The Wild Source Blog

We are lucky to have many travelers who continue to return on our safaris time and time again. If you are a seasoned pro of safari and looking for a new, adventurous destination to explore, read on.

We know the first quarter of the year for many of you is travel planning time. With that in mind, our planning team wanted to share a few tips from our insiders’ playbook to help you make the most of your safari planning for 2026, 2027, or even 2028.

Have you ever stepped into a camp, taken a deep breath, and instantly thought to yourself, “I’m home”? Well, that’s exactly how I felt the moment I arrived at Papa’s Camp in Uganda.

I've been on a lot of safaris over the years. I've driven across thousands of miles of Africa (and walked a fair bit too). Here's why the Republic of Congo is an entirely different kind of African safari experience.

Getting ready for an African safari or dreaming about one? You’ll probably hear plenty of new words while you’re out in the bush or researching for your trip. Here’s your A to Z safari glossary to help you keep up with the lingo.

For many travelers, embarking on a mountain gorilla trek is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you have the opportunity to do it even once, consider yourself incredibly fortunate. But one question I’m often asked is: Is it worth doing again? My wholehearted answer is yes.

In February 2025, my partner Aidan and I had the chance to visit Kenya, our first time in Africa!

Mountain lion, puma, panther, wildcat, catamount, painter, cougar—different names, same animal. Puma concolor holds the Guinness record for the animal with the greatest number of names, a species so widespread and culturally significant that in English alone it has more than 40. Historically ranging from Northern Canada to South America and from coast to coast, these cats are adaptable to many environments. Though largely extirpated from the eastern United States, they remain populous in many regions, including Los Angeles, one of only two megacities (over 10 million residents) where large cats live.

I visited Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park in June 2024, and was the first team member from The Wild Source to do so! The park is set on the stunning Zambezi River, with lovely views across the river into Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park and the escarpment beyond.

For most people, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Uganda is the mountain gorillas. What many people don’t realize is that the country is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife on par with its more popular neighboring safari destinations. Beyond the classic favorites, Uganda boasts some unique individuals that you won’t easily find elsewhere, such as shoebills, chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, southern white rhinos, and the golden monkeys. This sets Uganda apart, offering far more than just gorilla trekking with a variety of flora and fauna that is well worth the trip.

If you were to Google “most dangerous animals in Africa,” hippopotamuses are sure to appear on the list. Many sources claim hippos kill an average of 500 people per year, and some even say they are the most dangerous land animal in Africa, more than lions or any of the Big Five—but is this true?

As a safari planner I often hear from guests that are looking for authentic experiences to incorporate into their wildlife safari. I feel proud to be able to tell them that a safari with The Wild Source is in and of itself an authentic experience. Each trip is crafted with the guest in mind and our amazing guides and teams we work with are encouraged to be uniquely themselves. So we can tick that box without hesitation. But I understand that what our travelers might be asking for is something beyond the safari, another opportunity to experience something unexpected or to form a deep connection with the continent. With that I will share an experience of my own. Perhaps it will trigger some unique ideas or inspirations for your own authentic travel.

Last week, The Wild Source team, along with family and friends, visited Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, and Badlands National Park in South Dakota. We had a wonderful time exploring on game drives in our American safari vehicle, the Roaming Bison.

For many, trekking with the endangered mountain gorillas is a bucket list item, and with good reason. For every gorilla family there are only eight permits issued per day, making the experience highly sought after.

As an avid traveler and voracious reader, I love sharing books that inspire me, especially those connected to my work as a wildlife biologist. I've long been fascinated by Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas, three pioneering scientists who defied expectations and made extraordinary contributions to our understanding of primates. At a time when few women were active in the field, they broke barriers, made groundbreaking discoveries, and devoted their lives to studying and protecting our closest living relatives.

This post is all about giving some overdue attention to the unsung heroes of the African landscape: the ungulates. These hoofed mammals make up the majority of what you'll actually see on safari. Sure, everyone knows giraffes and zebras, but what about the elegant kudu, the long-necked gerenuk, or the tiny dik-dik? They may not be household names, but they’ve got just as much charm, and it’s about time they got some love.

Most wildlife enthusiasts are familiar with Tanzania’s Great Migration where roughly 1.5 million wildebeest and 500 thousand zebra and other ungulates journey across Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and into Kenya’s Masai Mara.

After reading through dozens of packings lists, you’ve decided to bring your own binoculars on safari and started researching what to buy, but the world of binoculars feels like a foreign language. This surface-level guide will break down the essential terms and features you need to know without getting lost in the weeds.