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Tropic of Capricorn: A Remarkable Journey to the Forgotten Corners of the World
Spanning 23,000 miles, the Tropic of Capricorn marks the southernmost border of the tropics and is a place of both amazing beauty and overwhelming human suffering. Starting in Africa and heading east through Australia and South America, Simon Reeve conducts a mammoth expedition along the entire length of the tropic in this thrilling account. Along the way he encounters breathtaking landscapes and truly extraordinary people, from Bushmen of the Kalahari and Namibian prostitutes battling with HIV to gem miners in Madagascar and teenagers in the Brazilian favela once described as the most dangerous place on earth. Collected here are the most daring adventures, the strangest rituals, and the most exotic wildlife in the world, all linked together by one invisible line.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2008
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354 people want to read
About the author
Simon Reeve
14 books273 followersSimon Reeve is an English author and broadcaster. In recent years he's been travelling around little-known regions of the world for a series of BBC television documentaries.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 8, 2017
This book is the detailed narration of what you didn't see on the BBC broadcast of Tropic of Capricorn and written a decade ago.
Some things have changed since then like the dry season in Australia is over,Nelson Mandela is dead,Mugabe is gone etc but many things that have been emphasised in this book like climate change,deforestation etc still remain.Simon Reeve seems great when you see him on television but he somewhat disappoints a travel writer as Sometimes there are too many details about something like Zimbabwe - South Africa border crossing which needed some editing.The photographs in the book are low quality black and white.Any travelogue is incomplete without good photos.So I deduct two stars.
So in my opinion,if you are interested in details of Reeve's journey along the Capricorn or want to know how a significant part of Southern Hemisphere looked like a decade ago,you can read this book.
Some things have changed since then like the dry season in Australia is over,Nelson Mandela is dead,Mugabe is gone etc but many things that have been emphasised in this book like climate change,deforestation etc still remain.Simon Reeve seems great when you see him on television but he somewhat disappoints a travel writer as Sometimes there are too many details about something like Zimbabwe - South Africa border crossing which needed some editing.The photographs in the book are low quality black and white.Any travelogue is incomplete without good photos.So I deduct two stars.
So in my opinion,if you are interested in details of Reeve's journey along the Capricorn or want to know how a significant part of Southern Hemisphere looked like a decade ago,you can read this book.
November 8, 2016
The BBC series of the same name, consisting of four episodes, was on television and as I had a copy of the book in my shelf, I thought I would read the relevant chapters after seeing each episode.
The premise of the book is Simon Reeve travelling along the Tropic of Capricorn - the imaginary line of latitude running around the globe, (ie south of, and parallel to the equator) at the point where the sun can still be judged to pass directly overhead. As Reeve says in his introduction "It is getting harder to find such a unique journey. Mr Palin has bagged many of the best, and I will not be the first to travel around Capricorn."
It is a bit of a contrived journey. It is really three quite individual trips. Across Africa - Namibia, Botswana, the corner of South Africa, Mozambique and then the island of Madagascar. Then Across Australia. Then Across South America - Chile, Argentina, Paraguay & Brazil. Africa is split into two episodes.
Reeve has a couple of agendas in this journey. He seeks them both out at each opportunity or occasion. The first is the indigenous people - he visits the minorities, he sees their hardships (there are few indigenous people who don't suffer at the hands of the majority), and he passes criticism on the government - either of the time or in the recent past. He learns a little of their culture, but as he is passing through, it is a pretty shallow introduction.
The second is exposing the causes of impacts of global warming - reduced rainfall, deforestation and other environmental issues such as mining, the removal of non-renewable resources, soy production. Of course these things also effect the indigenous population.
Unfortunately in the book (as with the series) Reeve comes across as critical, as superior and judgemental. There really was no need - as simply providing readers / viewers with the facts, information and stories, and allowing them to draw their own conclusions would be infinitely more rewarding. It reached a point where you can see him building up the point where he gets his paragraph of criticism in.
