Manish Mundra’s ‘Wild Africa: Through My Lens’ Is A Striking Safari Journey Across Maasai Mara & Serengiti

The endless golden grasslands of the Maasai Mara and the rolling savannahs of the Serengeti stretch as far as the eye can see, dotted with acacia trees and alive with movement—lion prides resting in the shade, herds of wildebeest on their great migration, elephants marching in silent majesty, and cheetahs crouched in watchful stillness. This raw, untamed beauty of East Africa’s wilderness has been captured in striking detail by National Award-winning film producer Manish Mundra in his new coffee table book, Wild Africa: Through My Lens.

Geography, Landscape, And Biodiversity

The Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya together form one of the most iconic wilderness ecosystems in the world. The Serengeti National Park alone spans nearly 14,800 square kilometres of sweeping grasslands and acacia-dotted savannas, rising from about 920 to 1,850 metres above sea level. Its terrain is strikingly varied: vast open plains, rocky kopjes, rolling hills, seasonal wetlands, and meandering rivers. Variations in soil, rainfall, and topography across the park create a mosaic of habitats that support remarkable biodiversity.

On the Kenyan side, the Maasai Mara National Reserve covers roughly 1,510 sq km at altitudes ranging between 1,480 and 2,280 m. The Mara is defined by rolling grasslands dissected by the Mara, Talek, and Sand rivers, with gallery forests, scattered acacia woodlands, small wetlands, and the dramatic Oloololo Escarpment. Seamlessly linked with the Serengeti across the border, these two landscapes form a single, continuous ecosystem where animals move freely, ignoring political boundaries.

This region is celebrated for its immense populations of wildlife. The Serengeti supports staggering numbers—historically estimated at around two million wildebeest, nearly a million gazelles, and hundreds of thousands of zebras. Together with the Maasai Mara, it hosts the Great Wildebeest Migration, where herds travel with the rains across the savannah, crossing rivers teeming with crocodiles and triggering intense predator–prey interactions. Recent satellite studies, however, suggest that the wildebeest population may now be closer to 600,000 rather than the earlier figure of over a million, raising urgent questions for conservation.

Lions, leopards, and cheetahs thrive here, making the region one of the best places to witness big cats in action. Elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and hippos are abundant, while black rhinos remain a rare but significant presence, particularly in the Serengeti. The Maasai Mara alone records over 95 mammal species and more than 450 species of birds, including raptors, storks, cranes, and brilliantly coloured bee-eaters. Every level of the food chain, from grazing antelope to apex predators, plays out dramatically across the open grasslands.

Walking Through The Journey

In a conversation with Outlook Traveller, Manish Mundra discusses his encounters with Africa’s wildlife and landscapes, and how they shaped his latest book, Wild Africa: Through My Lens.

Q: You’ve spent years observing Africa’s wilderness. Which animal behaviours or encounters have fascinated you the most?

A: What struck me most is that nature has its own way of healing and balancing itself—it’s only human interference that disturbs it. I’ve seen lions hunt, and then years later watched the same lion become weak and hunted in turn. Watching a cheetah stalk a gazelle shows just how fine-tuned the process is—taking wind direction into account, sprinting for only 40–45 seconds before exhaustion. It’s all so synchronised. For me, the biggest lesson is that if we follow nature’s rhythm, everything feels peaceful and calm.

Q: Was there a moment in the wild that truly surprised you?

A: The greatest surprise was seeing power turn to dust. There was a lion called Black Rock, a dominant male with a dark mane. Years later, I returned to find him weak and frail—and soon after, I heard he had been killed by hyenas. It reminded me how even the most powerful eventually surrender to nature.

Q: How do African lions differ from the ones we see in India?

From a species point of view, Asiatic lions are different from African lions—African lions have larger manes and look more majestic, while our Indian tigers carry their own regal presence. India is more biodiverse overall, but Africa’s savannahs are unique: vast grasslands with few trees, offering long sightlines where animals run freely. In India, animals hide in dense jungles, making them harder to photograph. The African landscape changes everything—how animals move, how they camouflage, and how photography unfolds.

Q: Beyond lions and cheetahs, which species drew your attention?

Many—the smaller wild cats of the savannah, hyenas, giraffes, elephants led by female heads, and of course the wildebeest during their Great Migration across Tanzania and Kenya. That migration sustains the entire ecosystem—providing food for predators, breeding cycles for big cats, even meals for crocodiles lying in wait. I’ve also photographed martial eagles with wingspans up to five metres, colourful birds, hippos, rhinos, gazelles, and even buffaloes that can fight off lions. Every corner of the savannah offers something new.

Q. Which parts of Africa did you choose for the book?

A. The book focuses on East Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania. These two countries share the great wildlife reserves—Maasai Mara and Serengeti. The animals don’t recognise borders; they migrate freely across, without needing passports. For them, it’s one world, though divided by human boundaries. That’s why I chose this region—it reflects the continuity of nature.

