"As a tour operator myself, you have done a wonderful collection of wildlife information and good preparation." — a verified buyer, April 2026. That review is the shortest accurate description of this book we've seen, so we're borrowing it.
The Mambo Safari Adventure Book is a 52-page, full-colour safari fact-and-activity book covering the national parks and wildlife of Kenya and Tanzania. It was written, illustrated and printed in Kenya by Aman Shah and Ruhan Shah, published by Xelq Ltd in 2025, and is available in English, Spanish and Italian for KES 1,250, shipping worldwide from Nairobi.
It's part guide, part quiz, part game, part story. Here's what's actually on the pages, and then the six ways we see people use it. (Product page: Mambo Safari Adventure Book.)
Part one: the places
The book opens with maps of both countries and their parks — in Kenya the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo, Meru, Samburu and Lake Nakuru; in Tanzania the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Arusha and Kilimanjaro. Each one gets what makes it different: why the Mara is the Mara in August, why Amboseli's elephants are the ones photographers wait for, why Tsavo's are red, why Ngorongoro is a bowl with everything in it.
Then a spread on the people of East Africa and some of the region's notable figures, and a Swahili section — the words you'll hear from the first game drive onwards. (If that's your thing, we wrote a whole post on the Swahili names of the animals.)
Part two: the animals — five Fives, not one
Everyone arrives knowing the Big Five. The book gives you four more lists to hunt for, and they change how you look out of the vehicle:
- The Little Five — the small namesakes of the big ones, from the elephant shrew to the rhino beetle
- The Shy Five — the ones you'll only see if you're patient (and lucky)
- The Beautiful Five and the Ugly Five — the two lists that start the loudest arguments in the car
After that: a bird-spotting section of around 50 species with tick boxes, Dudu Corner (the insects — dudu is Swahili for bug), and a page on the trees you keep driving past and can't name.
Part three: the activities
This is where the book earns the word "adventure". Every puzzle is built from the facts in parts one and two, so they double as revision:
- Wordsearches and two crosswords — one of them is a hesabu (maths) crossword
- Spot-the-difference and Doppelgangers (which animal is which?)
- Wild Safari match, sudoku and a maze
- Porini Quest — porini means "in the wild"
- Survival Trek — a board game printed across the spread; you supply the dice and something to use as counters
- A four-level trivia section plus riddles, from "easy on the first day" to "only the guide gets this one"
- Drawing pages
The answers are printed at the back, with a scrap page for working out.
Part four: the story
"Jellybean Goes on Safari" follows Jellybean the squirrel and Peanut the parrot across the country: Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Ol Pejeta → Samburu → Amboseli → Tsavo → Lamu Beach. It's the part that gets read aloud, and it's the reason the same two characters turn up again in Bahari Safari: Coastal Quest, where they carry on from Lamu around the Indian Ocean.
Six ways people actually use it
- Pre-safari homework. Read the park pages for where you're going, learn the Fives, and arrive with a checklist instead of a blank stare. The Little Five in particular get spotted by the people who knew to look.
- The drive. Nairobi to the Mara is five to six hours. The book is square, lies flat on a lap, and the puzzles are graded so nobody finishes it before Narok.
- In the vehicle, on the drive itself. The bird pages and the Fives are tick lists. It turns "what's that one?" into "found it — page 14".
- The keepsake afterwards. A finished, scribbled-in copy with a date on the scrap page is a better souvenir than most of what's sold at the airport.
- The classroom. Kenya and Tanzania geography, Swahili vocabulary, animal classification and reading comprehension in one book. The four trivia levels make ready-made differentiated tasks.
- The gift. For someone going on safari, someone who just came back, or someone who loves Africa from a distance. The Spanish and Italian editions exist because visitors kept asking for them.
What readers say
Seven reviews on our store so far, averaging 4.9 out of 5.
"I recently traveled to Kenya, and my children loved this book! From the history all the way to the engaging activities — especially the bird watching!"
"Lots of good information about Kenya and Tanzania and the local flora and fauna, put together clearly, lots of pictures and games and puzzles."
"A great book — will keep children and adults glued to the book."
Read them all, or add yours, on the product page.
Tips from us
- Pack a pencil, not a pen. The Survival Trek board game and the sudoku get reused.
- Do the Fives page before the first game drive, then keep the book open on that page in the vehicle.
- Buying for a Spanish- or Italian-speaking household? Pick the edition on the product page — same book, fully translated.
- Coming back with a finished book? Photograph the completed bird list. It's your sighting record.
Specifications
- 52 pages, full colour, square softcover, 23 × 23 cm
- Covers Kenya and Tanzania · answers included
- Editions: English, Spanish (Español), Italian (Italiano)
- Authors: Aman Shah & Ruhan Shah · Publisher: Xelq Ltd · ISBN 978-9914-37-720-0
- Written, illustrated and printed in Kenya
- KES 1,250 · free Nairobi delivery · ships worldwide · M-Pesa, card or PayPal
Questions people ask
Is it about Kenya or Tanzania?
Both, equally — six Kenyan parks and six Tanzanian ones, with maps of each country.
Are the answers in the book?
Yes, at the back. (Our coastal book, Bahari Safari, keeps its answers online instead.)
Which edition should I buy?
Whichever language the reader is most comfortable in. All three editions are the same 52 pages, fully translated, same price.
Who is it for?
Anyone going on safari, anyone who has been, and anyone curious about East Africa's wildlife. Families are our biggest buyers; guides and tour operators are the second.
Can I order it for a lodge, school or tour company?
Yes. Email info@mysafaribooks.com with the quantity and we'll send trade terms and a sample copy.
Does it ship internationally?
Yes, from Nairobi to anywhere, and free within Nairobi.
Pairs well with
- Bahari Safari: Coastal Quest — the same characters, four coastlines, the ocean.
- Big 5 Fridge Magnets — the Big Five from the book, on the fridge.
- Kenya Heritage Pencils — for the puzzles; made from recycled newspaper.
Planning the safari itself?
The book covers the parks; Holiday Bazaar in Nairobi covers getting you there. Their Kenya safaris and Tanzania safaris visit the same parks in the book, the Best of Kenya & Tanzania itinerary does both countries in one trip, and Fly Me Around Kenya is the version where you skip the long drives entirely (though then you'll need another excuse for the puzzles).
Flying in from abroad? Sort your data before you board: a Kenya or Tanzania travel eSIM from TravelNet arrives by email as a QR code and switches on when you land, so the first photo of the trip can leave the airport with you.
Read next
Get the Mambo Safari Adventure Book — KES 1,250 →
Sources and further reading
Park facts in the book are drawn from the Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzania National Parks; the rhino pages from Ol Pejeta Conservancy, home of the last two northern white rhinos.
Written by Ruhan Shah, co-author of the Mambo Safari Adventure Book and Bahari Safari: Coastal Quest, and a director at Holiday Bazaar, Nairobi. Updated 20SEP2026.