Africa

ZIMBABWE - Highlights

Victoria Fallsb

This beautiful country has long been a popular tourist destination due to the huge variety of environments, and the amazing cultural, wildlife and landscape heritage. Zimbabwean people remain among the friendliest and most capable in Africa, and the country will undoubtedly rise again to become one of Africa's most popular destinations. Encompassing many ecosystems, landlocked Zimbabwe is home to the magnificent Victoria Falls, the Eastern Highlands mountain range, tranquil Lake Kariba, the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara at Great Zimbabwe and National Parks home to a great variety of wildlife species.

WHY VISIT ZIMBABWE?

Unique moments at Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls – One of the Natural Wonders of the World and possibly the most impressive waterfall you will ever see.

Great Zimbabwe – The second greatest stone structure in Africa, the origins of which are still a mystery and the source of much academic debate.

Hwange National Park – The largest and oldest National Park in the Country

Lake Kariba – One of the continents great lakes however this one is man-made. The vast area of water and wildlife along the shoreline is a prime tourist destination

Ghonarezhou – One of the first protected areas in the world to involve the local population in conservation programmes

Zambezi Escarpment 

Bulawayo – Zimbabwe’s second City acts as the gateway to the granite boulders and almost surreal Matopos National Park

Eastern Highlands – The scenic rural setting offers hiking, fishing and spectacular scenery

Tribal Art – Shona sculpture has a world reputation and it is possible to see many famous artists at work

Zambezi Escarpment – The northern reserves and safari areas situated along the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba are prime game viewing locations with exceptional accommodation and activities such as overnight canoeing trips, white water rafting and numerous adrenalin activities in the Victoria Falls area.

Lok for more at: http://www.newafricanfrontiers.com/

MASAI MARA National Reserve - KENYA

National Reserve Wildlife

The Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya's premier wildlife park. It was established in 1961 to protect wildlife from hunters. The Masai Mara is the reason many visitors come to Kenya and its beauty and abundant wildlife won't disappoint. This guide to the Masai Mara will tell you what animals you can expect to see, the topography of the area, where to stay, how to get there, and what there is to do beyond the game drives.

Where is the Masai Mara National Reserve?

The Masai Mara is in southwestern Kenya on the border of Tanzania. The reserve is situated in the Rift Valley with Tanzania's Serengeti Plains running along its southern end. The Mara River runs through the reserve (north to south) hosting plenty of hippos and crocodiles and making the annual migration of over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras an extremely dangerous undertaking.

Most of the Masai Mara is made up of hilly grassland which is fed by plentiful rain, especially during the wet months between November and June. The areas bordering the Mara river are forested and are home to over several hundred bird species. This map will help orient you.

Masai Mara's Wildlife

The Masai Mara reserve is Kenya's most popular game park because it's relatively small (a little smaller than Rhode Island) yet it hosts an amazing concentration of wildlife. You are almost guaranteed to see the Big 5. Lions abound throughout the park as do leopards, cheetah, hyenas, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, topi, baboons, warthogs, buffalo, zebra, elephants, and of course hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River.

The best time to go is between July and October when the wildebeest and zebra are at their highest number and offer plenty of food for lions, cheetahs, and leopards. The best time to view animals is either at dawn or dusk. For more tips on spotting wildlife see my tips for a successful safari.

Kenya

Because the reserve has no fences you can actually see as much wildlife within its boundaries as outside in the areas inhabited by the Maasai tribes. Some of these areas are also not so crowded. Within the reserve, it's not unusual to see 5 or 6 safari vehicles full of tourists taking photos of one lion with its kill.

For more details about the mammals and birdlife in the reserve see Kenyaology's page about the Mara's wildlife

 Look for more at: http://goafrica.about.com/od/kenyatopattractions/a/masaimara.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 CAIRO, EGYPT
The Pyramids, Sphinx and Saqqara

Saqqara View

You won't want to miss one of Egypt's top attractions, the last surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. There are in fact three main pyramids in Giza; the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), The Pyramid of Kafhre and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaura. Each Pyramid is a tomb to a different King of Egypt. In front of the pyramids lies the Sphinx, or Abu al-Hol in Arabic, "Father of Terror". Carved out of a single block of stone, this enormous cat-like sculpture has mesmerized millions of visitors.

