If you’re like us, you’ve probably puzzled over where the ‘deepest, darkest’ bit of Africa is. We’ve been there many times, wandered all over it, checked all the maps, asked all the guides and we still can’t find it. What we have found though, is a continent so large and diverse, so rich in history and culture, so full of opportunity and adventure; it would take a hundred Doctor Livingstones a thousand lifetimes to explore it. So you’d better get your skates on.
A holiday in Africa might entail a stumble along the wineroutes of Cape Town or a Cleopatra-like barge cruise down the Nile. It might mean a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa, or stalking wild game, heavily armed with long-lens cameras, in the Kruger National Park. It might include a rail journey in some of the world’s most luxurious Pullman cars through some of the world’s most extraordinarily beautiful landscapes, or it might mean skinny dipping at night on the shores of Lake Victoria after a hard day tracking wildebeest on their annual migration.
Africa is naturally renowned for the its wildlife and you’d be hard-pressed to visit this continent without seizing a safari opportunity; think a gorilla safari in Uganda or bird spotting in Namibia, hippo spotting on the Zambezi or chimpanzee stalking on the Congo, just to whet the appetite. Naturally, the Big 5 are on most people’s agendas when they head south to the Kruger National Park area.
But it’s not all about wildlife; taking time to immerse ourselves in culture and anthropology has tremendous rewards in Africa. From the mighty warriors of the Masai, the Bushmen of the Kalahari, the Berbers of Morocco and the Pygmies of the Congo and dozens of others, there are histories and cultures spinning back millennia.
Holidays in Africa can’t be pigeon-holed into any category; there’s just so much diversity. To become an African explorer, call your Travel Counsellor and work with them to plan the holiday adventure of a lifetime.
What we love about Africa
It’s a nature-lovers’ paradise; the game parks make our own Dubbo and Werribee open range zoos seem a little tame by comparison.
Each of the 53 nation states offers a uniquely different holiday experience.
African Adventure
Sunday 7th October 2007
Travel Counsellor: Kerrie Croft
Returning, after 13 years, to the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, Eastern Africa, gave me a sense of dejevu. Then though, the park on the border of Zaire was bare, and little wildlife existed after being almost wiped out by the desperate forces of Idi Amin’s regime. Still, it was a place I remembered well - several interesting incidents ensuring it was indelibly stamped on my travel memory. Now more adventures were to be etched.
At the northern end of the Park, where Lake Edward flowed into Lake George via the Kazuga channel, stood the main Safari Lodge, empty in 1983, now brimming with tourists. It looked the same yet different, as the surrounding hectares were dotted with staff and researchers cottages and other accommodation. At the end of the peninsular on a steep rise above the Channel famous for its thousands of hippos, lay the sprawling campsite. Near a rondavel providing shelter from which you could admire the surroundings, I pitched my tent between two bushes since... view full story
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