Africa Travel Guides

Posts Tagged ‘Africa’

When a trip to these two destinations of Africa, Rwanda and Uganda , there are certain recommendations that should know when one day the circuit or on the tour that has been prepared to see these animals play more and more extinct the planet, gorillas and chimpanzees. Read the rest of this entry »

For Africa oriental clothes should be comfortable, predominantly cotton garments for the sensation of coolness in the body to alleviate the high temperatures at which we are exposed, but do not forget something warm for the sunrise and every evening where the temperature drops are significant. Read the rest of this entry »

The Arab Republic of Egypt is a country in Africa, which is located at the northeast corner of the continent. Its territory consists mainly of the Sahara desert. The capital is the city of Cairo. It is perhaps the most popular country on the African continent, its population reaches 69 million people and meets mainly in the cities of Cairo and Alexandria. The religion is Muslim cousin.

Has an area of 1,001,449 square kilometers. World famous for its monuments and ancient civilization, Egypt is presented as an undeniable destination to enjoy an ancient past, modernity and the best travel service. Its importance is not only cultural, but lies in the amenities offered to visitors. Natural language is Arabic but English is widely spoken and French. The largest city is Cairo, other major cities are renowned port of Alexandria as Egypt, Giza, Port Said and Suez City. Your time zone is GMT +2 Egypt and summer passes GMT +3.

The Sahara is the world’s largest desert, located in northern Africa, it extends 1610 km across the continent and has a width of 5,150 km from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Its total area is over 9 million square kilometers, of which only 207,200 are partially fertile oases. It spans the territory of the following countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Niger, Libya, Egypt and Chad, although it is known that this great desert expands and contracts to regular cycles, so that its borders with the different territories are not very consistent.

The Sahara has great mountains and plains of sand and stone which are vast expanses of sand dunes. At intervals, in the midst of aridity, are some oasis with water. Sweltering heat is sometimes followed a severe cold, unleashing violent winds very loaded with dust and sand that sweep the floor dragging everything is subject and dry vegetation. These winds are followed by long periods of absolute calm. In the great desert, are the hottest places on earth, temperatures have been recorded up to 76 º C and 58 º C in the shade, but at night it cools rapidly, causing a very wide temperature range. The relative humidity is usually less than 10% and in some places the rain falls once every 10 years.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some naturalists who had the opportunity to experience the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, say it could be classified as the eighth wonder of the world, with an approximate diameter of 20 kilometers, the walls of a major collapse of the world boiler enclosed in inside a paradise populated by thousands of wild animals in the most representative species in Africa.

The Ngorongoro crater of volcanic origin, is located in Tanzania near the Serengeti National Park, which is administratively independent. At about 2,200 meters above sea level, covers an area of 300 square kilometers. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and National Park, Ngorongoro Crater remains relatively isolated by a wall 600 meters in height limits inside the crater, the descent into the microworld is an adventure to discover a plain capable of accommodating lake, grazing savannahs, salt, and above all, thousands of animals of different species living together in a unique ecosystem capable of emulating the Eden.

Everything in the Ngorongoro crater appears to belong to another environment, from the weather, which is warmer inside as opposed to setting up the clouds in the morning, which seems to awaken from inside the crater as a mist that rises to sky. The fauna of the crater, including from herds of elephants, zebras, buffaloes, lions, wildebeests, and gazelles, flamingos in the lake to high salinity. A sightseeing tour vehicles with specialized guides will give us one of the best photo opportunities in full safari.

Read the rest of this entry »

This landlocked province between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south is an area of wide, open spaces – an immense rolling prairie, checkered with farmsteads and windmills.

Hospitality is one of the province’s prized assets and a Free State farm holiday offers a unique opportunity to get to know the friendly people who inhabit this region. One of South Africa’s major rivers, the Vaal the flows through the province and there are attractive holiday resorts near two of the river’s largest dams.

The mountains of the eastern highlands harbour romantic hideaways and rugged hiking Park in the trails. The Golden Gate National Park in the north-east, with its spectacular sandstone formations, an area of scenic beauty, has a network of nature trails and provides the opportunity to see a variety of antelope and birdlife. The adjoining Qwaqwa National Park is sanctuary to rare species of vulture.

