Field notes
Stories
Dispatches from our guides and planners — what the forest sounded like that morning, and what we got wrong on the way there.
Giraffes Return to Ajai: A Quiet Landmark for Uganda's North
At 11:15 a.m., a specialized truck carrying giraffes, accompanied by several support vehicles, began its journey to transport the towering giants to the 156-square-kilometre Ajai Wildlife Reserve in Madi Okollo District, West Nile.
Six Things We Learned the Hard Way (So You Don't Have To)
Never schedule a gorilla trek the morning after a long flight. The Mara is not one place. Rwandan roads are excellent; Ugandan roads are honest about what they are. The best meal of your trip will probably cost a dollar and be eaten standing up.
Seven Minutes with the Mubare Group
The rule in Bwindi is simple. One hour with the gorillas, then you leave. What nobody tells you is that the first seven minutes are the ones you'll remember.
The Crossing: Watching the Mara River From the Bank
A million animals move by instinct, not schedule. Sitting with guide Samuel Rotich on the red-soil bank of the Mara River, you learn that waiting is the whole point.
Laikipia at Night: What a Camera Can't Hold
After the sun drops behind the Aberdares, a different set of animals takes the stage. Aardvarks, genets, and a honey badger who ignores the vehicle entirely — the Laikipia Plateau after dark.
How to Plan a Family Safari That Works for Everyone
A nine-year-old and a fourteen-year-old experience the same game drive completely differently. Planning a family safari means accounting for both — and knowing which camps make it easy.