Books by Philip Briggs

This 8th edition of Bradt's Ghana remains the only dedicated guidebook on the market and the most comprehensive source of travel information on the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence and the world's second-largest producer of chocolate. Covering everything from Ghana's 550km of Atlantic coastline to its remote and sparsely populated northern border with Burkina Faso, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and is an ideal companion no matter what your interests are. Written by Philip Briggs, arguably the world's most experienced guidebook writer, it covers everything from inexpensive opportunities to see wildlife to cultural and historical aspects such as the slave trading posts. Background, practical and health information are complemented by a dedicated, illustrated chapter on wildlife, 63 maps and 18 chapters split across five regional sections, from Accra and surrounds to the coast, through eastern and central Ghana, right up to the north. The popular Cape Coast and the Ashanti regions are both covered, as is the increasingly high-profile Chale Wote Street Art festival. Friendly, safe and inexpensive, Ghana is an ideal destination for first-time visitors to Africa. It is rich in little-visited national parks, forest reserves, cultural sites and scenic waterfalls and blessed with bleached white beaches and the lush rainforest of the Atlantic coastline. Bradt's Ghana is accompanied by a dedicated, updated website run by the author himself and caters for everyone from birdwatchers to bar-hoppers. Whether you want to cruise the world's largest man-made reservoir, Lake Volta, on a pokey old steamer, hike with elephants in Mole National Park, or party all night in Accra's glittering Osu district, Bradt's Ghana is an indispensable companion.

Zanzibar Travel Guide - Travel information and expert tips from Stone Town architecture and highlights to resorts, beaches, diving sites and culture. Also included are suggested itineraries, hotels and hostels, Tanzania safari extensions, wildlife and natural history, Pemba and Mafia islands, Nungwi, Matemwe, Michamvi Peninsula and marine reserves.

Bradt's Uganda has for many years been considered the go-to source of information for travellers heading to or interested in this extraordinary country. This new ninth edition of the most comprehensive guide available has been fully updated by Philip Briggs, arguably the world's most experienced guidebook writer and certainly the most experienced writer on Africa, and also includes a new full-colour wildlife section with over 100 colour photographs. Mountain gorilla tracking is Uganda's most popular activity and this new edition provides expanded coverage of gorilla tracking options, describing the gorilla groups, their locations - in short, everything anyone who dreams of encountering these remarkable primates needs to know. Accommodation listings and descriptions have also been completely revised taking account of the rapid increase in choice of places to stay, with a more critical appraisal of the best options in every price bracket - upmarket, midrange, budget and shoestring - being provided. Bradt's Uganda includes the most detailed maps of the country, created from scratch using GPS by the author, and this new edition also offers increased coverage of Karamoja and the northeast, a major growth area for tourism. Uganda boasts the most biodiverse - and arguably the most exciting - safari circuit in Africa, from the lush montane forests of Bwindi which protect the world's largest remaining population of mountain gorillas, to the tree-climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Whether visiting on safari, for birdwatching, white-water rafting on the Nile, or for trekking some of Africa's highest mountains, Bradt's Uganda is the essential guide.

This new, fully-updated 8th edition of Bradt's Ethiopia remains the most comprehensive, detailed and thorough guide available, particularly known for its strength of background information, coverage of off-the-beaten track areas, and in-depth details of hotels and other tourist facilities. It also contains far more maps than other guides. Bradt's Ethiopia is also the longest serving English-language guidebook dedicated to the country, with a history of 25 years of research and expertise. This new edition has been updated by the original author, Philip Briggs, the world's foremost writer of Africa travel guides. Recent years have seen a notable rise in domestic and foreign private investment in the development of new hotels and national parks; this new edition includes all the most up-to-date details reflecting all the most recent changes, from development of tourist facilities to improved road infrastructure. Bradt's Ethiopia is ideal for visitors of all ages no matter the interest, whether travelling independently or part of an organised group, from adventurous and active travellers interested in cultural, historical, and wildlife sightseeing to international conference visitors, spa tourists and community-based visitors looking for activities such as trekking and horse-riding in the Rift Valley and Simien Mountains. Wildlife and birding visitors who come for Ethiopia's wealth of endemics are also catered for and this new edition includes a dedicated full-colour chapter on wildlife and birds.Of all the African nations, Ethiopia is most prone to misconceptions. The 1985 famine and the cracked barren earth of the Danakil Depression are not images quickly forgotten. But this fully updated guide refocuses the lens to reveal an ancient country that continues to surpass all expectations.

Bradt´s Malawi by Africa expert Philip Briggs is the only standalone practical guide to ´Africa´s best kept secret´ and offers detailed, comprehensive information to suit the needs of every wanderer. This fully revised and updated 7th edition offers extensive practical information, all the latest cultural and political developments, plus a 19-chapter, in-depth breakdown and coverage of the country to cater for all interests and budgets. Malawi is increasingly covered in the media as a holiday destination and this guide reflects its position as an up-and-coming destination for bird watchers, safari enthusiasts, trekkers, beach seekers, kayakers, rock climbers, scuba divers, families, and backpackers alike. As ´the Warm Heart of Africa´, Malawi is noted for the welcoming, friendly demeanour and colourful culture of its people which makes a ´Big 5´ safari in Majete Wildlife Reserve and kayaking the palm-fringed Likoma.

