Fodor's African Safari, 1st Edition: From Budget to Big Spending Where and How to Find the Best Big Game Adventure In Southern and Eastern Africa (Travel Guide) [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2004 | Series: Travel Guide

This new guide explains everything you need to know about planning and choosing an African Safari holiday, with lots of exciting ideas and information. As well as planning, the book offers detailed information on the practicalities of the holiday for families and individuals. The guide also lists helpful telephone numbers, web addresses and contacts, as well as general tips on which safari to choose, where to go and what to take to help holidaymakers choose the right trip for them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident writers and experts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400012341
• ISBN-13: 978-1400012343
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.5 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,288,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Africa
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Adventure > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A $10 rip off, September 15, 2004

By 

Vincent F. Biondo Jr. (Del Mar, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fodor's African Safari, 1st Edition: From Budget to Big Spending Where and How to Find the Best Big Game Adventure In Southern and Eastern Africa (Travel Guide) (Paperback)

Slim ,is not the word for this small 190 page "pocket book".
Totaly lacking in any comparative information about companies or there offerings.Did not help this ,first time traveler to Africa, at all, in deciding where or how to go on safari.Got more information in a hour "Googling" Safari.Took about an hour to read.Wish I had just "skimmed"it at a book store.Buyer beware. First grade level.EG "Drink lots of water when it is hot" or "best way to avoid malaria is do not get bitten".Written for a person who has never travled anywhere.Amazon has always imposed some "quality control" and this is the first time I have felt totaly "ripped off" after buying one of their books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect information and generic tips, September 22, 2007

By 

P. Takade - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fodor's African Safari, 1st Edition: From Budget to Big Spending Where and How to Find the Best Big Game Adventure In Southern and Eastern Africa (Travel Guide) (Paperback)

I found this book almost useless. It's publication date was 2004 and so a lot of information is outdated, which is why most travel books are published annually. If a book isn't going to be updated, they should avoid putting information in there that can become quickly outdated. For instance, they say gorilla permits in Uganda are $275, but the cost has risen twice since then and they are now $500, so the traveler that read this book and decided to go see gorillas would be in for a nasty surprise.

Some other incorrect information may be less important, but really embarrassing. For instance, it calls Dar Es Salaam the capital of Tanzania. It is the largest city and referred to as the "commercial capital", but Dodoma is the (political) capital. It can be a bit confusing, but you expect travel books to get this stuff right. Also, the book states that Churchill called Uganda the pearl of Africa, but it was actually Hemingway. Shoddy work, especially for something published by Fodor's.

Finally, the information is generic. I found this information, and much more, for free on the internet. For instance, it talks about the Great Migration in East Africa happening in a clockwise fashion annually. Well, that doesn't help you know where you need to be if you want to see the Migration and are there in May, for instance. However, there are sites on the internet that show the migration circuit and you can choose where to be at what time of year. All the dos and don'ts and packing lists and entry requirements are also easily found on the internet. And the list of National Parks in many of the countries is lacking. For Tanzania and Uganda it misses a bunch of them. As far as I can tell, there is pretty much no reason to use this book at all. Just read the abundant info on the internet and visit Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree to ask questions of travellers who have been there and people who live there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Skimpy Look at African Wildlife Sites, November 2, 2006

By 

Allison Cooper (Foothills-California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's African Safari, 1st Edition: From Budget to Big Spending Where and How to Find the Best Big Game Adventure In Southern and Eastern Africa (Travel Guide) (Paperback)

The book is thin and the information included is even thinner. Hardly worth the purchase price.