Travel to Africa, Rwanda.

Rwanda must be one of the must underrated countries in the world. It is a very beautiful country, one of the safest countries in all of Africa, the people of Rwanda are very friendly and it is very easy to travel around. Rwanda also has some spectacular tourist attractions such as gorilla spotting and wildlife safari. Those attractions we have decided to write about in separate blog entries. In this blog entry and the next we will try to show some other sides of Rwanda instead of the mainstream touristy.

Lake Kivu is one destination visitors in Rwanda are likely to end up at. The cities Rubavu, or rather the satellite town Rubona, and Karongi can both be called resort towns. Since Rwanda doesn’t have a great influx of foreign tourists these resorts are much more relaxed than many other similar places we have visited over the years.

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Travel to Africa, Ghana.

So after a pretty straightforward flight, I arrived in Ghana. It was pretty cool to fly over the Sahara desert - just masses and masses of sand in little dunes. Was welcomed to Ghana by a sign saying "We do not welcome paedophiles or ther sexual deviants" which made me giggle :)

Searched the rows upon rows of people holding up signs, and finally spotted by name - introduced myself to Jamal, who lives here in the volunteer house with us. It was such a culture shock driving up to Teshie from the airport in Accra - so many people out and about at 10.30pm, just hanging out on the streets in front of their houses. The houses are just tiny shacks for the most part, and they look like derelict buildings. Apparently they host families of 5 or so! All living in one room.....Ghanaians do not spend time at home apparently, it is just somewhere to sleep.

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Travel to Africa, Mozambique.

The long civil war in Mozambique had ended in 1992 and at the turn of the century, tourism was slowly becoming a popular means of income for the Mozambicans again, with lots to offer and South Africans were starting to explore this country again and we were fortunate to be amongst those that did. After such a devastating war, in 2002 it still needed plenty of finance and work to recover from the destruction of war, though.

Earlier in the year Paul and Philip went to Ponta do Ouro for a long weekend with my brother, for a diving trip. Jacques and I had to stay behind as Jacques was writing exams for his Matric year, the last year of school. They did some sightseeing while they were there and found Ponta Malongane, which appealed to Paul. He came back home raving about this place that I would enjoy, so we decided to go there for a week during the June school holidays. We could stay in a bungalow or chalet, which was great, as we had no camping gear at that stage. But what about the last 15
Is that a happy face?
After Mom's flightkilometres of sand road? We did not have a 4 x 4 yet and how were we going to manage in a normal sedan, which was very low and didn’t have the power to get out of soft sand? Most of the way you could manage on a good day, but the odd hill could get you stranded. That problem was solved quickly, because apparently we could park our car at the border in a secure parking area and get a border transfer that was organised by the resort at Ponta Malongane.

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Travel to Africa, Sierra Leone, Moa River.

‘In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.’’

Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet

The words of this quote really ring true to me and it’s because of this message that I find myself volunteering in Sierra Leone. Many local and international organisations are working in various countries all over the world trying to conserve our remaining natural resources, areas of outstanding beauty, habitats that are biologically diverse and land that is home to threatened species. The work that they’re doing is brilliant; however I believe that this alone will never be enough. Unless the communities living alongside or even within these areas understand the importance of conservation the work will never be sustainable. Working in both schools and communities to educate the local people as to the importance of what they’ve always taken for granted on their doorstep is vital. I hope that over the next six months I can get education work for Gola Rainforest National Park established, and do enough capacity building of local staff so that the work is sustainable once I leave.
Food web game

My first project with Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) has been to establish Nature Clubs in schools in the seven Chiefdoms around the National Park. These Nature Clubs will be run by a teacher from the school and will also have a student executive. I hope that by offering training and monitoring to the teachers involved we can make a difference to students all around the park. GRNP covers an area of approximately 71,000 ha so the communities are spread over a very large area (see map) and it would be impossible for us to regularly visit each of the schools individually. In the week before I arrived in Sierra Leone Eddie, the Education Officer working for GRNP, made contact with 34 teachers who were interested in setting up Nature Clubs.

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West African Coast Adventure

With its laid-back vibe, sub-tropical wildlife and appealing climate, the Gambia has long been a magnet for backpackers looking for a taste of the West African coast.

In recent years, the ex-British colony has opened up as a package tour destination thanks to those idyllic beaches, safari opportunities and low-cost facilities.

Holidays to Gambia are some of the most accessible on the continent with just a six-hour flight time and a long, hot summer from November to June.

The modest land which surrounds the mighty River Gambia packs in enough interest to satisfy even the most adventurous of travellers, but you don’t need to go it alone to see the best of it.

There’s a huge variety of excursion options available in holiday packages now; taking in the 300 species of exotic birds at the Abuko Nature Reserve, the inhabitants of the Kachikaly Crocodile Pool or exploring the country’s cultural heritage amid the stone circles on Janjangbureh Island.

You may be used to camping and basic lodges as a seasoned backpacker, but if you pick quiet fishing villages like Kartong in the south, package accommodation is affordable even on a budget and the secluded beaches won’t disappoint if you want to escape the crowds.

