Are you thinking of taking a trip to Africa? If so, you’re in the right place for a few suggested books to read and inspire you as you plan and enjoy one of our African adventures.
Reading a book with a strong sense of place can really add something to your travel experience, and our friends at TripFiction have a database that will help you find the perfect literary partner. Whether it’s a novel, a memoir or a travelogue, they have a database with thousands of books to choose from, all searchable by location, title, author and genre.
Don’t run whatever you do – Peter Allison
This book is written ‘in the tradition of Bill Bryson’. Peter Allison works as a top safari guide in the Okavango Delta, a wildlife-rich oasis of wetland in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Read about the whims of his wealthy clients, and essential advice for your African adventure, like: ‘never stand behind a frightened zebra’ (they’re prone to explosive flatulence when scared). Nice! But perhaps it might be better to read this ‘wonderful and vivid portrait of what the life of a safari guide is really like’ after your trip to Africa….
Looking for a trip to Botswana?
Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, making up 70% of its land surface. Experience the Okavango Delta on your trip to Africa, the world’s largest inland delta, travelling in mokoros, a type of dugout canoe. Take early morning walking safaris to see the wide variety of wildlife that call this unique ecosystem their home, enjoy a mokoro ride to watch the hippos swim and play in the evenings before heading back to camp to sit by the fire and interact with the mokoro polers in song and dance. Here are all our current tours to Botswana.
Kintu – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
This novel is set in Uganda, and was on the shortlist for this year’s Edward Stanford Travel Awards in the ‘Fiction with a sense of place’ category. In this epic tale of fate, fortune and legacy, the author vibrantly brings to life this corner of Africa and a colourful family as she re imagines the history of Uganda through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan.
Looking for a trip to Uganda?
Take a Uganda adventure tour and discover this fascinating country packed with wonderful sights and things to do. Uganda boasts massive Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile River, as well as epic rafting opportunities on the latter from Jinja. Visit the rare lowland mountain gorillas from Lake Bunyonyi, trekking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and admire views of the highest mountain range in Africa, the Rwenzori Mountains. Kampala is Uganda’s bustling capital city, boasting plenty of markets as well as some lively restaurants and bars. Here are all our current tours to Uganda.
I Dreamed of Africa – Kuki Gallman
Kuki Gallman’s ‘I dreamed of Africa’ is a haunting memoir of bringing up a family in Kenya in the 1970s first with her husband Paulo, and then alone. It is part elegiac celebration, part tragedy, and part love letter to the magical spirit of Africa. ‘Often, at the hour of day when the savannah grass is streaked with silver, and pale gold rims the silhouettes of the hills, I drive with my dogs up to the Mukutan, to watch the sun setting behind the lake, and the evening shadows settle over the valleys and plains of the Laikipia plateau.’
Looking for a trip to Kenya?
Kenya is a must for anyone wanting to visit East Africa. Nairobi is the busy capital and the gateway to East Africa with many interesting things to do. Experience the big 5 game in Kenya visiting one of the world famous National Parks – our tours will take you to the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru National Parks. Here you will see a plethora of stunning wildlife up-close which may include leopards, lions, zebra, buffalo, elephant and rhinos. Here are all our current tours to Kenya.
Crazy River – Richard Grant
In Crazy River, a travelogue by explorer Richard Grant, he sets out to make the first descent of a previously uncharted river in Tanzania. During his adventure he gets waylaid by thieves, and by a former golf professional in Zanzibar, before crossing the Indian Ocean on a cargo dhow. And then the real fun begins, on the Malagarasi River, where he travels by raft, dodging bullets, lions, hippos and crocodiles, hacking through swamps and succumbing to fevers. Perhaps just read this one, rather than try to live it….
Looking for a trip to Tanzania?
Tanzania is one of Africa’s most diverse countries – see the ice-capped Mount Kilimanjaro with its lower lying rainforests, Zanzibar’s sandy beaches, the Serengeti’s savannah plains and the Ngorongoro Crater’s mopane woodlands and salt pans. Separate from the natural environment, Tanzania’s cultural diversity is a pleasant and refreshing surprise: enjoy the Arabic and Indian influences in Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar. Here are all our current tours to Tanzania.
So there are a few suggested books to take with you to Africa for some ‘literary wanderlust’. Tucan Travel offer group tours ranging from 8 to 42 days to Africa so whether you’re after a quick getaway to remote Africa, want to get up close and personal with wildlife or in it to experience it all, there’s a tour for every type of traveller. Let Tucan Travel take you there physically, while TripFiction lets you see that place through an author’s eyes.
About the Author : This blog was written by Andrew at TripFiction . He is a keen traveller and of course a passionate reader. His favourite recent destination has been Chernobyl and
his favourite country-inspired novel is Beautiful Animals by Lawrence Osborne, set on the Greek island of Hydra
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