Lonely Planet Southern Africa (Paperback)

~ Deanna Swaney (Author), Mary Fitzpatrick (Author), Paul Greenway (Author), Andrew Stone (Author), (Author) "This chapter describes the more general aspects of Southern Africa..." (more)
Key Phrases: municipal caravan park, mokoro trips, minibus taxi rank, South Africa, Getting There, Cape Town (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As usual the guidebook standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

This guide covers Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It features a wildlife section as well as a guide to the region's wildlife reserves and practical information on trekking, white-water rafting and canoeing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 3rd edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740592239
• ISBN-13: 978-1740592239
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #639,945 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rotten Guide, September 15, 2007

By	Sarah B. Nelson "sarah" (lexington, ky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Southern Africa (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

This book may have everything you need about Southern Africa... that is unless you plan to travel there. It is full of background facts and history, but of no use if you actually want a guide to attractions, accommodations or local culture.

I bought it for a trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Big mistake. For South Africa, it misses several of the major attractions altogether, including Seal Island and Gold Reef City. When the book does mention attractions, it rarely gives any information on how to see them. In an illustrative moment, it mentions the Sterkfontein Caves in the introductory section on Africa's ancient past--but no where in the book does it mention that they offer a museum and guided tours in South Africa an easy distance for Joberg. (The Sterkfontein Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, not a minor attraction by any measure).

So that's what you can expect for the most well-traveled of the countries in this book. I won't bore you with details on the political diatribe that Lonely Planet calls its guide to Zimbabwe. It suffices to say I would not rely on it for a trip there.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It holds up, but just barely...., April 21, 2008

By	N. Proctor - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Southern Africa (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a month long trip that I took throughout the countries of Namibia and South Africa, and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when it came to the details. In normal fashion, Lonely Planet does a great job with historic and cultural information pertaining to a certain locality, but once again falls short on the in-depth info that many travelers would be interested in. For instance, national parks and world heritage sites are usually not covered in enough detail, and sometimes they're not mentioned at all. Much of the information is very basic as well, and doesn't really paint a solid picture of the park. Sure, we all know there are animals running around, but what makes it stand out? Notable exceptions would be Etosha and Kruger, both of which have good coverage, but so many other options exist and are just barely mentioned. Major cities are covered well, but so many exciting points of interest are over-looked that sometimes I wonder if the publishers think that most travellers are going to spend their entire trip in wine bars and discos. If you're interested in truly seeing this region and some of the fabulous, remote places that it has to offer, Lonely Planet will get you close, but other guides will actually get you there.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lonely Planet Southern Africa, October 30, 2007

By	D'arcy Kerrigan "D'Arcy Kerrigan" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Southern Africa (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

This book give a great overview of Southern Africa, history, what to see and what is a must see. Having never visited Africa, this was my book to read prior to the trip. I have watched several of the movies they suggest in the book and they are excellent. Lonely Planet rocks.