Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for africa
A Thousand Minarets
By Linda Tancs
Its preponderance of Islamic architecture has earned Cairo, Egypt, the moniker “the city of a thousand minarets.” Indeed, there’s no shortage of minarets piercing the city’s skyline. One of many standouts is the Alabaster Mosque (alabaster being very common to ancient Egypt and Greece), reported to be the most visited mosque in Egypt. Its unusually high minarets offer sweeping views, including the Giza Plateau. Another mosque, Al-Azhar, sits in the heart of Islamic Cairo. Not only is it almost as old as Cairo itself but it also houses the world’s oldest university and claims to have originated the black graduation gown worn universally today.
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Africa’s Longest Suspension Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Towering over Maputo Bay in Mozambique is the Maputo-Catembe suspension bridge, Africa’s newest and longest suspension bridge. The nearly two-mile-long span connects Maputo on the northern bank of an inlet of the Indian Ocean to Catembe on the southern bank. It also provides a road link to the South African border, potentially boosting trade and tourism between the two countries.
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Africa’s Best-Kept Secret
By Linda Tancs
Portuguese is the official language of São Tomé and Príncipe, a country located in central Africa on the Equator in the Gulf of Guinea. It consists of two main islands—São Tomé and Príncipe, and several rocky islets. Its colonial heritage is evident in the capital city of São Tomé (Portuguese for Saint Thomas), dotted with pastel-colored, colonial-era buildings with arched windows and ornate balconies. The dry season extends from June to September in the northeast but scarcely anywhere else, which makes for lighter tourism than other places in the region. Nonetheless, intrepid travelers will reap the benefits of unspoiled nature in Ôbo Park, quiet beaches and spectacular volcanic plugs.
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A Gem Off the African Coast
By Linda Tancs
Formerly a Portuguese colony, Cape Verde (or Cabo Verde) is an archipelago about 300 miles off the African coast. It boasts the first European colonial outpost in the tropics, Cidade Velha, built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. With miles of pristine sandy beaches, a Creole culture and traditional morna music, it’s one of the best kept secrets in the mid-Atlantic. Book an island-hopping tour so you don’t miss the craggy peaks of Santo Antão, the music and culture on São Vicente or the powdery beaches and indigo-blue waters of Sal and Maio.
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The Forgotten Pyramids
By Linda Tancs
If you thought that Egypt had a lock on pyramids, then you’ll be surprised to learn that the country with the most pyramids is actually Sudan. Situated in the Nile Valley, the country’s smaller, more navigable pyramid structures outside Khartoum are a relic from a forgotten civilization, memorials to Nubian kings who once ruled the ancient Kingdom of Kush. In the middle of nowhere, this off-the-beaten-track destination affords easy entrance without the queues so common in Egypt. You can even camp there.
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The Hills of Kampala
By Linda Tancs
Kampala is Uganda’s largest city and seat of the Buganda Kingdom dating to the 14th century. Like Rome, it was originally built on seven hills. Today, greater Kampala stands on at least 20 hills, all the better for panoramic views, like those from Uganda National Mosque. Some notable attractions are the Royal Mile (from the parliament building to Lubiri Palace), the Kasubi tombs (burial place of Buganda kings), the Independence Monument and Bahai Temple, the seat of the Bahai faith in Africa.
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Falling Water in Namibia
By Linda Tancs
In the Herero language, “Epupa” means “falling water.” That might be a bit of an understatement for Epupa Falls, a Namibian waterfall with a drop of about 130 or so feet near the village of Epupa. You can thank the Kunene River for this spectacle, one of the country’s five perennial rivers. Nonetheless, April and May are reportedly the best times to view the falls.
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On Route 62
By Linda Tancs
Offering a scenic alternative to the N2 highway, Route 62 is South Africa’s tourist route (much like Route 66 in the U.S., after which it was modeled). Meandering between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, the highway is reputedly the longest wine route in the world and includes views of red soil, stark cliff faces, mountain passes, green valleys, rivers, orchards and indigenous scrub. The area’s dams and wetlands are known to host the blue crane, South Africa’s national bird, an endangered species often spotted along the route. Some popular stops are Montagu (known for its mountain views), Oudtshoorn, the principal town of the Little Karoo, a semi-desert), Robertson (the heart of the route) and Worcester (the commercial center).
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The Red City
By Linda Tancs
A popular tourist destination since the 1960s, Marrakech is immortalized in a 1960s song by Crosby, Stills & Nash. It’s Morocco’s “red city” due to the hue covering the walls in the old section (Medina). But even more striking is the Medina’s combination of Amazigh, Arabic and Moorish architecture and its lively public square, Djemaa el-Fnaa, bursting at the seams with circus-like entertainment such as acrobats, fire eaters, belly dancers and street entertainers. New museums and cultural attractions are a boon to its arts industry, which includes an arts festival and magician’s festival.
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World’s Best Bass Fishing Site Teems with Wildlife
By Linda Tancs
Albert Falls Dam is rated as one of the best bass fishing dams in the world. But the fishing isn’t the only thing that’s legendary about this area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The area around the dam is filled with secluded nature trails, which form part of the Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve established in 1975. Embracing tracts of mixed woodland, open grassland and small marsh areas, the reserve offers wonderful game viewing (like zebra, the red hartebeest, rhino and giraffe), boating, birding and rock climbing opportunities.
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