13 Inspiring books to read while visiting South Africa

Are you planning to visiting South Africa and wondering which South African books to read for preparing your trip to the country? Or would you love to take some inspiring books about South Africa to read during your trip to learn more about South Africa? Then this post is for you.

Most people will want to prepare properly for an upcoming visit to any foreign country. Reading travel guides is an excellent resource for preparing the practical side of your journey. Over the years, I’ve read heaps of travel guides for all sorts of trips. A great addition to these travel guides is reading novels to learn more about the country itself and there are some very inspiring books to read while travelling. Some of these books listed below are novels set in South Africa and others are books that provide some history about South Africa.

Best books about South Africa

South Africa is also known as ‘The Rainbow Nation‘, for its multicultural diversity. So what is better than getting to know this Rainbow Nation in all its colour than reading South African stories. These stories will give great insight into South African history over the years, as well as modern day life.

I like to read these kind of inspiring and best novels about South Africa while travelling in the country, and even more books that are easy to read. Fast paced page turners with a great story line, nice descriptions of the country and some historical insight, both fiction and non fiction.

I’ve compiled a list of South African books to read that meet those requirements, books that I’ve read during the times that I’ve travelled through South Africa, books that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading. I’d love to share these with you and hope you will like reading them as well. Most of these books are available for purchase in book stores in South Africa. Furthermore all of these recommended books about South Africa are available online in most countries.

Inspiring books to read before or while travelling through South Africa

Swahili For The Broken-Hearted – Peter Moore

This is a fun and at times hilarious book to read. After the author gets dumped by his girlfriend he decides to go on a crazy adventure without much preparation from Cape Town to Cairo. It’s a great read to join Peter Moore on his crazy adventure and especially the beginning of the book, when he is still travelling through South Africa.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Run – Peter Allison

In ‘Whatever You Do, Don’t Run’, Peter Allison tells about his time in Africa when he was working as a safari guide. It is a compilation of short stories about his life in the African bush, about all the things that can happen, in nature, while on safari, with complaining guests,…He tells it in such a funny and hilarious way you often start laughing out loud. This is a great read for anyone going on a safari. It shows how hard but funny the life of a safari guide in the African bush can be. It’s very easy reading, with lots of interesting facts, and somewhat educational. It’s a great book on South Africa and some other African countries he has worked in, like Botswana.

When the lion feeds – Wilbur Smith

Wilbur Smith is probably one of the most well known South African novelists writing mainly about historical fiction. He has written about 35 novels and sold 120 million copies worldwide. He is one of those authors that cannot be left off a list of must read South African books. His books are real page turners, with all the necessary ingredients of romance, history, betrayal, murder, adventure and intrigue. Sean has read most of his books, I still have some catching up to do.

‘When The Lion Feeds’ was Smith’s first novel and this story is the beginning of many subsequent books. It describes the lives of twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney and their adventures. Interesting fact: Sean is even named after Sean Courtney. When you are interested in the whole series, click on the image below to get all 4 books.

Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood – Trevor Noah

It is hard to deny that Trevor Noah is currently one of the most popular South African comedians. He also recently took over from John Stewart the hosting of The Daily Show. In his book he narrates via a collection of stories of growing up as a child of mixed race parents (Swiss dad and Xhosa mother) in South Africa during Apartheid, and he does that in his own unique Trevor Noah style.

Blood Safari – Deon Meyer

For the lovers of mystery / thriller / detective books, I highly recommend the books of Deon Meyer. He is a South African novelist whose books have been translated in to over 20 languages. His South African novels are highly paced page turners, which grab you until the end, and they are all set in South Africa. The stories give the reader a great insight into modern everyday South African life, interspersed with great descriptions of places and landscapes in South Africa. He writes some of the best books on South Africa, in my humble opinion.

‘Blood Safari’ is great to read when going on a safari in The Kruger National Park. I also added one of his other books, ‘Devil’s Peak’, which is set in Cape Town and starts with the main character of Bennie Griesel.

Both books are set in different locations and start with different protagonists, which appear again later in his sequels.

Devil’s Peak – Deon Meyer

All of Deon Meyer’s books are good. Check out a list of all his books .

A Beautiful Place To Die – Malla Nunn

I discovered the books of Malla Nunn in a library in Belgium. ‘A Beautiful Place To Die’ was her first published novel and tells the story of detective Emmanuel Cooper. The story is set in 1950’s Apartheid South Africa when new Apartheid rules were being introduced. This book is the first of a series about the detective. The novel has a fast pace, the landscapes are beautifully written, and the characters complex. I enjoyed reading this book and also read the 2nd, ‘Let The Dead Lie’.

