What do you think?
Rate this book
আফ্রিকার বনে-জঙ্গলে
Karamojo Safari is the tale of Walter Bell's epic journey into Karamojo (now Uganda & Kenya) some 100 years ago when it was still completely unknown to Western man. Bell's safari lasted 14 months, and during that time he shot 180 tuskers and brought back 18,762 pounds of ivory!!! Of these, 31 tusks weighed over 100 pounds each, and the largest pair weighed in at 145 and 148 pounds! Nobody has ever accomplished a feat like this, especially amazing considering the logistics of his day.
Karamojo Safari is one of the finest stories ever written on hunting the African elephant. Starting out from the coast of Kenya, Bell takes a long safari into the interior of what was then the darkest of Darkest Africa. In this tale, Bell leads us through the entire safari, beginning with assembling a huge retinue of porters and climaxing when he returns laden with a staggering amount of ivory.
Not only is this a superb hunting story, but Karamojo Safari also offers true insight into the lives of African natives before colonization. Because Bell approached his crew and the tribes he met as equals, we get an unbiased account of what life in Africa really was like in precolonial days. The descriptive quality of Bell's writings is some of the finest ever recorded, and this high-quality, facsimile reprint brings Bell's beloved tale to life once again.
Karamojo Safari is one of the finest stories ever written on hunting the African elephant. Starting out from the coast of Kenya, Bell takes a long safari into the interior of what was then the darkest of Darkest Africa. In this tale, Bell leads us through the entire safari, beginning with assembling a huge retinue of porters and climaxing when he returns laden with a staggering amount of ivory.
Not only is this a superb hunting story, but Karamojo Safari also offers true insight into the lives of African natives before colonization. Because Bell approached his crew and the tribes he met as equals, we get an unbiased account of what life in Africa really was like in precolonial days. The descriptive quality of Bell's writings is some of the finest ever recorded, and this high-quality, facsimile reprint brings Bell's beloved tale to life once again.
- GenresAfrica
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
85 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 13, 2021
Well written book by a master hunter
I enjoyed this book immensely, though I had to keep reminding myself that social conditions were very different when Bell wrote. Killing elephant as wantonly as Bell did would gain him a great deal of opprobrium today. However, it is an amazing book, both because of his descriptions of his hunting technique and because of his fine descriptions of the people, places and conditions in which he hunted. Bell's amazing courage is something at which I often marveled, as well as his shooting skill under the pressure of a charging elephant. Good read!
I enjoyed this book immensely, though I had to keep reminding myself that social conditions were very different when Bell wrote. Killing elephant as wantonly as Bell did would gain him a great deal of opprobrium today. However, it is an amazing book, both because of his descriptions of his hunting technique and because of his fine descriptions of the people, places and conditions in which he hunted. Bell's amazing courage is something at which I often marveled, as well as his shooting skill under the pressure of a charging elephant. Good read!
January 20, 2025
Remember when it was written.
Outstanding. Not only is the hunting information educational, Bells insight to the indigenous people is fascinating. Written in a long ago time. Most maps had thousands of square miles of blank white spaces. Taking 10, 20 or even more elephants in one day was considered a "good hunt". This book takes the reader on an adventure that can never be repeated on Earth. Perhaps in the future such hunts will happen on some far distant planet. The necessity of " taming the wildlands" will occur again. And men (and women) of the same cut as Bell will explore the unknown frontiers.
Outstanding. Not only is the hunting information educational, Bells insight to the indigenous people is fascinating. Written in a long ago time. Most maps had thousands of square miles of blank white spaces. Taking 10, 20 or even more elephants in one day was considered a "good hunt". This book takes the reader on an adventure that can never be repeated on Earth. Perhaps in the future such hunts will happen on some far distant planet. The necessity of " taming the wildlands" will occur again. And men (and women) of the same cut as Bell will explore the unknown frontiers.
February 12, 2021
Great learning experience
From the professional, you get knowledge, if your smart enough to listen. If not its your life. Take it for what it is, experience. Most will not have the opportunity to hunt Africa's big game, nowadays the cost is prohibited except for the ultra rich. Having had the opportunity to bow hunt in Africa, it was an experience of a life time, would I do it again, likely not. Kinda like would you go thru Marine Corp boot camp again, likely not. But the experience gained is beyond belief.
Rock on
From the professional, you get knowledge, if your smart enough to listen. If not its your life. Take it for what it is, experience. Most will not have the opportunity to hunt Africa's big game, nowadays the cost is prohibited except for the ultra rich. Having had the opportunity to bow hunt in Africa, it was an experience of a life time, would I do it again, likely not. Kinda like would you go thru Marine Corp boot camp again, likely not. But the experience gained is beyond belief.
