Fascinating Africa
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Find the perfect African wildlife course for a short break, holiday, gap year or career break. Cramm In particular the flora and fauna of the savanna.
This is Fascinating Africa, my tribute to the wildlife that lives on this vast continent. At the beginning of 2013 I decided to quit my job and head to Africa so I could live my life long dream of being a safari guide. I never knew how easy it would be to realise a dream but it was. I signed up for a 11 month Professional Safari Guide course which included a work placement. My time in Africa was s
imply incredible and I wouldn’t swap if for the world. Fast forward to now and the launch of Fascinating Africa. It’s a way of keeping my African dream alive, a vehicle that will allow me to share what I’ve learnt and continue to learn. During my training I struggled to find one source of short sharp facts that I could use to wow my guests. Instead I trawled through text book after text book looking for the killer ones. I made copious notes and continue to do so. The job is not over yet, now I need your help as prospective or seasoned safari guests. Which of these facts do you find the most fascinating? Let me know by voting for your favourite. The majority of fact based websites that I found were aimed at children and I hope that children enjoy this website too. However, it’s important to engage the adult decision makers of today. Through the voting mechanic I’m confident that I’ve stumbled across an application that will fit neatly into people’s hectic lives. It’s not just about cute meerkats. The website covers many different wildlife categories from reptiles and amphibians to invertebrates and trees. That being said the majority of profiles written so far are for mammals. Rest assured that the content across all categories will grow over time. I’ve not found all the best facts so please let me know any real gems that I may have missed. There’s a simple form to complete. Likewise, if there’s a species you would like me to cover next or if I’ve made an error then do tell me. Fascinating Africa is not just about facts, it’s about bringing a community together that’s interested in learning more about the featured wildlife. Those wanting to delve further should check out the many courses and events that are on offer. From my own personal experience I can highly recommend the Professional Safari Guide course which I opted for as a career break. Please get involved – vote, share, contribute and learn about the fascinating continent that is Africa. Thank you for visiting,
James Bailey
10/12/2020
07/12/2020
Your first-ever safari is for the Big 5, the second is for the Small 5, and you come to Northern Kruger for the Makuleke 5.
07/12/2020
Exciting news - the Herd of Hope has migrated to its new home!
From the plains of Kenya to the heart of London, our bronze elephant sculpture exhibit is now making its way through the iconic Spitalfields E1 Market in London. Our herd, which were brought to life by artists Gillie and Marc Art, first arrived in London in December 2019, taking up residence in Marble Arch. Now they have migrated across the capital to enjoy a new habitat and engage even more people at Spitalfields Market!
Free to visit, you can walk amongst our 21 life-sized bronze elephants roaming around the Market and get to know each of the 20 smaller orphan elephants which represent real-life orphans in our care. As well as featuring the name of the elephant they symbolise, each orphan has a scannable QR code allowing you to watch their rescue videos and directly support their rehabilitation journey so that even if you can’t visit us in East Africa, you have another opportunity to join our herd.
Whether you plan your visit now or for later in the year, don’t forget to take photos and share these on your social media accounts using the hashtag to help us spread the word. Find out more at: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/herd-of-hope
06/12/2020
Great video by the African Plant Hunter on the leadwood https://youtu.be/BanQIfAdiWY
The Herero call it "Omumborombonga", the sacred tree from which the first human (Makuru) descended. Its scientific names is Combretum imberbe, part of the la...
04/12/2020
03/12/2020
21/11/2020
Everything you need to know about the Big-5 in short sharp facts to impress:
http://fascinatingafrica.com/big-5-facts/
Africa's big five are named as the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. We've picked the top five facts for each of the Big 5.
20/11/2020
Balancing act!
'A baby elephant is reaching for the water at Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana.' Sabine
Image by Pangolin Photo host Sabine Stols Wildlife Photography
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens
Focal length: 560mm
ISO: 400
F stop: f/5.6
Exposure time: 1/1600 sec
Evaluative metering: -1/3
16/11/2020
Rhodes of Shangani Trails describes the musth swagger of an elephant http://fascinatingafrica.com/swagger-odour-musth-elephant/
Shangani Trails' guide Rhodes Bezuidenhout of recounts a trip to Kruger National Park in which he witnesses the musth swagger of an elephant.
14/11/2020
04/11/2020
I'm extremely grateful to Rhodes of Shangani Trails for writing this fantastic and comprehensive guide to musth in elephant bulls. https://fascinatingafrica.com/elephant-musth-guide/
A complete guide to the condition of musth in bull elephants written by a specialist safari guide. The overview includes video.
30/10/2020
Looks like an incredible trail, white rhino too!
20/10/2020
20/10/2020
17/10/2020
15/10/2020
Healthy, functional drinks, boosted with the legendary African baobab superfruit.
14/10/2020
13/10/2020
Hidden camera's hugging tiger wins wildlife photo award https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54518336
A camera-trap image of an Amur tiger takes the grand prize at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020.
13/10/2020
How long did it take you to see what this is?
Watch the announcement of The Wildlife Photographer of the Year live on YouTube tonight http://ow.ly/gBOy50BR8Cs
Image credit: Eye of the drought by Jose Fragozo. Highly Commended 2020, Animal Portraits.
13/10/2020
10/10/2020
Rhodes of Shangani Trails shares the ultimate guide to walking safaris. Using his experience of leading trails in Kruger National Park this blog post is jam packed with the best tips...
https://fascinatingafrica.com/guide-to-walking-safaris/
The ultimate guide to walking safaria in the African bush. What is a walking safari? What to take? What to do and not do? Includes tips, videos and photos.
29/09/2020
DURBAN, South Africa — South Africa is home to around 1,300 of the world’s roughly 7,100 remaining cheetahs. It’s also the only country in the world with significant cheetah population growth, thanks largely to a nongovernmental conservation project that depends on careful and intensive human ...
27/09/2020
BBC Africa featuring the Siana Conservancy community project
22/09/2020
Botswana: Mystery elephant deaths caused by cyanobacteria https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-54234396
Toxins made by algae in water holes caused 330 elephant deaths in Botswana earlier this year.
19/09/2020
Stunning photo of baobabs under the night sky.
'Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it.' Akan proverb
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art lens
Focal length: 14mm
ISO: 3200
F stop: f/2.8
300 frames @30 sec
16/09/2020
An exciting prospect
Our roan antelope (hippotragus equinus) males are due to be re-introduced to the wild when travel restrictions to Africa ease up. We love seeing them so at home at Watatunga and it has been wonderful to get them used to grazing and a certain amount of space, but even more wonderful to think of what lies ahead for them.
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