Africa

For the international traveler and adventure seeker there is one name more than any other that conjures up images of exotic travel. From the pyramids of Egypt to the Winelands of the Cape there is no continent quite so rich with spectacular variety as Africa. This is the land of the Sahara Desert, of the Central African snowcaps, Kilimanjaro and the Mountains of the Moon. It is the Source of the Nile, the home of the open plains, thundering hooves, palm fringed coastlines, jostling dhows and exotic islands. Africa is a book that once opened can never be closed. It is a destination that creeps under the skin, and if you visit once you will be compelled time and again to return. African travel is rough travel. It is one of the last great frontiers of long range overland voyaging through untrammeled space. From the desert heartlands of the Sahara and Kalahari, through the complex natural habitats of east, central and west Africa, cultural and ecological diversity is the by-word. The vivacity, color, music and dance of Africa sparkles like a tropical ocean. The wildlife of the plains, the gorillas of the forest and piquant journeys through the spice islands... This is all Africa, and it is here for you to discover.

How do you capture the essence of Africa on paper without using up every cliché in the book? No other continent comes close to it for scale, variety and pure, raw impact. Africa offers a travel experience a thousand kilometres from the well-backpacked, air-conditioned tourist trails of Southeast Asia or the cash-cow theme parks of Australia or Europe. Africa’s natural history alone would make a dozen visits worthwhile – where else on earth can you fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring, or watch a million flamingos take off from the waters of a remote soda lake? Parts of Africa boast scenery so spectacular they’ll damn near blow your mind, but the essence of this incredible continent isn’t in any desert, mountain or lake. It’s the spirit of the people – pushing, shoving, sweating, dancing, singing and laughing – that infects so many visitors with a travel bug so powerful they’ll never stop coming back, sometimes against all sense or reason. African art and architecture reflect the diversity of African cultures.

Debate with venerable merchants among the cool, narrow streets of an Arabic medina, dance to the thumping reggae beats coming from a West African market stall, or shoot the breeze with fishermen under Indian Ocean palm trees, and you’ll be struck more than anything else by the honesty, warm-heartedness and vitality of the African people.

Africa’s not always an easy place to travel in. It can be frustrating and challenging at times. Hardships and logistical disasters can happen. But don’t believe everything you see on TV: Africa’s not a hell hole full of civil war, plague, famine and violent crime. It’s a fantastic, enlightening, surprising and intriguing continent. Try it once, and we guarantee you’ll dream about coming back for the rest of your life.