Deep in Egypt’s southernmost reaches, roughly 140 miles southwest of Aswan and barely a stone’s throw from the Sudanese border, sits one of the ancient world’s most fascinating architectural achievements. The temple of Abu Simbel rests on the western bank of Lake Nasser in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, a location so remote it once required a multi-day Nile voyage to reach. Today, it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
The man behind Abu …
The ferry had barely cleared the harbor mouth when the smell of Zanzibar found me — cloves, salt, and something ancient I could not name. Stone Town materialized through the heat haze: whitewashed coral-rag buildings stacked improbably atop one another, their facades punched through with arched windows and the most extraordinary doors I had ever seen. It was 1990 and I was quite a bit younger, and travel was my first love.
I was staying …
If you ever want to visit a place where geology, history, and human stubbornness have conspired to produce something improbably charming, go to Kalk Bay. Wedged—almost accidentally—between a mountain that scowls like a Victorian schoolmaster and a sea that shrugs with ancient indifference, it is a village that smells exactly as a fishing village should: salt spray, drying kelp, and—delightfully—fresh cinnamon bread. It’s the sort of place you wander into, fall hopelessly in love with, …
This year, South African Tourism is celebrating 100 years since the establishment of Kruger National Park. Kruger is one of the world’s great treasures, helping to preserve and protect some of Africa’s incomparable wildlife. Kruger makes the wildlife experience accessible to all.
I tend to agree with Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan’s assertion in their film and book on the National Parks that they were “America’s Best Idea”. One of the best, anyway.…
Set within the dramatic sandstone folds of the Waterberg, Marataba Game Lodges—part of the MORE Collection—offer a compelling case study in conservation-led hospitality. Located within a privately managed concession of Marakele National Park, this 23,000-hectare partnership model has become one of South Africa’s most successful examples of ecological restoration driven by tourism.
A Wilderness Restored
Two decades ago, this corner of the Waterberg was ecologically fragile. Today, through a long-term collaboration between Marataba Game Lodges, …
Marrakech is a city where streets are alive with the vitality of markets and colors that enhance the atmosphere in this walled city. It sits at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains with a natural beauty that could never be overshadowed by the rising peaks above it. An imperial city settled in the 11th century, the Red City stands as an anchor to the past and a crossroads for ancient trans-Saharan trade routes.…
Eco-Path Adventures, a safari operator in Kenya, has its own take on the safari experience. Brigit Murugi, the founder and director of Eco-Path Adventures, wants to tweak the standard industry model just a bit with its own style of travel, which she calls Slow Travel.
In terms of travel to Kenya, Slow Travel is a revisioning of the safari experience that takes the concept of sustainable tourism one step farther in its historical progression. It’s …
My trip to Kenya to attend the Magical Kenya Tourism Expo could have made a perfect commercial for Kenya Airways, though I’m sure they prefer to keep their marketing in a positive vein.
The first fights I was presented with were out of JFK flying Kenya Airways. From Hoboken, New Jersey, where I live, JFK is a pretty long trek, across the Hudson River, through the traffic of Manhattan and Queens, out to Jamaica. When …
In any of the world’s great travel destinations, it’s impossible to cover the best things to see and do in one trip. It becomes a matter of making tough choices from among the many possibilities to try to fit the best things you can into the limited span of time of a vacation.
Last May, when I attended Africa’s Travel Indaba, the trade show held annually in Durban, South Africa, I had the opportunity to …
“We have lost only one man,” said Alpha Omega, our Devil’s Pool guide, a tall stick of a man, “and that was because he saved a guest who chose not to take his advice.” All the guides standing at the edge of the briefing room/cafeteria considered this statement solemnly, their heads bowed. “We also lost a bull elephant. He was swept away by the strong current,” our guide continued. “This is why you must do …
The chilled seaside city of Essaouira lies a mere three hours away from Marrakech by bus. A perfect antidote to the chaos of the metropolis, its atmospheric and bustling medina is magnificently located next to a long stretch of sandy beach and the crashing Atlantic Ocean. Essaouira offers an ideal combination of beach life and Moroccan culture and is also an excellent destination for a winter break, with daytime temperatures remaining balmy throughout the year.…
In the Rif Mountains of Morocco, the bewitching blue city of Chefchaouen was certainly somewhere I dreamt about visiting for many years. Happily, I finally made it there and I’m pleased to say that captivating Chefchaouen lived up to expectations.
With its blue-washed buildings, cute plazas, and delightful doorways, the small city is a feast for the eyes. To add to its appeal, it’s home to a huge population of adorable cats. In fact, Chefchaouen …
The Eastern Cape province of South Africa is an up-and-coming area for safaris. While Kruger National Park, in the eastern part of the country, was set aside to protect wildlife in 1898, the development of the Eastern Cape as a safari area has only been taking hold in the last few decades. The area had previously been made into farmland by farmers who drove out the big predators that would have feasted on their livestock …
When in Africa, you’ll often hear passing reference to Zimbabwe’s famed hospitality, and there’s nowhere that you’d appreciate it more than at the iconic World Heritage Site of Victoria Falls. Everyone smiles warmly and greets you like an old friend, they’re all genuinely delightful. How could they not be, living in such magnificence.
A 15-minute drive in an air-conditioned minibus transported me from Victoria Falls Airport to The Elephant Camp, Zimbabwe’s ultimate luxury canvas lodge …