Rock on
April 30, 2022
Africa at its best
When men hazard their lives far from the comforts of civilization. No doctors or peace officers at your beck and call! It's evident that Mr Bell had lots of respect for the locals and they for him! Some will be turned off by what they will view as the whole sale slaughter of game animals but they are for the most part used for the overall good of the populace as well as the enrichment of the writer. It was another day and another time and we should be careful of our judgement of people whose values doesn't jive with our modern times!
When men hazard their lives far from the comforts of civilization. No doctors or peace officers at your beck and call! It's evident that Mr Bell had lots of respect for the locals and they for him! Some will be turned off by what they will view as the whole sale slaughter of game animals but they are for the most part used for the overall good of the populace as well as the enrichment of the writer. It was another day and another time and we should be careful of our judgement of people whose values doesn't jive with our modern times!
August 8, 2020
A very good read
It was a very different time, and the volume of killing is offensive by modern standards, however Bell does an excellent job of putting you in the action and of giving the reader a real sense of what Africa was like historically. The risks these early hunters took, the courage to wander so far from any support of civilization and to brave mother nature are almost unbelievable
It was a very different time, and the volume of killing is offensive by modern standards, however Bell does an excellent job of putting you in the action and of giving the reader a real sense of what Africa was like historically. The risks these early hunters took, the courage to wander so far from any support of civilization and to brave mother nature are almost unbelievable
December 17, 2023
This is a book of another time. I had to think of how numerous the buffalo were in North America in the mid 1800s, to relate to the amount of game he sees in Africa. He is an elephant hunter and everything in the book is about how he bags these great animals. He doesn't talk much about the native people, but when he does it is mostly with respect. He was hunting lions for Uganda Railway when he was 16. A very different life.
Read
September 13, 2020Outstanding description of life on early safari shooting elephant.
This is a time of only a few years in history that will never be repeated again. For the hunter and for the historian this is a must read and because it is so well written, an easy read. It also gives a great view of what the early natives of Africa we like.
This is a time of only a few years in history that will never be repeated again. For the hunter and for the historian this is a must read and because it is so well written, an easy read. It also gives a great view of what the early natives of Africa we like.
November 1, 2021
A GREAT READ EVEN FOR A NON-HUNTER
As promised in the introductory material, this is the real Africa. No political, ‘Communist’ t shirts or such. No post colonial pseudo Anglo bureaucrats. The big surprise was Bell’s writing skills. He writes as well as he shot and we knew how good that was.
As promised in the introductory material, this is the real Africa. No political, ‘Communist’ t shirts or such. No post colonial pseudo Anglo bureaucrats. The big surprise was Bell’s writing skills. He writes as well as he shot and we knew how good that was.
July 29, 2021
Stopped reading the book at Chapter 7. Have never read a book that takes such delight in the killing of these beautiful animals for nothing other than pure greed. Not worth reading any further!!!! I guess one has to be sadist to enjoy this type of book!!! It’s not for me thanks!!!
November 29, 2023
interesting throwback
A fun little read about the glory days of the ivory safari. Bell has written one of the more informative books about what elephant hunting was like over 100 years ago.
A fun little read about the glory days of the ivory safari. Bell has written one of the more informative books about what elephant hunting was like over 100 years ago.
August 31, 2025
An amazing man at an amazing period in time.
This is an exciting book to read if you are a hunter. Actually, it's hard to put it down once you start reading it. Truly one of the great "White Hunters" of all time.
This is an exciting book to read if you are a hunter. Actually, it's hard to put it down once you start reading it. Truly one of the great "White Hunters" of all time.
April 20, 2021
Great book
I enjoyed reading about Africa in 1900 and the freedoms to travel and hunt. The book was very well written and is highly recommended.
I enjoyed reading about Africa in 1900 and the freedoms to travel and hunt. The book was very well written and is highly recommended.
December 28, 2021
An era of hunting that is gone forever. Good book.
December 10, 2021
One of the great hunters of elephants in Africa before it was settled. Read all of his books and see what Africa was really like.
December 7, 2025
I had looked for this book for a long time before I finally was able to get my hands on a copy. I really wanted (and expected) to love this book, as it is a biography from one of the greatest ivory hunters during the African colonial period. Sadly, the book quickly becomes numbing. Bell describes hundreds of elephant hunts. There is little variation in his methods and his story telling is unimaginative. He hunted elephant, only taking other game when necessary to feed his large safari entourage. The most incredible part of his book is that he killed a majority of elephant with a brain shots using only a .275 Rigby. He was an excellent marksman, for an elephant would have killed most any man who was using such a small caliber rifle on the world's largest pachyderm.
August 31, 2021
Just reading of the logistics involved in a 2 yr foot safari in parts of Africa unknown to white men at that time was amazing.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews