About Africa Travel

Where to Go in Ghana

2009-11-27T14:17:06Z

Ghana's Atlantic Coast is lined with old forts (castles) built by various European powers during the 17th Century. Initially, the forts were used to store goods for export, later the slave-trade turned many into prison dungeons. The Cape Coast Castle is the most impressive of Ghana's old forts. It was originally built by the Dutch in 1637, later expanded by the Swedes, finally the British took control of it in 1664 and turned it into their colonial headquarters. It stayed that way for the next 200 years until they moved the capital to Accra in 1877.

The Cape Coast Castle is now an excellent museum with information about the history of Ghana, the slave-trade and local culture. President Obama visited the castle on his tour of the country earlier this year. Find out more about Ghana's top attractions...

_{President Obama visiting the Cape Coast Castle, Ghana -- © Getty Images}

Where to Go in Ghana originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 14:17:06.

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Where is This in Africa?

2009-11-24T12:02:16Z

You are looking at one of the largest churches on earth. It took 1500 workers just under four years and cost $300 million to build, doubling the national debt of this already poor country in West Africa. It can accommodate 18,000 worshipers on any given Sunday, unfortunately there aren't even close to that number of Catholics attending regular services here. It is constructed entirely of marble imported from Italy. Where is this?

Check back next week for the answer along with more information about this destination.

_{Image © Sierra Hutchinson}

Where is This in Africa? originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 12:02:16.

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Gifts Ideas For The Africa Traveler

2009-11-22T10:24:03Z

'Tis the season for gift buying and I've put together a list of gift ideas that should appeal to anyone planning a trip to Africa. Gifts include CD's, beasts of burden, newspapers, air travel vouchers and more ....

Christmas is celebrated widely throughout Africa but for most Africans sharing a meal and attending church is what it's all about. But you will still see window shops decorated with fake snow and people dressed as Santa, so the commercial aspects of the holidays are somewhat alive and well.

Read: Top 10 Africa Travel Gift Ideas.

_{Image of a Maasai Lade holding necklaces from the Leakey Collection (i.e. what I want for Christmas) -- © Leakey Collection}

Gifts Ideas For The Africa Traveler originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 10:24:03.

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Zimbabwe on the Up and Up

2009-11-20T08:11:28Z

Finally, it looks like Zimbabwe is getting out of its terrible economic slump. The coalition, forced on Mugabe after last year's elections, has helped stabilize the country and tourism is on the rise. According to a recent AP report, "The number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe this year has more than tripled". The initial number was so low, this probably sounds better than it is, but at least the trend is in the right direction. With the forced power sharing agreement many foreign governments have lifted their travel warnings, which has undoubtedly helped tourism. Zimbabwe was never very dangerous to visit, even during its worst times, but perception is everything and tourists are quite risk averse, after all they want to enjoy their holiday.

Mugabe's regime itself also put a lot of people off from visiting. The idea that your tourist dollars may end up in his pocket is not very appealing. But, of course, it's the ordinary man and woman in the street that really suffers when tourists don't come. No one to buy their crafts or stay at hotels where they work. Zimbabwe is blessed with the magnificent Victoria Falls, excellent national parks, beautiful landscapes, great fishing, golfing, rafting ... (you name it) and very friendly people. It has always been one of the safest countries to visit in Africa and one of the best to explore independently. Hopefully this recent upward trend will continue and Zimbabwe will be back on every tourist's Southern Africa itinerary. And hey, they're using the US Dollar as their currency now, you won't even have to change money when you get there.

_{Zimbabwean Pottery, Waiting For Buyers -- Getty Images/Neil Beer}

Zimbabwe on the Up and Up originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 08:11:28.

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Why Visit Kenya?

2009-11-17T14:39:16Z

There are plenty of good reasons to visit East Africa. So I thought it would help to give you my short list of� the 10 best reasons to visit Kenya. Kenya is blessed with some of Africa's finest national parks, mountains, beaches and its lakes are filled with flamingos and pelicans. No wonder it's one of Africa's most popular destinations. The country's natural beauty is also complemented by its proud cultural heritage. There are several tribes still living a traditional lifestyle such as the Samburu, Maasai and Turkana. Tourism is well established and there are some incredible eco-friendly boutique lodges and camps to choose from. In this way Kenya can really offer visitors a unique vacation despite its popularity. Check out my list of Kenya's Top 10 Attractions and make sure your itinerary includes at least some of them when you visit.

More About Kenya: Kenya Facts l Kenya Travel Tips l Swahili for Travelers

_{Samburu woman -- Getty Images}

Why Visit Kenya? originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 14:39:16.

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2010 World Cup Africa Qualifiers

2009-11-14T18:40:13Z

The "Indomitable Lions", Cameroon's national soccer team, did it again by beating Morocco 2-0 to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Nigeria's Super Eagles also managed to clinch a victory over Kenya (3-2) and will be heading to South Africa in the summer. The last available spot in the tournament will go to either Egypt or Algeria, who are scheduled to play their final playoff game in Sudan on Wednesday. In an earlier match, Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in a heated soccer match, preceded by violence as Egyptian fans stoned the Algerian players' bus, injuring some of the players.

Soccer is HUGE in Africa and this is the first time the FIFA World Cup will be held on African soil. So to make it to the 2010 World Cup is particularly important and the stakes are high.

Just six African nations (out of 53) will take part in the 2010 World Cup. Ghana's Black Stars were the first African team to qualify in September, while the Ivory Coast's Elephants secured their spot about a month ago. South Africa's Bafana Bafana automatically qualify as the host nation.