It was readable, but for me this was very much travel-lite. He wasn't working very hard, he had guides and fixers, he wasn't far off the beaten track, and it nearly always went to plan. He also moved quite quickly, so didn't drill too deep into any location or issue.
This was very easy to read, and was of moderate pace throughout, so really is pretty middle of the road for me. 3 stars, but not 3 very challenging or glamorous stars!
The premise of the book is Simon Reeve travelling along the Tropic of Capricorn - the imaginary line of latitude running around the globe, (ie south of, and parallel to the equator) at the point where the sun can still be judged to pass directly overhead. As Reeve says in his introduction "It is getting harder to find such a unique journey. Mr Palin has bagged many of the best, and I will not be the first to travel around Capricorn."
It is a bit of a contrived journey. It is really three quite individual trips. Across Africa - Namibia, Botswana, the corner of South Africa, Mozambique and then the island of Madagascar. Then Across Australia. Then Across South America - Chile, Argentina, Paraguay & Brazil. Africa is split into two episodes.
Reeve has a couple of agendas in this journey. He seeks them both out at each opportunity or occasion. The first is the indigenous people - he visits the minorities, he sees their hardships (there are few indigenous people who don't suffer at the hands of the majority), and he passes criticism on the government - either of the time or in the recent past. He learns a little of their culture, but as he is passing through, it is a pretty shallow introduction.
The second is exposing the causes of impacts of global warming - reduced rainfall, deforestation and other environmental issues such as mining, the removal of non-renewable resources, soy production. Of course these things also effect the indigenous population.
Unfortunately in the book (as with the series) Reeve comes across as critical, as superior and judgemental. There really was no need - as simply providing readers / viewers with the facts, information and stories, and allowing them to draw their own conclusions would be infinitely more rewarding. It reached a point where you can see him building up the point where he gets his paragraph of criticism in.
It was readable, but for me this was very much travel-lite. He wasn't working very hard, he had guides and fixers, he wasn't far off the beaten track, and it nearly always went to plan. He also moved quite quickly, so didn't drill too deep into any location or issue.
This was very easy to read, and was of moderate pace throughout, so really is pretty middle of the road for me. 3 stars, but not 3 very challenging or glamorous stars!
January 2, 2013
Great Geography book!
April 22, 2014
Fascinating and enlightening
September 22, 2017
Tropic of Capricorn by Simon Reeve BBC Books. A really absorbing travelogue by Simon covering a quite epic journey around the world. A fine blend of some of the most amazing things the planet has to offer and how horribly we can act as human beings, particularly the treatment of indigenous peoples. Some interesting commentary of climate change and also where our good intentioned efforts as individuals and countries are actually doing more harm than good, both in terms of charitable giving and move to bio fuels. Somewhat dated , nearly 10 years old now, it would be interesting to do the same journey and see what has changed, for better or otherwise.
April 27, 2015
What an amazing trip and opportunity for Simon Reeve. In a very detailed book he visits some spectacular countries. Unfortunately what we end up getting in this book is Green Party propaganda. You've got to love the middle-class white Hampstead self-haters or maybe not. They are very irritating.
He just seems to be looking at any opportunity to ram climate change down your throat and explaining how terrifying it all is. All these subjects are very important but the manner in which it's conveyed in this book just turns me off which is very disappointing.
He just seems to be looking at any opportunity to ram climate change down your throat and explaining how terrifying it all is. All these subjects are very important but the manner in which it's conveyed in this book just turns me off which is very disappointing.
January 22, 2010
The author shares his experiences and observations of his travels to the countries that lie along the Tropic of Capricorn (southernmost border of the tropics). I enjoyed learning about the different cultures and how globalisation is challenging these cultures and their beautiful environment. It was well researched and discussed interesting societal issues. This book was a wonderful alternative to vacationing!
