Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland (Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Alan Murphy (Author), Kim Wildman (Author), Andrew Burke (Author) "The current national boundaries in Southern Africa are predominantly the creation of competitive European imperialist powers in the 19th and 20th centuries..." (more)
Key Phrases: minibus taxi rank, municipal caravan park, sponsored cottages, South Africa, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nobody covers the world like Lonely Planet.' --New York Post, May 2004
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Few destinations offer such bewildering diversity as the great continent's mesmerising expanses, unlock the secret of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland with this essential guide.

• over 100 detailed, accurate maps
• packed with places of interest
• practical advice on staying safe and healthy
• special section on the Cape wineries – where and how to sample some of the world's finest wines
• Kruger National Park – an entire chapter devoted to one of the best national parks in the world
• special colour wildlife guide to help you spot the Big Five and more

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 676 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 5th edition (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186450322X
• ISBN-13: 978-1864503227
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,133,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Travel > Africa > Lesotho
  #13 in	Books > Travel > Africa > Swaziland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars They're getting there..., January 23, 2002

By	Raf (London) - See all my reviews

I used the 3rd edition of this guide on my first trip to South Africa in 1999. Back then, this guide would recommend places to stay in the most dangerous streets of Jo'burg, and guarantee the readers that the area was even safe to walk around at night. A taxi driver in Jo'burg told us he was appalled at their reccommendations on where to stay and where to go out, saying they were simply too dangerous, especially for white backpackers. The guide also had an aggressive attitude towards any predominantly white bars or clubs dismissing them as "artificial"... as if the only option was to go out in Shebeens.

Racial issues apart, they seem to be reversing this trend, and have been doing constant progress. This edition recommends mostly well-located places and acknowledges that some areas are just too dangerous to stay in. Otherwise neglected entertainment areas are being put into this guide too.

But the issue is that this guide is mostly useful in planning your trip, by telling how to get from one city to another, and what are the costs like, etc. It is also more useful in smaller towns than the larger ones. The fact is that there isn't a 100% reliable guide to South Africa, but this update is about as good as it can get.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great travel guide, October 6, 2007

By	Norbert Reuder - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland (Paperback)

I bought this exact lonely planet guide for a friend a year ago and now I need it myself, it's great! It's very practical, it allows you to be prepared, it's easy to read and it makes travel so much easier. (I'm hooked; each time I travel I get the lonely planet guide for where I'm travelling to first).

6 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lonely Planet scores again!, March 13, 2006

By	L. Hawkins (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (Paperback)

Just like the rest of the Lonely Planet tour guide books - it's awesome! Everything is the same in this book as the others, except it's about South Africa. So, if you liked their other tour guide books, as I do very much, you'll like this one too. Check it out!