Now into its seventh edition, and written by Philip Briggs, the world's leading writer of guidebooks to Africa, Bradt's Rwanda has been the go-to guide for visitors to this historical and resurgent `land of a thousand hills' for nearly two decades, and it continues to be in a class of its own when it comes to in-depth information on this emerald slice of Central Africa. With freshly researched and updated details on developments across the country, Bradt's Rwanda includes information on the ongoing revival and rhino repopulation of Akagera National Park, up-to-date maps of rapidly modernising Kigali, and a newly expanded chapter on excursions into the neighbouring DRC. In this new edition are extensive and recently updated maps and natural history information, details of kayak and canoe excursions on Lake Kivu and the Mukungwa River, all you need to know about tracking not only mountain gorillas in Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park but also lowland gorillas in Congo, and information about overnight stays on a tea plantation at Sorwathe or Gisovu. Also covered are Nyungwe Forest National Park, where a wealth of endemic birds and primates inhabit the largest surviving montane forest in East Africa; Nyanza, where the hilltop Rukari Palace Museum marks the site of the old Mwami's (King's) palace; and the National Museum of Rwanda, the top cultural site in Rwanda's second city, Huye. Coverage of nearby cities and national parks in the neighbouring DRC has been expanded since the last edition, providing all the necessary information to take a thrilling and increasingly popular excursion into Rwanda's enormous and poorly understood neighbour. Rwanda continues to change and develop at an unprecedented pace, and there's hardly a more accessible slice of Africa to be found anywhere on the continent. It's no less intriguing for the convenience, however, and Rwanda's superlative natural attractions seem to improve by the day.

This new, thoroughly updated edition of Bradt's Suriname remains the first dedicated English-language guidebook to this emergent and largely unspoiled ecotourist destination and offers by far the greatest depth of coverage available. It is also the first guidebook in any language with a comprehensive section on the Upper Suriname River, an exciting and remote area serviced by around 20 small lodges. Detailed coverage of all accessible parks and reserves is included, including the three main marine turtle viewing sites and Central Suriname Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), with information geared to people joining organised tours as well as those who prefer the independent travel approach. Also included are detailed maps and town plans, many unavailable in any other resource having been drawn up from scratch by the author using GPS specifically for this book. Peaceful and politically stable, Suriname is one of the world's five most thinly populated countries. Its Caribbean coastline is famed for its peerless turtle-watching opportunities, while the interior is swathed by a vast tract of pristine Amazonian rainforest rich in wildlife and accessible only by air or along the tropical waterways that incise the interior. The guide includes a detailed introduction to the diverse wildlife and intriguing history of the only former Dutch colony in South America, along with detailed regional coverage of the tropical coastline, the historic inner city of the culturally diverse capital Paramaribo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the thrilling opportunities for exploration afforded by the jungle-swathed interior.

Tanzania Safari Guide - Advice and expert holiday tips on everything from Dar es Salaam highlights and accommodation to safari itineraries and wildlife tracking. This guide also covers suggested routes, safari camps, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, walking tours and guides, natural history and culture.

The pioneering first edition of this guidebook was the first dedicated entirely to Somaliland, and this second edition, fully updated and with a foreword by Simon Reeve, continues Bradt's groundbreaking tradition of publishing highly specialist guides to newly emerging destinations. Significantly, this new edition also covers Addis Ababa and eastern Ethiopia - the main gateway into Somaliland. Also included is a detailed historical and archaeological background to a region whose wealth of rock art, ancient burial sites, ruined cities and historical ports stretches back 5,000 years and has links with ancient Egypt and Axum as well as the more recent Ottoman and British Empires. Comprehensive birdwatching and wildlife sections include details of where to look for a wealth of endemic and near-endemic birds and mammals, while the guide also contains the only proper maps available for the capital Hargeisa and other large towns such as Barao, Berbera and Boroma, compiled from scratch using GPS.Somaliland ranks among the world's most obscure and uncharted travel destinations. It comprises the former colony of British Somaliland, which merged with its Italian namesake to form the Somali Republic upon attaining independence in 1960, but unilaterally seceded from the rest of war-torn Somalia in 1991. Now a peaceful and fully functional self-governing democracy, Somaliland still awaits official recognition by the UN AU and most other such organisations more than quarter of a century later. Yet despite its obscurity, this ancient and largely arid land has much to offer the truly intrepid traveller, and the low-key, low-rise capital Hargeisa is easily reached by air or overland from neighbouring Ethiopia. With this unique guide, discover Las Geel, the most alluring rock art site on the Horn of Africa; the charmingly decayed Ottoman port of Berbera, which provides access to some splendid beaches and offshore reefs; the spectacular Daallo escarpment, swathed in fragrant forests.

A travel and holiday guide informed with the "Insight Guides" brand of local knowledge.