This is Botswana

Tucked away between the perennial waterways of the Okavango Delta and the arid Kalahari to the south are the legendary Makgadikgadi Pans. Some 12,000 square kilometres in extent, these salt flats, consisting of two large salt pans, Sowa and Ntwetwe, and a myriad smaller ones, are Botswana’s best-kept secret and one of its fastest-growing tourist attractions.

In this first guidebook on the pans and their environs, Makgadikgadi Pans – A Traveller’s Guide to Botswana’s Salt Flats explores this fascinating region, bringing to life its geology, wildlife, vegetation, climate, local economy and key destinations: Nata Bird Sanctuary, Lekhubu Island, the Boteti River, Mosu Escarpment, Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan National Park, and the towns and villages that fringe the pans. Full-colour maps and lively photographs support the text.

Additional features include advice on where to stay; sights to see and how to get there; activities on offer throughout the year; contact details; and a travel advisory. Informative, practical and user-friendly, Makgadikgadi Pans is an inspiring guide for all visitors to Botswana and the alluring salt sea of the Makgadikgadi.

Across the face of southern Africa are more than 460 remarkable stone palaces – some small, others rambling, but many are astonishing. All are the legacy of kingdoms past.

Some, such as Great Zimbabwe, Khami in Botswana and Mapungubwe in South Africa, are famous world heritage sites, but the majority are unknown to the general public, unsung and unappreciated.

Palaces of Stone brings to life the history of various early African societies, from AD 900 to approximately 1850. By exploring a selection of known and unknown sites, the authors uncover the emergence of ancient civilisations and reconstruct the meaning of the ruins they left behind. Woven into the narrative are stories of powerful political states; ourishing local economies; long-distance trade; and the destruction wrought by colonialism and modern-day treasure hunters. This book will appeal to anyone interested in Africa’s ancient heritage.

Robben Island – best known as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for eighteen years – has been a place of harshness and brutality; its history steeped in the suffering of those banished there. Yet it has also become a universal symbol of hope, forgiveness, and triumph.

With a storyteller’s sensibility, combined with rigorous research, Charlene Smith charts the evolution of the Island’s political and social history, from mail station, place of exile, and military defence post to maximum security prison and World Heritage Site.

Fully revised, this new edition of Robben Island provides absorbing accounts of daring escapes, maritime disasters, lepers ostracized from mainland society, the fates of the great Xhosa chiefs of the nineteenth century, and the unique bonds of friendship and compassion forged among the political prisoners confined on the Island during the apartheid era.

Today Robben Island is recognised for both its environmental riches and its cultural significance. More than just a geographical location or a tourist attraction, it is an enduring tribute to the resilience` of the human spirit. Sobering and uplifting, Robben Island is an essential read for anyone interested in South Africa’s turbulent journey to democracy and the people who made it possible.