Legendary Safari Guides Paperback – 1 Sept. 2014

Fascinating insights into the men (and women) who don those khaki shorts and shirts to show visitors life in the African bush. Anyone keen on safaris should read this.

I enjoyed it. I have met some of the guides and knew of some.

This book was first published in 2014, has 334 pages, 8 chapters, 12 B/W photos, 11 B/W drawings of various guides illustrated by author's daughter JESSICA, but no maps. The book is dedicated to author's husband DICK and her 4 children. SUSIE CAZENOVE was born and brought up in South Africa and moved to UK with her English husband. In 1988, she started her travel business offering African holidays. In this book, she introduces readers to 26 safari guides and their African adventures. As a tour operator, she had travelled extensively through out Southern and Eastern Africa.Nearly all guides are men, however women tourists find them irresistible (Khaki fever), as they know many skills and work in beautiful environment. They open the eyes of visitors to all the wildlife around including many little things. It is amazing how they can see wildlife that you cannot see even with your binoculars. It wasn't until 1969, that the safari guides started having training in South Africa. Cazenove had to go on safari and stay in camps, lodges and meet guides and safari operators in Southern Africa, to learn about the safari business. Some guides specialise in walking safaris, which gives the true experience of wildlife at close quarters. However, these animals are wild and caution is needed.This book covers safaris in Southern and Eastern Africa. In South Africa, Mala Mala and Londolozi get high standards in conservation of wildlife. The political correctness and law suits has put a stop to guides getting too friendly to clients. Now-a-days, guides in South Africa have to earn a lots of certificates to show competence. These guides learn tracking from local people. Botswana's jewel is the Okavango Delta. many guides here run their own businesses and safaris, which are also a family affair. Cazenove narrates colourful stories and adventures of these guides and their training takes place in many camps like 'Unchartered Africa' and 'Jacks Camp', Makgadikgadi, Botswana. Other guides who also run safari business, tend to take clients to remote area of Africa. In Botswana, every guide has to qualify in a guiding school and obtain a certificate to work as a guide in the country. Here, they also let visitors drive the 4x4 on safari and use night-vision binoculars at the night safari.Naturally many black guides are now in the safari business and manage camps and lodges in Africa. The guides also like to take clients to less visited parts of Africa. Accidents do happen in the wild and the guides need to be strong and deal with any tragedy. Walking safaris have always been permitted in Zambia's wild and unspoilt areas. East African guides are aware of great variety of wildlife in the land and they are keen to show this to their visitors. Clients often get attached to guides and come back again to use them in different parts of Africa. The Maasai are also learning to become guides and drivers. In Namibia, the experienced guides know all the water sources to survive in this harsh landscape.This book ends with saving of wildlife and the environment they live in. We found, having travelled on safari in Kenya and northern Tanzania, for 14 years, that a good guide will make our safari perfect and life changing experience.Some other books of interest are:-(1) Dangerous Beauty, Mark Ross, 2003(2) Don't Look Behind You, Peter Allison, 2009(3) This is Africa 1, Mat Dry, 2011(4) Safari Companion, Swan, 2012(5) This is Africa 2, Mat Dry, 2014(6) Africa Bites, Temple Camp, 2015(7) Safari Guide Tales, Gavin Ford, 2015(8) Safari Guide's Guide, Thompson, 2006(9) African Safari Field Guide, Mark Nolting, 2016(10)Don't Run, Peter Allison, 2016Having born in Kenya, I enjoyed reading this book.