Treasures of Africa

We’ve got wild flower reserves and red-necked spurfowls. Walking safaris and the most trafficked wild mammal in the world. And we’ve got big sky country. Explore the treasures of Africa through the pages of these great books. 

Walking safaris are one of the best ways to explore our parks and reserves, and Walking Safaris of South Africa is a great place to start. With close to 60 guided walks, there’s everything from short dawn and dusk walks to multi-day backpacking trails, from ultra-luxurious to wild camping under the stars. There are stories by hikers Hlengiwe Magagula and Denis Costello of tracking lions and elephant snacks (to inspire or scare) and masses of jolly useful info. Struik.

Gamebirds of Africa boasts being the definitive field guide, and this full-colour handbook includes everything you need to know to identify the 89 species, and is a useful addition to the libraries of bird enthusiasts. Jacana.

In Pangolins – Scales of Injustice, Richard Peirce blends facts with fiction – keeping the story as close as possible to what’s likely to have happened on a journey of a pangolin poached in Zimbabwe and taken to Joburg to be sold to a waiting trafficker. He includes methods and stats of the trade, explains the links between wildlife and Covid-19, and details China’s response to the unfolding drama of the pandemic. Struik.

Beginning at Melkbosstrand just north of Cape Town, and ending where the Orange River meets the Atlantic Ocean, The West Coast explores a captivating part of South Africa, and reveals a bounty of treasures that give the West Coast, or Weskus as locals call it, its particular allure. Leon Nell takes you on a trip through seaside villages and inland towns, exploring the history, fauna and flora and interesting attractions along the way. Struik.

Big skies. Vast plains. Scrubby bushes and hardy trees. Flat-topped mountains and conical hills and secluded valleys. The Karoo. A place where dreams are born, legends are made, and outcasts find sanctuary. A place where human lineage predates any written history, whose story is revealed through geology, fossils and artefacts. Those of us who’re lucky enough to have travelled through and stayed in the Karoo know its beauty … a beauty that’s been captured through a series of astonishing photo-essays in Hidden Karoo.

This coffee-table book offers readers a snapshot of the region, with a glimpse into towns and villages, farms and churches, public buildings and private homes, all against a backdrop of awe-inspiring landscapes. Patricia Kramer and Alain Proust’s book will delight fans of the area … and tempt those who’ve never been to explore the incredible Karoo (which derives from the Khoekhoe word karus, meaning dry, barren or thirsty land). It’s a book you’ll spend hours reading, with fascinating new facts on every page. Magnificent! Struik.

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Gareth Drawbridge

Digital content producer

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