Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet East Africa, Fifth Edition

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

 

 

There are many places in the world you can travel to without a Lonly Planet. East Africa is not part of that. East Africa is no doubt one of the most beautiful parts of the world but travelling and getting around here is not easy at all and has many "dangers" one should be aware of.

There are many ways to do it. You can go on an all organised expensive safari in Kenya or Tanzania. Even then I would think you would like to see some of the places outside the parks like Nairobi or Arusha.

The best way to do it is to travel by yourself. I have done it a couple of times now and find that all the organization by travel agents does not make up for the flexibility you have when you do it yourself. I have been in bad weather conditions necessitating an immediate change of plans. I have been so overwhelmed by the beauty of the Serengeti that I decided on the spot to stay longer. I have been so disgusted by some hotels I prebooked that I decided instantly to look for another one.

This book gives excellent and absolutely necessary guidance to do so. The getting around sections are good and up to date and, believe me, without it you will not find your way out of, e.g.Arusha on a bus to Nairobi. Local assistance is difficult to find.

Booking hotels in countries like Tanzania is not like we are used in the rest of the world. In most of the parks you have one or two lodges and if they are full you are outside; not a nice pprospect when you are right in the middle of the animals. The pricing information is fair and, again, you have to do some planning given the huge differences in prices between hotels.If you plan to stay in the Rhino lodge in the Ngorogoro Crater and the only open one is the Sopa, it will set you back at least an additional $100.

All the "facts for visitors" in particular the medical sections are good and should be read carefully. They can keep you from very annoying situations.

The safari sections are good and provide an abundance of companies you can organise your own tours with. They can be checked out in advance. The best way to do it however, if you have time, is to spend a few days in Nairobi or Arusha and compare the offers of the various companies and talk to the owners to see what they provide. You will be amazed how good and cheap these local operators are. A further advantage is that they go off the beaten track, so that you are not having a situation where eleven Volkswagen busses are in a circle around a sleeping lion.

For those reallly into it, try out camping in the Serengeti or Arusha. You will find yourself one with nature and, allthough there are no fences and you should keep a good fire going, relatively safe.

For those less adventurous and on a more tight schedule, the Guide still contains such a wealth of information and little sections on 'nice to knows' that it is well worth the investment.

If I would be allowed to advise I would prefer the Tanzanian side to the Kenyan side for going on safari. It is definitely more beautiful ond not half as busy.

Finally, I will never forget the images I took away from this part of the world. Cheeta's running through the grasslands in chase of prey. Lion mothers tending their cubs, the vast herds of wildebeest, the zebra's, giraffes peeping curiously through the leaves at your car and the wonderful sunsets sitting at a campfire and reflecting and the beauty of creation.

I hope you will enjoy your trip.

I have lived and worked in Africa for 10 years. Loney Planet's East Africa book is "THE BIBLE" of travel in East Africa. You can throw away all the rest of the other travel books for East Africa...this is the one!

I am a solo female traveler who has just spent three months in East Africa. Every traveler I met had this guide. I agree that it is the 'bible' of east africa. Travelling to this area you don't have much of a choice of travel guides and this gives good information on all the little villages, how to get around, how to survive a matatu.... all the visa infomation, cultural information.... everything you need to have an awesome trip.

I also recommend getting the Trekking East Africa guide if you plan on doing any trekking. It goes more in depth then just the East Africa guide and if you find yourself on a mountain you will want a detailed map, which the East Africa guide lacks.

One does not "read" 700 pages of facts about every conceiveable aspect of five countries in East Africa. But as preparation for a visit to the region, no better single source seems to exist for the thoughtful traveler. As the departure date draws near, more and more questions arise about everything from Hepatitis A to the stripes(?) on zebras. With an excellent index, detailed table of contents, and outstanding color plates of wildlife and the people, good and useful answers abound. And no sugar coating. Pungent comments on social conditions, and "cross-cultural" differences lead to one to approach the unfamiliar with confidence. The book has us ready to go. We'll take it along as the only reference we need.

I think this book has to referred to as The Bible by anyone who has been to East Africa. Great for helping you get around the area. If you are working there like I was it is great for helping you figure out weekend excursions. Assume that the prices aren't exaclty right, especially since you can pretty much negotiate a price for anything anywhere down there. Don't worry about taking other books just get this one and you are set. Have fun in East Africa!

I recently spent 3 months traveling and working in East Africa, and found the LP guide to be a great help. I selected the regional guide because I would be traveling in several countries, and I banked on the fact that it would give enough detail on each one. Even though it clearly doesn't give as much detail as the individual country guidebooks, it definitely gave enough to send me in the right direction, always with accurate maps, phone numbers, prices, etc. in hand. One word of caution, the Rwanda and Burundi chapters are tiny. They give you a good start, but if you're seriously thinking of going to either of these countries, you need much more than this guide can offer.

I did appreciate that the authors were honest about the fact that there are many different possible itineraries in the region, and they try to help you choose one for yourself rather than feeding a list of "must-sees" to you. In addition, the chapters on safaris are quite honest when they advise travelers to investigate things for themselves; the only way to select a low- or medium-budget safari is to do some legwork yourself.

All in all, a great book! A must-have for any independent traveler to East Africa!

I got this book right after it was published in 2006 before my 2 month volunteer mission to do HIV work in East Africa. My previous experiences was that the Lonely Planet was always the way to go and this was a COMPLETE disappointment. It didn't seem like they had done any updating at all despite that it was a new edition. I spent most of my time in Rwanda but also a bit in Tanzania. Everything on the maps was wrong, embassies had long moved locations, restaurants & shops had closed and inaccurate, and became more of a burden than a help.

STRONGLY recommend AGAINST this guide. The Rwanda, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide by Philip Briggs seemed much better....and at the time I had the older version.

We have relied on this book on two trips to Kenya and Zanzibar. It provides great tips on places that are off the well-beaten tourist sites and provide the traveller with a taste of the real Africa. Some of our best dining experiences in Africa were at the small local resteraunts identified in the Lonely Planet guide that we never would have known about. If you just want to look at wild game from your safari van and hang out with other tourists at game lodges, you don't need this book. However, if you want to experience the real Africa and have a meaningful cultural experience that will change your life, but this book!

I just did a trip to Kenya and Tanzania (Fall '04), and this book was invaluable! Everything was described in great detail - where to go, how much to pay, what route to take - which is great information when a mob of 20 taxi drivers is trying to wisk you in every direction!
This is definitely the book to have for this part of the world!
Happy Travels!

this book was horribly out of date when I used it in Kenya/Uganda in Feb-Apr 2009. kenya phone numbers had changed to 7 digits and this only had 6 digit numbers making it virtually useless for arranging stuff. furthermore, many of the descriptions were outdated and inaccurate. For example, the hotel they said was the nicest in eldoret, kenya and gave a rather glowing review of was dilapidated and dirty, and there were two nicer hotels in the city.