Mark W. Nolting - Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries: Safari Planning Guide to Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Africas Top Wildlife Countries

(Ninth Edition, completely revised and updated)

Copyright: 2017 by Mark W. Nolting

Edited by Fransje van Riel

Photo Editing by Sarah Taylor

Maps by Duncan Butchart

Photography as credited

Publication Design by 1106 Design

Published by Global Travel Publishers, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by an information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Brief extracts for review purposes for inclusion in critical reviews or articles are permitted.

Enquiries should be addressed to: Global Travel Publishers, Inc., 2601 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 600, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33306, USA., Telephone (954) 491-8877 or (800) 882-9453. Email:

PUBLISHERS NOTE: Although every effort has been made to ensure the correctness of the information in this book, the author, editor and publisher do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or any potential travel problem caused by information in this guide, even if such errors or omissions are a result of negligence, accident or any other cause.

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Nolting, Mark, 1951- | Butchart, Duncan, illustrator.

Title: Africas top wildlife countries: planning your ultimate safari to Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe / Mark W. Nolting; maps by Duncan Butchart.

Description: Ninth Edition, completely revised and updated. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Global Travel Publishers, Inc., [2017] | Includes index.

Identifiers: 978-0-939895-25-0 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Wildlife watching--Africa, Sub-Saharan--Guidebooks. | Wildlife watching--Africa, Eastern--Guidebooks. | Safaris--Africa, Sub-Saharan--Guidebooks. | Safaris--Africa, Eastern--Guidebooks. | National parks and reserves--Africa, Sub-Saharan--Guidebooks. | National parks and reserves--Africa, Eastern--Guidebooks. | Africa, Sub-Saharan--Guidebooks. | Africa, Eastern--Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC QL337.S78 N65 2017 DT1017 (print) | LCC QL337.S78 DT1017 (ebook) | DDC 916.7/043312--dc23

Printed in Canada.

Distributed by Publishers Group West / Perseus Books / Ingram

Dear Safarier:

Whether this will be your first safari or your tenth, you are about to plan the adventure of a lifetime! Africa remains a place that excites, inspires and moves even the most experienced traveler. The sights and sounds, the smells and expansive wilderness, along with Africas people, will sculpt an indelible imprint on your spirit.

I have had the privilege of exploring Africa on countless safaris for well over thirty years and, having seen the need for an easy-to-use, comprehensive travel guide covering all the top wildlife regions, I authored this guidebooknow in its 9th editionalong with an electronic version. Having spent hours of preparation for each of my earlier safaris, and carrying with me several heavy resource books on mammals, reptiles, birds and trees, as well as maps, phrase books and a diary, the idea of consolidating all this into one book was formed along with the African Safari Field Guidenow available in its 7th edition. I have also produced the Safari Planning Map to East & Southern Africa (2nd ed.).

One of Africas main allures is that you can find adventure there as nowhere else on Earth. Once out on a game-viewing activity, you are never sure what youre going to see or what is going to happen. Every safari is a thrilling experience. With so many changes taking place in the realm of travel in todays world, it is imperative to book your safari with a company whose expertise and passion are in sync with your own. From my very first safari, I had a dream to establish a safari company unlike any other and from that dream, the Africa Adventure Company was born in 1986. For the past 14 years I have been honored to have been selected as one of the top Cond Nast Travelers Specialists for Africa in the World, and have been on Travel+Leisures A-List for nearly a decade. At the Africa Adventure Company we focus on extraordinary places, remote and genuine experiences and to offer the real Africa. From small out-of-the way camps, top notch guiding and incredible game viewing, we can almost assuredly guarantee memories to last a lifetime.

We may well be the last generation to see Africa in its true glory; huge herds of wildlife and tribal cultures living unaffected lifestyles. Going on a photographic safari to Africa is a donation in itself toward conserving African wildlife and habitats and may very well be the most enjoyable and rewarding environmental contribution you will ever make.

Sincerely,

Mark W. Nolting

President, Africa Adventure Company

Contents

Table of Contents

There are few experiences that conjure up images of romance, unparalleled beauty and a vast sense of thrilling adventure as a safari to Africa. And for those travelers who have journeyed to the continent and have savored her sweeping landscapes, wild places, exhilarating wildlife, sheer tranquility and jaw-dropping sense of adventure, Africa beguilingly beckons one to return again and again. Like a passionate love affair, a safari enthralls, excites, bewilders and enchants. The urge to experience the same, and more, is nestled increasingly firmer into the travelers conscience.

At our deepest roots, the African continent communicates with our souls. Travelers return home, not only with exciting stories and adventures to share with friends and family, but with a better understanding of our inherent connection with nature; a feeling of having belonged, a sense of awe and a broader world view from having experienced nature in the raw.

It is a life changing experience to feel part of an environment where wild animals roam free as they have done from the dawn of timebefore our modern human culture emerged to populate the planet and lost the integral connection to the natural world. Elephants, lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, a massive variety of antelope and gazelles, giraffes, rhinos, hippos and buffalos, sometimes encountered in massive groupsonce these fascinating animals are encountered in the wild, they are never forgotten.

Along with classic sightings of spectacular wildlife on open savannah plains and in deep green forests, the continent also boasts tropical islands, genuine traditional cultures and no less than 129 World Heritage Sites, each and every one representing Africas unique natural and cultural heritage. Some of the planets most iconic and inspiring sites are found in Africa, from snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro and Cape Towns Robben Island, to the cascade of thunderous water surging over the Victoria Falls. Many of these break records; the Okavango is the worlds largest inland delta, the Namib is the worlds oldest desert and the Ngorongoro Crater is the worlds largest intact volcanic caldera. Africa also hosts one of the Earths last and largest, massive animal migrations.