Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to First-Time Africa 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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

 

 

Rough Guide's "First-Time" series give a basic overview of a given part of the world meant to orientate people who have a vague plan of going there and a little uncertainty about independent travel. Indeed, each installment contains much the same information about basics like how to pack, how to get air tickets, and what to wear. A large portion of the book is made up of two-page summaries about each African country, excepting those currently dangerous to travel in (CAR, Buruni, Republic of Congo, Somalia). These summaries sketch the major places to see and the daily budget you'll need. There's also general coverage of African culinary traditions, health matters, and how to stay safe. I found the boxed texts with travel anecdotes fun, where travelers write in to talk about zany or touching situations they found themselves in.

There is nothing here that you couldn't pick together from disparate Internet sources. And certainly, this is more valuable as something to get psyched up with than to plan your trip in any detail. However, if your budget allows, this is an entertaining all-in-one resource to get you started on going to Africa.

Another reviewer mentioned that there was nothing in this book that you couldn't find on the Internet with your own searches. This may be true, but having been to Kenya, I was interested in going to other countries and picked this book in order to get a feel for my next African visit.

The book profiles each country and gives you summary information such as population, currency, temperatures, and minimum amount needed daily to travel in the country. The body or text of the country's profile lets you know the main attractions, festivals, books and online websites.

There is a section on additional books/websites to visit, what to take, culture and culture shock, getting around, and more.

Yes, the book is basic and yes you can find most of this on the Internet, but I didn't want to take the time to "visit" each country via the Internet. I was able to narrow down my next African visit to five countries and with the aid of this guide I was directed to some books and Internet sites to start my journey.

This isn't an in depth book--it is a jump off point for additional refining for your next safari into Africa or your first time visit!

A Rough Guide First-Time Africa (Rough Guide Specials) by Jens Finke is worth the money if you intend to travel through portions of Africa, though you may not wish to take all of it with you - i cut mine in half and only took the important country profiles!