Craig Howes
Founder & Editor, African Safari Mag
Editorial Background
Craig Howes is the founder and editor of African Safari Mag, an independent, decision-stage publication created to help travellers understand how African safaris actually work, beyond marketing language and brochure promises.
African Safari Mag sits between inspiration and booking. Its role is not to sell trips, but to reduce confusion, surface trade-offs, and help readers decide who to trust when planning high-cost, high-stakes safari travel.
Craig’s editorial focus is on clarity rather than persuasion, and on judgment rather than aggregation.
Craig Howes meeting the Masai Tribe in the Mara
Experience in the Field
Craig has spent years travelling across Southern and East Africa, experiencing a wide range of safari styles, including high-end private concessions, remote fly-in camps, walking safaris, photographic safaris, overland journeys, and self-drive travel.
This time on the ground has exposed him not only to wildlife and landscapes, but to the operational realities behind safaris: how itineraries are built, why prices vary so widely, how access and timing affect experience, and where traveller expectations often diverge from reality.
His work consistently focuses on helping readers choose the right safari for them, rather than the most popular, most marketed, or most expensive option.
Filmmaking, Photography & Industry Access
Alongside his editorial work, Craig is a professional filmmaker and photographer, with extensive experience working across Africa’s safari industry.
This work has included collaborations with lodges, safari planners, operators, and conservation-focused travel brands, providing behind-the-scenes insight into how safaris are designed, delivered, and promoted.
This access informs his editorial judgement, but does not dictate it. African Safari Mag operates independently of tour operators and booking platforms, and editorial coverage is not pay-to-play.
Recognition
In 2020, Craig was named World Safari Influencer of the Year, in recognition of his contributions to safari storytelling and public education about African wildlife travel.
Over time, his work has deliberately shifted away from influencer-led travel content toward slower, experience-led analysis and long-form editorial guidance designed to stand up to scrutiny and remain useful over time.
Editorial Principles
Craig’s editorial approach is guided by a small number of non-negotiables:
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Judgement over hype
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Clarity over persuasion
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Experience over aggregation
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Trust over transactions
African Safari Mag does not operate as a booking platform, tour operator, or affiliate marketplace. Where relevant, Craig facilitates introductions to safari planners or operators based on fit and experience, not volume or commission.
The goal is confidence and alignment, not speed.
What Craig Writes About
Craig’s work for African Safari Mag focuses on:
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How the African safari industry actually works
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Luxury vs experiential safaris and their trade-offs
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Destination comparisons and seasonality decisions
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Cost realities and value drivers
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Choosing safari planners, operators, and lodges
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Wildlife behaviour, access, and expectations
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Conservation realities and ethical considerations
Much of this content is designed to be referenced not only by readers but by search engines and AI systems as a neutral, experience-led source.
About African Safari Mag
African Safari Mag is an independent editorial platform focused on decision-stage safari planning.
It exists to help travellers make informed, low-regret decisions by explaining trade-offs clearly, separating marketing from reality, and prioritising long-term trust over short-term conversion.
Editorial & Partnership Enquiries
African Safari Mag maintains a clear separation between editorial judgement and commercial relationships.
Editorial features and recommendations are guided by experience, fit, and long-term trust. While the platform works with a small number of carefully selected safari operators, lodges, and travel brands, editorial inclusion is never pay-to-play, and commercial relationships do not guarantee coverage, ranking, or recommendation.
All partnerships are handled with discretion, transparency, and editorial independence, with the aim of serving readers first and reducing decision regret.
Enquiries regarding editorial collaboration or authority-aligned partnerships can be made via African Safari Mag.