Wildlife of East Africa (Princeton Pocket Guides) Paperback – August 11, 2002

I thought I knew enough about mammal species to get by on a Tanzania trip without a book like this and I didn't have too much interest in birds. After all, the guides can usually answer most of those questions.THANK GOODNESS I brought this book anyways. Our guide was fantastic but sometimes we were seeing so many species at once that it was hard to keep up. This book was great to look back at after the fact to remember which ones we had seen, especially birds. And it turns out, I loved the birds!It has been great for ID'ing species in my pictures and I especially liked that it has some plants too. It was small and lightweight enough that I was able to easily make space in my daypack, though it was in my hand for most of the trip.Our guide liked the book so much that I gifted it to him at the end of our trip. I ordered another one while standing in the airport and received it just as I was coming out of my jet lag stupor a few days later.

Go-To book in terms of identifying the animals and wildlife that I had so magnificently photographed.

Help tourists or travelers to understand more details of wildlife animals in East Africa

I love that it's pocket-sized and has almost every animal and plant I saw in three weeks in Rwanda and Tanzania. However, it gives almost no information about where any of the animals could be found. Just one sentence each to at least include the country would be nice, and especially naming famous parks would be helpful.

I just got back from a safari to Uganda and Kenya and found this to be perhaps the most useful book of the small library I brought with me. When you're on a safari, you want something that is small, light, and informative. This book is all three of those things. I could easily fit it in my backpack without adding much weight. It is fairly comprehensive, covering birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. It usually has two good photos for each species, allowing for easy identification. One of the features I really liked is that the lefthand margin of each page is left blank. Intentionally or not, this proved really useful as an area to write the date of when you spotted that particular animal or other notes. I checked off each species I saw and wrote the date beside it, which I am now using as I go through my photos and try to identify them all. Perhaps the best compliment I can give this book is that it came home more bent up and dirtier from such frequent use than any of my other books.The only drawback to the book is that does not contain every important species you might see on your trip. I'd say it covers maybe 95% of the animals you're likely to see, but I also found the missing 5% to be frustrating. For example, it doesn't have the Great Blue Turaco or the Shoebill, beautiful birds that I saw in Uganda. For the former, I can perhaps understand since the Great Blue Turaco's range in East Africa is limited to the westernmost portions. Still, I hope future editions of the book include even more wildlife.

Just returned from two weeks of safari in Tanzania. Before we left I scoured Amazon and the reviews of which would be the best field guides to take. The consensus was heavily in favour of the Withers and the Estes. I am glad of all the frank and honest reviews because they were SPOT on!! The guide is easy to understand; not filled with a lot of scientific jargon. The Withers helps you spot and decipher one gazelle from another. The Estes book fills you in on animal behavior in great depth. Take the Withers with you in the Land Cruiser and keep the Estes at the lodge for a great evening read. The Withers features great pictures that clearly show the animal. Thankful for all the birds, reptiles and even trees along with their descriptions. It's size is perfect for throwing into your day pack. Keep a pen tucked inside to note where you see the amazing animals of East Africa. Wishes for future editions would be the inclusion of common insects. Beautiful butterflies and giant grasshoppers remain nameless to us. How to tell the difference between a regular fly and a Tse Tse fly would be very helpful!!!. Thankfully our guide knew! Ouch! Enjoy your journey in East Africa. For us it was magical.

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.Update: 3/2013I have just placed an order for another 6 of these books...they are great gift for my clients. I noticed on my last trip this was also the book being used by the guide...although I thought he should have had a more complete book, such as Safari Companion in addition. This is perfect for average safari goer. Mine has lasted me through about 8 trips to Africa. Binding is sturdy and has not disintegrated yet! I will buy another for myself if it gives out!

I bought this as a bird book for our Masai Mara and Serengeti trip. I didn’t want to carry a large bird book. This had about 90-95% of the 110 bird species that we saw and was easy to use. I am a wildlife biologist and birder and was happy with this purchase based on its compact size.