Giza's three pyramids and the Sphinx were thought to have been constructed in the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom, arguably the first great civilization on earth. For most of us that translates in to about 5000 years ago. Even though there is still debate about how the pyramids at Giza were built, most are in agreement it wasn't by aliens . It is believed about 20,000 laborers were used and approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighing 2.5 tons, just to build the Pyramid of Khufu. For an in depth account of how they were built and a virtual tour inside the Great Pyramid (Khufu) explore the Pyramids with Nova and PBS.

Getting Around and Going Inside the Pyramids

Getting around the pyramids is easy enough, you can walk, take a horse and buggy or take a camel ride. A couple tips on the camel ride:

•Bargain hard before you get on the camel.

•Don't take a photo of the camel unless you are prepared to pay.

•If you are feeling harassed then grab your nearest Antiquity Policeman to help you out.

•Enjoy the ride, it is a once in a lifetime experience and worth a few bucks.

Climbing Up

I have some shaky Super 8 footage of myself as a six-year-old clambering up Khufu but that practice has been strictly forbidden since the 1980's. Some intrepid folks attempt to climb up the sides of the Pyramids late at night, but really, it isn't worth ruining a Wonder of the World just for the thrill of it.

Going In

Pyramids

You can go inside the pyramids, but beware if you suffer from claustrophobia. The climbs are very steep and narrow so your knees have to be in good shape. Here is a decent account of one person's experience inside Khufu (Cheops). You have to get a separate ticket to enter the pyramids and they are limited to 300 per day so get there early.

Sound and Light Show

A sound and light show centered around the Sphinx is a nightly occurrence. Although it may sound too touristy for some, everyone ends up learning some interesting facts about the Pyramids and shows are in several different languages.

Go for more at: http://goafrica.about.com/od/egypttopattractions/a/cairoguide_3.htm

 SOUTH AFRICA: MPUMALANGA- Kruger National Park Safari

Mpumalanga

As one of Africa's top three safari destinations, the Kruger National Park offers visitors the iconic African safari - a dramatic production rich in lion prides, elephant herds and thousands of other animals, played out against shifting backdrops of savannah, forest, river and mountain.

Travellers arrive from all over the world for a taste of the Kruger National Park safari experience - a safari holiday characterised by unspoilt wilderness, a huge density and diversity of animals, and private luxury Kruger Park accommodation that rivals (and often surpasses) the world's best hotels.

Make sure to read up on when to go before booking your Kruger safari holiday.

Where To Stay

Our Kruger accommodation and safari guide offers a wide range of lodges and camps in and around the Kruger National Park, from luxury game lodges and private Kruger safari villas to comfortable self-catering accommodation. We've also recommended our favourite lodges and guest houses outside the park, in nearby towns such as in Hazyview and Phalaborwa.

If you can afford to, what you really want to do when coming to the Kruger Park is to stay in one of the private Kruger reserves that shares unfenced borders with the park, or in one of the private concessions within the Kruger Park. For a truly decadent experience visit the Sabi Sands.

In these exclusive areas, private lodges offer luxury accommodation in unique wilderness settings, private game drives that get you as close as possible to wild animals, and a variety of additional activities ranging from safari bush walks to spa treatments - check out our best Kruger luxury lodges for the cream of the crop.

Bubble Baths & Bush Dinners

Have a bubble bath in your luxury suite perched on a cliff-face and overlooking a forested valley; go out on an off-road safari game drive and park in the middle of a pride of lions as they feast on a fresh kill; enjoy dinner under the stars, as the wine flows and the fire blazes, then retire to the comfort of your king-sized bed's cool, crisp linen.

If you prefer doing things on your own steam, you can plan your own Kruger Park safari holiday. There is a wide variety of self-catering accommodation available within the park although the emphasis here is on clean, comfortable facilities rather than luxury.

Kruger Tours & Safaris

Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park was originally designed for self-catering and self-drive holidays, and there is still an excellent network of dirt and tar roads that allows visitors to explore the massive park and its surrounding areas for days on end.

However, there are a number of Kruger Park tours and safaris - either as a focused Kruger safari, such as our 4-Day Fly In Safari, or as part of the popular overland tour scene. The Best of South Africa - Rainbow Nation overland tour focuses on South Africa's highlights, or there's the Northern Safari that covers more of Southern Africa.

Finally, the Kruger is a fantastic adventure for the whole family - our Kruger Park family holidays will thrill and wow all generations of nature lovers.