Q. Wildlife photography demands patience. Can you share a memorable moment where waiting paid off?

A. Once I waited hours hoping to capture a leopard climbing a tree—it never happened in my presence, and I missed the shot. But another time, I followed a cheetah for nearly five hours as he walked almost 60 km. Finally, he stood atop a rock, spotted a gazelle, moved against the wind, and made the kill. I captured the moment with direct eye contact between predator and prey. That image remains one of my most powerful.

Q: What did you learn from the Maasai and their coexistence with wildlife?

A: The Maasai live fearlessly with lions and cheetahs and are deeply protective of the land. They never intrude beyond designated routes, avoid plastics, and ensure the ecology stays pristine. Their respect for wildlife teaches us how humans and animals can coexist by respecting boundaries.

Q: How has tourism and safari culture shaped animal behaviour and conservation?

A: Tourism brings funds for conservation, like the effort to protect the last white rhinos. At the same time, it has changed behaviour—many big cats now prefer hunting at night to avoid daytime tourist vehicles. But strict rules—no drones, no night safaris, and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs—help maintain balance. Interestingly, animals see safari jeeps as one “big creature” rather than humans inside, so they rarely feel threatened.

Q: If you had to pick one photograph from your book that sums up your philosophy, which would it be?

The cover image of a lioness with six cubs. The mother focuses on prey while the cubs learn from her—casual but attentive. It reflects how mothers, in both animal and human worlds, pass on survival skills. It’s a reminder that nurturing is at the heart of life.

Q: Finally, for photographers and travellers, which places would you recommend to experience Africa’s wildlife?

A: Kenya and Tanzania remain unmatched for density and diversity, especially in Maasai Mara and Serengeti. Beyond East Africa, Botswana and South Africa’s reserves also offer incredible sightings. But for sheer scale, landscape, and photography opportunities, Kenya and Tanzania stand apart.

A Striking Portrait Of The Savannah Through An Untrained Lens

Manish Mundra’s Wild Africa: Through My Lens is a 170-page coffee table book that distills more than 28,000 photographs taken over years in the savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania. Printed on glossy paper, it captures the landscapes of the Maasai Mara and Serengeti—vast grasslands, river crossings, and kopjes—and the wildlife that animates them. Lions, cheetahs, a tableau of elephants walking through the savannah, giraffes, wildebeest, and rhinos are documented not just in spectacle but in quiet, intimate moments, with some images deliberately retaining imperfections to underline the unpredictability of nature.

What sets the book apart is its mix of photography and reflection. Alongside images of hunts, migrations, and family groups, Mundra includes short meditations on patience, resilience, and humility, drawn from long hours of waiting in the field. The result is less a survey of African wildlife than a selective record of encounters that reveal both animal behaviour and the discipline of the photographer. For readers, the book functions as both a visual archive of East Africa’s ecosystems and a reminder of the fragile balance that sustains them.

Book Information

Wild Africa: Through My Lens

By Manish Mundra

Rupa Publications

174 pages, INR 2,995/-

Conservation And Challenges In The Savannah

While the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem is recognised globally as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a haven for threatened species like cheetahs, wild dogs, and black rhinos, it is increasingly under pressure. In the last sixty years, average nighttime temperatures have risen by more than five degrees, and rainfall has become far more unpredictable, alternating between floods and droughts. These shifts disrupt vegetation growth, water availability, and breeding patterns. Wildlife migrations are changing course, prey animals face more stress, and predators are forced to adapt.

Human activity adds to these challenges: expanding settlements and livestock grazing compete for space with wildlife, while heavy tourism exerts pressure on fragile habitats. Still, strict protections remain in place—plastics are banned in reserves, off-road driving is limited, and conservancies rescue and rehabilitate orphaned animals before reintroducing them into the wild. Despite these efforts, the combined effects of climate change, human encroachment, and shifting animal populations make it clear that preserving this landscape requires constant adaptation and international cooperation.

FAQs

1. What is Wild Africa: Through My Lens about?
Wild Africa: Through My Lens is a coffee-table book by film producer Manish Mundra, featuring photographs captured in Kenya and Tanzania. It showcases wildlife, landscapes, and the Great Migration, blending photography with reflections on patience, nature, and conservation.

2. Which wildlife species are featured in the book?
The book highlights lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, rhinos, and numerous bird species. It captures predator–prey interactions, family groups, and everyday behaviours in East Africa’s iconic savannahs.

3. Where were the photographs in Wild Africa taken?
Photographs were primarily taken in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, two contiguous ecosystems famous for the Great Migration, predator encounters, and diverse wildlife habitats.

4. How does Wild Africa differ from other wildlife photography books?
Unlike standard wildlife compendiums, Mundra’s book combines photography with reflections on patience, resilience, and imperfection. The focus is on intimate, real-life moments rather than staged or idealized wildlife imagery.

5. Where can I buy Wild Africa: Through My Lens and how much does it cost?
The book is published by Rupa Publications, has 174 pages, and is priced at INR 2,995/-. It is available at major bookstores across India and online platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.