Latest Africa Headlines

The DRC is a strikingly mis-named country, finds Ben Cooke. It’s undemocratic, for a start, and a republic only in name. He starts in Lubumbashi, heads into the hinterlands of small-town Kipushi and then braves the capital, Kinshasa. He finds the Congo’s reputation for being dangerous has been superseded by its capacity to relentlessly hassle any visitor – especially if carrying a camera – and he finds the unremitting focus on a lone white traveller forces his mind into solitary reflection.

In the Seventies while the Foreign Legion tries to suppress the resistance to French colonial rule, Colin Wallace finds a way to help at least one Algerian.

Perhaps it’s bad luck that when Colin Wallace joins the Foreign Legion they happen to be fighting the Algerian War. He starts to realise he’s on the wrong side.

Karen Beattie introduces Project Luangwa, a ground-breaking charity working in one of Zambia’s most beautiful parks. This is a way to sponsor a child through school – and know there’s an actual child at the end of it. Click through and remember it’s Christmas.

It’s also the moment Colin Wallace discovered his car had been stuffed with hash to smuggle from Morocco into Europe.

On a bar-crawl through Tangiers in the seventies, Colin Wallace misses some big warning signs that he’s out of his depth and being soft-soaped by drug smugglers.

Travelling with friends, Bonnie Lynn finds a moment of tranquility in Morocco’s desert spaces.

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.