Customer Reviews

Guide to Namibia (Bradt Travel Guide Namibia)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a world traveler for over a decade, relying on books and word of mouth for my guides. I found Namibia, by Chris McIntyre, to be an excellent resource for my prospective trip to the country. It not only has the information needed to become acquainted with the country and plan the trip, it emphasizes an all important and too often neglected focus: that of treading lightly and respecting the native people (bravo!!). I have typically sought out Lonely Planet books for my trips (I usually refer to two books for my information) and found that this book filled in a number of gaps that the afore mentioned book left out. I would recommend this book as the 'number one' book to anyone traveling to Namibia. The only thing this book lacked was a better section on local languages. Unfortunately I have found it difficult to find more than background information on launguge in ANY book on Namibia. Good Traveling!

This is the best guide book to Namibia published in English. I have been living in Namibia for awhile and have all recently published English language guide books to Namibia. My family all agrees that the Bradt guide is by far the most comprehensive and up to date - it has by far more listings, more details about history and attractions, and more travel information than any other guide. It is the only book that gives detailed tips on best roads/routes to take as well. It also has details on where petrol stations are, where good bookstores are, where to shop, etc., and describes lesser known attractions that aren't listed in other books. As of mid 2008, it's prices are also the most accurate for lodging - and putting the prices in Namibian dollars actually is quite helpful as the prices really vary depending on the value of the rand. The book also has some basic descriptions of some of the common Namibian mammals & birds, though we use other books for identifying animals and birds. We also appreciate the authors advice for touring/travellng responsibly. Whenever we plan an excursion in Namibia (and we have travelled extensively), we always use the "green book", as we call it for its green binding - though it looks blue from the front, as our first source. We lent it out for two weeks to a visitor and relied on other common guide books. We ended up taking the wrong route and stayed in a campground that wasn't comfortable based on the information from the other guide books. When we got the green book/Bradt guide back, we looked up the details and saw that the Bradt book would have pointed us on the faster route and would have steered us clear of that particular camping ground. We will be careful lending it out again!

Having bought the Botswana guide I logged on to secure a copy of the new second edition of the Namibia guide, hoping for the same level of high quality up-to-date information...Sad to say some of the information is dated ... A couple of examples to illustrate: Sossusvlei is one of Namibia's most popular destinations. The road from Sessriem to the dunes has been sealed since 2000. The book mentions that "there is talk of sealing the road". Concerning Etosha, there is mention of Helios a long disused waterhole close to the Halali camp. This waterhole was closed before 1998! In mention of Andoni, north of the Namutoni camp, the author says that he has hardly ever seen any game in that area. This depends strongly on the time of your visit. At the end of the dry season September-November, VERY large concentrations of game can be seen in this area. Further in the Caprivi section of the book (last page) there is mention of the dispute between Namibia and Botswana over Kasikili/Sedudu Island. This dispute was settled by the International Court in Hague in december 1999. But not all is bleak, the guide, is VERY COMPREHENSIVE, and still makes an EXCELLENT choice for planning, as long as you check that the information is still current. Clearly some of the material is new to the second edition and thus is current...

This book is meant for the first time traveler to Namibia. The book is specifically designed to segment the various locations within the country and cover them in a well-detailed manner. A separate section in the book is dedicated to immunizations and other health related matters - important issues for travelers to Africa. The guide sections covering Windhoek (the capital) and smaller cities are very good giving a wide range of accomodations and restaurants from which to chose. The coverage of Etosha National Park is especially noteworthy as they provide tips on viewing locations for wildlife within the park.

Matters that could have been covered more effectively include internet website references for information on health precautions, tours (aside from those advertising in the book) and shopping tips. This information can easily be obtained with a quality search engine for the internet.

The Bradt Guide has great detail about Namibia. It presents a comprehensive review with some recently updated information. It is the kind of guide that one would bring in touring the country. Good information about the sites and places to stay, as well as good detailed local maps make this a useful guide, particularly for those not traveling on an organized tour.

This is probably the single best travel guide I've ever used. Several friends and I just returned from a lengthy road trip through Namibia, and this book was incredibly useful to us throughout. Every campsite and backpacker-lodge recommendation was spot on. We saw animal tracks on the beach - the book had a visual guide to help us identify them. Our 4x4 got stuck in the sand - the guide had a section on how to get it out. The author provides just the right amount of detail and has an even-handed yet authoritative and personal perspective that you can tell comes from years of experience in Namibia. His opinion does occasionally shine through a bit too much (notably, in one lengthy passage extolling the virtues of one particular Skeleton Coast aerial-safari operator), but on the whole those opinions are very helpful. We did also feel that the author sugarcoated Windhoek a bit - the city didn't feel very safe, and it would've been nice to know that a bit more candidly in advance. On the whole though, a fantastic guide to Namibia - if the other Bradt guides are anything like this, I'll definitely use them again.

This book is meant for the first time traveler to Namibia. The book is specifically designed to segment the various locations within the country and cover them in a well-detailed manner. A separate section in the book is dedicated to immunizations and other health related matters - important issues for travelers to Africa. The guide sections covering Windhoek (the capital) and smaller cities are very good giving a wide range of accomodations and restaurants from which to chose. The coverage of Etosha National Park is especially noteworthy as they provide tips on viewing locations for wildlife within the park.

Matters that could have been covered more effectively include internet website references for information on health precautions, tours (aside from those advertising in the book) and shopping tips. This information can easily be obtained with a quality search engine for the internet.

This is the best guide I have ever used! Do not hesitate a second, go for it!
I bought this guide to organise my honeymoon; thanks to it, it has been a pleasure to organise it: this is the first time I get a guide which is so coherent and interesting.It is still very actual and very complete (except for the prices range but I know a new edition is coming soon!). The descriptions are very clear and helpful, the maps are precises and the comments pertinents.The accomodations we chose were perfect!
I have to say that it was the first time we were using Bradt guides but this won't be the last! From now on, it will be our number one choice. So far it has been the best guide we have ever used.Many thanks for making our trip such a success!

when you are driving your car through namibia. Good tips and hints for a good 4x4 or 2wd holiday in this beautiful country. Lot's of info on how to get permits and reservations for national parks.
Good reviews on campsites!

This is probably the best book available for anybody who wishes to plan a trip to Namibia.