Eight more travel books to inspire wanderlust (part 32)

There have been several books I read lately that catapulted certain destinations higher up on my bucketlist. Here are eight more travel books to inspire wanderlust, part 32 in our series.

Time Song - Searching for Doggerland. - Julia Blackburn

Julia Blackburn’s Time Song weaves together personal reflections, history, and archaeology to uncover the story of Doggerland, a fertile land once linking England and Europe before rising seas drowned it around 5000 BC. Through eighteen “songs,” she explores traces of vanished lives—human footprints preserved in estuary mud, a Neanderthal meal fossilised in stone, and the haunting figure of Tollund Man in Denmark. Collecting objects and stories, she blends memoir with encounters that bridge past and present. The result is a lyrical meditation on time, loss, and memory, confirming Blackburn as one of Britain’s most original and evocative writers.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: While Ms Blackburn is no poet, she weaves a fascinating story about a long-lost land and the people searching for it. 7.5 out of 10

Conquerors - Roger Crowley

Portugal’s navigators, though often overlooked today, once led a maritime revolution. They mastered Atlantic winds, sent Vasco da Gama to India, reached the spice kingdoms before Spain, and built the first global sea empire. In just thirty years, a few ambitious and ruthless men set out to dominate the Indian Ocean, crush Islam, and control world trade.

With Roger Crowley’s trademark verve, this vivid narrative brings to life an era of navigation, trade, religious zeal, diplomacy, and brutal conquest. Drawing on first-hand accounts, it tells of empire builders like Afonso de Albuquerque, whose actions sparked centuries of European colonisation and globalisation.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: while the book can feel a little long at times, for anyone interested in the history of India and the Indian Ocean should read this book. 7 out of 10

Is a river alive - Robert MacFarlane

At the heart of Is a River Alive? is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Macfarlane takes the reader on a mind-expanding global journey into the history, futures, people and places of the ancient, urgent concept.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway to recognize the lives and the rights of rivers, and to re-animate our relationships with these vast, mysterious presences whose landscapes we share. The young "rights of nature" movement has lit up activists, artists, law-makers and politicians across six continents—and become the focus for revolutionary thinking about rivers in particular.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: An interesting exercise for the mind in how to regard Earth less human-centric and more holistic. 7.5 out of 10

High - Erika Fatland

The Himalaya weave through five very different countries, where the world religions of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are mixed with ancient shamanic religions. Countless languages and vastly different cultures live in the secluded mountain valleys. Modernity and tradition collide, while the great powers fight for influence.

We have read about mountain climbers on their way up Mount Everest and about travellers on the spiritual quest for Buddhist monasteries. But how much do we know about the people living in the Himalaya? Fatland invites us into close encounters with the many peoples of the region, and at the same time takes us on a dizzying journey at altitude through incredible landscapes and dramatic, unknown world histories - all the way to the most volatile human conflicts of our times.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: Despite the huge geographical errors - presumably due to hasty editing - this is a informative read about a culturally very diverse area. 7 out of 10

Journey through Britain - John Hillaby

Journey Through Britain records Hillaby’s long walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats in the 1960s, when Britain’s landscapes, paths and people were very different from today. Hillaby aimed to follow ancient trackways but was often forced onto lanes where footpaths were blocked or unmarked, yet he still threaded his way through Cornish coasts, Dartmoor, the Somerset Levels, Offa’s Dyke, the Pennine Way and the Scottish Highlands. His writing combines evocative landscape description with vivid encounters and modest reflections on getting lost, weathering storms and the spirit of a changing country.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: a lovely book with plenty of stories, characters and fun facts. Hillaby has a great understated sense of humor. 8 out of 10

A carpet ride to Khiva - Christopher Aslan Alexander

The Silk Road is often imagined as exotic and mysterious, a place most travellers merely pass through. British writer Chris Alexander chose to stay. Arriving in Uzbekistan to research a guidebook, he became captivated by life in the walled desert city of Khiva, with its luminous madrassahs, mosques and minarets.

Immersing himself in the language and traditions, Alexander discovers a society poised between Marx and Mohammed, where veils and vodka comfortably coexist. Drawn into local life alongside his adoptive Uzbek family, a parrot and a ginger cat, he sets out to revive traditional carpet weaving and natural dyeing, establishing a workshop that trains and employs local women and people with disabilities. *A Carpet Ride to Khiva* blends cultural insight with extraordinary episodes, from Kabul’s carpet bazaar to forgotten designs in the British Museum, creating a vivid and unforgettable travel memoir.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: an interesting book. At times, the author goes too much into detail about the ins and outs of weaving, but the insights into local culture, history, politics, and habits in Uzbekistan make up for that.  7.5 out of 10

The elephant whisperer - Lawrence Anthony

Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to protecting endangered wildlife. When asked to take in a herd of “rogue” elephants at his Thula Thula reserve in Zululand—animals facing certain death if he refused—his instincts said no. Instead, he chose to give them sanctuary.

What followed was a remarkable journey of trust. As Anthony worked to bond with the herd, he discovered their intelligence, loyalty, and capacity for deep connection. The Elephant Whisperer is a moving memoir set against the backdrop of a South African game reserve, celebrating resilience, compassion, and the powerful ties between humans and the wild.

Adventure Coordinators opinion: this book brought me right back to my time spent in Africa. The vivid descriptions, the mysterious connections, the animals and the people. 8 out of 10

Maverick in Madagascar - Mark Eveleigh

Intrigued by mysterious tales of the elusive Vazimba people, Mark Eveleigh treks across Madagascar in search of the truth. At the end of his quest he hears the story of the last of the Vazimba. But before that, he must learn to tell myth from reality in a land that has spawned sacred crocodiles, sorcerer bandits, blood-guzzling spirit animals and a bizarre pirate commune. In this magical modern-day adventure, Mark Eveleigh captures the elusive spirit of Madagascar, "Isle of the Moon."

Adventure Coordinators opinion: a surprisingly nice read; you will learn a lot about Malagassy culture and nature. 8 out of 10