Best africa travel books according to redditors

Paul Theroux actually was in the field. I will venture to say that he has a hell of a lot more clue about Africa "on the ground" than Bono (or most aid agencies, for that matter) ever will. The man taught in Malawi, Zambia and Uganda (not 100% sure about the latter two), and later on, walked and hitchhiked from Cairo to Cape Town.

Well worth a read, but be prepared for some bitterness.

Paul Theroux wrote about his Cairo to Cape Town adventure in Dark Star Safari.

It's an excellent read. I would highly recommend it.

According to the book, the trip was difficult and at times extremely dangerous. He mentions being stuck in Egypt for quite some time (several months, I think) because he wasn't able to get the necessary paperwork to enter Sudan. Nowadays, with the state of Sudan, it might very well be worse.

Theroux mentioned specifically the difficulty of crossing the border of Ethiopia and Kenya, reporting that his vehicle had been shot at from close range. Somewhere later in the book, after a series of near death experiences in Matatus, dalla-dallas, and other forms of public transport, he swore them off.

I have deep respect for Theroux, who spend a great deal of time in Sub-Saharan Africa working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, then teaching at Makerere University in Kampala. So I understand that his concerns don't just stem from the normal white-tourist-goes-to-Africa reaction. This isn't his first rodeo and when he says things are bad, they probably are.

That having been said, I do know people who have traveled throughout Africa, including a guy who biked around West and Central Africa. Most of the continent is safe, as long as you avoid trouble areas. People will definitely let you know if the place you are going to is dangerous. There are obvious areas that you should probably avoid unless you are running around with a UN escort (Southern Sudan, Eastern Somalia, Eastern DRC, Northern Nigeria, a few others). Also, I have no idea what state Egypt and other North Africa countries are in right now as far as travel is concerned.

Here are some resources that might help:

Irish guy bicycling around Africa

I have a journalist friend who traveled around West Africa. She had a blog called Inkslinging in Africa, but I can't seem to find it now. She is writing a book about her adventures, so maybe that's why. Hmm

Here's a blog from some Polish folks who drove from Poland to Cape Town. They have a blog in polish, but Google will translate it into readable english.

A quick google search on traveling through africa seemed to net a mix of useful tips and Africa overland tour packages. Oh well.

Good luck!

The first thing you need to evaluate is why you are writing / publishing the book. Is your audience better served if you write it as an article? Are you thinking of giving it as a 'free' giveaway? Are you hoping to make $$ galore? You may find that there is a Better way to achieve the same goal. The time it takes usually varies from a month to anything close to half a year ( depth dependent ). Self publishing can only take you so far. If you are serious about writing something useful and lasting , you will want to hire a publisher's services.

I recently did something similar, about hiking Kilimanjaro , and I did this in tandem with my blog. Some of these questions were on my mind too. In the end, do ensure that you're giving useful info to those who buy your book, because they will be spending money on it.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
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Good websites with interesting and weird info are great time suckers. Since you’re into Disney, check out Yesterland and Lost Epcot!

If you’re into crafty nonsense, maybe make a vacation planner!

I’m also a huge fan of wasting time with logic puzzles.

Edit cos I thought of more:

Make tiny paintings!

Idk how to link it but download the Sky Guide app and get lost in the stars. Seriously, it’s fascinating.

Here's some examples from a quick search on ExpeditionPortal.com:

http://www.doubledutchworldsafari.com/ddws301/main.php

http://www.amazon.com/Africa-Road-Trip-LandCruiser-Australians/dp/1495912086/

Traveling around Africa doesn't mean you hit every country, just like traveling across the US doesn't mean you hit every state. Part of being a smart traveler is avoiding regions with war, famine, etc.

Well said. For more info, check out 'Dark Star Safari', which is a great read about travelling overland from Cairo to Cape Town. It has numerous stories about how foreign aid has proven ineffective for decades:

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Star-Safari-Overland-Capetown/dp/0618446877

Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. A fantastic read.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Star-Safari-Overland-Capetown/dp/0618446877

For anyone looking at this thread, Dark Star Safari is on sale on Kindle right now for $2.99: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Star-Safari-Overland-Capetown-ebook/dp/B008R2K5L2/

I only found out after seeing this rec, so thanks for posting it!

