We would generally advise buying your guide book before you leave home, as we have found that guide books can be particularly expensive to purchase once in South Africa. If you cannot find the books in your local bookstore, you can order directly through Amazon using the links below.
The general guides all provide an excellent overview of the country including background on history, culture, climate, and many other areas. These are useful both as a practical 'on the ground' guide, and also for just casually reading to pick up background information about the country for your trip.
The guides that concentrate on just one destination tend not to have so much general background on the country, but they do usually have more detail on their area of focus.
General Guides
Deciding which is the 'best' guide book is very subjective as they all have their own particular style.
The Lonely Planet books are probably the best for background information on the country, and although they do tend to focus more on backpackers and much of the advice may not be relevant to those with a little more to spend and a little less time, the information is reliable and this would be a good choice for most self-drive visitors. The biggest issue that we have found with Lonely Planet books is occasional errors on maps.
Fromer's and Footprint are both good choices, with a clear format and easy to navigate layout, and as they concentrate less on the budget traveller they may be more suitable for those with a little more to spend.