Other protected areas include the Mount Everest Game Reserve at Harrismith and the Seekoeivlie Nature Reserve, a birdwatchers’ paradise near the small town of Memel. Qwaqwa and many other parts of the Free State are home to the South Sotho people and their culture can be appreciated at the Basotho Cultural Village.
Capital of the Free State is Bloemfontein, known as the ‘City of Roses’

Sir Francis Drake described it as “the fairest Cape in all the circumference of the World.” Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, offering outstanding interest and variety to the visitor. Blending the old with the new, it has a relaxed, almost continental atmosphere that will charm even the most sophisticated jet-setter.

East of Cape Town are the famous winelands, around the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl. The old estate houses are built in the attractive Cape Dutch style and there are plenty opportunities for sampling the vintages. To the east of Cape Town, set along a rugged coastline, are a number of quaint fishing villages and picturesque resorts.

Further into the interior is Namaqualand, a semi -desert area until the rains of June or July turn the arid countryside into a spectacular floral splay in August or September.

Kango CavesEast of Cape Town is the Garden Route. Indigenous. forests, lakes, golden beaches and mountains contrast with semi-arid expanses. This enchanting area stretches along the South Cape Coast from the town of Heidelberg, eastwards to the Tsitsitkamma Forest and Storms River. Riverdale, Still Bay, Albertina, Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are some of the towns that are included in this area. Inland from the Garden Route is the semi-desert Little Karoo, the location of ostrich farms, particularly around the town of Oudtshoorn. In the Swartberg Mountains are the spectacular Cango Caves, with their limestone formations.

There’s nothing tame about sports angling off the coasts of South Africa, with fishing trips often taking on a tough, pioneering atmosphere. At least 250 species of fish are caught by sea anglers. Where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents meet near the Cape of Good Hope, a greater concentration of game fish can be found than anywhere else in the world. The Cape is famed for its concentration of large tuna, including the albacore, yellowfin and southern bluefin, whilst the recently discovered populations of swordfish have drawn international attention amongst the world’s big game fishing fraternity.

There are about 750,000 marine anglers in South Africa and the staging of regular tournaments has been well-developed throughout the region – so the infrastructure for angling is excellent, with accommodation, charter boats, party boats and specialist guides available at most venues. There are some important fish runs which take place.

The highlight of the Sardine Run (June), along the Natal coast, is the hordes of feeding game fish and sharks. In the summer, tuna and king mackerel abound, while the autumn and winter brings huge runs of snoek. Inshore there are opportunities for freshwater fishing all year round. Trout fishing is also available in various places from September to May.

There are four categories of diving:

Tropical reef diving- Sodwana Bay (on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal) is similar to the Florida Keys in the USA while Aliwal Shoals (on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal) is where divers look for ragged-tooth sharks.

Wreck diving – The rugged Cape Coast is notorious for the number of sunken ships;

Cape Diving – Conditions here vary from those in KwaZulu/Natal and compare favourably with those off the California coast in the USA. Diving for abaloni, crayfish and great white sharks is popular. Tsitsikamma Coastal Park offers excellent opportunities for underwater photography with two underwater diving trails.

Shark dives – Sharks migrate through False Bay, at the Cape, from June to August, and ragged-tooth sharks move into the Durban (KwaZulu/Natal) area from October to January.

More than 10,000 scuba divers are trained in South Africa each year and over 100,000 dives took place in the coral reefs of the St Lucia Marine Reserve in a single year.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK AND PRIVATE RESERVE

• The accommodation in the private reserves is more luxurious and more personalized service.
• The package includes meals is better than in the Kruger National Park.
• As the number of clients in the private reserves is usually limited to 18 guests, there are fewer vehicles when they see an animal in the park.
• Also included are night safaris in private reserves.
• In the private reserves may leave the animal tracks to follow, allowing longer observation and more closely.
• Private reserves are in the same area as the Kruger National Park and there are no fences between them.

We recommend a mixture of the two options, or if time is limited, 2 or 3 nights in a private reserve. It is a unique experience.