December 14, 2009
not bad, just kind of fluffy maybe because of the bbc cameras? but then, some exciting shit here, like going with the Afrikaners farmers rounding up illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, crazy. getting ready to go myself. now i want to go to Mozambique and Madagascar too!! didn't visit very much green or sustainable things though. didn't even really mention it. odd.
March 24, 2010
Really enjoyed the stories of travel through africa, australia and south amercia. Good insight into the challenges faced by aboriginal people of these areas and the changing landscape of these countries. Interesting about the increase of Chinese in Africa. Eye opening stories of the challanges people used to living off the land are having adapting to new rules of capitalism.
December 21, 2015
A true down to earth take about our planet and the people who live here...or at least live around the tropic anyhow. Simon reeve takes you 22,835 miles around the world and you really do feel part of it.
December 21, 2014
Loved this account of Simon's journey.
June 12, 2022
Simon Reeve's travelogues are generally fascinating viewing - Tropic of Capricorn is the only one with an accompanying book, and also happens to be one I've not watched. The book stands up well against the TV shows and it's easy at times to read the text in Reeve's voice.
The beauty of following the Tropic of Capricorn is that it brings you to places you wouldn't have thought of going to, and there's plenty of stories thrown up along the way. Reeve is at his considered best when discussing the problems facing the Aborigines in Australia, but sections on a mining community in Madagascar is eye-opening ("Be careful", says the mining town's mayor as Reeve slides towards an open mine shaft in the ground. "Someone dies around here every few days. Many are buried alive. Often their families cannot afford to get them out of the holes. So they just stay down there") Locals don't really know what people do with the gems, but are aware of the disparity between what they earn for a gem and what they're sold for in the West. Still, relatively speaking, there's money to be made from a gem rush - though some locals spent their initial new wealth washing their cars in beer.
The most fascinating section is on Paraguay. From the Paraguayan War in the 1860s which saw up to 90% of the adult male population killed, to a brutal dictatorship from 1954 to 1989 (Reeve meets a doctor who was tortured during the regime, electrocuted underwater which caused him to lose control of his bodily functions and was kept underwater to swallow some of it; he later had to perform an autopsy on his own son to prove torture as a cause of death so he could take a legal case in the US), to the indigenous people hunted for sport into the 90s, to an evaluation of the environmental damage biofuels and soy are causing (the doctor who autopsied his son says soy is as much a problem for Paraguay as the dictator was), it's a remarkable insight into a surprisingly little-known country.
The only place it can't match the TV series is in the visuals - a series of grainy black and white photos doesn't match BBC camerawork, which can be a huge part of the travelogues. The rest, though, makes it a shame there aren't accompanying books to the other series.
The beauty of following the Tropic of Capricorn is that it brings you to places you wouldn't have thought of going to, and there's plenty of stories thrown up along the way. Reeve is at his considered best when discussing the problems facing the Aborigines in Australia, but sections on a mining community in Madagascar is eye-opening ("Be careful", says the mining town's mayor as Reeve slides towards an open mine shaft in the ground. "Someone dies around here every few days. Many are buried alive. Often their families cannot afford to get them out of the holes. So they just stay down there") Locals don't really know what people do with the gems, but are aware of the disparity between what they earn for a gem and what they're sold for in the West. Still, relatively speaking, there's money to be made from a gem rush - though some locals spent their initial new wealth washing their cars in beer.
The most fascinating section is on Paraguay. From the Paraguayan War in the 1860s which saw up to 90% of the adult male population killed, to a brutal dictatorship from 1954 to 1989 (Reeve meets a doctor who was tortured during the regime, electrocuted underwater which caused him to lose control of his bodily functions and was kept underwater to swallow some of it; he later had to perform an autopsy on his own son to prove torture as a cause of death so he could take a legal case in the US), to the indigenous people hunted for sport into the 90s, to an evaluation of the environmental damage biofuels and soy are causing (the doctor who autopsied his son says soy is as much a problem for Paraguay as the dictator was), it's a remarkable insight into a surprisingly little-known country.
