Africa Travel Information

The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has just announced their launch of an online payment solution specifically targeting the Kenya tourism industry. The bank announced the news during the East Africa E-Tourism Conference, which is taking place at the Nairobi Crowne Plaza hotel.

This is exciting news for hotel owners, tour operators, and other players in the Kenya travel industry. Kenya recently joined the world of true broadband, and many serious business want to exploit online opportunities through e-commerce.

Just a few months ago, most operators in the tourism sector found it very expensive to accept online payments. This is because no local bank offered e-commerce services. This possibly restricted tour operators and travel agents from maximizing on the existing potential.

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Egypt Holiday Booking
This post offers general information about Nile cruises and why they are a popular way of exploring Egypt. If you just want to book a Nile Cruise holiday or other form of Egypt vacation, I recommend that you see some of the Egypt holiday packages offered through the Africa Guide website, one of the most credible Africa travel portals.

Enjoy Your Egypt Holiday in Style

As a holiday destination, Egypt stands head and shoulders above other African countries. So much that probably everyone in the world knows about the Egyptian pyramids and the other relics of ancient Egypt civilizations. You should read my previous post on the top-five must-see sites in Egypt if you need an introduction to some of the country’s attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

Map of Somalia: The country is quickly becoming a breeding ground for terrorism in Africa

I know, this is meant to be purely a travel blog, but the terrorist bombings in Uganda deserve a comment. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, you can read the news in Yahoo , BBC , CNN , and several other websites.

If truly it is the Somali Al Shabaab militia that carried out the attack, there’s real need for the entire African continent, and indeed the whole world, to move with greater speed to rectify the situation in Somalia. I know, we already have an African Union peace keeping mission on the ground, but obviously it is not achieving the desired results. The transitional national government is still very weak, while Al-shabaab and other similar radical groups seem to be gaining strength every day. By expanding their tentacles beyond Somalia, they are sending a strong signal that they want to remain a force to reckon with.

I am a travel blogger, and my knowledge of security matters is minimal, but I know one thing for sure: if Al Shabab or any other terror group gets rooted in the Eastern Africa region, it will adversely affect our travel industry, among other things. The 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, plus the 2002 Kikambala bombings in the Kenyan coast taught us quite as much. Tourism is an important part of the economy of at least four countries in Eastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Read the rest of this entry »

Map of the proposed highway through the Serengeti. Obtained from the African Wildlife Foundation Website: www.awf.org

Lately, there has been a lot of furore about the plans by the Tanzania government to construct a major commercial highway through the Serengeti national park. The proposed road will link Arusha with Musoma town at the shores of Lake Victoria, passing right through the northern part of Serengeti.

Serengeti, as you may already know, is the starting point of the great wildebeest migration, an annual event that has been declared the world’s most spectacular natural event. During the dry season in Serengeti, millions of wildebeest, zebras and other small herbivores migrate northwards into the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya in search for pasture. The animals then move back to Serengeti in the wet season. Every year, thousands of tourists time their East African safari so as to see this great migration.

Book a safari to see the migration
If you have never seen the migration, this may be your best time to witness the spectacle. Click here to see some great wildebeest migration packages in Kenya, offered through Africaguide. Who knows, the Tanzania goverment might just implements its plan, marking the end of the migration as we currently know it.

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A view of Nairobi City, the capital city of Kenya

Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is the main point of entry for most people travelling to Kenya. Whether coming for a safari, a business trip, or you are on transit through Nairobi to another destination, you’ll most likely arrive through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Sometimes you may not need to spend more than a few minutes in Nairobi, especially if you are proceeding on safari immediately. Other times however, you may have to spend a night or two. With its wide choice of hotels, Nairobi will not disappoint you.

Some of the best known five star hotels in Nairobi include the Nairobi Serena hotel, the Hotel Intercontinental Nairobi, Panari hotel, Nairobi Hilton hotel, and the Fairmont Norfolk hotel . There are several other hotels ranging from five star luxury hotels to budget hotels. So whatever your budget, you’ll definitely find suitable accommodation for your stay in Nairobi.

Lately, several new hotels have been constructed in Nairobi, perhaps an indication that the Kenya travel industry is recovering from the woes of the recent past. The three most notable of these new hotels are Ole Sereni, Crowne Plaza, and Sankara Nairobi hotel. Read the rest of this entry »

Spitzkoppe, Namibia. Photo by Thomas Schoch (http://www.retas.de/thomas/travel/namibia2003/index.html), obtained from wikimedia commons

An African safari can probably not be more adventurous and more enjoyable than it is in Namibia. Among the top safari destinations in Africa, I don’t think there’s any that can capture and exceed your wildest imagination of the African wild like Namibia does.

Situated in the Southwest of Africa, Namibia borders South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, and the Atlantic ocean. It is one of the youngest African countries, having gained independence from South Africa in March 1990. The country occupies about 825,000 km2, making it one of the larger countries in Africa. Yet it has one of the lowest population densities in the continent.

Most parts of Namibia have desert or near-desert conditions, which are a bit harsh for human habitation. Ironically, traveling in Namibia is such a great adventure partly because of this harsh climate that leaves most of the land unspoilt by human activity.

• The Top five Safari Attractions in Namibia
1. Etosha National Park
Etosha is regarded as one of the finest and most impressive game parks in Africa. The name Etosha means “place of dry water” in the Ovambo language. Etosha national park derives its name from the Etosha pan, a vast but shallow salt pan occupying about 5000 square kilometers within the reserve. The park hosts a great variety of wild animals, among them all the African big five animals, the springbok, zebra, cheetah, kudu, hyena, black-faced impala and many other mammals and bird species.

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