That’s an awesome reason for a contest! Gifting does the heart good so I get it. I have a travel journal on my list and some other items under $5. Thanks for the contest! journal

Well, they weren't all 5 year-olds, but in his book Africa Alone* a guy who is driving his Toyota Land Cruiser from the Sahara to the tip of South Africa describes a situation where he was cornered by a group of children who were begging and began throwing rocks at him - it was a long time ago when I read it but as I remember he feared for his life.

A couple of other notes about the book:

• He describes taking some photos in a train station somewhere and then being interrogated for some hours accused of being a spy since photographing train stations was illegal - when I read this I marvelled at how backward, primitive and oppressive it was to 1) consider a stupid train station a "military installation" and 2) to harrass people for just taking pictures of something anyone could walk into and see. 20 years later and we don't have to go to the middle of nowhere in Africa for the same.
  
  
• He said he never saw "aid" flour/grain being given away (even though each 25/50lb bag was marked with "UN... blah, blah not for sale"), it was always being sold by men to village women and whenever he approached and asked for a price he was waved off.
  
  
• There is one point when crossing a river in his vehicle and he and it are about to go under and he paints a vivid picture of how the people stood on the river banks watching his imminent death without compassion or empathy. (justy so)
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Africa-Alone-Odyssey-American-Traveller/dp/0962251518/ref=sr_1_2/103-4983480-5543055?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187063404&sr=1-2

Dark Star Safari, A travelogue I was unable to put down.

> We have spoken to the heads of several large charitable organizations that are doing more for the world than your cynical mind could ever fathom.

Exactly my point. Have you talked to anyone that lives in Kenya? How about South Africa? Morocco? People in charities need charitable contributions so they can maintain their jobs. That's like asking George Bush or Obama if Government is necessary: of course they're going to say yes.

> We have heard stories, first hand from people who would not be alive today if it weren't for organizations and the good people who work for them.

Have you stopped to ask why they're starving over there? I'll give you a hint: it's because of terrible governments, brutal dictators, civil wars (due to government), and charities that make their situation worse.

Also, what you haven't heard about is the millions of people that die from starvation because donated food put them out of business. That's what I mean when I say unintended consequences. You're only looking at one side of the coin. Have you ever heard of the broken-window fallacy?

> You care about manipulating economies toward future financial improvements.

I care about the government stopping the manipulation so that VOLUNTARY economies can flourish. It's call the Free Market.

> We care about giving water to a thirsty child.

I care about teaching that child skills so that she can get a job and quench her own thirst.

> and for you to say that giving medical aid to the sick is wrong, or that advocating for justice for a young girl living in sexual slavery is wrong - or that anything we will be doing is wrong - just because some professor wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal whining about the money that is given not working fast enough?

You can't just cherry-pick which sources you respond to. Taken collectively, there's overwhelming support for most charities to stop donating money.

> I dropped out of college because I was tired of hearing people like that professor and you hiding behind statistics when I can see with my own two eyes what is really going on. You keep feeding people lies. We will work to spread the truth.

You can start spreading the truth by acknowledging that paternalistic/maternalistic is the worst kind there is. Again, I've agreed with you that Short, Specific, and Goal Oriented charity is Preferable. If you agree with that, then that's great!

Here's another book you should check out: Dark Star Safari.

Lastly, stop taking everything so personally. I'm just trying to inform you about which types of charities are more beneficial than others, the problem with unintended consequences, the economics of aid, etc.

I didn't really want to argue about this, and again I apologize if I came off too negative. But if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Before I leave, here's a few final videos that I think are important to watch: Here's an excellent video series by Milton Friedman. Here's a video by John Stossel about having the 'Freedom to Prosper.' Another video about Freed Trade and the Poor. [Taking care of the Poor in a Free Society.] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azDiUln3WU4) Here's another good one.

If you want to start changing the world, start be abolishing governments. That's a charitable message I can get behind.