The perfect festive gifts for 2022 loading – five books your outdoorsy friends will love

Give yourself or your nature-loving friends the perfect gift this festive season. Here are five of the most epic local books about nature published in 2022:

Check out the list:

Hiking Trails of Southern Africa by Willie Oliver

Fully revised and updated, and with 60 new trails added, this fifth edition of Hiking Trails of South Africa is an essential resource for every hiker.

Written by well-known author Willie Olivier, this extensive guide describes more than 500 trails across magnificent landscapes, from the iconic fynbos of the Western Cape to the majestic slopes of the Drakensberg. Whether you choose to hike close to civilization or explore a more remote area, take a short, hour-long walk or tackle an overnight hike of several days, there is a trail for you.

The book also includes advice on selecting hiking equipment, staying safe on the trail and dealing with emergencies. An inspiring guide for all hikers – from novice to expert.

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Veld Birds of Southern Africa: The Complete Photographic Guide by Burger Cillié, Niel Cillié, Phil Penlington, Trevor Hardaker and Karin Wiesler

Veld Birds of Southern Africa incorporates the latest photographs of, and research and atlas information on, all species of birds recorded in southern Africa to date.

This comprehensive field guide contains almost 2,000 beautiful colour photographs, as well as the latest information on all 991 bird species in southern Africa, at-a-glance information on each species’ size, food, status and sociality, an app providing bird calls and additional photographs of plumage variations, and so much more!

An essential companion, whether you’re out in the field or on the couch at home.

Also available in Afrikaans as Veld Voëls van Suider-Afrika!

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A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa by Johan Marais

This long-awaited third edition of A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa has been updated, revised and expanded. New information based on scientific research relating to behaviour, identification, reproduction and snake venoms has been included in the species accounts.

The book covers all essential aspects of snake biology and behaviour and species descriptions are accompanied by full-colour photographs and distribution maps.

This comprehensive guide will prove invaluable to herpetologists, snake collectors, hikers, gardeners and reptile enthusiasts.

Also available in Afrikaans as ’n Volledige Gids tot die Slange van Suider-Afrika.

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An Ecological Guide to the Bush by Bruce McKenzie

Bruce McKenzie’s An Ecological Guide to the Bush captures the essence of what makes the bushveld tick. Here you’ll find the basic principles of how ecosystems work, with the emphasis on energy flow through the bushveld and the adaptations that the plants and animals make in facilitating this energy flow.

This book will answer the questions you always wanted to know about, for example: Why can zebra and wildebeest, both grass eaters, live happily together? Why does the giraffe only feed on tree leaves? How much energy does a bird expend flying?

And so much more! The book is based on Bruce’s approach to interacting with students and citizen scientists over the past 40 years and will enrich the understanding of bushveld management and conservation.

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Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa by George Branch, Charles Griffiths, Margo Branch and Lynnath Beckley

This popular and authoritative guide has been fully revised, updated and expanded to encompass more than 2,200 species found in and around southern Africa’s oceans. It includes an additional 125 species, 190 new photographs, revised distribution maps, and 260 updated species names to reflect the new taxonomy.

Key features include: Concise and easy-to-use species descriptions, spectacular full-colour photographs and accurate and up-to-date distribution maps.

This new edition of Two Oceans is a celebration of the extraordinary diversity of life that inhabits the sea and surrounding coastline, reaffirming this book’s reputation as the region’s pre-eminent guide for scientists, students, divers and beachcombers.