Whichever way you chose to experience the Kruger Park, you will leave completely refreshed, having enjoyed a Kruger National Park safari experience full of wildlife sightings in a wilderness that's almost certain to tempt you into quitting your office job and moving to the bush.

Get more information at: http://www.go2africa.com/south-africa/kruger-national-park

NGORONGORO Crater Conservancy - TANZANIA

Ngorongoro View

If you were offered a single safari holiday in your lifetime, one chance in which to experience Africa, the Ngorongoro Crater is where you would want to go. Nowhere else in Africa does such a varied cast of animals gather to graze, live, hunt and die.

On one of our Ngorongoro Crater Safaris you will encounter some of the 30,000 animals in the crater's diverse range of habitats: swampy wetlands, open savannah, woodland and lake - all within the steep rock walls that climb through thick forest some 600m to the rim.

Ngorongoro Crater Safaris offer the opportunity to see the highest concentration of predators in Africa: prides of lion, skittish cheetah and stealthy leopards stalk the crater floor.

Africa's familiar faces are everywhere: hippos inhabit the swamps; wildebeest and buffalo graze the grasslands in their thousands, and hundreds of flamingos live on the lake, much to the delight of the scavenging hyenas. Even Africa's extremely rare black rhino has found refuge within the crater's walls while elephants haunt the ghostly fever tree forest.

To add to this surreal environment, Maasai tribesman - easily visible in their traditional scarlet robes - can be spotted guiding their cattle down the steep crater walls. The mythical Maasai graze their cattle here, seemingly unshaken by the presence of so many predators.

How to see it all? Ngorongoro Crater accommodation is limited but, in most cases, spectacular.

Choose from a range of luxury lodges on the rim or located close by - and it wouldn't hurt to read our When to go to Ngorongoro Crater section to get your timing right.

Nogrongoro Crater

Tapping into expert knowledge is your best way to maximise your Ngorongoro game-viewing experience. We have a number of excellent Ngorongoro Crater Safaris - all you have to do is choose which one suits your needs best.

If our selection of Ngorongoro Crater Safaris seems a bit overwhelming, then we can narrow it down for you.

We recommend our week-long Gems of the North luxury safari, our intensive 6-day Kifaru Safari and the flagship10-day Asilia Premier Tanzania Safari which promises to deliver the very best of northern Tanzania.

 More at: http://www.go2africa.com/tanzania/ngorongoro-crater-conservancy

SOUTH AFRICA: Northwest Province - SUN CITY

Sun City is internationally renowned as one of the world's most exotic and extravagant holiday resorts.

Sun City

By day, Sun City is a year-round holiday paradise - with golf courses, paragliding, an artificial beach and waterpark, and a neighbouring safari reserve.

At night it's a glitzy hub of restaurants, a casino and spectacular shows. What's more, Sun City is a year round destination, so there's no stressing over choosing when to go to Sun City.

Over the years, Sun City has provided a holiday haven in which parents can unwind on a Sun City holiday as their kids are run about in a safe and secure environment. If you're looking for a few relaxing and uncomplicated days away, then Sun City is a must-do.

A Sun City Safari holiday

You just can't get more spoilt than Sun City & safari holidays. The Pilanesberg Game Reserve, neighbours Sun City, and is just short drive away; you can easily include a safari in your day's activities at Sun City.

Also nearby is the Madikwe Game Reserve, one of South Africa's best kept secrets. This prime safari destination is about an hour and a half's drive from Sun City, adjacent to the Botswana border and offers excellent wildlife sightings and magnificent scenery.

The Sun City Hotels

Sun City is also home to the Palace of the Lost City, undoubtedly the most extravagant five star hotel on the continent. The Palace takes the idea of a lost civilization and turns it into an exotic fantasy holiday world complete with high domed ceilings, lavish African furnishings in every corner and massive hotel rooms.

The Sun City holiday resort sprawls out over a massive area encompassing four hotels. Each Sun City hotel features lush tropical gardens, walking trails and massive swimming pools.

Sun City Activities

Sun City View

Golf enthusiasts have two world class courses to choose from - complete with crocodiles at the water hazards. Less sporty types can enjoy spa treatments, beautiful swimming pools and cocktail menus the length of romance novels.

A waterpark called the Valley of Waves is the hub of activity during the day. It sports an artificial beach lapped by the mechanically-generated waves of an artificial ocean. Kids run around jumping, climbing, and running from water-slide to pool to water-slide while adults laze on the beach, sipping drinks under the hot African sun.

