Madcap journeys: Africa

Biddlecombe, Peter, I came, I saw, I lost my baggage: et tu, Royal Swazi Airlines? Little Brown, 1996. 910.4 BID

Peter Biddlecombe is at his hilarious and thoughtful best, developing contacts, striking deals and attending foreign delegations, but more often than not becoming an astute informed commentator everywhere he goes.

Campbell, Ffyona, On foot through Africa. Orion, 1994. 960 CAM

A gripping account of an extraordinary two year journey from Cape Town through Africa to Morocco and into the Mediterranean.

Cartwright, Justin, Not yet home : a South African journey, Fourth Estate, 1996. 968.64 CAR

Starting with the run-up to the South African elections of 1994, this acclaimed novelist has followed the fortunes of the new South Africa over the last two years. Part travel, part autobiography, the book looks at the country of Cartwright's birth from a novelist's point of view.

Dodwell, Christina, Madagascar travels. Hodder & Stoughton, 1995. 969.1 DOD

A four month journey across a living museum where reality, even for the most seasoned explorer, can be more bizarre than legend.

Gavron, Jeremy, King Leopolds dream : travels in the shadow of the African Elephant. Pantheon Books, 1993. 960 GAV

On the trail of the African elephant, Jeremy Gavron has woven an extraordinary tale that is at once an adventure, a philosophical inquiry and a haunting, evocative portrait of Africa.

Hays, David, My old man and the sea: a father and son sail around Cape Horn. Algonquin Books, 1995. 910.45 HAY

An interesting account of a father and son who sail a tiny boat 17,000 miles to the bottom of the world and back.

Jacobson, Dan, The electronic elephant : a southern african journey. Hamish Hamilton, 1994. 968 JAC

This passionate and often grimly funny account of Dan Jacobson's journey and discoveries along the route which skirts the north-west border of South Africa, passing through the northern Cape Province, Botswana and Zimbabwe, ending on the Zambian border.

Jenkins, Mark,To Timbuktu : a journey down the Niger, Morrow, 1997. 966.2 JEN

Twenty years after they first set out for Timbuktu two young men in search of the unexplored decide to canoe the headwaters of the Niger River in a second bid to reach the fabled city. A mixture of personal odyssey, the history of the exploration in Africa and adventure story.

Kennedy, Geraldine, Harmattan : a journey across the Sahara. Clover Park Press, 1994. 966 KEN

In an epic journey of wit and courage, five young spirited American women, make their way - by train, bus, car and trans-Saharan trucks - among the diverse peoples of West Africa.

Markham, Joan, A salt-caked smoke-stack, Pentland, 1996. 910.45

At the end of World War II Joan and her husband Robin were desperate to get to her homeland of South Africa. Because she had lost her citizenship by marriage to an Englishman, they could not get on to the official, restricted transport. So, in desperation, they signed on as crew to a rust streaked and dirty trawler. After much delay they set off, with a motley collection of crew, to more adventure than they bargained for.

McCrum, Mark, Happy sad land : a journey through South Africa. Sinclair-Stevenson, 1994. 968 MCC

A fascinating slice of life view of a moving journey through South Africa in the throws of a historic and irreversible transition to black Government.

Murphy, Dervla, The Ukimwi road : from Kenya to Zimbabwe. John Murray, 1993. 967 MUR

Cycling is Dervla Murphy's favourite transport and her solo journey through the non-tourist areas of East Africa required all her characteristic nerve and more. Another worthwhile read from a well known writer.

Marshall, Peter, Around Africa: from the Pillars of Hercules to the Strait of Gibraltar. Simon & Schuster, 1994. 960 MAR

Following in the wake of Vasco da Gama, Peter Marshall sets out to circumnavigate the huge continent of Africa. His voyage took him over seven months on a dozen ships, through four seas, fifteen countries and nearly 18,000 miles.

Monbiot, George, No man's land : an investigative journey through Kenya and Tanzania. Macmillan, 1994. 967.62 MON

This astonishing travel book not only exposes some of Africa's best kept secrets, but also records a spiritual journey as George Monbiot travels among some of the most remote and remarkable peoples on earth - the Nomads of East Africa.

Peterson, Dale, Chimpanzee travels: on and off the road in Africa. Addison-Wesley, 1995. 599.884 PET

Happily, Dale Peterson has endured the leeches and exotic insects, drunken border guards, crazed German ecotourists and indignant chimps, to bring back a story equal parts humour and pathos. A report of a journey through a heartbreaking continent where unequalled natural beauty gives way to a ragtag urban nightmare.

Spowers, Rory, Three men on a bike: a journey through Africa. Canongate Books, 1995. 960 SPO

Using a trandem [a bicycle for three] and mountain bike Rory Spowers and three friends made a bizarre cycle ride through Africa. Accounts of starring as extras in a Clint Eastwood film or being attacked by machete-wielding men contribute to an amusing and memorable travelogue.

Wilby, Sorrel, Africa: a timeless soul. Sun Pan Macmillan, 1995. 960 WIL

Sorrel Wilby, adventurer, author and photographer again follows her calling. This time to the plains and peaks of Africa. The trek began from the Ahaggar mountains in the heart of the Algerian Sahara, down to South Africa back east to the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro and to the last point on the compass, west of Mount Cameroon.

West, Gordon, By bus to the Sahara. Black Sawn, 1996. 964 WES

This book is the record of a journey taken by the author and his wife in the 1930s. It captures perfectly the colourful, exotic and little-explored country of Morocco and the desert in a vanished bygone era.