The only place it can't match the TV series is in the visuals - a series of grainy black and white photos doesn't match BBC camerawork, which can be a huge part of the travelogues. The rest, though, makes it a shame there aren't accompanying books to the other series.
November 14, 2022
Pealkiri ütleb Simon Reeve´i reisimarsruudi kenasti ära, aga kordame siis üle: Namiibia rannikult läbi Aafrika lõunaosa (Botswana, LAV, Mosambiik), Madagaskarile, järgmine etapp Austraalias, sellest järgmine Lõuna-Ameerika (Tšiili, Argentina, Paraguay, Brasiilia). Kõrbed, Andid, Suur Korallrahu, Uluru jne, jne. Nagu ikka, nii püüab Reeve sellelgi reisil uurida iga piirkonna valupunkte, olgu selleks metsad, mida enam pole või Šveitsi juustuks kaevandatud maapind, halvasti koheldud Austraalia aborigeenid, vaesus ja slummid jne.
Raamat on juba natuke küll ka "vana" (originaalis ilmunud 2008, e.k tõlge 2022), eks see annab lugedes õrnalt tunda, kuigi teisalt on ehk isegi põnev vaadata, mis siis on muutunud ja millest on inimene õppinud. Või siis pole seda teps mitte. Oleme siin elanud omas mullis, et Hiina on alles hiljuti asunud maailma vallutama, aga lõunapöörijoonel võib Reeve tõdeda, et hiinlased on juba kõikjale jõudnud ja käpa peale pannud, ükskõik mille kasvatamisest või kaevandamisest me kõneleme.
Meeldiv oli mu avastus, et Reeve oma retkedel kohtab siiski ka arukaid inimesi, kes juba aastaid tagasi on hakanud mõistma, et rohepööre saeb oksa, millel ise istub. Miks valitsejad seda ei näi mõistvat, eks me aimame. Üks konkreetne näide raamatust, mis kohe meenub, on seotud biokütusega (oli vist Paraguay näitel), ehk siis metsad maha, soja asemele, sellest biokütus, ja siis hõõrume rõõmsalt käsi, kui rohelised me ikka oleme. Aga biokütusega me vist oleme tänaseks jõudnud ühisele arusaamale, et see on üks suur jama (või ei ole siiski, ma ei suuda enam sammu pidada ausalt öeldes).
Kannatas lugeda küll.
Raamat on juba natuke küll ka "vana" (originaalis ilmunud 2008, e.k tõlge 2022), eks see annab lugedes õrnalt tunda, kuigi teisalt on ehk isegi põnev vaadata, mis siis on muutunud ja millest on inimene õppinud. Või siis pole seda teps mitte. Oleme siin elanud omas mullis, et Hiina on alles hiljuti asunud maailma vallutama, aga lõunapöörijoonel võib Reeve tõdeda, et hiinlased on juba kõikjale jõudnud ja käpa peale pannud, ükskõik mille kasvatamisest või kaevandamisest me kõneleme.
Meeldiv oli mu avastus, et Reeve oma retkedel kohtab siiski ka arukaid inimesi, kes juba aastaid tagasi on hakanud mõistma, et rohepööre saeb oksa, millel ise istub. Miks valitsejad seda ei näi mõistvat, eks me aimame. Üks konkreetne näide raamatust, mis kohe meenub, on seotud biokütusega (oli vist Paraguay näitel), ehk siis metsad maha, soja asemele, sellest biokütus, ja siis hõõrume rõõmsalt käsi, kui rohelised me ikka oleme. Aga biokütusega me vist oleme tänaseks jõudnud ühisele arusaamale, et see on üks suur jama (või ei ole siiski, ma ei suuda enam sammu pidada ausalt öeldes).
Kannatas lugeda küll.
