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The Journal

Stories from the
Wild Heart of Africa

Expert guides, safari secrets and the insider knowledge that turns a good trip into an unforgettable journey.

1230Expert Guides
18+Years Experience
10Destinations
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The Beyond Africa View

We write about Africa the way rangers tell stories around the fire — no clickbait, no filler, just the truth.

Every article is researched on safari, fact-checked by guides, and written for travellers who want substance over SEO. This is Africa unfiltered.

Our Latest

Expert Travel Guides

Deep-dive destination guides, safari planning tips, and local insights from our team of specialists — each article crafted to help you plan the journey of a lifetime.

Showing 13 of 1230 guides

A single African wild dog in warm Kalahari light, huge rounded ears and white-tipped tail catching the low sun
Editor's Pick
Wildlife

African Wild Dog Facts: The Painted Hunter Most People Never See (2026)

The African wild dog is the predator safari-goers ask about least and remember most. It is not a dog and not a wolf but the only living member of its own genus, wears a mottled coat unique to every individual, and hunts with a success rate that leaves lions and hyenas far behind. This is the full story — where the name painted wolf comes from, how a pack feeds its sick and its young, how it votes on when to hunt with a sneeze, how many of the roughly 6,600 left survive in the wild, and the best places in Africa to watch a pack run.

4 November 2026·15 min read·Read Article →
An African leopard walking through green bush in Kruger, rosettes sharp in the low light, eyes fixed ahead
Wildlife15 min read

Leopard Facts: The Truth About Africa's Most Secretive Big Cat (2026)

The leopard is the most adaptable big cat on earth and the hardest to see. It ranges from rainforest to desert edge, hunts alone and after d…

4 November 2026Read →
A spotted hyena in sharp profile on the open plains at golden hour, ears forward and alert
Wildlife15 min read

Spotted Hyena Facts: The Truth About Africa's Most Misunderstood Predator (2026)

The spotted hyena has spent a century being written off as a cowardly scavenger. The truth is almost the opposite. It runs some of the large…

4 November 2026Read →
An elephant herd at the water, shot low from a Chobe photographic boat — the signature frame of a hosted African photo safari tour
Safari14 min read

Best African Photo Safari Tours 2026/2027 | Hosted Departures & Prices

For years the finest hosted photo safaris in Africa have run under one name on the Chobe — Pangolin Photo Safaris, with their camera boats, …

3 November 2026Read →
A lioness in low golden grass at first light — the kind of frame a well-planned African photographic safari package is built to give you
Safari15 min read

Best African Photographic Safari Packages 2026-2027 | Private & Priced

A photographic safari asks for different things than an ordinary one — the right light, the right angle, a vehicle or boat that holds for th…

3 November 2026Read →
Kateka Safari & Wellness Review: A Boutique Wellness Lodge in the Klaserie, Greater Kruger
Lodges & Reserves16 min read

Kateka Safari & Wellness Review: A Boutique Wellness Lodge in the Klaserie, Greater Kruger

An honest review of Kateka Safari & Wellness — a boutique five-star lodge of just six units for a maximum of sixteen guests in the Klaserie,…

2 November 2026Read →
A lion pride at last light in the greater Kruger around Kapama Private Game Reserve — the setting for the best Kapama safari packages of 2026-2027
Safari14 min read

Best Kapama Safari Packages 2026-2027 | Private, Luxury & All-Inclusive

Kapama Private Game Reserve is 15,000 hectares of private Big Five country in the greater Kruger, ten minutes from Hoedspruit and under an h…

1 November 2026Read →
Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve Review: An Honest Look at the Safari Near Plett
Lodges & Reserves12 min read

Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve Review: An Honest Look at the Safari Near Plett

An honest review of Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve — a malaria-free, family-friendly reserve about 15 to 20 minutes from Plett town, with rhin…

1 November 2026Read →
The Best Luxury Safari in South Africa (2026/2027): Ranked by a Local Specialist
Luxury Safari18 min read

The Best Luxury Safari in South Africa (2026/2027): Ranked by a Local Specialist

A Cape Town specialist's honest, ranked guide to the best luxury safari in South Africa — Sabi Sand, the Greater Kruger, malaria-free Madikw…

1 November 2026Read →
The Best Safari Lodges & Game Reserves on the Garden Route (2026/2027)
Lodges & Reserves16 min read

The Best Safari Lodges & Game Reserves on the Garden Route (2026/2027)

A Cape Town specialist's honest guide to the best safari lodges and game reserves on the Garden Route and its neighbouring Karoo — Gondwana,…

1 November 2026Read →
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge Review: Hippos, Meerkats & the Klein Karoo
Lodges & Reserves13 min read

Buffelsdrift Game Lodge Review: Hippos, Meerkats & the Klein Karoo

An honest review of Buffelsdrift Game Lodge outside Oudtshoorn — a 3,000-hectare malaria-free reserve built around a hippo waterhole, with a…

1 November 2026Read →
Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape at dusk on the bank of the Great Ruaha River — a villa and infinity pool lit against the Ruaha bush
luxury-safari15 min read

Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape Review 2027: Banyan Tree's First African Safari Lodge on the Great Ruaha

Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape is the first safari lodge the Banyan Tree group has opened in Africa, and it sits on the bank of the Great Ruaha…

31 October 2026Read →
A safari vehicle of travellers watching the plains at sunset on a small group safari across Kenya and Tanzania
Safari14 min

Small Group Safari in Kenya and Tanzania: How It Really Works

A small group safari is the middle ground most people are actually looking for: you travel on a set date with a handful of other travellers,…

30 October 2026Read →
Where Our Guests Stay

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Hand-selected luxury lodges and camps that define the African safari experience — each one vetted personally by our team.

Singita Boulders

Singita Boulders

Sabi Sands, South Africa
&Beyond Sandibe

&Beyond Sandibe

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One&Only Gorilla's Nest

One&Only Gorilla's Nest

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Royal Livingstone

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Africa is not a place you visit. It is a place that visits you — and stays with you, forever.
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The Full Library

Every Guide, One Place

Browse all 1230 expert guides by topic — tap a collection to open it, from first safari to the last river crossing.

Safari GuidesBig Five, national parks and the art of the game drive.1042
DestinationsWhere to go across Africa, decoded region by region.56
ItinerariesDay-by-day routes, ready to shape your own journey.9
WildlifeThe great migrations, predators and rare encounters.17
LuxuryPrivate lodges, tented camps and the finest suites.48
Cape Town & Garden RouteTable Mountain, winelands and coastal drives.45
HoneymoonRomantic escapes for two, from bush to beach.9
Planning & CostsBudgets, best times and the practical know-how.4
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