This is the blog of journalist, Lonely Planet author and photographer Stuart Butler. It features news and travel updates from the regions in which Stuart works, including northeast Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan), Yemen and Sri Lanka.


Tuesday 17 December 2013

Africa: New Book






The new Lonely Planet Africa guide is out now. For this edition I had the mammoth, but utterly brilliant, task of updating Sudan, Republic of Congo and DR Congo. I also wrote the Ethiopia chapter, the coffee table-style South Sudan chapter and contributed to the Central African Republic chapter. When a book covers a continent the size of Africa coverage of some places can be rather short but for me this book is Lonely Planet at its ground breaking and adventurous best.

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/africa/africa-travel-guide-13/

Thursday 21 November 2013

New Website

I have finally joined the modern world and got myself a website. Please see  http://www.stuartbutlerjournalist.com/ for more examples of my books, articles, photographs and information on my wedding photography.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Kenya

IMG_7068 - Maasai man at dawnIMG_8349 -Maasai man at dawn Loita Hills KenyaIMG_0831 Goats and Samburu Matthew's Mountains KenyaIMG_0591 Samburu lady and gaots KenyaIMG_7605 Zebra in Olarro ConservancyIMG_0745 Bleeding goat Samburu Matthew's Mountains Kenya
IMG_1042 Samburu man Matthew's Mountains KenyaIMG_7466 Maasai woman with goatsIMG_1100 Acacia Tree Maasai Mara KenyaIMG_7008 - Maasai man and cattleIMG_0898 Church Matthew's Mountains KenyaIMG_0608 Goat milk Matthews mountains kenya
IMG_8933 Maasai man at dawn Loita Hills KenyaIMG_8364 Maasai man at dawn Loita Hills dawnIMG_9090 Maasai man Loita Hills KenyaIMG_0565 Goats at dawn in Samburu manyatta Matthew's mountains KenyaIMG_9814 Reticulated giraffe Meru National Park KenyaIMG_9950 Head teacher in his office - Kenya
IMG_8310 Maasai woman at dusk Loita Hills KenyaIMG_8251 Maasai woman in Loita HillsIMG_8244 Maasai man in Loita HillsIMG_8219 - Maasai man in Loita HillsIMG_8032 - Maasai man in Loita hillsIMG_7924 Sunrise in Kenya's Loita Hills

Kenya June 2013, a set on Flickr.

Back in June (yeah I know I've been slack on the blogging front...) I had the great pleasure of once again visiting Kenya. This time i was there for a variety of international publications writing a range of articles on conservation, tourism and tribal rights. I split my time equally between the northern regions of Meru and the remote and wonderful Matthew's Mountains and the Maasai lands further south (the Maasai Mara itself, Olarro conservancy and the stunning and little known Loita Hills. Highlights of the trip included staying in both Samburu and Maasai manyattas (farmsteds), walking and camping in the Loita Hills, spending a day learning about conservation in action at the Olarro conservancy, walking in the Matthews and having Meru national park pretty much to myself.

The following are a selection of images that I took during the trip.

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Sudan Photos

IMG_8409 - Darfur Camel HerderIMG_9444 - Sand forms at Begrawiya Pyramids (Meroe)IMG_8240 - guardian Soleb templeIMG_9189 -  Begrawiya Pyramids (or Meroe)IMG_9363 - Camel men Begrawiya Pyramids (Meroe)IMG_8899 - Pyramids Nuri
IMG_8402- Darfur Camel HerderIMG_8356 - church Sai IslandIMG_8568 - Pyramids KarimaIMG_8701 - portrait of girl KarimaIMG_9586 - Well at NagaIMG_9136 -  Begrawiya Pyramids (or Meroe)
IMG_8017 - Guardian KermaIMG_9806 - Taka Mountains KassalaIMG_8884 - Pyramids NuriIMG_8386 - Darfur Camel HerderIMG_8050 - SesibiIMG_9873 - Beja man in Taka Mountains
IMG_9225 -  Begrawiya Pyramids (or Meroe)IMG_9257 - camel men  Begrawiya Pyramids (or Meroe)IMG_9004 - Pyramid portraits NuriIMG_9795 - Beja man KassalaIMG_9409 - Begrawiya Pyramids (Meroe)IMG_8268 - Soleb Temple

Sudan 2012, a set on Flickr.

I recently had the very great pleasure of once again travelling around Sudan whilst updating the Sudan chapter of the Africa Lonely Planet guide.

Sudan suffers from a very bad rep, but I love the place. I'm not normally very interested in old ruins etc but in Sudan, where sand half buries temples and pyramids, they are just so romantic. Combine that with beautiful desert scenery, some of the friendliest people you can hope to meet and a fascinating ethnic jigsaw and you get what I consider to be one of the most rewarding countries in Africa - even in it's shrunk down form after the independence of the south.

Here is a small selection of photos taken on my most recent trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936994@N00/sets/72157633377689127/

Saturday 11 May 2013

Best of Ethiopia

I have just written a piece for the Lonely Planet website on the Best of Ethiopia - now if only I had had the space to include some of the southern parks, Addis, Lake Tana and so on...
Here it is http://www.lonelyplanet.com/africa/travel-tips-and-articles/77723

Friday 3 May 2013

New Books

There's new Lonely Planet books that I have co-authored falling out of the sky this week - France, Spain, Discover Spain, best trips France and Indonesia all out now! Buy them at  http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/