Latest Africa Headlines

If you’re heading off on an African safari, it’s worth putting some thought into what you need to pack. Lucy Barker has a handy guide.

In a shrewd marketing move for the selfie generation Zambia’s recreated the Victoria Falls in central London. Paul Woollacombe reports.

Some American foreign adventures are actually useful. Jack Barker reports on a new initiative to preserve West Africa’s critically endangered wildlife.

David Markus finds a visit to Africa defied the norm, exceeded expectations, and opened the door to a whole new world of travel and discovery.

When a ranger in the Southern Luangwa Valley spots a hyena that’s picked up a snare he sends for the Zambian Carnivore Programme, who dart to the rescue. Emily Hayes tells to the fairytale ending.

The daily drama of Africa’s wildlife is on open display when Lesley Pritt heads out into the wilds of Botswana.

Following his son’s advice, Eric Whitehead quits Marrakesh for the coastal town of Essaouira, a former Portuguese enclave on the Atlantic coast.

Anyone wanting to trek East Africa’s great mountains should look beyond the obvious peaks. Adele Cutler says Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains have far more to offer.

Adam Jacot de Boinod tours the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, discovering plenty of luxurious hotels but – strangely – not much else.

Ugandan cuisine is something of a revelation. Bananas are at the heart of most meals, but Adele Cutler turns up some more unusual dishes.

In its prime, the Roman Empire stretched across all Europe and deep into Africa. Sankar Chatterjee visits Volubilis, the great Roman city built in Morocco.

Trails of visitors labour up Kilimanjaro, but look at Africa’s other mountains and you’ll almost always have them to yourself. Adele Cutler has some suggestions for high-altitude adventures.

Travelling as a diplomat makes visiting German West Africa, eagerly being divided by South Africa’s government, somewhat stressfull for Martin Berthoud.

You just can’t trust the natives. Deep in the wilds of Zambia’s Luangwa Delta, Emily Haynes recounts an unusual case where a thief in the night has more legs than her.

The rolling landscape of Isandlwana looks peaceful these days. But Jonathan Trollip discovers a bloodsoaked past as it’s where British colonialism suffered its first major setback, losing a major battle with South Africa’s Zulu warriors.

The rains are coming to the Luangwa Valley and one of Africa’s finest safari destination is strewn with camps packing up and getting out while they still can. So there’s something autumnal about Emily Haynes. latest report from the Zambian bush,

From the city of Marrakesh, Elizabeth von Pier takes a leisurely tour of the spectacular Atlas mountains, discovering a world of kasbahs and chasms and a taste of Arab culture.

When Lesley Pritt books herself a safari in Zambia she expects to have to head off on game drives for the wildlife experience. But the animals here prefer to visit.

The safari operators in Zambia aren’t all about luxury vacations for wealthy clients, or even about conservation for endangered wildlife. They also put a lot back into local communities. Karen Beattie tells about a South Luangwa project.

If you’d ever wondered what Sankar Chatterjee got up to on his daytrip into Africa from nearby Spain, fear not: he tells you here. Photos by Shelley Chatterjee.

A safari is not just for specialists. Charles Goodwin says they’re an appropriate celebration of any occasion, and can operate on a range of budgets. He shares some tips about planning the perfect African journey.

The main road through Zaire nearly proves much for the overlanding duo of Peter Peeters and Claire van Velsen. Then a truck arrives. The driver finds problems aplenty – but solves them all.

When Peter Peeters and Claire van Helsen drive their Landrover into a swamp in upcountry Zaire they merely think they’re stuck. They don’t discover the danger of their situation until the following day, when they’re lucky to have lived to tell their tale.

Few visitors make it to Ethiopia – and fewer still stray from the standard tourist routes. But Malee Oot has birds on her mind as she rents a Landrover to tour the Rift Valley lakes.

From a snug vantage-point in amiable Malawi, seasoned traveller Philip Perry runs over some dos and don’ts for visitors to sub-Saharan Africa. Don’t be put off, he says: the experience is unforgettable.

In Africa’s Luangwa Valley, George Bell reports on an eventful few days on a Zambian walking safari.

A trek in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains takes Malee Oot to the top of the world – and a little-known region of remotest Africa.

The end of summer is citybreak time. Paul Woollacombe reviews four traditional favourites for the European market.

There’s plenty of bad news coming out of Africa, but Paul Woollacombe says there are many parts of the continent that remain perfectly safe, and outlines three great travel options.

South Africa’s first-world infrastructure opens up a whole range of options to see African wildlife at its best, says Paul Woolllacombe.

James Sinclair hires a 4×4 in Marrakech and crosses the Atlas to meet Saharan sands. Where, appropriately, he swaps his car for a camel.

A trip to Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park starts off smoothly for Amy Shaw. But then some monkeys take a liking to her lunch.

Nothing is wasted in East Africa. But at Nairobi’s Masai Market Amy Shaw finds recycling taken to new artistic levels by an inspired Kenyan jeweller working with cutlery.

Davison Matanga heads to Hout Bay in search of whales. What he finds instead are the finest fish and chips in Africa. Delicious, but so delicious they bring his explorations of the Western Cape to a sudden halt.

It’s not necessary to book an expensive safari to see Africa’s iconic ‘King of the Animals’. On a slow day in South Africa’s greatest city Davison Matanga drives over to Johannesburg’s Lion Park.

David Jenkins doesn’t find any wildlife on his safari south of Maputo. But he does find great beaches, fantastic people and a fascinating history.

Chinguetti is Mauritania’s number one tourist attraction, an ancient city that thrived in the era of caravanserais. David Jenkins, however, finds he’s the only tourist in a rising sea of sand.

Jemilla Russell-Clough finds Durban a challenging, exciting place. Even when she heads out of town in a borrowed bucky (think ute, pickup)and then, in a remote part of rural KwaZulu-Natal, find it leaks petrol faster than she can fill it.