Melissa Shales
GB
Melissa Shales was brought up in Zimbabwe by parents who were enthusiastic travellers and spent many of her formative years bumping across dirt roads in highly unsuitable cars, tent on roof, indulging her mother's passion for giraffes. Although she now lives just outside London in the UK, Africa is in her blood and she returns as often as possible. During a long career as a travel writer and editor, she has written some 30 guidebooks for companies from Frommers and Fodors to Insight, Michelin and Dorling Kindersley, including books on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania, winning three best guidebook awards. Melissa is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an Honorary Life Member (and former Chair) of the British Guild of Travel Writers and a Winston Churchill Fellow.
For more information about Melissa, please visit www.melissashales.co.uk
Expert Reviews (42) - written by Melissa Shales
Botswana- Country review
- - Botswana – A desert diamond - Chobe National Park - - Chobe – home of ebony and ivory
- Okavango Delta - - The Okavango Delta – taking a punt on the Big...
- Country review
- - Kenya – middle earth - Aberdare National Park - - The Aberdares – paradise in limbo
- Amboseli National Park - - Amboseli National Park – the weekend...
- Lake Bogoria National Reserve - - Lake Bogoria – letting off steam...
- Lake Nakuru National Park - - Lake Nakuru – rising water and rhinos
- Lake Turkana - - Lake Turkana – water, water everywhere, nor any...
- Masai Mara National Reserve - - The Masai Mara – the million...
- Nairobi National Park - - Nairobi – go wild in the city
- Samburu National Reserve - - Samburu – river of life in the thirsty...
- Tsavo East National Park - - Tsavo East – pink elephants and...
- Tsavo West National Park - - Tsavo West – go with the flow
- Country review
- - South Africa – southern star - Addo Elephant National Park - - Addo – elephants, penguins and the...
- Amakhala Game Reserve - - Amakhala (Private Game Reserve), South...
- Augrabies Falls National Park - - Augrabies – the place of Great...
- Golden Gate Highlands National Park - - Golden Gate Highlands National...
- Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve - - Hluhluwe-Imfolozi – the Eden of...
- Ithala Game Reserve - - Ithala – river deep, mountain high
- Kruger National Park - - Kruger – lion country
- Mala Mala Game Reserve - - MalaMala – the glamorous grand-daddy of...
- Mountain Zebra National Park - - Mountain Zebra – haven from...
- Phinda Game Reserve - - Phinda – practically perfect private...
- Pilanesberg Game Reserve - - Pilanesberg – the Genesis project
- Sabi Sabi Game Reserve - - SabiSabi – natural luxury
- Sabi Sand Game Reserve - - Sabi Sand - safari de luxe
- Shamwari Game Reserve - - Shamwari – wild Africa reborn
- Spioenkop Game Reserve - - Spioenkop – battlefield tour with added...
- Ulusaba Game Reserve - - Ulusaba – top of the world
- Waterberg Biosphere Reserve - - Waterberg – weekend wilderness
- Country review
- - Tanzania – migration highway - Ngorongoro Crater - - The Ngorongoro Crater – the lost world
- Serengeti National Park - - Serengeti – the great plains
- Country review
- - Zimbabwe – paradise in limbo - Hwange National Park - - Hwange – the elephants’ stamping ground
- Mana Pools National Park - - Mana Pools – watery wilderness at the...
- Matobo National Park - - Matobo – a finely balanced world
- Matusadona National Park - - Matusadona – a drowned forest by a...
- Nyanga National Park - - Nyanga - Zimbabwe’s mountain playground
- Zambezi National Park - - The Zambezi - a thunderingly magnificent...
Other Expert Panel Members
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Alan Murphy
AU
Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.
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Anthony HamAU
Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.
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Ariadne van Zandbergen
ZA
Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.
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Brian Jackman
GB
Brian is an award winning travel writer, author of safari books and regular contributor to magazines such as BBC Wildlife and Travel Africa.
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Christopher ClarkGB
Christopher is a British travel writer and has contributed to various Fodor's guidebooks and a range of travel magazines.
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Emma GreggGB
Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.
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Gemma PitcherAU
Gemma is a travel writer and author of several Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
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James BainbridgeGB
James is a travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guides, including senior author of the guide to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
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Kim WildmanAU
Kim is a travel writer who authored and updated over 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet's South Africa and Bradt's Tanzania guides.
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Lizzie WilliamsZA
Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
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Lucy CorneGB
Lucy is travel writer for a range of publications, including Lonely Planet's guides to Africa, Southern Africa and South Africa.
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Mark EveleighGB
Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 80 titles for CNN Traveller, Travel Africa, Africa Geographic and more.
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Mary Fitzpatrick
US
Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.
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Mike UnwinGB
Mike is an award winning wildlife writer, editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.
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Nana LuckhamGB
Nana is a travel writer and author of multiple guidebooks, including the Lonely Planet guides to Africa, Zambia & Malawi and South Africa.
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Paul MurrayGB
Paul is a travel writer, author of the Bradt guidebook to Zimbabwe and is closely involved in promoting tourism to Zimbabwe.
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Philip BriggsZA
Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
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Stephen CunliffeZA
Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.
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Stuart ButlerGB
Stuart is a travel writer and author of numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.
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Sue WattGB
Sue is a travel writer, co-author of Footprint's guidebook to Tanzania and regular contributor to Travel Africa magazine.
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Tim BewerUS
Tim is a travel writer who has covered 10 African countries for Lonely Planet's Africa, East Africa and West Africa guidebooks.
