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Friday, June 7, 2019

STUARTS’ FIELD GUIDE TO NATIONAL PARKS & GAME RESERVES OF EAST AFRICA


Extensively researched, beautifully presented, jam packed with facts and information and easy to follow. (Review by Keith Millar)

The creators of this book, Chris and Mathilde Stuart are described on their webpage as Scientists /Authors /Photographers and Filmmakers. They have previously written 22 books, many of them bestselling field guides. They have also published numerous scientific papers and popular articles on the subject of nature and wildlife. For the past 30 years they have spent their time travelling the world researching the subject and promoting conservation.

With a CV like that it almost goes without saying that their Field Guide To National Parks & Game Reserves Of East Africa is an excellent publication. Extensively researched, beautifully presented, jam packed with facts and information and easy to follow.
A guidebook such as this is not intended to be for casual reading and, given the region covered, may not at first glance have much relevance to us in Southern Africa. However, it will certainly prove to be invaluable to anyone planning a trip to East Africa.

What it is more, the information is interesting enough to give one ideas about visiting this region, or at least adding that thought to a bucket list.

The guide covers the National Parks and Game Reserves of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, at total of 58 diverse conservation areas which are home to some of the continent’s most spectacular wildlife and biomes. For each area there is key background information which is vital to anyone planning a trip or for use while on the trip itself.

There are detailed descriptions of the history, geology, climate, vegetation and wildlife of each reserve, as well as maps indicating places of interest, and the best sites to view various species.

Also included are text panels featuring each parks highlights and facilities and important alerts.

At the back of the book there is an extensive photographic identification guide of the mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and trees of the area. This will be priceless to any traveller to the region. There are also suggestions for further reading and a contact number for each country.

The book itself is presented in a A5 paperback format and is fully glossy and in colour. It is robustly bound – as befits a book which will probably be lugged around in the bottom of a backpack and used in all sorts of conditions and environments.

Stuarts’ Guide To National Parks & Game Reserves Of East Africa is published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (PTY) Ltd).

The ISBN Number is: 978 1 77584 062 6. Recommended retail price R320. – Keith Millar