Travel Africa

27/08/2026

Look what we found in Exclusive Books at Johannesburg airport…

There’s something rather special about seeing Travel Africa on the shelves in Africa — particularly at an airport, where people are setting off on adventures, returning home with stories, or already wondering where they might go next.

If you’re passing through OR Tambo, keep an eye out for us! And if you ever spot the magazine somewhere on your travels, do send us a photograph. It genuinely makes our day.

27/08/2026

What exactly are you looking at?
The more time you spend in the bush, the less you look for an entire animal. Instead, you notice what is slightly out of place: a curve that isn’t quite a branch, an ear breaking the line of the grass, or an impala staring rather too intently in one direction.
It’s a skill we develop over time — although some of us develop it rather more successfully than others.

Wildlife and travel artist Shelly Perkins (Shelly Perkins Illustration) can spot a caracal sitting motionless in long grass from a hundred metres away. In our latest story, she considers how guides and experience have taught her to look into the bush rather than simply at it.

Are you the sharp-eyed spotter in your safari vehicle — or the person still searching after everyone else has put down their binoculars?

Read Shelly’s story here: https://travelafricamag.com/blog/what-are-you-looking-at-anyway

Image credit © Shelly Perkins

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

This little notice board caught my eye each morning at Iganyana Tented Camp in Hwange NP, Zimbabwe.

We stayed there for 3 nights in May this year, and it was a charming place to base ourselves while we searched fruitlessly for the cheetah mom and her cubs who had claimed territory in the vlei nearby. We never ‘spotted’ them, but it wasn’t for lack of trying!

We have so many wonderful little moments to remember from our safari, all generously stitched together for us by Nature.



All photos © Sherry Rix, Travel Africa magazine

20/08/2026

Do we underestimate what animals feel?
While researching pangolins in South Africa, Sarah Marshall joined a team monitoring animals that had been rescued from poachers and released back into the wild.
She expected the female pangolin they were checking to disappear into her burrow. Instead, she walked towards Sarah, rested her front legs on her lap and began to sniff her.
For a creature that had suffered so much at human hands, her apparent curiosity — and trust — was deeply moving.
Was Sarah reading too much into the encounter? Or do we sometimes underestimate the emotional lives of wild animals?
Read Sarah’s story, then tell us: have you ever shared a moment with an animal that made you wonder what it might be thinking or feeling?

https://travelafricamag.com/blog/do-we-underestimate-what-animals-feel



Picture credit © Sarah Marshall

18/08/2026

A quick heads-up about Issue 113 - it may cause your Africa wish list to grow... considerably!

Our forthcoming issue is filled with places being revived, wild spaces opening up and fresh possibilities for where and how you might travel next.

We revisit Greater Kruger and the Okavango Delta, explore the remarkable rise of Laikipia, consider the future of wonderfully wild Katavi and point you towards some places we think deserve a position on your radar.

It may answer the question “Where next?” Or it may leave you wondering “How many trips can I reasonably fit in?” 😉

Issue 113 will be sent to subscribers in early September. Pre-order your copy now, or renew your subscription if it is due, to make sure you don’t miss it.

https://www.mymagazinesub.co.uk/travel-africa/subscriptions/

Already subscribed? Happy days, there’s nothing you need to do, the mag will be with you very soon.

13/08/2026

Why do we sleep so well on safari?

Someone else has done the driving. We’ve probably had a substantial lunch, quite possibly followed by an afternoon nap. We’ve barely exerted ourselves at all.

And yet, come 10pm, there’s something about lying in the darkness listening to the sounds of the bush that seems to send us into the deepest sleep imaginable.

Long-time Travel Africa subscriber Richard Hiles got us thinking about this after replying to one of our recent Shamwari conversations. He writes beautifully about drifting off to the sound of reed frogs, briefly waking to a distant lion (or the leopard sawing outside his tent) and then slowly coming round again at first light.

His reply was too good not to share, so we’ve published it on our website here https://travelafricamag.com/blog/sleeping-on-safari

We’ve added our own late-night safari encounter too, involving an elephant, a winterthorn tree and the frustrating realisation the following morning that we’d somehow managed to fall asleep while it was still outside our tent… 🐘

Do you sleep particularly well on safari? And what sounds have woken you in the middle of the night?

We’d love to hear your stories around the virtual campfire (in the comments below 😊)



Picture credit © VIP3Rmedia, Shutterstock. Rufiji River Camp, Foxes Safari Camps Tanzania

07/08/2026

Pencils and paint…
Can you guess what national park is the focus of this map?
We hand-draw then paint our maps with layers of watercolour, adding roads, rivers and country borders in fine liner once it’s dry.
Maps help give context to the stories we tell, and we love making our own, complete with the odd imperfection to add character 😉
This is just one of the many little details being sent off to our designer as the next issue takes shape.
Don’t forget to let us know in the comments if you know which iconic national park this is…

06/08/2026

What would YOU do if you were ready for another big adventure?

After retiring from a successful career as a globe-trotting lawyer, lifelong photographer John Balsdon wanted a new purpose, and something substantial to get his teeth into.

He found it in the Cape to Cape Challenge: a 20,000-kilometre drive from Nordkapp in Norway to Cape Agulhas in South Africa.

John and his expedition team completed the journey in 28 days and eight hours, breaking a record that had stood for 42 years. Along the way, they faced six-hour border crossings, difficult roads, extremes of temperature and stretches of driving that seemed almost impossible.

But this story is about more than the record. It’s about seeing retirement as an opportunity to find a new purpose and have a crack at something you love.

In our latest Shamwari Conversation, John talks to Graeme Green about the highs and lows of the journey, the welcome his team received in Nigeria and the African landscapes he is already returning to photograph.

Read the full interview here: https://travelafricamag.com/blog/new-horizons

John’s story sounds epic - makes you think “What adventures might still be waiting for the rest of us?” Perhaps yours would involve a cross-country journey, helping with a conservation project, learning a new skill or taking on a challenge to raise money for wildlife. Who knows, but the possibilities are endless…

If time, age and practicalities were no obstacle, what would you love to do? Tell us in the comments—your idea might just inspire someone else.

All pictures © John Balsdon

30/07/2026

What makes a great wildlife photograph?

A rare sighting, the best light, or the sharpest image?

For Helen Webb, it's much simpler than that.
"The best wildlife photographs don't simply record what you saw. They remind you exactly how it felt to be there."

In our latest Shamwari Conversation, Helen reflects on the lessons she's learned from leading photographic safaris—and why, every now and then, the best thing you can do is put your camera down, close your eyes and simply listen.

Has there ever been a safari moment you chose not to photograph because you simply wanted to experience it fully instead? Let us know in the comments below…

You can read Helen's story, and see some of her wildlife images, here https://travelafricamag.com/wildlife-photography-how-hard-can-it-be

Image credit © Helen Webb