‘Let’s Go’ Series Adds Another Guide: South Africa

“Let’s Go,” the 39-year-old guidebook series researched each year by Harvard students, has introduced its first guide to South Africa, and its former Greece and Turkey guide has been split into individual updated editions.

“Let’s Go” started in 1960 as a 20-page pamphlet. Now 160 student researchers head out around the world each summer to update 44 titles that cover student-style travel to the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

The 500-page first edition of “Let’s Go: South Africa” covers destinations from surfing beaches to big game safaris and gives you the details on how to get to these places economically, including candid information on safety.

There are opportunities for all tastes.

You can visit the South African National Museum in Cape Town to see the 117,00-year-old “Eve’s Footprints” that were found in a calcified sand dune off Langebaan Lagoon, on the west coast. If pumping adrenaline is more your style, you might stop at Mossel Bay. It offers surfing and bungee jumping, and “Let’s Go” describes it as “one of the few spots where thrill-seekers without a diving license can stare down the bloody gullet of a hungry shark.” For about $75, the Infante Great White Shark Experience submerges you in a cage and then lures sharks to you with fresh steaks.

The real must for South Africa is to see elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and rhinos in their natural habitat. You’ll learn about locations such as Kruger National Park, the largest and oldest in South Africa. At 12,400 square miles, it’s about the size of Massachusetts, and it draws about 1 million visitors per year. You can only explore the park by vehicle. Consult “Let’s Go” about the six hostels in the region that can book you on tours.

In the guidebook you’ll find repeated mention of the backpacker bus service, Baz Bus. It transports young budget travelers on a circular route around South Africa, dropping and picking up passengers at hostels. You can purchase a ticket for a portion of the route and go at your own speed, stopping as you choose along the way. Baz Bus plans to extend its service this year by offering transportation to Victoria Falls. Watch for details on its Internet site at https://www.bazbus.com, or contact them at telephone 011-27-21-439- 2323, fax 011-27-21-439-2343.

“Let’s Go: South Africa” is $17.99. The volume on Greece is $18.99, and Turkey, $17.99.

*

The West Coast backpacker bus service, Adventure Network for Travelers (“The Ant”), is geared to the young and “young at heart,” including many international travelers. Until March, it offers the “Desert Dash” from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Death Valley for $199. Departures are Sundays and Thursdays. Backpacker accommodations for two nights and park entrance fees are included. From Los Angeles you can also join the “Jalapen~o Hopper,” a day tour to San Diego ($35 round trip) or Tijuana ($49 round trip).

Shuttle service continues between Los Angeles and San Francisco for $42, northbound on Thursday and southbound on Saturday. Travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is offered on Sunday and Thursday for $35, and a Wednesday shuttle between Los Angeles and San Diego is $19 each way.

For more details, including information on trips to Yosemite from San Francisco, contact Adventure Network for Travelers (The Ant), 870 Market St., No. 416, San Francisco, CA 94102; tel. (800) 336-6049 or (415) 399-0880.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.