If I were to include the sphinx, the pyramids, and all other monuments from the ancient Egyptian civilization in this article, they would take all the top ten spots. This previous post lists what I consider the top five must-see sites in Egypt. In a later post, I will hopefully expand the list to include all the other places in Egypt.

Outside of Egypt, there are several equally important places that you should plan to visit in Africa. And these are what I am focusing on in today’s post.

1. The Roman ruins and relics of other ancient civilizations in Northern Africa
The entire Northern Africa region has dozens of monuments from the ancient ages. For the purpose of this article, I have grouped them together, but they are spread across Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, making it impossible to see all of them all in one trip.

The ruins are the remains of the activities of the Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Carthaginian civilizations in the Mediterranean region. The most popular among these historical sites include Leptis Magna (pictured) in Libya, El Djem in Tunisia, Djémila in Algiers, and Volubilis in Morocco. For those attractions in Tunisia, read this previous post.

2. Timbuktu, Mali

“…Timbuktu where every race came to get books, to learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans…”

The Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu. Image by blueguy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueguy/280064686/) (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 generic)

The above quote, from Nas’ song I Can, may sound like an exaggeration – and it is – but from as early as the 12th century AD, Timbuktu was a key commercial and intellectual city.

Credible sources, like this website, indicate that by that time, the city already had three universities and several schools, with an active book publishing industry. Of course that was long after the end of both the Roman and Greek empires, but it still illustrates the historical significance of this city.

Today, Timbuktu may be a shadow of its glorious past, “a dusty footnote in northern Mali” as this report (PDF) indicates, but it remains an interesting and a must-visit site.

Sadly though, cases of kidnappings and terrorism have made several governments to issue warnings and alerts against traveling to Northern Mali. Here’s the one by the UK government for example.

3. Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Part of the great Zimbabwe ruins. Image by ctsnow (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctsnow/95112892) (Creative commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

These ruins are the greatest evidence of the existence of a Bantu civilization long before the arrival of the Portugueese explorers and other Europeans. Historians estimate that at its peak, this massive stone city had a population of about 18,000 people. The region was an important commercial hub, trading mostly in gold, iron, copper, and cowrie shells.

Some early historians expressed doubt whether indeed the city was built by native Africans, claiming instead that a “more civilized race” must have built it.

There are several other legends concerning the city, including that it was was the capital of the Queen of Sheba, but then the same is said of Axum. If you are interested in more history about the Great Zimbabwe, Professor Manu Ampim has written quite an interesting account. Undoubtedly, the ruins are one of the most awe-inspiring places to visit in Africa, as you can read in the reviews of other people who have been there.

4. Meroe, Sudan

Some of the Pyramids at Meroe in Sudan Image by Fabrizio Dermartis (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabriziodemartis/48324720/) (Creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0)

Did you know that there are more pyramids in Sudan than there are in Egypt?

(See this link for reference).

The so called Nubian pyramids are found in what is today a UNESCO world heritage site, the Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe.

Like their Egyptian counterparts, many of these pyramids were tombs for the royalty, but in this case, in the Kingdom of Kush.

The Meroe pyramids are smaller and lack the splendour of those in Egypt, but they still are an interesting place to visit.

5. Ethiopian Historical Sites

A Castle in Gondar, Ethiopia. Image by Beautiful Ethiopia (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beautifulethiopia/6058715749) (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic)

Ethiopia has one of the richest histories of all African countries. Arguably, only Egypt can rival Ethiopia’s historical heritage. As a result, the country has many interesting places for cultural travel.

The Ethiopian historical sites include Lalilbela, Axum, Gondar, and Harar.

Lalibela, for example, is famous for its monolithic temples, carved out of a stone from the ground.

You can read more about Ethiopia here

To help you plan a sustainable and animal-friendly safari, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has compiled the following travel tips for you:

• Conduct a background check of the travel company before booking your trip: Some tour operators cater for very specific interests like hunting safaris or photographic safaris. Whatever your interests, ensure that the company uses professional and well-trained naturalists/tour guides, who are conversant with local rules, regulations, and acceptable practices. There are many operators that employ inexperienced persons as tour guides. Such individuals do not have adequate knowledge to make your safari trip enjoyable and at the same time animal-friendly.

• Use a tour operator/company that supports local community initiatives: There are companies that channel part of their profits towards such local initiatives as education projects, wildlife conservation efforts in community-owned animal conservancies. Such companies also employ members of the local community, thus empowering them.

