Adventuring in Southern Africa: The Great Safaris and Wildlife Parks of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland [Paperback]

Allen Bechky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sierra Club Adventure Travel Guides | Publication Date: October 28, 1997

Southern Africa - long famous for the oldest and best-managed game parks on the continent - is becoming increasingly popular as an adventure travel destination. In the 1990s the number of visitors to the region nearly doubled, to more than 6.5 million tourists per year, as adventure travelers abandoned traditional safari sites in Kenya and Tanzania for the world-class national parks of Botswana and Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. Favorable political changes have inspired an increase in tourism to South Africa, and the pristine wilderness areas in the smaller nations of Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland have become favorites with budget travelers in search of adventure well off the beaten track.
Adventuring in Southern Africa is a comprehensive guide to the geography, culture, natural history, and adventure opportunities in these eight countries, including:
The legendary areas of Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, the Zambezi River, Etosha, and Kruger National Park
The classic safari as well as unconventional car, hiking, rafting, and canoe trips
The nuts and bolts of how to plan a trip, including what to pack, how to adjust to local customs, what documents to take, and safari etiquette
A full range of travel styles, from luxury tours to independent budget travel
How to stay healthy while traveling in Africa
With appendices listing safari tour operators and conservation groups, as well as a helpful safari bibliography, Adventuring in Southern Africa is an essential tool for anyone planning a trip to this spectacular and still unspoiled part of the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Bechky (Adventuring in East Africa, Sierra Club, 1990), who has led many safaris in southern Africa, offers a comprehensive travel guide to a region that constitutes the southern third of the African continent. A wealth of useful information is crammed into these pages, illustrated with photographs by the author. An overview provides facts about the region and its peoples. The chapter on planning a safari should be required reading for anyone embarking on one. Like other titles in the series, the emphasis is on natural history, wildlife, and adventure. Later chapters offer an in-depth look at the national parks and game reserves in each of the eight countries covered. The author supplies information about access to these parks and accommodations, as well as essential safari facts. Since prices aren't quoted for the lodges and camps, this book should have a long shelf life. An excellent purchase for travel and wildlife collections. (Maps not seen.)?Ravi Shenoy, Hinsdale P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Allen Bechky is the former head of the African Tours Division of Mountain Travel and has led many safaris in southern Africa. The author of Adventuring in East Africa, he lives in Albany, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books (October 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871565935
• ISBN-13: 978-0871565938
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > History > Africa > Swaziland
  • #4 in Books > History > Africa > Lesotho
  • #6 in Books > History > Africa > Malawi

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive book on southern Africa, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Adventuring in Southern Africa: The Great Safaris and Wildlife Parks of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland (Paperback)

This book is full of interesting and pertinent travel information; it is a MUST for anyone interested in game-viewing and travelling in southern Africa. The author gives best times to travel depending on what you want to see, and for each country, lists brief history/present politics, places to stay--easily accessible to remote--and how to get there and what you may see. He also gives a comprehensive packing list, medical info, and tips on game viewing. Out of the 4 books I bought on southern Africa, this is the one I referred to most often. This book, coupled with The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, is an invaluable southern Africa traveller's necessity.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Verbose and superficial: a waste of money, January 12, 2001

By 

Pierre Saslawsky (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adventuring in Southern Africa: The Great Safaris and Wildlife Parks of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland (Paperback)

...I bought this book to make plans for a trip to Zambia but the chapter about this country is only 40 pages long, both verbose and superficial. Don't get fooled by the "Adventuring" in the title, unless your idea of adventure is to hop by plane from lodge to lodge at $200 or $300 a night. More importantly, except for the park entrance fees, this book doesn't list any price at all (I got them from two other, excellent, travel guides). Comments on cheaper accomodations are few and disenchanted. The maps are equally few and over-simplified (the roads don't even appear!...) Finally, I looked at the chapters about the other countries and it certainly didn't change my opinion about this book. Note also that the date of the last edition (October 97) makes it relatively outdated.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding and thorough book about South Africa, March 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Adventuring in Southern Africa: The Great Safaris and Wildlife Parks of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland (Paperback)

This book is an outstanding resource to be read prior to traveling to South Africa. It covers many different aspects of what the experience will entail. These include the history, etiquette, positives and negatives of each type of travel, various diseases and safety precautions one should take. In addition, he thoroughly delivers every aspect of each south african country...ie. countryside, animals, weather, and history. This book in interesting, exciting, and educational!