March 4, 2019
An interesting journal of Reeve's travels around the globe following the circle of latitude known as the Tropic of Capricorn. It doesn't actually turn out to be a journal all the way around the world, only the overland portions of it, with brief glimpses of sea life when it is relatively close to land. It covers a wide variety of topics (something I like in a book), with particular focus on problems faced by indigenous people on all three continents he visits, and on climate change and its effects on the land and the people. Reeve visits landscapes of great beauty, ranging from huge deserts to enormous waterfalls. And he gets to know people along the way, though his schedule keeps him from spending any length of time with any of them or getting more than an introduction to their culture and way of life.
March 28, 2022
Honestly a bit tedious at times and more political than I would ideally like in a travelogue.
It's nicely written and in general keeps up a decent pace but too often I found myself thinking "ok, enough of [Namibia/Paraguay], let's get on to the next place."
Reeve is quick to find fault with people in general and the ways nations go about making enough money to support their populace. Australia is wrong to mine coal for China. Paraguay is wrong to plant Soya. No country may modernise if it affects native populations who wish to live off the land like they have always done etc.
Put another way, good travel literature should either make you want to visit the places you are reading about, or at least provide you with an enthralling armchair experience to make you feel like you have been there. This did neither.
It's nicely written and in general keeps up a decent pace but too often I found myself thinking "ok, enough of [Namibia/Paraguay], let's get on to the next place."
Reeve is quick to find fault with people in general and the ways nations go about making enough money to support their populace. Australia is wrong to mine coal for China. Paraguay is wrong to plant Soya. No country may modernise if it affects native populations who wish to live off the land like they have always done etc.
Put another way, good travel literature should either make you want to visit the places you are reading about, or at least provide you with an enthralling armchair experience to make you feel like you have been there. This did neither.
February 9, 2021
An incredible journey all the way along the Tropic of Capricorn packed full of real stories from real people. From the effects of the soy boom in landlocked Paraguay to the struggling aboriginal community next to Ayers Rock in Australia. A true insight into other peoples lives that Simon portrays so well either in his books or on tv. This book is a must read for all fans of travel and learning about new places!
January 31, 2023
I love Simon Reeve. Fact.
I think he's a brilliant journalist and presenter.
This book is fab, I genuinely feel like I was in the journey with him, through dusty deserts to rainforest (who knew of the Atlantic rainforest in Paraguay!?)
He also seems to get the runs... A lot.
Great book 😊
I think he's a brilliant journalist and presenter.
This book is fab, I genuinely feel like I was in the journey with him, through dusty deserts to rainforest (who knew of the Atlantic rainforest in Paraguay!?)
He also seems to get the runs... A lot.
Great book 😊
May 16, 2017
Liked it. The inequality in the world and the damage we do to the earth is unavoidable, even on a remote Capricorn line. Interesting, thrilling, and sad read--all at the same time.
March 7, 2022
Not particularly well written, a little shallow and self centered
May 15, 2022
My sociology teacher send me a list of books to read and erm this was not it.
