Wildlife of East Africa (Princeton Pocket Guides)

I am a travel agent, and have made 5 trips (and counting) to Africa. This book is the best portable field guide I have found, and I have bought about 5 or 6 different guides. I chose this one to give to each of my clients on the last trip I escorted to Kenya and Tanzania. It is quite complete and includes the birds as well as the animals we all love to see. Of course, it is not as complete in describing animal mating and social behaviour as The Safari Companion but the latter is a book usually in the Safari Vehicles with the guides. You can easily slip it in with your camera or large pocket along with a highlighter to check off your sightings.

This book was perfect for my three-week safari to Kenya and Tanzania. It had all of the 40+ animals and most of the 60+ (80? 100?) birds I saw. I wrote directly into the book: date of sighting, # of photo(s), where seen, etc. Others on the trip often asked to borrow it or to have me read about the animals/birds we spotted. It didn't have a few of the more unusual birds so it might not be right for birders or may only be an animal supplement for them but it is perfect for the rest of us. I had read one of the recommendations here before purchase and it was right on! Thanks!!

Excellent quality photographs. If you are going to Africa, you need to know how to identify animals other than lions and zebras. This book is a goldmine.

I've just returned from safari in Tanzania, where this guide proved extremely helpful. It's small and lightweight -- check out its dimensions and weight in comparison to others. Yet it seems indestructable after several weeks of heavy use, high humidity and occasional rains. Nearly everything I wanted to identify could be found here: mammals and birds, not to mention reptiles, turtles and some trees. The index was simple for a novice to use (omitting most of the Latin names). The pictures and descriptions then helped make identifications fairly easy. There are many guides available. Those who saw my Withers and Hosking, however, were quick to approve of its ease of use.

The Wildlife of East Africa was a most valuable asset to me while on Safari in Northern Tanzania. I was able to easily locate, identify, and review the bird and animal sightings and identify by name those that were not familiar to me. I was the envy of the rest of my group. No one else had a handbook that was quite as handy in information and size.