Botswana The Bradt Safari Guide 3rd Okavango Delta Chobe Northern Kalahari Bradt Travel Guide Botswana

Posted In: Botswana

Rebbeca Weinger says...

Received in a very timely fashion & book in excellent condition as advertised.Enjoyable reading that covers the places I plan on visiting.

Posted on January 13, 2011

Frank Bazer says...

This book offers practical advice on structuring your wildlife safari in Botswana, complete with information on where/when to find which species, how to select a safari company, how to do it on your own, choosing a lodge or camp, and tailoring your itinerary to meet your unique needs.The descriptions of the various parks and reserves were not as compellingly enticing as the Bradt guide to Tanzania, so I will probably choose to visit Tanzania instead of Botswana.But if I am lucky enough to be able to take a second safari, I will definitely use this book to decide where in Botswana to go, where to stay, and what time of year to visit.

Posted on January 14, 2011

Bernice Kelson says...

This guide is everything you can hope in Bradt.Very detailed, with drive by drive directions for driving and also great recomendations for lodges across the spectrum.If you aren't doing a tour, or you are driving yourself, this is the clear winner amongst african guide companies and the Botswana guide has great information on BOTH Chobe park AND Victoria Falls.

Posted on January 15, 2011

Vicente Dalfonso says...

I've been waiting for this book for a long time!! None of the other guides on the area even comes close. It is the most detailed guide I've read on the Okavango, Chobe, Makgadikgadi, and the northern Kalahari. In my view the information seems to be very up-to-date (which is not true for Bradts second edition on Namibia!). This book is suitable for people going on an organized safari (I envy them their $'s and the luxury that awaits them :-) ), and those planning an independent self-drive. The maps are good, and a number of useful GPS coordinates are included. The descriptions of off some of the beaten track sites that I have visited are very accurate. If you are a self-drive tourist you might want to look at Mike Mains: "African Adventurer's Guide to Botswana". It has many trails that are more detailed in the same region, but lacks the overview given in this guide describing the many concession areas surrounding the Okavango. The book also includes a very useful section on Livingstone in Zambia, telling you how to get the most out of your visit to the famed Victoria Falls. What do I miss? Talking to Elein Drotsky, she mentioned that here sisters company could arrange boat trips from Shakawe to Maun, water levels permitting. There is no mention of this or any other such service in the book, guess I'll have to do some digging on that one myself. All in all, your $'s,

Posted on January 15, 2011

Jesica Schnurr says...

What do you want to know about Botswana?Chances are you'll find it in this truly outstanding book by Chris McIntyre.Having travelled to Botswana the last three years we've gathered many resource books to learn about travel within the country, its people, culture, history, wildlife and of course, the types of safaris available.



If you're even thinking about a safari in southern Africa this book is a must.Had we read this book three years ago, many of our decisions about the when, where and how of African safaris would have been significantly different. Whether you're a first-time traveller to Africa or a seasoned veteran, I STRONGLY recommend you pick up a copy of this no-nonsense and straight-forward book.You'll be glad you did.

Posted on January 16, 2011

Fredia Ciliento says...

This guide provides as excellant overview to Botswana's history, cluture, and travel options. The descriptions of the private game concessions were very helpful in planning my trip.

Posted on January 16, 2011

Kai Valseca says...

Having just returned from Botswana, I highly recommend this book. It is accurate with just the right amount of detail. Although the author owns his own travel company, his comments and reviews were accurate, thorough and objective as to safari experiences as well as other tour operators.

Posted on January 18, 2011

Shalanda Cella says...

I read this guide book cover to cover like a novel. It's interesting, well written, and extremely helpful with all aspects of planning. My safari is scheduled for August 2010.

Posted on January 19, 2011

Marylynn Manaugh says...

If you look above, yes, Amazon says, "Whatever you do; don't run" is a non-fiction (or at least it should). But I guarantee, it's nothing like one's average fact-filled, information-overload type of non-fiction. Rather, it's a series of short stories with absolutely no plot that goes through the whole book. And guess what? It doesn't need any, for each chapter, a.k.a. short story, is hilariously entertaining standing on its own.



The whole idea of this delightful book is that the author, Peter Allison, needed a job in Africa when he was 19 so he could pay for a ticket back to Australia, his original country. It was a while ago, about 16 years, so in the year 1994. Since then to present I should hope that Peter has found a job as a safari guide in South Africa, eventually moving to Botswana. He has faced dangers such as charging lions and elephants and encountered animals that most of us will never see. The tourists he guided were the basic stereotypes of whatever country they were from, but that just made it all the more funny. His book isn't just words though; it has photographs! They make the story come alive even more. The funny thing about the background was that Peter only planned to stay in Africa a year; that obviously got stretched out.



It was a rather quick read even though I was supposed to annotate it, but I got lost in it, and finished it all in one sitting. "Whatever you do; don't run" is good for a summer's day, where one can just let your mind wander to the brush of Africa. Just make sure one has the time because some parts I had to reread and the rest I wanted to appreciate. I agree with other reviews, though, it made me laugh out loud or at the least smile and chuckle. Even just thinking of it makes me smile. It leaves the reader feeling refreshed. And if the reader's still unsatisfied with just this, Peter Allison wrote another book about the African brush, "Don't Look Behind You!" which I can't wait to start on. But this book isn't all entertainment. Allison provides some information on the animals he shows, so "Whatever you do; don't run" would do well for any traveler who plans on going to Africa. I gave it 5 stars, but of the 70 reviews that include mine, only 2 were 2 stars. They are the minority of the reviews, but in case you are too, I'd read their reviews. One of them said that the author made it seem that the tourists were bad, or at least carried an unpleasant attitude. If you look through the book, the chapters that are specifically about the costumers are relatively few in number. He probably had thousands of other tourists that he said nothing about; it only was those few he showed a negative attitude toward. I'd recommend this scrumptious dessert of a book, consisting of a meager 264 pages, to anyone.

Posted on January 21, 2011

Zachary Vanhout says...

This travel book of Botswana does not cover all of the wildlife viewing areas of the country. We will be traveling to the Tuli reserve on the Eastern edge and wanted to see some information on the private parks in that area as well as the lodges. The book didn't cover any of that, which was pretty disappointing.

Posted on January 22, 2011