August 4, 2014
As a keen traveller and avid reader, when this book was given to me as a present I was really looking forward to reading it. It's not much more than a blog really and would have been far better presented in that format although when compared to many great blogs out there it would have only risen to heights of mediocrity. As a BBC publication I had high hopes for the book too.[return]Basically the book is a journal of Reeve's travels along the often devastated but also beautiful and inspiring line around our planet, the Tropic of Capricorn. [return]On a deadline, Reeve and his team travel around the world trying as best as probably anyone can, given their constraints, to stay true to this latitude. [return]The journal highlights the beauty of the lands and the people they encounter but unfortunately the book is laden with the author's values, which to me comes across as the remnants of the Victorian England era - condescending and filled with that limp-wristed arrogance that some British folk desperately/ridiculously try to cling on to in a world that has passed them by.[return]As this 'superior' attitude leeches its way through the journal, it is quite comical at times to come across several grammatical errors (quite un-British really) scattered throughout the book. These seem to be due to a spell-checker automatically correcting spelling mistakes but unfortunately substituting the wrong words - something you'd think a half-decent, even notional editorial review would have picked up. [return]Reeve, quite rightly, is concerned about the devastation being wreaked upon our our planet and many of it's indigenous populations. What is problematic though is as he cruises through, staying for perhaps a day or two, he is very quick to criticise, often with that condescending 'I know much better than you' attitude, wherever he happens to be and whatever he happens to be talking about, but does so with seemingly only a shallow understanding of the complexity of some of the problems he is writing about. [return]I speak from an 'Australian' perspective as it is through this section of the book that it became apparent to me just how little he understands of this remarkable country, its people (all of them) and the incredibly complex and tragic problems it is trying to deal with. Such sweeping generalisations are surely not befitting of an educated/well travelled English gentleman. I only hope he has a better grasp of the situations he writes about in the countries he breezed through in the rest of the book.[return]In truth I do admire his efforts and that of the BBC to be able to undertake such journeys, highlighting problems around the world. Hopefully, their efforts and influence are able to raise enough awareness of these tragedies to make a difference. As an author of considerable influence and with so many excellent resources available to him, it would be nice if something could be offered in the way of solutions as well as such value-laden criticism. Reeve should not forget that Britain itself has been a big contributor to the plight of many unfortunate people and places as he casts judgement on all and sundry.[return]Having said all that, the book itself is still an 'OK and relatively interesting read' and a very worthy reminder that a lot is going wrong around our planet at the moment that really needs some well-considered, but immediate action if we are to save it.[return]In summary, I would recommend it but with the caveat that perhaps the author doesn't have the depth of understanding of some of the situations that he is making judgements about, or has a values system (as we all do) that interferes with those judgements. The subject matter of the book is something that we should all be concerned about and cudos must go to him for his efforts in this area.
May 19, 2023
It took Simon Reeve 4 months to travel across Capricorn. It took me 3 months to work my way through the travelogue. Had it been available in audiobook/kindle format, I would probably have finished it much quicker, but it was an enjoyable read overall. Was shocked by some things - such as the German genocide in Namibia, the racism in South Africa, the horrors of dictatorship in Paraguay- and inspired by others - such as the APOPO rats in Mozambique!
October 7, 2013
If you enjoyed watching Simon Reeve trample through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and their neighbours in the BBC's Meet The Stans and if you enjoyed watching him document BBC's Places That Don't Exist, you might enjoy this book. Written as he documented BBC's Tropic of Capricorn, the book elaborates his personal feelings and goes into more depth than the show as he explores the little known corners of the world situated on the Tropic of Capricorn.
I particularly enjoyed reading about his point-of-view of a Westener seeing first-hand the struggles some of the people he meets go through on a daily basis. A definite eye-opener, helped by the author's easy writing style, he talks about the effects of colonialism felt in modern day communities, pockets of beauty dotted across the Tropic of Capricorn, the effects of capitalism, ignorance, acceptance, resignation and prejudice. I found it an easy, flowing read and I highly recommend to lovers of travelogues for a unique journey through the world.
I particularly enjoyed reading about his point-of-view of a Westener seeing first-hand the struggles some of the people he meets go through on a daily basis. A definite eye-opener, helped by the author's easy writing style, he talks about the effects of colonialism felt in modern day communities, pockets of beauty dotted across the Tropic of Capricorn, the effects of capitalism, ignorance, acceptance, resignation and prejudice. I found it an easy, flowing read and I highly recommend to lovers of travelogues for a unique journey through the world.
June 6, 2021
Not as engaging a read as Step by Step. And whilst it invoked images of the places visited, it didn't quite capture in the same way as watching Simon on his Beeb travels themselves. Still, enjoyable. And, ah, travel...
May 1, 2021
He writes as he speaks - lovely book - very exciting to read about Capricorn
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews