Kenya’s High Country Photography by Tui De Roy and Mark Jones

Incredible wildlife photography - from New Zealanders Tui de Roy and Mark Jones - combines with a conservation success story in this spectacular, lusciously produced book.

The Laikipia Plateau, rolling out from the slopes of Mount Kenya through to the rim of the Great Rift Valley, epitomizes a vast landscape of successful wildlife conservation overlaid by a diverse – and fascinating – cultural setting. Here, elephants roam freely while rare species like Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, African painted dogs and black rhino find precious refuge.

Kenya’s High Country is another brilliant natural history book from renowned photographers Tui de Roy and Mark Jones. Living in Golden Bay, New Zealand, Tui and Mark are among the world’s best and most sought-after wildlife photographers.

Approached by the Laikipia Wildlife Forum to help produce a book to showcase the conservation achievements of the region, Tui and Mark spent nearly eight months over a period of two years documenting Laikipia in every detail.

More than 80 mammal and 450 bird species comprise Laikipia’s incredible wildlife display — rivalled only by the famous Maasai Mara, but without the tourist crowds.  This within a working landscape where lions live side-by-side with Boran cattle, and mixed herds of zebra, impala, gazelles, graze together with livestock. Co-existence and respect for wild animals and wilderness is the Laikipia mantra. This privately managed landscape is a world away from the well-worn and at times overcrowded paths of Africa’s national parks; here, visitors can experience Africa and some of the world’s most spectacular animals on their terms.

This book celebrates Laikipia – its wealth of wildlife, plants, people and stunning landscapes. It examines the biological and social complexity of this spectacular region and the challenges of maintaining the beauty and magic that make the area unique.

Tui De Roy and Mark Jones are world renowned freelance wildlife photographers and writers working together with Julie Cornthwaite under the partnership name The Roving Tortoise Nature Photography.  They spent many years living on the Galapagos Islands, where they honed their skills in nature observation and photography, before settling in New Zealand 20 years ago.  Their quest for unusual subjects has taken them to all seven continents as well as on prolonged expeditions to the Subantarctic Islands and beyond, with publication credits in more than 40 countries. Between them, they have produced a dozen large format books on regions as diverse as Galapagos, Antarctica and the Andes of South America.

Their previously published books include, New Zealand: A Natural World Revealed and Albatross: Their World, Their Ways, which were both finalists in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Galapagos: Preserving Darwin’s Legacy was published in 2009, whereas Penguins: Their World, Their Ways, sister volume to Albatross, will be released next year.

Tui is a Founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Kenya’s High Country | photography by Tui de Roy and Mark Jones  | full-colour hardback David Bateman Publishing  |  July 2012  |  rrp.$69.99