• Adhere to the rules and regulations in the national parks and game reserves: During your safari, you will get the rare chance of getting very close to the animals in their natural homes in the African wild. As a responsible person, you should avoid doing anything that can disturb or frighten the animals, thereby endangering other people in the vicinity. Avoid behaviors like crowding, noise pollution by the tour vans, speeding and reckless driving.

• Be a responsible traveler: What you may consider an insignificant amount of litter can harm the ecosystem in a huge way. Do not therefore throw litter anyhow in the wild. Likewise, if you must buy curios and other souvenirs, make sure that they are not made from indigenous wood or animal parts.

• Inform the relevant authorities about any violations and improprieties: Do not turn a blind eye when, for example, other people mistreat the animals. Such actions reflect poorly on the community, and are bad for tourism. Let the game rangers and any other wildlife authorities know. Even after you return home from your vacation, it may help to write a follow-up mail to your country’s embassy. This would help get more action on the concern you expressed.

There are however some good-to-know travel facts that you may not hear from your travel agent.  Please read on to discover some of these:

1. There are many interesting places off-the-beaten-path
Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana are the most preferred countries for an African safari. This does not necessarily mean they offer a better experience than other countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi for example. Even within these preferred countries, they are some favored destinations, e.g Masai Mara and Amboseli in Kenya, and Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro in Tanzania. Yet there are some less-visited but probably more fascinating destinations within the same countries. For example Katavi and Ruaha national parks in Tanzania.

Some of these off-the-beaten-path destinations may be harder to get to, but they are by far less crowded, giving you the satisfaction of exclusiveness. Of course it may also be more expensive traveling to many of these exclusive places, but you’ll be surprised to find some reasonably affordable small ranches for your safari. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to go to very touristy destinations to enjoy the perfect safari.

2. You can plan your own safari and still enjoy it
You know the ASTA motto? “Without a travel agent, you are on your own”. Indeed the merits of organizing your tour through a travel agent outweigh the demerits. Yet there are times when you really want to organize your own trip.

Guess what, you can enjoy a great safari you have planned entirely on your own. You may use different agents for different services (hotel booking, flights reservation, car rental, etc.) but you don’t have to be tied down to one provider. That way, you get to enjoy what you really wanted to see, and you take responsibility for any mistakes that happen. Obviously it’d help if you have some above average knowledge of your chosen destinations.

3. Local facilities are not that bad
By this I mean, staying in the hotels that the ordinary locals stay in, and traveling by ordinary public means. These can help you save a lot of money if you are on a tight budget. A travel agent may want to book you in tourist class hotels, where the agent has established business relations. But this does not mean you don’t have an option beyond such hotels.

Heck, you don’t even have to travel from point A to point B using safari vans. There are some very safe and affordable facilities that the locals use, which you can use too. Suprisingly some of these local facilities may even have better services than the tourist class ones.

4. Very often, the best time to travel is during the low season
I’ll give you an example. If you do a Google search for the best time to travel to Masai Mara, more than 90% of the results will tell you to go between July and October, i.e during the wildebeest migration. No doubt the migration is the biggest attraction in the Mara. But during that high season, Masai Mara is rather crowded. Everything is very expensive at that time, and if you book late (even one month before date of travel), you may have to make do at some basic camping facility at 3-star or 4-star prices.

During the low season, you are not surrounded by a crowd of other tourists, hence a richer and more satisfying experience. You also get some very unique game watching experiences during the low season. Everything is rather cheap, and very often, you can book your accommodation in a 5-star lodge a day before your arrival and still negotiate rates to unbelievably low prices. In many places, low season does not always mean less interesting.

5. It helps to travel light
You don’t have to be a backpacker to need to travel light. Traveling light has many advantages in terms of mobility, economy, and flexibility. For one, you get to avoid airline and airport charges for extra baggage. When you have to use public transport means or a shared rental car, you can imagine the convenience of having a light luggage. With a heavy luggage, you may sometimes have to incur the expense of hiring porters. And finally, when you travel light, you leave yourself room to buy souvenirs/gifts for those you left back at home.

Remember that you can locally buy, or even rent, some of the bulky things that may hinder you from traveling light.

Recommended reading:
Buy the book: What Your Travel Agent Won’t Tell You: A Checklist for Your Safety Abroad if you want to know more secrets that your agent won’t tell you.

