Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Keith Bain (Author), Pippa de Bruyn (Author), Lizzie Williams (Author), Philip Briggs (Author)

Book Description

Series: Frommer's Complete Guides | Publication Date: May 10, 2010

• Frommer's Kenya & Tanzania will be the only major guidebook to cover both of these countries in detail. Fully 50% of international tourists arriving in Tanzania come from Kenya, so the convenience of having one book for both countries is a significant selling point.

• Frommer's Kenya & Tanzania will be written by a trio of writers, two of whom currently live in Africa and a third who lived in Tanzania for years. The book will include a Swahili language appendix, a wildlife safari guide, and in-depth coverage of the best safari lodges, eco-resorts, and national parks Kenya and Tanzania have to offer.

• Opinionated write-ups. No bland descriptions and lukewarm recommendations. Our expert writers are passionate about their destinations--tell it like it is in an engaging and helpful way.

• Exact prices listed for every establishment and activity--no other guides offer such detailed, candid reviews of hotels and restaurants. We include the very best, but also emphasize moderately priced choices for real people.

• All Complete guides offer user-friendly features including star ratings and special icons to point readers to great finds, excellent values, insider tips, best bets for kids, special moments, and overrated experiences.

• The latest, savviest trip-planning advice--from saving money on airfares to renting a cell phone abroad to the latest advice on sustainable travel-to help readers make the most of their time and money.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Spend some time with members of Africa's most famous tribe, the Maasai, in Kenya's Masai Mara. See Chapter 9.

• Detailed maps throughout

• Exact prices, directions, opening hours,and other practical information

• Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants,plus sights, shopping, and nightlife

• Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas

• Insider tips from local expert authors

About the Author

Born and bred in the South African coastal city of Durban, Keith Bain has a doctoral degree in drama. Now he’s quit academia to explore and write about the world. Besides his safari adventures in Kenya, his assignments for Frommer’s have taken him to India, Italy, Botswana, Romania, Slovenia, Ireland, and even out onto the streets of Johannesburg. Most recently, he's been writing about the most beautiful city on earth—Cape Town, which he calls home.

Pippa de Bruyn was born in Durban, raised in Johannesburg, and has now settled in Cape Town. She is an award-winning journalist and is the author of Frommer’s South Africa and the coauthor of Frommer’s India.

Philip Briggs has been exploring the highways, byways, and backwaters of Africa since 1986, when he backpacked from Nairobi to Cape Town. In the 1990s, he wrote a series of pioneering Bradt Guides to destinations that were then—and in some cases still are—otherwise practically uncharted by the travel publishing industry, including the first dedicated guidebooks to Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, and Rwanda. He contributes regularly to guidebooks by other publishers and to specialist travel and wildlife magazines including Africa Birds & Birding, Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, and Wanderlust. He still spends about half his time on the road, accompanied by his wife, the travel photographer Ariadne Van Zandbergen, and the rest of it cloistered behind a keyboard at home in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg region of South Africa.

Lizzie Williams, who originally hails from the U.K., is a freelance travel writer based in Cape Town. She is the author of more than 20 guidebooks on African countries for Footprint, Bradt, the AA, and Dorling Kindersley, and regularly writes for magazines and travel websites. She is also the author of Frommer’s Cape Town Day By Day and the online guide to Kenya and Tanzania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 1 edition (May 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470285583
• ISBN-13: 978-0470285589
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Travel > Africa > Kenya
  • #21 in Books > Travel > Africa > Tanzania

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not so candid reviews, May 16, 2011

By 

Warren G - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I purchased this guide thinking I was getting candid, independent reviews of tours and hotels in Kenya and Tanzania. While the facts about the countries were fine, I was surprised to find when I was in Kenya that the hotels and tour operators in this guide PAID to be in the publication. There is nothing candid about this guide. In Samburu for example, there are lots of hotels and luxury camps that are not even mentioned, but are in far better locations and closer to the wildlife than the accommodations listed in this book. The authors should have been more up front about how hotels and tours ended up featuring in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for planning, June 3, 2011

By 

A. Chen (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I'm in the midst of planning a Kenya/Tanzania safari for 3 months from now, and this book is invaluable for getting solid coverage of these two great safari countries. It contains incredibly useful park maps, practical & opinionated feedback of the various accommodations covering a good number of the best-known sites, as well as a large list of tour operators and useful tips. Some of the information is dated (the book was likely written in 2009) and many newer establishments aren't listed, but hopefully that will be rectified as East Africa becomes a more popular vacation getaway.

Keep in mind that this is aimed at the middle-of-the-road traveler who stays in standard or deluxe accommodations, with some luxury suggestions thrown in for a couple of splurges. An African safari is incredibly expensive so it's great to have candid feedback on places with budget constraints in mind. I also purchased Fodor's "Complete African Safari Planner" which is fine for an overview of the various African safari countries but not as strong for actual planning.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best buy on kindle both for Kenya or Tanzania., January 6, 2011

By 

M. D. C. Luigi "LMDC" (Loria (TV), Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Kindle Edition)

Having house in Kenya and some years experience, before planning my trips, I read both and confronted with what I know for certain, I must say that Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania is much more useful than the two books from Lonely Planet which together cost twice.