Travel on the Wild Side

Three fearless women. One newly opened continent. A lifetime of unforgettable adventures.

In 1994, the fall of Apartheid opened Africa’s borders to South Africans for the very first time in decades. For sisters Nan and Elena Agostinis, together with their lifelong friend Miekie, it was an irresistible invitation to venture into lands they had only dreamed about.

What followed was a breathtaking journey deep into the wild heart of Africa — and beyond.

From the ancient desert city of Timbuktu to the scorching volcanic wastelands of Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, from tracking mountain gorillas in Uganda to navigating the remote landscapes of Mali, Mauritania, Madagascar, Botswana and India, the trio plunged headlong into danger, wonder, discovery, and appreciation of the marvel of other people.

They travelled dusty roads through forgotten kingdoms and slept in stark desert outposts alongside armed extremists operating in the Sahel. In Timbuktu, they arrived just as librarians were secretly smuggling priceless ancient manuscripts to safety before militants could destroy them — a story later immortalised in The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu.

This is a travel memoir like no other: it is the story of freedom after isolation and of three adventurous women determined to experience the world far beyond the safety of tourist maps.

Bold, vivid and deeply human, Travels on the Wild Side is an exhilarating true story that will transport readers to some of the most extraordinary and dangerous places on earth — and remind us that the greatest adventures begin the moment fear is left behind.