Recommended African Safari Packages Booking
Visit the Africa guide Africa holiday packages to select a safari of your choice

The concern over al-Shabaab is largely because of the Uganda bombings which I previously wrote about. The terrorist group acknowledged responsibility for the bombings. Since then, Kenya has been on a high security alert, considering that the country’s border with Somalia is very porous. Kenya has reinforced its security troops along the border. In the past one week or so, we have heard reports of some skirmishes between al-Shabaab militants and the Kenya police. But these are not very uncommon.

About the constitutional referendum, we Kenyans will be voting on August 4th on whether or not to adopt a new constitution. The last time we had polls here, violence erupted following the disputed results. And, expectedly, the US state department issued another travel alert.

While I understand the fears of new violence after the referendum, I think the 2008 violence taught us a big lesson. There’s no way we are going back down that road again. Certainly, some people may try to disrupt a political rally here and there, but the government is doing a commendable job.

So what is my take on the newest travel alert? The US state department reserves the right to warn its citizens of potential trouble. I also want to believe that the alert is informed by competent intelligence reports.

As a Kenyan on the ground however, I remain confident in the assurances by our government that it has put adequate measures for the security of everyone in the country. For quite some time now, the government has been aware of the al-Shabaab threat and, I believe, has handled it adequately. And, going by government reports in local media, the government has also deployed many police officers in potential trouble spots to prevent a repeat of violence after the referendum.

Needless to say however, it is good to take precaution. If you plan to travel to Kenya around this time, you’d be prudent to monitor news and information from the country. Let your travel agent know your concerns, and they will advise you.

Update: August 09, 2010

It is now five days since we Kenyans held the national referendum on the constitution.  Contrary to what some people feared, it was very peaceful and successful during and after the referendum. Despite the rigorous campaigns before the elections, the losers gracefully accepted defeat. As Kenyans, we are all united in celebrating the dawn of a new era. Never before has there been such optimism in the country. This reinforces my belief that Kenya learnt the 2008 lesson very well, and Kenyans will never again allow the country to sink that low.

If you are planning to come to Kenya, I can only say KARIBU SANA.

A Male African Lion, One of the Most Popular Safari Attractions

So you are finally ready to take that trip to Africa you’ve been planning for for several years. Of course you are excited about the chance to see lions, elephants, the other African big five and other animals in their real wild habitats. Or probably the prospects of a luxury beach holiday in the Seychelles or Mauritius islands. Or the much anticipated tour to the great pyramids, Abu Simbel, and other monuments of ancient Egypt.  But, wait a minute, where do you start?

If you are like many other travellers, you’ll probably want to use the services of a travel agent to help you put your trip together. Even with the rising popularity of travel booking sites like expedia, kayak, orbitz, and others, you will at some point need to consult a “real” travel agent. Your choice will be between a travel agent based in your home country or one operating in the country/destination you will be visiting.

In a previous post, I mentioned that you should ideally use an agent in the destination country, but that does not mean you can not get a good deal from an agent in your home country. Whatever your choice, today I am highlighting what I think are the important things to consider when choosing a travel agent. The list in not completely exhaustive, is not arranged in any particular order, but I hope you will find it helpful.

1.  Destination and product knowledge
Your ideal travel agent should know more about your destination than the average guy on the street. You may not for example know that the bush lodge that your friends recommended last year is currently closed for renovations, or, say, the government has for some reason closed public access to a certain beach front. A good agent will have all this insider information.

Test the agent’s knowledge by asking questions.

2.  Credentials, accreditations, and affiliations
There are many dishonest travel agents, and you surely want to stay away from such. Find out if the agent is affiliated to any professional organization in their home country or internationally. Associations like ASTA, IATA, KATO (Kenya Association of Tour Operators), etc demand a certain level of professionalism from their members. You will have more confidence in your agent if they belong to some of these reputable associations. And even if they don’t, they should at the very least be registered with the government/regulating authorities.

3.  What guarantees do they offer
It may be hard for an agent to guarantee you that you will see some black rhinos or any other animal during your safari trip. But they can definitely inform you if your tour will be private or you will be grouped with other tourists. If you want to stay in five-star lodges during the safari, the agent should guarantee you upfront that they will indeed book you in five star lodges. And when they cannot book the services you are requesting for, they should be able to honestly tell you so.

