Books: African wildlife guides

Essential guides to the Dark Continent

Product

Africa's Top Wildlife Countries; African Safari Journal - by Mark W. Nolting

Promise

Africa's Top Wildlife Countries claims to be the only guidebook that effectively assists readers in choosing the best destinations for the kind of wildlife experience they would most enjoy by comparing travel options among all the top wildlife countries. African Safari Journal on the other hand is a wildlife/botany guide that includes over 300 colour illustrations of mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and trees so you can check off animals as you see them.

Performance

Author Mark Nolting runs an African tour company and has explored the continent for over 30 years. So he's probably better placed than many to write two books on wildlife and safaris there. The journal is, as it sounds, a book that you can interact with. Full of information, it's also designed so you can keep notes (there are checklists and blank pages for your observations). It's an incredibly useful tool - The full colour identification guide lists mammals, plants, birds and reptiles you may just come face-to-face with on your travels (watch out for the puff adder 'notoriously sluggish, which suns itself on leafy pathways'), further reading, visa requirements, average temperatures, useful contact numbers, and that all-important packing checklist. Africa's Top Wildlife Countries, on the other hand, is a beautifully designed weighty book which deals with all the major wildlife destinations in Africa (including some not-so-obvious ones like Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). It lists the highlights, the best parks and reserves to visit, plus the best times to go and best places to stay.

Verdict

Lovely tomes - don't go on safari to the Dark Continent without them. Also available from www.amazon.co.uk