Silent Predator – Tony Park

Tony Park is an Australian writer who got completely addicted to the African continent after visiting it multiple times. He now resides in Africa six months a year to get the inspiration for his books through the African wildlife, landscapes, countryside and people. I first discovered his books while travelling in South Africa and got completely hooked on his novels. Through his stories, Tony Park takes you on a trip through various countries, while beautifully and very accurately describing the places you will visit and hopefully recognize. I can recommend all his books, but if you want to focus on South Africa, read ‘Silent Predator’. The story is mainly set in South Africa, in a lodge in The Kruger National Park.

If you are interested in his stories of other African countries like Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya and Botswana, I highly recommend to check out his other books as well.

Long Walk To Freedom – Nelson Mandela

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” ~ Nelson Mandela

Another very inspiring book to read while travelling South Africa is ‘Long walk to freedom’. No trip to South Africa is complete without having read the autobiography of one of the countries greatest political leaders, Nelson Mandela. The Nobel peace prize winner and ex-president of South Africa describes his early life, his fight against racial oppression and his 27 years of imprisonment. It’s definitely a must read for everyone that’s interested in the history of South Africa, the fall of Apartheid and the vision and life of one of the world’s greatest leaders. I really enjoyed reading this book. And it is one of the better books to read before going to South Africa, since it gives a great insight about the country’s history.

Zulu – Caryl Ferey

Zulu is a dark thriller set in the aftermath of South Africa’s Apartheid in the Cape Town area. Reading this book gave me goosebumps as it’s a violent story, but it is narrated in an honest, emotional and intelligent way. If you read this book, don’t let it put you off visiting this beautiful country. It’s a story told about something a tourist will never come across but will nevertheless happen in many other countries.

The book has also been turned into a movie by the same name starring Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom. Check out more movies about South Africa.

The Long Way Down – Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman

In ‘The Long Way Down’, actor Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman take up the challenge to ride from the the top of Scotland all the way to Cape Town on motorbikes. It is an interesting story to follow their adventures through the African continent and their successful arrival in South Africa after a few months navigating some of the most difficult ‘roads’. It was a great opportunity for them to be able to take on this great road trip and to allow readers to enjoy their adventure as much as possible through the book. And on top of that, it will give you some great inspiration while travelling through South Africa.

Spud – John van de Ruit

‘Spud’ is again one of those funny and hilarious books I highly recommend. This South African novel, which is written in the form of a diary, takes us through the first year adventures of John ‘Spud’ Milton, a 14 year old boy in a South African boarding school. The story is set in the year 1990, the year that Nelson Mandela was released from prison.  It’s a very amusing, entertaining and enjoyable book to read which should get you laughing out loud at times. The next ‘Spud’ books take you through the rest of the years of his boarding school adventure. Check them out as well.

1000 Places To See Before You Die – Patricia Schultz

And last but not least, a must have for every avid traveller out there, ‘1000 Places To See Before You Die”. I added this book because it can really give you some serious wanderlust. Not only for Africa, but also for the rest of the world, which will then allow you to continue ticking those things off that bucket list. This book has been (and still is) one of the worlds best selling travel books.

The above list of books are ones I really enjoyed and would highly recommend reading before or during a trip through South Africa. Most of them are pretty easy reading and will be good for long bus trips, flights and transfers (South Africa is big) or just to wind down the day before going to bed.

South African travel books

Not only South African novels are interesting to get some background about the country. South African travel books also give cultural understanding in the country or describe a brief history of South Africa. Here are some guides that can be used for the preparation of your trip or to take with you to guide you through South Africa. Click on the book image to get more information about prices and availability or on the link below.

The Rough Guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland: The Rough Guide is great with information about sightseeings, history and cultural facts. As a bonus, they include Lesotho and Swaziland since most travellers tend to briefly pass through one or both countries while visiting South Africa.

The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route: A more detailed focus on Cape Town and the surrounding attractions including the Garden Route. Since there is so much to see and do in the Cape area, this guidebook will have all info available.

Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland: For many people still the bible for travel planning. Also the Lonely Planet includes Lesotho and Swaziland.

DK Eyewitness South Africa: A more visual guide with beautiful photos to guide you through South Africa

Which book about South Africa did you really enjoy reading and should be added to our next list of South African must-reads?

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