4.  Pricing and special discounts
A good number of the more established travel agents have negotiated special rates hotels, lodges, and even with some local airlines. Try to find out if your agent has any such special discounts that they can pass to you. Traveling in Africa is somewhat expensive and any savings in costs without compromising on quality is a good thing

5.  Clarity of the booking terms and conditions and the cancellation policy
When you book and pay for the services of a travel agent, you are likely not to be refunded your money in full if you cancel your travel plans for whatever reason. And there are many good reasons for that: administrative costs, booking fees prepaid to hotels and other service providers, etc. A professional travel agent will clearly state their cancellation policy in a language that you can easily understand. Ask for the cancellation policy and any other booking terms and conditions. If they are not clearly stated, ask for clarification.

6.  Ease of contact/communication
Assume things go wrong, as they sometimes do when traveling in Africa, you’ll want to easily reach your travel agent. It may be a delayed flight, or a car breakdown in the bush, or anything else. A good agent will provide you with multiple channels of communication, and an emergency telephone number, just in case need arises. If an agent takes too long to respond even to the simplest of your inquiries, you may do yourself a lot of justice by going for a more responsive agent

7.  Offline and online reputation
Friends’ recommendations is one great way of gauging an agent’s reliability. In the absense of such recommendations, read online reviews in sites like tripadvisor.com and the many travel forums like lonely planet’s thorntree forum. Of course, you should not take all reviews, whether positive or negative, at face value. There’s quite some self promotion, sponsored positive reviews, and mudslinging in some review sites, so use your judgement when making your choice based on online reviews.

8.  General professional outlook
Start with the agents website, if they have one. It can give you a good insight into how “serious” and professional they are. But don’t just stop at the website. Look at the quality of email or communication you get from them, the personal touch, professional courtesy, depth of knowledge etc. Trust your gut instincts, informed by the above mentioned factors, and you are in for a memorable trip in Africa.

Two black rhinos in the Lewa conservancy in Kenya. The rhino is one of the African "big five". Image by Harald Zimmer courtesy of wikimedia commons.

1. Decide on what you are interested in
In a previous post in this blog, I mentioned five of the main Africa holiday activities, among them adventure travel, sightseeing tours, and wildlife safaris. If you are like most people, you may not have the time to do all of them in one visit. Which is why the first thing to do is to decide on want to see in Africa. This will help you narrow down on a few destinations.

For many first time visitors, the choice is easy: wildlife safaris, especially to see the big five in the wild. In this case, some of the most obvious options are East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), and Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia). However if your interest is to see rare and unique animals and plant species, you’ll definitely want to consider destinations like Madagascar.

If you are interested in cultural and historical sites in Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia are some of the possible destinations. Likewise, for a relaxing beach holiday, you may have to choose from among the Indian Ocean islands like Seychelles, Mauritius, Zanzibar, and Comoros. Sometimes, you may want to have a little bit of everything, in which case you may have to go on a multi-country tour, or pick a destination like Kenya which offers most of these attractions.

2. Research on the possible destinations, then pick one (or a few)
After prioritizing on your main area of interest, you should then compare each possible destination against others. For example, you may want to compare between East Africa or Southern African destinations for a wildlife safari. Botswana is ideal for exclusive safaris, because they deliberately regulate the number of visitors in their game reserves. This means that it will be more expensive than Kenya for example, but you have more privacy and probably a more satisfying safari experience. Another example, the beaches of Seychelles islands may be more pristine than those in Zanzibar, but you may not have the same cultural experience as you’ll find in Zanzibar or Lamu. Again, a beach holiday in Seychelles will be more expensive than in Zanzibar.

For multi-country tours, you need to find out how easy or hectic it will be to travel from country A to country B. Unless you have a lot of time (and money), it may be easier to combine Egypt, Kenya, and Zanzibar in one tour than, say, combining Ethiopia, South Africa, and Seychelles.

3. Find out more about the chosen destination
Once you have settled on a destination, you need to collect some essential information about traveling to the chosen country. Things like visa requirements and mandatory vaccinations are important. Some countries require you to be vaccinated against yellow fever, hepatitis B, etc before going there. And for your own health, knowledge of the prevalent diseases (e.g. malaria and Bilharzia) in your destination will help you take necessary preventive measures, including consulting a doctor prior to traveling if necessary.

You will also need to know about the weather patterns in your preferred destination, to determine the best time to go there. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to be in Zanzibar for a beach holiday during the heavy rains season.

