Amazon Safari guides worth having a look…

Most of the following is a list of items I personally possess, or ones that are highly appealing to the general public! For more info on each and every product, simply click on the links you fancy best!

African Wildlife

• Larger Animals of East Africa (Collins Safari Guides) (Paperback)

by David Hosking & Martin B. Withers.

One of the first safari guides I ever bought.

- What I love about the book: Great illustrations, key facts, distribution, habits, conservation and status. Very easy to use!

- Criticism: The edition is a little outdated. A refresher could only be beneficial to this quality item.

• Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain (Hardcover)

by Mitsuaki Iwago.

I will always remember the day I first got this book from my parents. I was only 5 or 6 at the time, but it is perhaps the one book that REALLY made me fall in love with Africa and its extraordinary wildlife.

Mitsuaki is more than just a photographer, he is an ARTIST! A MUST BUY if you are looking for the perfect birthday present! Guaranteed!

• Signs of the Wild (Paperback)

by Clive Walker.

A field guide to the spoor & signs of the mammals of southern Africa!

My “bible” when it comes to field guides for southern Africa!

Here are some of the features that make this guide absolutely SPECIAL:

- The environmental glossary for key terms and definitions.

- Stunning illustrations for each species.

- Concise descriptions and distribution maps.

-  Animal names translation into the main local languages: Afrikaans, Shona, Ndebele, Zulu, Siswati, Venda, Tswana/Sotho and Nama/Damara.

- What I particularly like about the book: faeces and spoor sections (illustrated) + comparative spoor illustrations.

• The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Animals (Paperback)

by Richard D. Estes.

The most complete guide to watching African mammals!

This incredible guide has it all: behavioral displays of species (e.g. territorial marking, aggression, courtship rituals…), illustrations, extensive maps, wildlife photography tips and vegetation zones.

Only downturn: can get a little too technical and lacks colour photography!

Birding

• Birds of East Africa (Collins Field Guides) (Hardcover)

by J.G. Williams (Author) & Norman Arlott (Illustrator).

1,283 species described and over 650 colour illustrations!

• Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa (Paperback)

by Norman Arlott (Author), Phil Hockey (Author), Ian Sinclair (Author) & Peter Hayman (Illustrator).

Similar to one of the earlier versions (which I have),  but completely revised and updated. Bird species name changes, distribution maps edited and revised bird taxonomy.

• Birds of Southern Africa (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

by Ian Sinclair (Author), Phil Hockey (Author), Warwick Tarboton (Author), Peter Hayman (Illustrator) & Norman Arlott (Illustrator).

General Africa Travel Guides

• East Africa (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

by Mary Fitzpatrick, Tim Bewer & Matthew Firestone.

‘Best for curious and independent-minded travelers’ –Wall Street Journal

• Southern Africa (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

by Alan Murphy, Kate Armstrong, Matthew Firestone, Mary Fitzpatrick, Michael Grosberg, Nana Luckham & Andy Rebold.

‘For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…’ –Los Angeles Times

Safari Tales

• Don’t Look Behind You!: A Safari Guide’s Encounters with Ravenous Lions, Stampeding Elephants, and Lovesick Rhinos

by Peter Allison.

“The best compliment you can pay a travel writer is to read his work and feel like you’re right there with him. For more than two hundred pages, I felt like I was in Africa, up to my neck in danger. I don’t even know this guy, but more than once I lay awake at night, worrying for his safety. Enough adventure, action, life lessons, and laughs to fill a movie and four sequels. The fact that Allison survived to write any of this down is a miracle in itself.” –Cash Peters, author of Gullible’s Travels

• Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide (Paperback)

by Peter Allison.

“His misadventures make Whatever You Do, Don’t Run an absorbing read. . . . The material is rich, and Allison is a gifted storyteller. And the only thing stranger than African fiction is African truth.” –National Geographic Adventure
 
“After reading this entrancing memoir, an African safari may move to No. 1 on your travel wish list. The only catch is you’ll want the author as your guide.” –Chicago Sun-Times

Still Not Satisfied???

Claim your FREE Safari Tips 101 Ebook NOW! Extremely helpful tips and tricks for your African safari! :)

Enjoy!

Tags: buy safari guides, safari books, safari guides

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 6:56 pm and is filed under Safaris. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed or trackback from your own site.