A collection of pre-travel recommended reading by country, to deepen your knowledge of Africa’s rich history, diverse cultures, and vibrant societies.
African Continent Books
- Africa in World Politics by John W Harbeson and Donald Rothchild
- The A–Z of South African Politics: People, Parties and Players by Kashiefa Ajam (Author), Kevin Ritchie (Author), Lebogang Seale (Author), Janet Smith (Author), Thabiso Thakali (Author)
- The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa by Dayo Olopade
- China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa by Howard W. French
- When the Last Lion Roars: The Rise and Fall of the King of Beasts by Sara Evans
Botswana
- Affluence without Abundance: The Disappearing World of the Bushmen by James Suzman
- The Healing Land: The Bushman & The Kalahari Desert by Rupert Isaacson
- Night Skies of Botswana by Stephen James O’Meara
- Wildlife of the Okavango by Duncan Butchart
- Blood Moon, Rhino Rescue by Dereck & Beverly Joubert
Mozambique
- A Short History of Mozambique by Malyn Newitt
- Go Tell the Crocodiles: Chasing Prosperity in Mozambique by Rowan Moore Gerety
- Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers by Nick Middleton
- And Still They Dance: Women, War and the Struggle for Change – Stephanie Urdang
Namibia
- Geological Wonders of Namibia by Michel Detay & Anne-Marie Detay
- This is Namibia by Gerald Cubitt & Peter Joyce
- Skeleton Coast by Ami Schoeman
- Namibia: African Adventurers Guide by Olivier and Olivier
- Mama Namibia by Mari Serebrov
South Africa
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- Vanishing Cultures of South Africa by Peter Magubane
- Scramble for Africa by Thomas Pakenham
- Creatures of Habit, African Animal Behaviour by Peter Apps
- Safari Companion by Richard D. Estes
- This is South Africa by Peter Borchert
- Thabo Mbeki, Life and Times by Adrian Hadland
- Wines of the New South Africa by Tim James
- Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, & Greed Along Coastal South Africa by Matthew Frank
- An Elephant in My Kitchen by Francoise Malby-Anthony
Tanzania
- Tanzania: Portrait of a Nation by Paul Joynson-Hicks
- Tanzania: African Eden by Javed Jafferji, Graham Mercer
- The Serengeti’s Great Migration by Carlo Mari, Harvey Croze
- Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain by Mitsuaki Iwago
- Ngorongoro by Reinhard Kunkel
- The Hadza Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania by Frank W. Marlowe
Republic of Congo
- Congo: The Epic History of a People by David van Reybrouck
- Forests of Central Africa: Nature and Man by Jean Pierre Vande Weghe
- Congo Journey by Redmond O’Hanlon
Kenya
- Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa’s Natural Treasures by Richard Leakey, Virginia Morell
- Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta
- Love, Life, & Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick
- The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng’ete
Rwanda
- A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer
- Road Trip Rwanda: A Journey Into the New Heart of Africa Paperback by Will Furgeson
- Mountain Gorillas: Biology, Conservation, & Coexistence by Gene Eckhart
- Breakfast in the Rainforest: A Visit with Mountain Gorillas by Richard Sobol
- Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Romeo Dallaire
Zambia
- In Livingston’s Footsteps: Walking the Mighty Zambezi by David Lemon
- Secrets of the Savanna by Delia & Mark Owens
- The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness by Delia & Mark Owens
Zimbabwe
- Sun, Steel, & Spray- A History of the Victoria Falls Bridge by Peter Roberts
- I am a Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro
- This is Zimbabwe by Gerald Cubitt & Peter Joyce
- Mugabe: Power Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe’s Future by Martin Meredith
Staff Favorites
- Chris’s Top Pick: West with the Night by Beryl Markham
- Mads’s Top Pick: Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh
- Mark’s Top Pick: The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
- Lyndsey’s Top Pick: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya (written alongside Elizabeth Weil)
- Josh’s Top Pick: Whatever You Do, Don’t Run by Peter Allison
San Camp, Botswana
