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A first for large African mammals: DNA used to count Gabon’s endangered forest elephants
Written by Fiona Maisels, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Elephant Specialist Group (IUCN) and Honorary Professor, University of Stirling Gabon holds roughly half of all forest elephants, which occur across almost the entire country’s area (about 250,000km2). It is the principal stronghold of a species that once numbered in the millions. Securing this stronghold is vitally […]
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Why Lamu is one of the Indian Ocean’s best-kept secrets
1. The oldest Swahili settlement Lamu Town, located on Lamu Island, is the oldest Swahili settlement along the East African coast, stretching from Kenya through Tanzania to Mozambique, and including Zanzibar and The Comoros. For centuries, the local Swahili people proved to be prolific traders along this route and their legacy is evident in […]
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Hike up (then sleep beside) the world’s largest lava lake
Visitors to Nyiragongo’s edge, standing proudly in the Virunga Mountains on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, find a lava lake a few hundred feet beneath them. “It seems to cannibalize itself, as pockets of fire engulf new areas,” writes National Geographic journalist Nina Strochlic. “A thick fog rolls over the […]
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What the heck is a carbon-neutral safari anyway?
In a much grander gesture, the iconic African wildlife destination made a pioneering commitment during COP26. The Kenyan government recently announced that all vehicles and operations across the Maasai Mara and other natural areas must only rely on renewable energy. Situated within the National Reserve, Emboo River Camp is one sustainable safari lodge that’s ahead […]
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Senegal is decolonising its heritage, and in the process reclaiming its future
Written by Ferdinand de Jong, Associate Professor in Anthropology, University of East Anglia After Faidherbe’s fall, the municipality quickly reinstalled the statue but removed it again in early 2020 claiming they wanted to renovate the square where it once stood. The incident illustrates the long journey Senegal has travelled in coming to terms with […]
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Rwanda’s passionate female conservationist on Kigali’s best
Singita’s 178-acre property sits on the border of Volcanoes National Park; one of four national parks in Rwanda and its most heavily patrolled. Home to one-third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, conservation of this precious habitat is an enormous priority. Claudine’s days involve environmental monitoring and protection, following up on the plant nursery and […]
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Margot Raggett on Compiling Conservation Book Remembering African Wild Dogs
While on safari at Laikipia Wilderness camp in Kenya, Margot Raggett first encountered African wild dogs. They were running off to hunt, with Margot and her guide racing to keep up with them. When the pack came back together, they greeted each other so enthusiastically — as if they’d not seen each other for 20 […]
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Exploring Mount Mulanje: Malawi’s Island in the Sky
She spoke of challenging mountain trails and endless views and declared her three-day experience as the best one she’d had in Malawi. With just enough time in my trip and a hankering for something different, I too set off for Mount Mulanje.  My trip had started in Lilongwe, where I caught a 10-hour bus ride […]
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Discover Africa’s last old-growth forests, the earth’s second green lung
From California’s towering redwoods and British Columbia’s Giant Douglas firs, there are approximately 1.11 billion hectares of primeval forest left on earth, with significant tracts found in South America’s Amazon rainforest. Africa, meanwhile, is home to just 8% of the earth’s old-growth forest, but it plays a vital role in climate control and is lauded […]
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The mysterious lives of Mafia Island’s whale sharks
Masked, finned and ready to go, I follow our expert guide from Butiama Beach lodge, slipping into the water with far less grace than he. Most operators here strive for an ethical animal encounter, of which I’d been carefully briefed on the boat before. Always give a whale shark a comfortable berth and keep clear […]