Information on the culture and language of the people is also important. If traveling to East Africa for example, knowing a word or two of the Swahili language would do you more good than harm. Likewise, understanding the Muslim culture in Morocco will help you know how to conduct yourself in relation to alcohol and cross-gender relations.

4. Consult with reputable organizations in your chosen destination

This is especially true if you are traveling to Africa for the first time. You have probably heard the saying that “without a travel agent, you are on your own”. Much as some people dislike travel agents, you are better off dealing with an agent based in the country you are traveling to, than doing it all by yourself. It is a well known fact that for lodges and hotel bookings, you are likely to get better rates through a travel agent, than if you approach the hotel directly.

Perhaps you want to plan your own unique trip instead of going for a holiday package. Even that way, you should still work with reputable agents for the specific services like renting a car, flight reservations, hotel booking etc. If anything should go wrong in the course of your trip, your travel agent is better placed than you to follow up with hotels, airlines and other service providers. The trick therefore is in identifying the reputable agents because, like in any other continent, Africa has its fair share of scammers.

5. Gather as much information as possible on the planned holiday activities
Any reputable travel agent will give you full information about the activities and places they have booked for you. Before you finally travel, make sure you have received all the booking vouchers (for hotels and lodges), airline tickets, and receipts for any payments you have made. Where possible, the travel agent should furnish you with photos of the places you will be staying, or the contact addresses or website links to those places. You’ll not be acting paranoid if you insist to see these, and a travel agent of good reputation would not mind providing you with the same.

6. What to pack: strike a balance
You will have to compromise between traveling light, and carrying all the essential items for your safari. Africa will give you many amazing photo opportunities. You don’t want to miss those, which is why a camera is essential. But you don’t have to carry a bulky professional camera where a smaller high resolution amateur camera would do, unless of course you are a professional photographer. The water in some parts of Africa may not be very safe for drinking untreated, but again, you don’t have to carry a big water filter when water-treating tablets or bottled water would suffice. My point is strike a balance. If there are things you can buy cheaply in the destination country if and when you need them, there is no need to carry them from home.

Go2africa.com has some great tips on what to carry on most safaris.

7. No matter what, do not throw caution to the wind
Some basic dos and don’ts apply universally. In any city for example, whether Johannesburg-South Africa or Paris-France, you would not walk in some streets alone past certain hours of the night. You also know that engaging in indiscriminate and unprotected sex increases your chances of contracting HIV/AIDS, whether in Amsterdam’s red light district, or deep in the Masai Mara game reserve with a Maasai warrior you’ve just met and fallen in love with. Regardless of how friendly a person appears, if you have no professional or personal relationship, you would not entrust them with your stuff or sensitive information like your credit card details. In short, apply common sense on matters pertaining your personal safety, and the safety of your property.

8. Be polite, be courteous, fit in, but do not go overboard
In the course of your travels, you are likely to interact with many locals, from the airline crew, to tour drivers and travel guides, hotel staff, entertainers etc. Treat them with due respect, do not be patronizing, and you will have a memorable trip. Show respect to the local cultures.

I read some Africa travel tips that advise you to carry some goodies (sweets, used books, used toys, used clothes, etc) to give to the less fortunate; I totally disagree. Unless philanthropy is a key part of your travel plans, just stick to your mission: enjoy your safari. In any case, genuine philanthropy will only give donations that make a real change in the recipient’s life.

It is OK to dress and look like a tourist if you are one, especially in the resorts or lodges where you will stay. However, if you need to fit in when you step out of the safari schedule to get a local feel, do not go overboard in your dressing. For example, you’ll look ridiculous dressed in a Masai shuka in the center of Nairobi, unless you are a Moran. In most African cities, you will still be fine in any attire that you can wear in your home city.

9. Step out and have fun
There’s more to Africa than what your safari package may cover. In your travel plan, you should spare one or two free days to step out and get a local feel of things. Move out and interact with the local people away from the confines of safari vans. Most African people are genuinely friendly and easy going, and you may learn a lot just by interacting with them. In the cities, it’s OK to sample the nightlife if you feel like it. But bear in mind point no. 7: do not throw caution to the wind

A Kenya Airways boeing plane taking off

Air transport is obviously the most convenient and fastest way to travel to Africa and also within the continent. You therefore need some information about African airlines before you embark on your next safari or beach holiday. I hope you’ll find this post on Africa airlines adequately helpful for your Africa travel plans.

