It depends on a little as to where you are going on safari and what your interests are, but the following offer interesting insights into Africa:

It’s Our turn to Eat – Michela Wrong

King Leopold’s Ghost —Adam Hochschild

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight — Alexandra Fuller

The Poisonwood Bible — Barbara Kingsolver

West With the Night — Beryl Markham

Dark Star Safari — Paul Theroux

Disgrace – JM Coetzee

Into Africa —Martin Dugard

Return to the Wild – Norman Carr

Another Day of Life – Ryszard Kapuscinski

The Lost World of the Kalahari – Laurens Van Der Post

The Soul of the White Ant – Eugene Marais

The tree where man was born — Peter Matthiessen

Elephantoms — Lyall Watson

Mimi and Toutou Go Forth — Giles Foden

Portraits in the wild — Cynthia Moss

Africa – an autobiography of a continent — John Reader

Rewilding the World — Caroline Fraser

Island Africa — Jonathan Kingdom

The Elephant Whisperer – Lawrence Anthony

Save me from the Lions mouth – James Clark

A year in the Wild – James Hendry

African Dawn – Tony Park

My Pride and Joy – George Adamson

The Shackled Continent – Robert Guest

For the story of the rise of humankind, so brilliantly told :

Born in Africa, The Quest for the Origins of Human Life – Martin Meredith

And finally, for a light-hearted comical take on the continent:

Whatever you do, Don’t run! – Hood, Hendry, Roche, Emmett

A Primate’s Memoir – Robert M. Sapolsky