Full information at: http://www.go2africa.com/south-africa/sun-city

MOROCCO - Dar Ahlam

Hotels - Dar Ahlam

At Dar Ahlam, a private setting boasts magnificent suites and villas with pure and audacious décor. Along with vast, uncluttered spaces with mud-brick floors and adobe walls throughout the Kasbah.

The suites at Dar Ahlam look onto gardens, where guests can get together and share the truly exceptional moments while overlooking the blistering hot desert. At Dar Ahlam there are three independent villas, this includes the Villa Dargent, Villa Indienne and Villa des Oliviers. Each villa is built around a central patio and includes a large drawing room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom and traditional lounge. The majority of the rooms in each villa look directly onto a private garden with a heated plunge pool.

Villa Indienne Hotel

Talent brought together with an extensive menu, combining traditional specialties with the latest in culinary innovations make the cuisine at Dar Ahlam more than just food but an experience. Cuisine of Moroccan inspiration is served wherever guests like; on the terrace and gardens or poolside.

In perfect harmony with the existing flora, there are two hectares of gardens surrounding the Kasbah. Dar Ahlam is also one of the few Kasbahs in the region to have a Riad, a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden, which is dedicated to body care, offering a thousand and one temptations. At the heart of the Riad lies the perfume parlor, with a selection of hand cut soaps, body vinegars and massage oils.

Get more, at: http://www.destinationsafrica.com.au/morocco/

Okavango Delta Partial View

Okavango Delta - Botswana

The Okavango Delta offers a truly tranquil experience of untouched Africa. Tucked within a country known for its conservation efforts, the Okavango Delta has an array of preserved plants, birds and wildlife; untamed and unspoiled.

The majority of the area is protected within the Moremi Game Reserve and enjoys preservation of the area’s precious ecosystems, eco-tourism and controlled hunting and photographic tourism projects.

The delta eco-system is home to rare wildlife; crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo and wattled crane can be seen along the delta banks.

A cruise down the delta will see you through reed-lined channels, floodplains, water-lily lagoons, forest glades and rich savannah grasslands on a wildlife and birdlife viewing journey.

The area is huge for birding, with a wide variety of water bird ranging from stork to fishing owl, mixed with the tranquil green setting of the surrounds; the Okavango Delta can easily be described as a bird paradise.

The local tribal groups include Hambukushu, Dxeriku, Wayeyi, Bugakwe, Xanekwe with 78% of the population speaking Setswana, even though the official language of the area is English.  

Highlights & Places in Okavango Delta

Okavango - Wildlife Tour

• Tracking big game on foot
• Big Five
• Mokoro (canoe) excursions
• Fishing excursions
• Bird watching

The Okavango Delta is the world’s largest delta. Running through the middle of the Kalahari Desert, the delta serves as the predominant source of water for the birds and wildlife that inhabit Botswana.

The Okavango Delta exists because water from the Okavango River in Angola overflows into Botswana and creates hundreds of channels, lagoons and waterways which cover over 17 000 kilometres of land. This is the Okavango Delta.

On its downward flow through the dry Kalahari Desert, the body of water makes for the most amazing game viewing as wildlife flock to the delta-side to quench their thirst.

The best way to experience the surrounding wildlife and wilderness is on a plane safari; getting a view from the top, or on a makoro cruise; drifting down the crystal clear waters of the swamp land. 

Best Time to Visit Okavango Delta

When to Go

River Tours

If you’re going for the game viewing, the best time to go is between May and October. Wildlife are thirsty and meet up around waterholes. Between these months its Botswana’s dry season which means vegetation is dried out and grass is flatter; making it easier to see wildlife.

In November to April, birds and vegetation thrive in the area’s rainy season with birds returning from their migration and plants bursting with rich colour.

Getting There & Getting Around

Travel on Wildlife Track

Maun is the gateway to the Okavango Delta; an area which conveniently has an airport. Take a flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, into Maun International Airport and from there you can either take a 4x4 drive to your destination or a private airplane to your camp, if it has an airstrip.

Getting Around Okavango Delta

When you arrive in Okavango Delta your transport options include plane, 4x4 and Makoro.

Traveling by plane means you get to witness the vast wilderness from a birds’ eye view, whereas a 4x4 drive or Makoro cruise give a far more personal experience of the surrounding nature.