Here are 10 of the best books based on adventures in the African wilderness, the perfect Safari holiday reads.
During the heat of the day when everything lulls and the African bush tends to take a nap, there is no better place to unwind than beside the pool, book in hand.
Drifting between cat naps and chapters, you might lift your nose only to watch animals come to drink at nearby watering holes or to identify the flutters of coloured feathers passing you. In winter, you may be curled up beneath blankets on the couch overlooking panoramic vistas.
Not only do these books share the amazing wisdom and wild experiences to be found in Africa but they tantalise the safari taste buds. They are a fantastic antidote for when you have been bitten by the safari bug and find yourself wanderlust for open savannahs, fiery sunsets and all the magic that accompanies the African wilderness.
Let these books transport you straight to the heart of the African wilderness.
Cry of the Kalahari
Mark and Delia Owens
When Mark Owens and his wife Delia first arrived in Africa in 1974, they bought a third-hand Land Rover, drove deep into the Kalahari Desert, and lived there for seven years. The highs, the lows, and everything in between. The beautifully humorous and descriptive tales of this remarkable conservationist couple living in one of the wildest, deserted places on Earth.
I Dreamed of Africa
Kuki Gallman
“There is something about Africa that makes you dream. God help me, I dream of Africa.”
Kuki Gallman
I dreamed of Africa is the enthralling tale of conservationist, Kuki Gallman as she discovers both the beauty and tragedy of living in the African wilderness. It chronicles her journey from Italy to the wild plains of Laikipia, transporting readers with her vivid imagery. It is a heart-wrenching, profound and deeply personal read.
West with the Night
Beryl Markham
“Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations.”
Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham grew up in Kenya in the early 1900’s. This book is a memoir to her rather wild childhood and her journey to becoming the first female in East Africa to be granted a commercial pilot’s license. She was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from East to West.
The Elephant Whisperer
Laurence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony was a South African conservationist, environmentalist, explorer and author. The elephant whisperer tells the story of a herd of ‘rogue’ elephants. It beautifully depicts the incredible interactions between animals and humans while highlighting some of the conservation issues that South Africa faces. It is eye-opening and inspiring.
The Last Rhinos
Laurence Anthony
From the same author, Laurence Anthony finds out that the Northern white rhino is on the brink of extinction and the last remaining few are deep in the DRC – a country ravaged by war. The last of the northern white rhino’s were in an area controlled by the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, one of the most vicious rebel groups in the world. Anthony made a perilous journey deep into the jungle to try to find and convince them to help save the rhino. This book is an inspiring and heroic account of trying to save these remarkable creatures.
Out of Africa
Isak Dineson
‘You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.”
Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa.
You may be familiar with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the ionic safari scene where he washes her hair on the banks of a river. If you’re not, then read first, watch second! Out of Africa is Karen Blixen’s memoir (written under the pseudonym Isak Dineson). It tells her unconventional life story of living in Kenya and running a coffee plantation.
Going solo
Roald Dahl
Is there a wittier storyteller than Roald Dahl? Going solo is an autobiographical work that chronicles the years he spent working in East Africa and flying for the RAF in the second World War. A funny, insightful, and interesting glimpse into his younger years.
An African Love story
Daphne Sheldrick
A heart-warming memoir by Daphne Sheldrick, who was the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. She shares the many love stories with the animals in her life as well as the heartbreaking story of her husband, David Sheldrick. Encompassing not only David and Daphne’s tireless campaign for an end to poaching and for conserving Kenya’s wildlife, but also their ability to engage with the human side of animals and their rearing of the orphans so they are able to return to the wild,
Into Africa
Martin Dugard
Into Africa is an extraordinarily researched account of the story of Stanley and Livingstone. In the mid-1860s, exploration had reached a plateau. The seas and continents had been mapped, the globe circumnavigated.
Legendary explorer David Livingstone was called to uncover the mystery of the source of the mighty Nile River. After he goes missing reporter, Henry Morton Stanley is sent to Africa to find him. It is a remarkable account of what exploration meant in that time. It is totally riveting.
The Journey is the Destination and Safari as a way of life
Diary of Dan Eldon.
“To explore the unknown and the familiar, distant and near and to record in detail with the eyes of a child, any beauty, (of the flesh or otherwise) horror, irony, traces of utopia or Hell. Select your team with care, but when in doubt, take on some new crew and give them a chance. But avoid at all costs fluctuations of sincerity with your best people.”
Dan Eldon
Okay, this one might be more of a coffee table book than holiday read. An artistic journey through the diaries of Daniel Robert Eldon. A British-Kenyan photojournalist, artist, activist and Reuters photojournalist. More a visual than literary escapade, it shares insight into the safari way of life and creative mind of this wild, adventurous, and free soul. Sadly, he was killed in Mogadishu aged 22.
Adventure calling?
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