An African safari is the ultimate bucket list adventure. And for many, anticipation of a special trip like this is half the fun! This is especially exciting when you’re thinking about a once-in-a-lifetime trip like a safari in Africa. The books written about Africa and its wildlife include some of the greatest books in literature. So where do you start your reading?
Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the best books to read before an African safari. These selections include informative field guides and reference books to learn more about the species you might see on safari, as well as memoirs and fiction that capture the essence of Africa's diverse landscapes and cultures. Many of these books come in pocket size or digital e-book formats that you could even take on safari with you.
Wildlife may be the focus of your African safari, but any trip to another country is also about the people, the land, and the history. Africa is a huge continent by the majority of safari goers visit either Southern Africa - Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, or Eastern Africa - Kenya and Tanzania.
Here's a curated list to enhance your safari experience:
Non-Fiction
The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Read also: Literature and African History
In 1998, Anthony purchased Thula Thula, transforming a rundown hunters’ camp into a wild animal preserve and a center for eco-tourism. In 1999, Anthony agreed to take in a herd of “troubled” wild elephants. Winning their trust, becoming deeply attached, and even learning how they communicate, Anthony took enormous risks in the form of enraged elephants, distrustful neighbors, and poachers.
Unbowed by Wangari Maathai
Unbowed is the moving and inspirational memoir of the first African woman, and the first environmentalist, to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Unbowed charts Maathai’s development from a young girl in British Kenya to a divorced mother of three fighting to save her country from a dictator and his corruption.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Run by Peter Allison
In the tradition of Bill Bryson, a new writer brings us the lively adventures and biting wit of an African safari guide. Peter Allison gives us the guide’s-eye view of living in the bush, confronting the world’s fiercest terrain of wild animals and, most challenging of all, managing herds of gaping tourists.
Read also: African American Urban Fiction
The Wilderness Family by Kobie Kruger
Excellent memoir of a South African game warden family.
The Old Way by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Thomas was nineteen when her father took his family to live among the Bushmen of the Kalahari. Fifty years later Thomas returns to her experiences with the Bushmen, one of the last hunter-gatherer societies on earth, and discovers among them an essential link to the origins of all human society.
When the Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin
Read also: A Look at Leisure in South Africa
Peter Godwin, a renowned journalist, grew up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), the son of a doctor and policeman.
Love, Life, and Elephants by Dame Daphne Sheldrick
Dame Daphne Sheldrick has saved countless African animals from certain death. In this indelible and deeply heartfelt memoir, Daphne tells of her remarkable career as a conservationist and introduces us to a whole host of orphans―including Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope, and the majestic elephant Eleanor. Yet she also shares the incredible human story of her relationship with David Sheldrick, the famous Tsavo National Park warden whose death inspired the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
A Primate’s Memoir by Robert Sapolsky
Africa by Richard Dowden
Animals of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area by Adam Scott Kennedy
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
The Healing Land - The Bushmen and the Kalahari Desert by Rupert Isaacson
Field Guides
Birds of East Africa by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe
Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa by Kenneth Newman
Pocket Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon
The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon
This stunningly illustrated, comprehensive field guide by a leading authority includes over 500 of Kingdon’s exquisite color paintings.
Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Chris Stuart
Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair
Birds of Southern Africa continues to be the best and most authoritative guide to the bird species of this remarkable region. This fully revised edition covers all birds found in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique.
Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair (pocket guide)
With luggage constraints, this is the book we carry with us. Over 500 birds, with nice images for easy identification.
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson
These guides are invaluable for identifying the diverse flora and fauna you'll encounter on your safari.
Fiction and Memoirs
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life, Mandela’s autobiography is essential reading for an understanding of South Africa. The world has lost a great man in Nelson Mandela, but his strength, principles, and sense of humor are captured in this autobiography.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Lightweight, but fun, books about Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective.
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
A true account of [Karen Blixen] life on her plantation in Kenya.
Cathedral of the Wild by Boyd Varty
Lion tracker, life coach, and gifted storyteller Boyd Varty reveals how ancient wisdom can teach you how to recognize the essential ingredients that create a meaningful life.
Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens
In the 1970s two young American Zoologists, Mark and Delia Owens, lived and worked in Deception Valley; one of the remotest parts of Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. The idea of a life so remote, surrounded by vast expanses of untouched wilderness and wild lions - had a profound impact on me as a young boy. Cry of the Kalahari is their autobiographical account of their life here; the hardships they endured and the animals they called their neighbours.
Jock Of the Bushveld
It’s certainly one of the earliest books I can remember reading (having read to me!). The story is a heartfelt and adventurous account set in the late 19th century, capturing the unique bond between a man and his loyal dog in the rugged bushveld of South Africa. The book details their encounters with wildlife, challenges faced in the wild, and the camaraderie. Filled with anecdotes of bravery, friendship, and the harsh realities of life in the wilderness.
