantic Ocean with no prior experience.

From sharing dinners with presidents and royalty to sleeping on the ground in mud huts with locals. From being touched by African silverback gorillas, swimming naked with sharks and manta rays in Australia, to a raw eye-to-eye encounter with a wild leopard, facing each other in the African wilderness, just mere breaths apart. From skydiving and bungee jumping, plunging into “Devil’s Pool” on top of the famous Victoria Falls to getting in a fight with the Russian Mob and talking her way out of being shot by a rifle not far from Timbuktu.

As you have seen Elena’s journey is not defined by conventional success, but by a commitment to living passionately and authentically, embracing freedom, and seeking out the rawest experiences life has to offer.

Elena Levon has navigated war zones, risked filming and sharing documentaries, which provided a much-needed voice to thousands of local people and helped tell their side of the story without the lies and censorship of mass media and ongoing propaganda of international news outlets. She survived natural disasters and faced personal life tragedies, including the death of her parents and her own personal health hell— which almost cut life short in her twenties.

Through her life struggles, fearless solo world expeditions, unique craft as an artist, and profoundly intimate connection with the world's people and cultures, Elena encourages others to follow their own unique path, regardless of the obstacles and personal grief they might face. To silence all the noise of societal chains and take a brave step towards their own dreams.

A Rebel With A Cause — Giving Back

Elena has made it a priority to support the communities she visits. Her humanitarian efforts include providing medical and food supplies, clothing, and other essential aid to impoverished regions. World exploration should also benefit those who host you. Elena ensures that every place she visits receives support directly from her, bypassing “charities”, who, for the most part, use so- called “non-profit” organizations for tax write-offs and skim profit for the top of the pyramid, rarely reaching those in need. She supports local communities as gratitude for incredible hospitality and trust shown to her.

In 2016, during Category 5 Cyclone Winston in Fiji, Elena stayed behind when others, including American Peace Corps, evacuated. She was determined not to leave the local population behind and, despite the danger, helped rescue an injured infant and mother by securing a boat to take them to safety. Elena's commitment to standing with locals in times of crisis exemplifies her philosophy that no life is more important than another. Elena Levon is a true rebel, but one with a cause — Personal freedom and compassion are inseparable.

Epilogue: The Rebel's Legacy – Living Beyond Boundaries

Elena’s philosophy of living life authentically, beyond the constraints of society’s expectations, can be encapsulated in 8 words...

“I choose to collect memories instead of things” — Elena Levon

This powerful quote has become a mantra for a new generation of explorers. Businesses, artists, “internet influencers” and thousands of dreamers out there, have been using these words to continue inspiring others. This is not just a quote. It’s an outlook on life, a way of being, an unerring compass that guides you day after day.

At 41, Elena Levon completed a rare double-handed crossing from Liberia to São Tomé across the central Gulf of Guinea. (Sailing Yacht “Rebels” expeditions)

Based on available public records, cruising references, and documented sailing routes, no earlier public record has been identified of a female-led private, non-commercial sailing yacht completing a direct, double-handed crossing of the central Gulf of Guinea - transiting active piracy zones and volatile equatorial weather conditions.

This passage represents a rare documented voyage and stands among the first recorded female-led crossings of this kind, supported by AIS tracks, navigation logs, weather data, and recorded footage of the entire passage.

Elena Levon’s life is a mosaic of extraordinary moments—a trailblazer whose life and death experiences have motivated souls from all walks of life. Elena continues to ignite the fire in others to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery, artistic expression, and fearless world exploration through the chapters of her books, films, poetry, photography, art, public speaking events and one-on-one guidance opportunities.

“In 2024 I proudly joined the ‘Women over 40’ club, somehow arriving without coloring my hair, getting botox, fillers or plastic surgery. In today’s predominantly ‘plastic cookie-cutter’ culture, that’s a beautiful and rebellious statement—one celebrating authenticity and humanity in its purest form. Living long enough to earn wrinkles, grey hair and deal with an aging body is a privilege not all of us are granted. That is why I will always wear my age with gratitude and fierce passion.” - Elena Levon

Sailing Expeditions - Sailing Yacht “Rebels”

In 2023, at the age of 39 Elena Levon purchased a 1989 Vagabond 47 ketch with no formal sailing experience and transitioned directly into offshore life.

Within two years, she co-led a continuous double-handed 6 month expedition across the Atlantic and down the West African coast — including a direct 1,000+ nautical mile crossing of the central Gulf of Guinea, one of the least-traveled and most dangerous maritime regions in the world.