If this is your first time on safari, packing can be a daunting task. Here's a detailed safari packing list. I’m a firm believer in ‘less is more’. The less you pack, the more convenient it will be to move around and the happier you'll be. We almost always travel with carry-on only (even when[...]
Travel to Swaziland can be a truly surprising experience. Here's my Swaziland guide to help you plan your adventure in Africa's smallest country. Sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique, the Kingdom of Swaziland (now known as Eswatini) is a tiny nation often described as ‘Africa in a nut[...]
Not sure if you should go on an African safari with kids? Think again. It just takes some planning, for both you and your kids to have the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve been to Africa around 30 times: from Tanzania to Uganda, Madagascar to Benin. It’s my favorite continent, and I try to visit at[...]
I knew nothing about Cape Verde before my trip and ended up loving it way more than I expected to. Here's my recommended things to do in Cape Verde. Located 500km off the coast of West Africa, Cape Verde (also known as Cabo Verde) is a group of 10 islands and five islets. The once uninhabited islan[...]
Timkat in Ethiopia is a spectacular occasion to witness and best time to visit the country. Here's my experience (and tips) on celebrating one of the biggest religious festivals in Ethiopia. Hundreds of people - dressed as a sea of white - have gathered in the historic town of Gonder for[...]
If you only time to see one thing in Ethiopia, make it the rock church of Lalibela. Here's my guide to exploring the incredible Rock Churches of Lalibela. It’s barely dawn; the sky is still dark and birds are just starting to chirp and sing. In the darkness, I scramble along the slippery walkway[...]
A collection of my best pictures of Ethiopia to give you insights into this misunderstood country. To most of the world, Ethiopia is practically synonymous to famine and drought. Between the 1970s and 80s, a series of famine hit the country and killed more than a million people. It was one[...]
Want to go local and contribute to local communities in West Africa? Here are some eco tourism destinations in West Africa that are well worth visiting. West Africa is the stuff of dreams. It's packed with long-standing slavery history, remote and untouched landscapes, world-renown music[...]
One of the things that drew me to West Africa was its slave history. Here's my experience learning about history and retracing slavery in Ghana. Crumbling colonial buildings and half-built concrete blocks jostle for space alongside congested and pockmarked sidewalks. Corrugated-roofed slums and hun[...]
Voodoo culture is still very much alive today in West Africa, specifically Benin, where the religion was born. Here's a look at how voodoo culture is practised these days. Voodoo Culture in Benin Mention the word ‘voodoo’ and most people conjure images of dolls riddled with nails, and spoo[...]
For a long time, travel to West Africa was restricted — due to civil wars, tribal conflicts, terrorism and the ebola outbreak. Today, this is the world's poorest region, with many countries here occupying the lowest positions in the UN Human Development Index. A large percentage of p[...]
40 Photos of Cape Verde that will make you want to go there now Not many people have heard of Cape Verde. Since reading about it in a magazine a few years ago, I've been absolutely intrigued by it. How did a small archipelago nation with so little natural resources become one of the most econo[...]
On my recent East Africa trip, the biggest surprise for me was Lake Bunyonyi, a stunning part of Africa that I never knew existed. Sprawling across the Rwandan border in southern Uganda, Lake Bunyonyi Uganda was a breathe of fresh air after the dry, dusty savannas of Kenya. Em[...]
"Welcome to our home," announces Sam, our Masai guide for the day. We are here in a village tucked within the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The Masai (also spelled as Maasai) are a semi-nomadic people from East Africa who are known for their unique way of life [...]
Over thousands of wildebeests and zebras sprawl across the vast grasslands, peppering the landscape that runs for miles into the horizon. We’ve seen them before – but now to see them in such big numbers is just impressive. As we drive further alo[...]
The walkie-talkie crackles. Our guide Benjamin listens intently and whispers back in the local Rukiga language. “We've found the gorillas. A male and a female. They are just ahead," he announces. "Are you ready?" We drop our bags and proceed in silence through the thick and wet jungle w[...]
After three weeks of traveling East Africa, I’m back at our home base in Spain and eager to share my experiences here. East Africa is a part of the world that’s particularly special to me. Five years ago, Alberto and I volunteered in a village in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania – and as cliché as it so[...]
From island hopping to climbing mountains, here is a list of the best things to do in Mauritius, whether you are an active traveler or beach bum. We’ve just left Mauritius after spending a week island-hopping and exploring the beaches and jungles of the island. From the west highla[...]
Peering over the edge of the 45-meter high waterfall, my knees begin to shake and my head spins slightly. I’m about to abseil down the steep and slipper rock face with nothing more than a harness, a rope intertwined within several carabiners, a wetsuit, and a helmet. Alberto takes[...]
"Welcome to our home,” said Vivian, our guide for the day. Vivian grew up here in Masiphumelele, a township at the edge of Kommetjie and far from the glitz and glamour of Cape Town. Like the other 45,000 people living here, her parents and grandparents had c[...]
A self-drive safari in South Africa can be an excellent way to see the wildlife at your own pace, on your own terms. Covered in nothing more than gravel stones, the road ahead of us did not look like something our tiny Kia Picanto could handle. There were no signs and the road winded ahead as far as[...]
Getting to Bazaruto Island, Mozambique, was an experience on its own. Onboard a light aircraft, we flew over the spearmint blue water off the sparkling coast of Vilanculos, past hundreds of submerged atolls, to get to Indigo Bay. The sea was painted in striated strokes of beige and white, with sub[...]
Driving the Cape Peninsula was the highlight of our South Africa itinerary and we highly recommend it if you love a good road trip! The road hugs the cliff, meandering along the edge of the Table Mountain range all the way to Cape of Good Hope, the southwesternmost tip of Africa. On[...]
Out on the brackish water, two enormous heads bobbed on the surface. We cruised nearer for a closer look. Two teenage elephants emerged from the water, their bulky bodies towering over our small boat. Flapping their ears, they moved swiftly towards the land. “They’re just swimming across the ri[...]
It was barely daylight when we set off from our apartment in Camps Bay to Gansbaai, a fishing village some two hours away from Cape Town, South Africa. This fishing town is most famous for its dense population of great white sharks. Although sleepy from the early rise, we were fueled by ex[...]
At the end of 2011, I spent a month traveling overland through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia with G Adventures. This was definitely one of the best trips of my life: experiencing the backcountry of Southern Africa, camping out in the wild, meeting lifelong friends – all of which I[...]
Paragliding off Lion's Head in Cape Town was definitely the highlight of my South Africa trip! Highly recommend it if you have the time! Holding my hands out to feel the wind in my hands, I glide through the air so gently, it's almost like floating in the clouds. "This the closest feeling to flyi[...]
Although Kruger is undoubtedly the largest and most popular National Park in South Africa there are plenty of other wild venues scattered across the country that are, in my humble opinion, just as interesting if not more so. For those who are wondering which national park to include in your South Af[...]
Before setting off for Madagascar, I dreamt about its wildlife, its forests and its cities; but only after the trip did I realize that the most memorable moments of my trip were spent watching the locals. I remember watching them sell sugarcane on the streets, make cakes on their steaming hot pans,[...]
They don’t call this the ‘wild west’ for nothing. Red Earth, robust baobab trees and brownish rivers – the remote Western region of the country epitomizes Madagascar at its most exotic. With few roads connecting here to the rest of the country, this hard-to-reach region is pockmarked with h[...]