3 Review(s)

A lifelong fascination with primates led Dale Peterson to Africa, which he criss-crossed in hope of sighting chimpanzees in the wild. As with any adventure worth retelling, however, Peterson's detours are as notable as his destinations. With the good-natured fatalism of the tested traveller, Peterson tells of trains and riverboats, opportunities and ecotourists, rain forests and shanty towns as he conveys the pitfalls of going forth on a budget as tiny as the continent is vast. Along the way, we also meet Jane Goodall and several other renowned primate researchers and caretakers. This is travel writing with a purpose, an account that inspires both admiration and concern for Africa's people, places and natural diversity.