Have travelled widely but never to S.Africa, we are planning a trip in Jan 2007, but don't know where to start. Can anyone recommend some good comprehensive travel books to read so we can get together an itinerary. It will probably be for 3 weeks and Cape Town as a base, but apart from that have no set ideas. Would prefer if possible an apartment rather than a hotel, but if that is not so practical, thats not a problem.

I've read the Rough Guide, Lonely Planet and Fodors book about South Africa and found the Rough Guide the most informative. If you're looking for an apartment in Cape Town, http://www.sa-venues.com is a pretty good website.

Rosieuk,

Why spend money on books? THIS FORUM is the very best source of information that will ever be available to you in terms of trying to plan a trip to SA. Learn how to use the search key on the page and you will find a couple of books worth of information about the places you want to visit when travelling through South Africa. What is more important is that the info will be based on personal expereince from unbiased authors.

I am 100% sure there are many Fodorites out there who would agree with my advice to you so my advice is dont go out spending and rather go out surfing.

Enjoy South Africa when you visit us.

Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa

Hello,

Selwyn is right about using this forum as a resource. What he didn't say is that he himself is a tremendous resource -- he is a guide based in Cape Town and has introduced many Fodorites to his city.

A great source of general information is SA's tourism website, http://www.southafrica.net

If you really do want to buy a guidebook, I'd recommend the Footprint Guide to South Africa. It is less focussed on backpackers than the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet and offers a broader range of suggestions.

One thing to note is that internal flights in SA are quick and inexpensive, so there's no reason you need to stay in the Cape Town area -- you could certainly fly out to the Sabi Sands for a safari, or to Durban for a visit to the battlefields.

It's a bit hard to make suggestions without knowing what your interests are, but in general I'd suggest an itinerary along the following lines:

7 days Cape Town (including Cape of Good Hope)
4-5 days Cape Winelands
4-5 days Garden Route
5 days safari (Eastern Cape or Sabi Sands)

For your safari, you could opt for one of the malaria free reserves in the Eastern Cape, or fly to the Sabi Sands bordering Kruger National park. The Sabi Sands offers the best game-viewing in SA, but the Eastern Cape reserves also offer an excellent safari experience without the need to take anti-malarial medications.

Cheers,
Julian

Agree this forum is a great resource - but you need to have a starting point, don't you think? Something to help you get acquainted with the geography and possibilities, even if it is many years out of date - some things don't change - and for those questions about where to stay, eat, etc, then get your up to date info here.

I'm a fan of the Rough Guides and Footprint (especially for background info) but if you are planning on travelling independently and on the cheap then on the road the LP is probably still the best.

For must-reads that aren't "travel books" - you can't go past "The Long Road to Freedom". Another personal fave is "The Washing of the Spears" by Donald R Morris.

Happy planning!

I too like the Footprint South Africa guide.

An apartment is a great idea, or B&B's, or self-catering accommodation, all of which are widely available.

As Julian says, flights are easy and not too expensive. But if you're thinking of driving, the roads are excellent and the scenery is great.

Let us know a little more about what you like to do, and I'm sure you'll get more suggestions than you know what to do with.

You'll love South Africa.

Celia