Customer Reviews

South Africa Handbook (Serial)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is by far the best guide to South Africa. The information is very comprehensive, accurate and informative. The format is a sturdy hardback that's small enough to be easy to pop into your bag but won't get battered easily.

we just came back from our south africa tour using the footprint handbook to zig zag more than 10 000 kilometres through the country. this book is a five star travel companion: very much up to date in sections like accommodation addresses, price categories, timetables - and the footprint kept us entertained as well. With little personality stories and well researched history background. the best thing for us: footprint calls it a handbook and not a guide book and that is what you need if you are self sufficient travellers like us in our vw kombi. look up the little sleepy karoo towns you are passing through on your way to major tourist destinations and even there you will find interesting details about the country. also well researched are the route descriptions if you are tending to go off the beaten track and for instance go off exploring some of the winding roads, that thomas baines designed more than 100 years ago along the garden route. if you use this book as a reference book while having your own ideas what to see and where to go, you won't get lost. instead you will get an idea what living in the rainbow nation is all about. one regret: a pity that the cool story about johnnie, the cave man, who explored big parts of the oudshoorn cango caves, got shortened in the new edition.

It is rare to find such a well written, comprehensive and detailed guide. The maps are excellent and cover more than just the essential. Information is as up to date as you can get it - this guide gets reprinted yearly. I also understand that from the time editing is finished it appears on the shelves within 3 months. The print is smallish and the paper is thin. However, the information is absolutely incredible - about 8 times more comprehensive than its nearest rival! From hiking trails to detail on less frequented places. This is deservedly the no. 1 selling book for South Africa - probably as timetables of trains, busses and Baz Bus is published and it makes trip planning really easy. It is also not written only for budget travellers - it is a book for everyone. Highly recommended.