The Top Four National Airlines in Africa
Several African countries have national airlines that operate regional flights within Africa as well as international flights to and from other world destinations. The top among these are South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Egypt Air.

• South Africa Airways (SAA)
SAA is the national carrier of South Africa. The airline’s headquarters and main hub is at the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, near Johannesburg. Besides domestic flights in South Africa, the airline operates regional flights to several cities in Southern, Eastern, Central, and Western Africa. These include Nairobi, Victoria falls, Dar es Salaam, and Mauritius.

South African Airways also has a very extensive international reach, with flights from Africa to the United Kingdom, Germany, USA, Brazil, and China among others. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance, giving you access to several other routes not directly operated by South African Airways. If you are travelling to any destination in Southern Africa, South African Airways is probably your best option. Visit the South African Airways website for bookings and reservations.

• Kenya Airways (KQ)
This airline is Kenya’s national carrier, with its headquarters at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi. From its Nairobi hub, Kenya Airways operates regional flights to many African destinations, including Egypt and Sudan in North Africa. KQ has one of the best route coverage in Africa, while also operating international flights to the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and India.

Kenya Airways is a member of the SkyTeam, whose 11 members include the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Alitalia, Air France, and Delta Airlines among others. You can find reasonably cheap airfares to Eastern Africa from the KQ Website.

• Ethiopian Airlines (ET)
Ethiopian Airlines was recently in the news for quite a negative reason: the crash of its flight 409 almost after taking off from the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon. Yet despite this unfortunate accident, ET has one of the best safety records among African airlines. The Airline is the national carrier of Ethiopia and operates from Bole International airport in Addis Ababa.

Like KQ and SAA, ET has a very extensive route coverage in most of Africa. In addition, it has flights to Israel, the United Kingdom, USA, Belgium, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia among several other international destinations. You can make your online reservations at the Ethiopian Airlines website.

• Egypt Air (MS)
No other African airline covers Northern Africa as extensively as Egypt Air. The Airline operates flights to Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Sudan, alongside many other Africa regional flights. Egypt Air also has international flights to most Middle East destinations including Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, and Lebanon. In Europe, Egypt air covers Austria, Germany, UK, Portugal, and Russia among others. MS also operate flights from the JFK international airport in New York city, USA to Egypt and North Africa.

The headquarters and main hub of Egypt Air are at the Cairo International Airport in Cairo. If you plan to travel to North Africa, Egypt Air is your best choice. Please visit Egypt Air’s Website for flight search and bookings.

Other African National Airlines
Besides KQ, SAA, MS, and ET, other reputable national airlines in Africa with international coverage are Royal Air Moroc (Morocco), Air Mauritius (Mauritius), and Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe). The general reputation of Air Zimbabwe has however been affected by negative reports about the Zimbabwe economy and Robert Mugabe mismanagement. Most other African national carriers operate mostly domestic flights within their countries, and regional flights to other African destinations.

International Airlines Operating flights to Africa
A number of international airlines operate flights to the main commercial hubs in Africa. These include:

• From Europe: Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic, plus others
• From USA: Delta Airlines (flights to Cairo, Dakar, and Accra from either JFK,
• From the Middle East: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines , and Gulf Air
• From Asia: Singapore Airlines, Korean Air (to Egypt)

Online Flight Search and Reservation
If you are planning a trip to Africa, please do visit this Travel Reservations System. You can search for flights availability and even book them online fast and conveniently.

Young African Elephant Bull

Two African countries, Zambia and Tanzania have requested for a “one-off” sale of their ivory stock piles. Their case will be heard this weekend (March 13).

When CITES imposed a ban on ivory trading about 20 years ago, it was because of the rampant poaching that had almost wiped out the African elephant population in many countries. The ban saved the elephant from extinction.

In November 2008, some Southern Africa countries successfully lobbied for a one-off sale similar to the one Tanzania and Zambia want. For obvious reasons, this created a loophole for poachers to “legally” sell their ivory. Since then, cases of elephant poaching have risen in many countries, reversing the gains made when the ban was imposed.

On this issue therefore, I side with the Africa wildlife conservationists in opposing the request by Tanzania and Zambia.

Surprisingly, this week alone, I have received e-mails from several safari operators and adventure camps in Tanzania, requesting me to sign a petition to voice my opposition to the one-off sale. Which raises the question: in whose interests is the Tanzania government acting, if most stakeholders in the Tanzania tourism business are opposed to the sale?

