Welcome in Africa! Africa is not one place or an idea. It is massive continent (about twice the size of North America), with more than 40 independent countries. On a typical safari, you will be pampered as well as amazed at the visual and sensual splendor of the last truly wild big game areas on Earth. All you have to do is pack – how hard can that be?

In a previous post, I introduced Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, part of the 'secret' southern safari circuit. The main park of that region is actually the Selous Game Reserve, the largest game reserve in Africa and one of the world’s largest conserved areas. The Selous in combination with Zanzibar and its surrounding islands, are often referred to as a 'bush and beach' safari.

In his third article on alternatives to the Okavango Delta, Bushtracks guest blogger David Bristow paddles his canoe down the mighty Zambezi River to get away from the madding crowds and describes the stunning parks on either side of the river: Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia and Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.

In the second installment by David Bristow on alternatives to the Okavango Delta, we visit Zambia’s Luangwa Valley.

In the first of three blogs on beating the safari crowds in Southern Africa, Cape Town-based guest blogger David Bristow reveals some lesser-known destinations that you'll want to add to your safari bucket list. He begins with Kafue National Park in south-central Zambia. 

Bushtracks specialist guide and guest blogger David Bristow explains what makes February to April the best time to visit Cape Town, and how to make the most of your visit.

Where are the best safari destinations for birding safaris that showcase Africa's spectacular avian diversity? Cape Town-based guest blogger David Bristow shares his top two favorites.

Cape Town-based Bushtracks' guest blogger David Bristow describes Africa's lesser-known great migration:  tens of thousands of zebra and more moving in search of water in northern Botswana.

Bushtracks guest blogger and Africa travel expert David Bristow offers some good reasons why you may want to schedule your Serengeti migration safari for February or March: when people are few, and wildlife babies plentiful.

The Bale Mountains are to Ethiopia what Alaska is to the contiguous USA: a world apart where everything found there is like nothing found anywhere else. Ethiopia itself is like nowhere else, a cultural island with its own language, religion and history that can be traced back to the time of the Queen of Sheba.

Game viewing is something like fishing in that, even in the very best fishing holes, a catch can never be guaranteed. However, there is one place in Africa I know (and only one) where you can sit pretty much on your own and pull in whoppers from sun up to sun down. Its name is Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, but don’t tell anyone else or you’ll spoil the fishing.

Bushtracks' guest blogger David Bristow describes the remarkable Ethiopian rock churches of Lalibela, their history and efforts to protect the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bushtracks' August 2015 Africa by Private Jet expedition includes a guided visit to Lalibela and its hand-hewn stone churches.

Bushtracks guest blogger David Bristow describes the history, climate and landscape of South Africa's beloved Kruger National Park, and explains why it remains a must-see African safari destination for South Africans and everyone seeking an authentic African wildlife experience.

Bushtracks specialist guide and guest blogger, David Bristow, shares his tips on setting up your digital camera to take stunning photos of African wildlife on your photo safari.

Modern digital cameras are extremely complex machines. In the “olden days” of film cameras you had to think of only a few camera settings namely, film rating (ISO or the old ASA), shutter speed, depth of field and focus (often manual).

Bushtracks’ specialist guide and guest blogger David Bristow shares his secrets for taking the best action photos of African wildlife, where anticipating animal behavior while being patient will yield stunning African wildlife photography.

Having tackled the complex subject of camera technology, we can move on to the fun part of safari photography – “shooting” the game. The first thing you are going to want to do is get a decent image of those scenes and species that most interest you, let’s say “for the record.”

But those will seldom be the images that really excite you or others afterwards. The real magic of photography is and always has been about capturing a moment in time – either some dramatically lit scene, or movement of subjects, interaction, the chase, the kill….