For the teams that don't make it to the World Cup, the long, drawn out tournament at least paves the way for some to play in Africa's biggest soccer tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations. This will be held in Luanda, Angola in January 2010. Congratulations to The Flames of Malawi for making this tournament today. Angola in the meantime is very busy trying to ready the country. And I'll be keeping my eye on that tournament, so check back.

_{Image of Cameroon Fans celebrating their 2010 World Cup Qualifying Game -- Getty Images/Michael Steele}

2010 World Cup Africa Qualifiers originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 18:40:13.

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Fun Africa Facts (Nne)

2009-11-13T12:53:27Z

My fourth installment of "Fun Africa Facts" is unofficially brought to you by Chappies, the jaw-breaking chewing gum I grew up on in Malawi.

Did You Know...

Morocco was the first nation in the world to recognize the newly independent United States in 1777.
Hippos can't swim, they walk along along the bottom of rivers or lakes.
There is a building called Palacio de Ferro (the Iron Palace) in Luanda, Angola's capital, designed by Gustav Eiffel (same guy that designed the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel tower).
You can cage dive with crocodiles in South Africa.
Hyena poop is white, courtesy of the calcium in the bones it crushes for dinner.
Bamako, Mali's capital is the fastest growing city in Africa and ranked 6th in the world.
White rhinos and Black rhinos are both in fact greyish, it's their upper lips that distinguish the two species. White rhinos have a square upper lip, Black rhinos have pointy upper lips.
The banjo originated in Africa and was brought to America by slaves in the 18th century, they modified the instrument based on traditional folk lutes from Senegambia.
Individual wildebeest can cover over 30,000 miles in their lifetime.
We can thank the Ivory Coast for producing more than 40% of the world's cocoa crop.

More Africa Facts...

_{Image of a Black "check out the lip" Rhino -- &copy Getty Images}

Fun Africa Facts (Nne) originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12:53:27.

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Too Many Elephants or Too Many People?

2009-11-10T20:21:43Z

The LA Times had an interesting article this weekend that discusses the serious danger elephants in parts of southern Africa pose to villagers living close to wildlife reserves and parks. The fact is, there are many communities in Zambia and Botswana where elephants eat crops, crush homes, and charge people. But no one seems to care because much wealthier folks (i.e. tourists) spend a huge amount of money to come and see these fascinating creatures. As a result, the respective governments go to great lengths to protect the animals, and do seemingly little to protect the local communities.

It's not that easy for the governments. They know it's their job to protect people as well as wildlife, and tourism brings in sorely needed foreign currency as well as employment. Some say there are too many elephants, but one glance tells you that may be true for certain pockets in Southern and East Africa, but as a whole, African elephants are endangered. Others say there are too many people. But the real problem is rarely over-population -- it's usually a matter of unequal distribution of resources.

Now, if local communities could at least benefit from the money being spent on safaris, it may be worth their while to figure out how to keep their family safe, without harming elephants. And that is precisely what needs to be done for humans and wildlife to figure out a way to co-exist peacefully. Because it's difficult to convince a father not to kill the animal that may have just gored his son.

There's no easy answer to this dilemma. It's vitally important to protect wildlife in Africa but it just can't be at the expense of African people.

Read: LA Times: Southern African elephant: treasured killers.

More About: Africa's Most Dangerous Animals l African Safaris l Elephants

Too Many Elephants or Too Many People? originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 20:21:43.

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My Kids Are Getting Manure This Christmas

2009-11-08T19:48:52Z

My husband will probably get a donkey and my in-laws certainly deserve a camel, they've been through a lot this year. I'm of course shopping with Oxfam this Christmas season and their list of funusual gifts just keeps growing every year. My children may not appreciate a pile of manure in their Christmas stocking, but luckily for them they won't be smelling it. The beauty of shopping with Oxfam is that your gift will actually go to person who truly needs it elsewhere in the world, and you get to keep the bragging rights.

Oxfam is one of the best charities working in Africa, so you can be assured your gift will end up in the right hands. A camel won't suddenly appear on your doorstep, but the true gift of giving will. If you run out of ideas for teacher gifts, how about getting a pair of school uniforms in their name, it'll set you back just $20 and will truly help a family in need. It's certainly more valuable than adding to their collection of mugs.

More About: Africa Travel Gift Ideas l Christmas in Africa l Shopping in Africa

My Kids Are Getting Manure This Christmas originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 19:48:52.

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Air Travel Around East Africa

2009-11-06T11:51:48Z

Regional flights in East Africa have always added a significant expense to travel itineraries and to make things worse, the schedules are often sporadic. But despite the suspension of Tanzania's national airline (Air Tanzania) last December, things are looking up. Precision Air seems to have moved into the slot as Tanzania's most important airline, and is now partnered with Kenya Airways. Kenya Airways appears to be doing well and is also adding to its significant portfolio of destinations with new scheduled flights to Bangui, Kisangani and Malabo.

RwandAir is adding flights to Goma, Brussels and Dar es Salaam, and also has a codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. I'm planning to check out RwandAir's services next June from Kilimanjaro to Kigali. Their handy schedule allows me to take a quick side-trip to check out the gorillas after a Tanzanian safari.

540 the region's only low-cost regional airline is also adding to their growing list of destinations. You can fly from Nairobi to Zanzibar, Malindi, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Entebbe, Mombasa and now Lodwar (northern Kenya). 540 is an excellent option for independent travelers, you can book online and they e-mail your tickets. Now there's progress.

If only they can figure out a direct flight to East Africa from the US. Ethiopia is the only destination in the region with an "open skies" agreement, but you still have a stop in Rome along the way. Uganda just signed an agreement this week with the FAA but we'll have to wait to see if Entebbe can meet the various conditions required before any flights are actually scheduled.

More About: African Airlines l African Airports l East Africa

Air Travel Around East Africa originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 11:51:48.

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