GEOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF EAST AFRICA’S NATIONAL PARKS: REVIEW

 

For anyone planning a safari to the legendary East African Game Parks and Reserves, this book adds an exciting new dimension. (Review by Desiree Stead)

 

Geological Highlights of East Africa’s National Parks is written by Dr Roger N Scoon. He is a Senior Researcher at Rhodes University, author and internationally-recognised authority on the geology of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa.

“East Africa’s cataclysmic volcanic legacy, caused by rifting of the landmass, has resulted in a rich source of geological wonders, from the peaceful plains of the Serengeti to the stark walls of extinct calderas and the belching vents of the Nyirangongo Volcano.” (quote from source)

The call of the wild has always been very strong for me. I have been privileged to have taken many opportunities to visit Game Reserves and National Parks in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana but have not ventured beyond these borders of our continent.

East Africa has been beckoning for many years, mainly as a result of early exposure to this part of Africa through books and films.

I think of Born Free, The Queen of Sheba, Out of Africa, Gorillas in the Mist, the writings of Jane Goodall, the wonderful David Attenborough documentaries and the stories of Iain Douglas-Hamilton and his family in Kenya, living and working with elephants, to name but a few.

The idea of places like Lake Naivasha with its enormous flocks of flamingoes, Laetoli and Lake Turkana which are the sites of palaeoanthropological finds, including hominin fossils and tracks, the Serengeti Plains where the bi-annual migrations of more than two million large herbivores crossing the Mara and Sand Rivers is described as one of the Ten Wonders of the Natural World; Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro with their varieties of vegetation and ecosystems; and the great East African Rift Valley System itself leave my head spinning!

Now here we have a book covering all of these wonders comprehensively with hundreds of splendid photographs, maps, drawings and satellite images, packed with information about more than 70 Parks, Reserves and Sanctuaries in East Africa.

The national parks and reserves are described regionally in four separate sections: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Virunga Mountains, covering the land forms, rivers and lakes, climate, and a geological overview for each. Fauna and flora and interesting historical information is included as and where necessary.

As the title of the book indicates, the geological highlights of each section are included in some detail. Despite the scientific nature of the geological content, the information makes for a relatively easy read and is very helpful in promoting an understanding of the terrain, vegetation, water availability and the fauna of each area.

For anyone planning a safari to the legendary East African Game Parks and Reserves, this book adds an exciting new dimension. – Desiree Stead

Geological Highlights of East Africa’s National Parks is published by Penguin Random House South Africa: ISBN 9781775847786