Africa travel blog
Travel tips, background stories and tales from Africa – by our guides and travel experts.
On the roof of Africa: the Kilimanjaro experience
There were moments on the way up to the summit of Kilimanjaro when I cursed my boss for expecting me to take on this challenge so that I could advise our customers better afterwards.
Malva pudding
After a delicious dinner in a cosy lodge I am actually always so full that I would love to order a taxi to get from the dining room to my room.
Ostriches – big eyes, small brain …
… is the reaction of the San, the indigenous people of Southern Africa, when they have once again successfully caught an ostrich. Their trap is as simple as it is ingenious, making use of the ostrich's feeding behaviour.
Happy Anniversary Namibia
It is now 25 years since Namibia first celebrated its independence on 21 March 1990. It was preceded by the year 1989, so special worldwide, when the political climate turned completely and a torrential current of change washed away the walls between East and West.
The poetry of Africa
Mystical curtains of mist in the bays of South Africa's Wild Coast, bathing elephants in Botswana's Chobe River, gently waving grass on reddish Kalahari dunes, the dramatically sloping sides of Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania or endless galaxies in the starry sky over Namibia's deserts – travel can be so romantic!
The mopane worm – nutritious and delicious
Whether "omagungu" in Namibia, "mashonzha" in South Africa, "phane" in Botswana, "macimbi" in Zimbabwe or "finkubala" in Zambia – it is always the mopane worm being talked about, a welcome food supplement in all these countries.
The rhino's fight for survival
Once again the statistics of last year (2014) top those of the previous one: in South Africa – home to over 80% of the world's rhino population – poachers, in their merciless hunt for precious rhino horn, knowingly accept the death of 1,215 rhinos.
Our main prize winner family on the road in Africa
You have been wondering all this time how Mr Schill, the main prize winner in our Fascination AFRICA prize draw 2014, got on redeeming his prize – a 7-day private "Best of Tanzania" lodge safari for 2 people.
Maasai Olympics… or: the hunt for medals instead of lions
The last days of the registration period for this year's New York Marathon are running out. Two Maasai warriors from Kenya, however, have already secured their participation in the famous race. They qualified directly after winning gold medals over 800 m and 5 km at the latest Maasai Olympics.
An eye for an eye!
Ah yes …, the tourist life could sometimes be so much easier. … And cheaper too. But at times even a tour operator is helplessly exposed to the doings and omissions of destination countries.
Meerkat magic
It is afternoon in Namibia. The sun rolls towards the horizon and we – tired from the exertions of the day – head for our accommodation for the night. Unlike usual, though, we are not welcomed today by the usual receptionist or even the manager.
Swaziland – a kingdom in Africa
It never ceases to fascinate me how great the interest of people in Europe is in the region's royal houses. Whether England, Spain, Sweden or Holland – no sooner do they open their royal gates to the media than millions of viewers, listeners and readers stream in.
Walking with lions
Imagine you go out for a walk, but at your side is not a dog but a lion! For some, this thought may be exciting, adventurous and exotic. For others, thick, furrowed question marks form on the forehead and a puzzled "What's going on?" escapes the lips.
Year 1 after Mandela
It was 5 December 2013 when Nelson Mandela finally took his leave of this world for the realm of the dead. A weekend full of memorial ceremonies and obituaries followed. The media reported in every conceivable format: special editions, special supplements and special broadcasts, interviews, talk shows, documentaries, feature films and so on.
Botswana's jewel: my boat trip on the Chobe River
What a winter's day! A felt 25 degrees, sunshine and a brilliant blue sky. Accompanied by four female colleagues, I sit in a T-shirt on board an excursion boat, reach for the nuts, dried sausage and other treats beside me, sip my Coke and gaze out, relaxed, over the railing at the river and its wonders.
Serengeti Shall Not Die: how a highway threatens the lives of many animals
Who doesn't know the famous, Oscar-winning wildlife documentary by the German zoologist Dr Bernhard Grzimek from 1959: "Serengeti Shall Not Die".
How do elephants have sex?
I would ask all young people under 18 to get a parent's consent before reading on. The following article uses words from biology lessons, but it describes animal sex.
Mozambique's new tourism spring
It is not long since I was last in Mozambique and could not be sure whether my group was really safe with me.