National Geographic’s guide to South Africa is strong on depicting the natural beauty of the country, but short on practical information for planning a trip. In particular, the hotel recommendations are mostly upscale, and there is no mention of apartment rentals. All hotel and food listings are in a section in the rear of the book, rather than integrated with the rest of the text.
The photographs are beautiful. Each region is described, with good maps and plenty of suggestions of what to see and do. There are excellent essays on history and culture. This book will inspire you to visit South Africa, but you will need other sources, print or web, to actually plan your journey. ( )