Getaway Guide to Botswana, by Mike Copeland

Getaway Guide to Botswana, by Mike Copeland. 9781920289317 / ISBN 978-1-920289-31-7

Mike Copeland in Getaway Guide to Botswana conjures up images of wide-open spaces with a 4×4 and tented camp in the distance, vast herds of migratory game stalked by black-maned lions, a San hunter drawing back his bow, and a poler in his mokoro gliding through the reeds of the Okavango.

Mike Copeland  

The first 10 chapters of this book are filled with information about Botswana, its history, people and natural environment, with notes on planning a trip, getting to your destination, staying safe and other practical aspects of travelling around the country. It is, from a people point of view, one of the safest places you'll find, in Africa anyway. However, on the wildlife side, from time to time tourists have lost their lives to - usually through carelessness it must be stressed - lions and crocodiles. The game reserves are very wild indeed so anyone not completely familiar with the African bush should be as circumspect as possible. Some of the suggestions and recommended equipment are applicable only for the wilder parts of the country and should not be necessary if you are staying in and around the larger towns. The last 9 chapters explore and describe Botswana town by town, region by region, starting with Gaborone and working around the country in an anticlockwise direction. This guide can be used to plan a trip to, or travel throughout Botswana, on-road or off-road, either with your own vehicle, a hired one or even public transport. One of the best trips of my life, so far, was to travel from Cape Town to Cairo entirely on public transport. Road conditions and fuel availability, accommodation and food - it's all there. Botswana is so vast and its sights so spread out there is no single, ideal route through the country: choose your own route and then work your way through the applicable area chapters. Prices are quoted in Botswanan pula (P). Prices are those charged to non-residents: residents and citizens sometimes pay substantially less, especially in game reserves. All accommodation prices given, unless otherwise stated, are assumed to be for one person for one night (which, in the case of most safari lodges, implies sharing a double room). GPS co-ordinates are expressed in degrees, minutes and decimal fractions, while the datum setting used is WGS 84 (not Cape). Local telephone numbers are listed as you would dial them from within Botswana. All other foreign numbers, including South African, are preceded by the international and area dialing codes.

This is an excerpt from the guide: Getaway Guide to Botswana, by Mike Copeland.

Title: Getaway Guide to Botswana
Author: Mike Copeland
Type: Regional Travel Guide
Imprint: Sunbird Publishers
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
2nd edition. Johannesburg, South Africa 2010
ISBN 9781920289317 / ISBN 978-1-920289-31-7
Softcover, 15x21 cm, 191 pages, throughout colour photos and maps