Africa Travel Information

Lake Victoria in East Africa

If you live in Africa or keenly follow Africa news, you may easily relate the term “Great lakes region” more with political instability than with tourism and travel. Yet this region has enough unique and interesting attractions to make it rank alongside the traditional African safari destinations as a preferred holiday destination.

Strictly speaking, the “great lakes” refers to the series of lakes in or around the Eastern Africa Great Rift Valley.

Lake Victoria is the largest of the African great lakes, and is shared in unequal proportions by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It is also the largest Lake in Africa, and the third largest fresh-water lake in the world (by surface area). The Lake is one of the main sources of the great River Nile, and a source of livelihood for many communities living around it.

The other great lakes include:

• Lake Albert at the Uganda-DRC border
• Lake Edward at the Uganda-DRC border
• Lake Kivu at the DRC-Rwanda border
• Lake Malawi (shared Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique). It is also the second deepest and third largest African lake.
• Lake Tanganyika (shared by Tanzania, DRC, Burundi and Zambia). Lake Tanganyika is the the deepest lake in Africa, and the second deepest lake in the world.
• Lake Turkana at the Kenya-Ethiopia border

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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.

Pelicans and other birds in Lake Elementaita

I previously posted information about the KWS plans to translocate over 1000 Zebras from the Soysambu ranch in Kenya to Amboseli National park. In the post, I was looking at it as a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

But it seems that nature has not frowned upon this private wildlife conservancy. The Standard newspaper reports that about 400,000 migratory birds (white storks) from Europe have found a temporary home in Lake Elementaita, right at the middle of the ranch. The lake has in the past hosted a few of these birds, but not in such substantial numbers as this time. You can find full details of this story in the online edition of the Standard here.

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Flamingoes in Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ask most Africa travel enthusiasts, and they’ll easily tell you that Kenya is the real home of the African safari. To this day, the country’s diverse wildlife and magnificent landscapes continue to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. This is despite the rising competition from countries like Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia.

Of course wildlife safaris are Kenya’s biggest attraction, which is why in today’s post, I write about what, in my opinion, are the five of the top national parks and game reserves in Kenya.

1. Masai Mara Game Reserve
Certainly, no other Kenyan game reserve or national park can rival the Maasai Mara in terms of fame and popularity. I can attribute a huge chunk of this fame to the annual wildebeest migration between the Mara and the neighboring Serengeti national park in Tanzania. This great migration takes place between June and September, and remains the top draw for tourists into the Mara.

But that does not mean the migration is all that the Mara has to offer. In fact, you can travel to the reserve almost anytime of the year, and still have a great safari experience. The reserve has a great concentration of animals including all the big five. It may sometimes be hard to spot rhinos and leopards in the Mara, but you can be sure you will see plenty of elephants, lions, and buffaloes all year round.

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Cape Town South Africa

If there is one African city that is the envy of all other cities in the continent, it is Cape Town in South Africa. Situated in one of the most beautiful locations in the world, Cape Town is bestowed with such natural splendor that almost seduces travelers to stay even when all they had planned was just a short visit.

Among the many gifts of nature surrounding the city, the iconic table mountain is without doubt Cape Town’s most impressive and most definitive symbol. Capetonians consider this 1086m high flat-topped mountain as the spirit of the city, without which Cape Town would not be Cape Town.

Apart from being the gorgeous and imposing natural backdrop of the city, Table Mountain is the center of scenic and adventure travel in Cape Town. It has a number of world-class hiking trails, and mountain climbing and abseiling crags. And if you are not the adventurous type, you can still get to the top of the mountain by table car. From the top of the mountain, you get to enjoy the amazing scenery of Cape Town and the surrounding regions below.

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NB: I originally posted the article below in qondio, a content website where people share lots of “intel” on various topics. I post as africantraveler at qondio.

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.
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