Each year, over a million wildebeest and zebras crisscross the Mara river in the northern Serengeti (Tanzania) as they migrate in search of fresh grazing land. Depending on the rains each year, these river crossings can start as early as June as herds move north, and end around November as the majority of migrating animals … Read more
Our visit to Uganda was during Covid, which made everything just a little more problematic, but it was still a very enjoyable wildlife adventure trekking into the impenetrable forest of Bwindi to view the mountain gorillas. This trip in particular needs advance planning, which we detail below. Picking a Park for a Gorilla Trek There … Read more
A trip to Siwa, Egypt is an exploration into a remote Egyptian community consisting mostly of Berbers, a Muslim ethnic group. There are very few places on earth that have been as culturally and geographically isolated as Siwa. It is not an easy place to get to and staying there even for a few days … Read more
We all know about the popular Cape Town activities, like a hike up Table Mountain and a trip to Robben Island. And while these are fantastic things to do, and no doubt worthwhile, there are some incredible alternatives. After all, Cape Town is a phenomenally beautiful, diverse place with a lot more to offer than … Read more
Zimbabwe’s has some great safari destinations, including he Hwange National Park and the Mana Pools National Park, and we recommend combining your Zimbabwe visit with a safari in Zambia (see our blog), South Africa (see our blog) or Botswana (see our blog). Despite Zimbabwe’s political and economic instability, which has dominated western news in recent … Read more
Jordan’s Petra should be on everyone’s bucket list of must see places. When visiting Petra, Little Petra and Aaron’s Tomb should be added to the itinerary. When visiting this area, it is recommended that you visit Jordan’s other distinguished sites (see our post). Jordan is is one of the most progressive states in the middle … Read more
The great wildebeest migration spectacle is unlike other safaris because of the huge numbers of animals, but sometimes it seems the tourists outnumber the animals. Visitor estimates during the 2018 peak season in the small area called the Maasai Mara range from 2,500 to 8,000 per day. This post describes some avoidance tips we picked … Read more
The Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Serengeti National Park are part of the same continuous ecosystem, which extends from southern Kenya into northern Tanzania. The ecosystem has 2 or 3 seasons depending on who you ask. The confusion lies in the fact that its rainy season is divided into a short rains season and … Read more
Jordan has a famed crusader castle (Kerak Castle) and the famous Christian site of the Baptism of Jesus (Bethany beyond the Jordan). It is also home to Petra (see post on Petra) and one of the world’s most beautiful deserts (see post on Wadi Rum). It is is one of the most progressive states in … Read more
Safaris are addictive. Tanzania’s northern safari circuit boasts 2 of the most iconic areas in all of Africa: the Serengeti ecosystem and the Ngorongoro (Crater) ecosystem. We have visited both of these areas several times and describe them in this post. Our first visit was in 1999 and our most recent visit was 2021 — … Read more
The holy grail of African safaris is the great wildebeest migration that takes place each year in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem of Tanzania and Kenya. This post describes some of what we learned while researching and what we experienced while on safari in the Serengeti (see our post) and the Mara (see our post). The Serengeti-Mara … Read more
Kenya is a stunning country with many premiere wildlife reserves, in this post we will discuss the two most popular, the Maasai (Masai) Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park. When visiting Kenya, one should also consider Tanzania. See our post on Tanzania. Maasai Mara National Reserve Named after the Maasai people (Masai), the Mara … Read more
For those Mondisti looking to experience the ‘Big Five‘ in the least amount of time, South Africa should be at the top of your list. See our posts on Botwana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia for nearby destinations, but in terms of Big Five sightings, a better comparison would be Kenya and Tanzania. The so-called Big Five … Read more
Morocco and Tunisia tempt the imagination with mysterious caravans, expansive deserts and romantic getaways. Our trip to Morocco included the cities of Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fez and the Atlas Mountains. In Tunisia we visited the cities of Carthage and Tunis. Like Egypt (see our post on Egypt), this area is rich in ancient history. The Sahara … Read more
Is Nairobi worth exploring, or is it just a mere stopover on your trip into or out of the wilderness? Nairobi is definitely worth exploring, as it is the cultural and culinary hub of Kenya. Kenya’s main tourism attractions are safari tours, and sun—sea—sand resorts on its coast, and many tourists combine both in a … Read more
In this post, we share a few safety and general travel tips for your visit to Africa, with an emphasis on Safari related travel. Our travel notes on Egypt and North Africa are described in other posts. We’ve been to Africa only a half dozen times, so obviously we aren’t Africanophiles, and have no African … Read more
Many tourists only associate Zambia with Victoria Falls, and that’s exactly what makes Zambia safaris so attractive, there are no crowds! In this post we describe the three main safari destinations we visited in Zambia: the Lower Zambezi National Park, Kafue National Park and the South Luangua National Park. (click here to read our post … Read more
What are the variables that go into planning an amazing safari vacation, and how to choose from all the possible safari options? Time and Budget Your Budget for an African safari vacation is driven by 2 main variables: the type of lodging and the duration of your vacation. At the low end, you can rent … Read more
Botswana is known as the Gem of Africa because it is the world’s top diamond producer (by value of diamonds; Russia is the top producer by volume). Botswana is also a gem for safari enthusiasts, because of its 3 varied safari areas: the Okavango Delta, the vast Kalahari Desert and salt pans, and the Chobe … Read more
Many tourists want to know the differences between Kenya and Tanzania when planning their safari vacation in Africa. The glib advice is “choose both countries” but if time or cost constraints force you to choose between these two countries, this post describes some of their key safari-related differences, based on our experience. There are many … Read more
We have traveled through Egypt via three different itineraries. The first trip was a cruise along the Nile, as discussed in this post, while the second concentrated on Cairo (see our post on Cairo) and Alexandria. This last trip we visited Abu Simbel and then west to Siwa, an oasis in the Western Desert (see … Read more