If you agree with my opinion, you can also sign the save the elephant petition here.

More information:

http://www.bloodyivory.org

http://www.kws.go.ke/info/promotions/detail/Road_to_Dhoha.html

Update 1
Thankfully, participants in the CITES meeting in Doha rejected Tanzania’s and Zambia’s proposal. Read details here.

The True Gems in Africa Travel

Maletsunyane falls near Semonkong in of Lesotho

In a previous post on Africa travel, I mentioned some of the most preferred Africa holiday destinations, among them Kenya, South Africa and Egypt. While these countries may be the favorite destinations among many travelers, their attractions are not necessarily superior to those in other less-traveled African countries. In fact, in my opinion, there are some countries that offer a more satisfying African safari experience, often with the added advantage of being less crowded. These include: Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique

Lesotho
This landlocked country is neighbored on all sides by South Africa. One of the things that make Lesotho a unique travel destination is its beautiful mountainous scenery. The entire country lies at over 1000 meters above sea level, and has arguably some of the best hiking trails in Africa. The traditional way of life of the Basotho is, to say the least, very fascinating. The best way to enjoy a holiday in this country is on horse back.

Madagascar
If you want to see some of the most weird wild animals in Africa, and indeed in the entire world, then Madagascar is the place to be. Experts estimate that up to 70% of the animal species found in this Island nation are found nowhere else in the world. These include the fossa, lemurs, and tenrecs among others. Add this unique wildlife to the mystical culture in most of Madagascar, and you get a most unique travel experience.

Malawi
Some people say that if you want to see the real Africa, then you should travel to Malawi. And there is a good reason for that. Malawi is endowed with such a beautiful landscape that you’ll simply love the country. From the huge Lake Malawi, to the peeks and escarpments of Mount Mulanje, you can not help but feel like you are on God’s paradise on earth. The Malawi people are among the most friendly in Africa, making traveling to Malawi an immensely enjoyable activity

Mozambique
With a coastline of over 2000 kilometers, Mozambique is a haven for lovers of luxury beach holidays, and water sports. Dune boarding, windsurfing, snorkeling, and water-skiing are some activities you can engage in while there. The Quirimbas and Bazaruto Archipelagos are just some of the paradisaical places you can go for the perfect honeymoon on the beach. And when you get bored with the beach and the sea, you can take off for a unique wildlife safari in the Gorongosa national park.

Elephants in Amboseli National Park. Mt Kilimanjaro is in the background. Image by Disdero in Wikimedia commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephants_Kili_2.jpg

I read a very interesting report in the Daily Nation today. The Kenya wildlife service (KWS) plans to trans-locate about 7,000 herbivores, mostly zebras and wildebeest, from some private ranches and game reserves in Kenya to the Amboseli national park. Apparently, following last year’s drought in Amboseli, the herbivore/carnivore balance in the park was severely disrupted. The predators are now attacking the livestock of the neighboring Maasai people. You can read full details of the story here.

Looking at it from a different perspective, the KWS action raises a number of questions. Is it fair to the game reserves from which the zebras and wildebeest will be taken? What will happen to the predator/prey balance in these ranches? I know, KWS may rightly argue that in these reserves, that “balance” was largely skewed in favour of the herbivores. After all, species trans-location is an acceptable and proven animal conservation strategy. There have been several animal translocations in Kenya in the past, though not on such a large scale. One past translocation that comes close in scale was the fairly successful translocation of 228 elephants from Shimba hills national park to Tsavo East (see story).

Perhaps my second question is more important: Could we have done anything to prevent the current situation in Amboseli? During the drought, I heard it suggested that KWS could provide water to the wildlife, by artificially replenishing the water levels in the several watering holes. This would help lower the death rates among the herbivores. While this would certainly make a small difference, lack of pasture was the most devastating effect of the drought in Amboseli. And since the drought affected the surrounding region, Maasai herdsmen had no choice but to graze their animals in the park, thus increasing competition for pasture. There’s perhaps little we can do to regulate weather, but the elephant trust website does offer some few solutions (visit their website).

Amboseli national park is one of the main destinations for wildlife safaris in Kenya, alongside Masai Mara game reserve, Aberdares national park, Lake Nakuru national park, and Tsavo national park. I therefore hope that this effort by KWS bears positive results, and that the national park does not experience such a drought ever again.