The popular resorts of Kololi and Kotu are busier, but they’re also a hot-bed for bargain deals in the winter, often including local activities from jet-skiing to whale-watching.


Sunset over Banjul, in The Gambia (photo: ambabheg)
If it’s a slice of Gambian life you’re after, you’ll find it in the jostling harbours of capital Banjul or at Bakau.

General prices are cheap compared to Europe and even if you’ve treated yourself to a hotel you can sample the fresh seafood and colourful wares at the markets for very little here.

The resort restaurants are also of a high-standard for what you pay and when you go all-inclusive, there’s no worrying about your daily food budget.

It’s worth seeing what you can get for your money in a country this rich in culture and affordable in cost.

Read more at http://gobackpacking.com/

Travel to Botswana, North-West, Maun.

Today we arrived in Maun, our home base for our trip into the Okavango Delta. Our first stop was in town to pick up the supplies for our trip into the Delta. Derek and I went to pick up a couple of bottles of Scotch, but the prices were actually really high. I guess it was because it is a tourist area. I decided to save money and have a "dry" couple of days.

Once we were in the camp site, a lot of people headed off to do their scenic flight over the Delta. I used the time to kick back and relax by the pool, beer in hand. It was nice to just hang out for a while instead of worrying about getting somewhere. It was here that I found St. Louis Export, the local Botswana beer. Kobus had recommended I try this, and thank god he did, it was fantastic. Before dinner I tried to have a shower, but it was horrible. The showers were breeding beds for mosquitos. It must have been the quickest shower I've ever had.

Dinner was earlyish, and afterwards everyone went to bed pretty early too. I took the
The Moonopportunity to try and do some astrophotography. I wanted the pre=actice because I figured the Delta would be a great place to get some good photos.

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Travel to Somalia, Somaliland, Hargeisa.

I have been able to spend a lot of time recently dealing with the bureacracy, and lack of mutual understanding between different departments of the government here.

The Ministry of Tourism tells me I have to go to the police to be given permission to leave the city, the police tell me that I need to get permission from immigration, immigration tells me that they only do things related to immigration (that makes sense) and that maybe I should talk to the Ministry of Tourism. So I went back to the Ministry of Tourism and suddenly they give me the documents to prove I have been given permission to leave the city. That only took me three days (though one day was my fault, I went a bit crazy with my siesta time).

I had spent most of time relaxing when not dealing with confusion and have found it quite pleasant. Drinking fruit juice and tea (and even attempting to show a few cafes how to make coffee, they really really don't want to make good coffee even though they have good machines and good coffee beans!). I have been reading and watching movies and just talking with people
Camel Market - 3-Month old Camel
Drew a lot of attention, had to be sold with his mom, starting price was $1200in the street.

I spent a morning at the camel and goat market in Hargeisa. It was really a lot of fun. Lots of money changed hands (a camel started at about $800) and was quite the event to see. Nothing like wandering around a field with camels everywhere towering over you, grunting while people are walking by with thousands of dollars in cash in their hands haggling over rices. The camels were especially concerning when I was warned to be careful because they might mistake my hair for hay and decide to have a taste (how many hair problems am I going to have here?).

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Ethiopia, Harari Region, Harar.

Waking up and taking another 5am bus to leave Addis Ababa is a struggle that seems to be part of any form of bus travel in Ethiopia. I still haven't figured out what their obsession is with 5 and 6 am bus travel, but it is something I will have to get use to.

The night before I ended up meeting some nice guys at a Turkish restaurant (still trying to get my fill of non-Injera food). They ended up being quite wealthy and insisted on buying me more beer and food than I could possible eat or drink. "You are our guest" was the rational. Not really a problem for me as I was becoming a bit paranoid of the costs associated with being in Addis Ababa.

After a very hot and very uncomfortable bus trip to Harar (about 10 hours) I diembarked in even hotter weather. I guess I am not in the mountains anymore. Though the elevation is suppose to be about the same... After the usual struggle to find a place to stay, I made my way into the old part of the city.

Harar is an unusual place because it is not only
Looks Like I am Staring It Downextremely old, it is also considered the fourth holy city of Islam. There are over 100 mosques in the area. Sometime in the 16th Century (I have heard), the local government built 4m thick walls around the city to defend it from the northern migration of the Oromo people. Today the Harari ethnic group is found almost solely in a small patch completely surrounded by another ethnic group (the Oromo decided to stay).

The Jugol (or Old Walled City) was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2006 and is really neat to meander through the small alleyways, packed with mosques, living quarters, markets and churches.

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Safari Holiday, Botswana.

Country/Town Visited: Botswana, Africa
Date of stay: June 2011
Where you stayed: Chobe National Park, Maun, and Okavango Delta
Tour or pre planned: Preplanned tour with Kumuka Tours

Botswana is definitely a country unique in its own self, housing a mix of wonderful nature and wildlife to the hustle and bustle of a typical African city in Maun. A country on the rise with a developing economy, we spent a total of 5 nights in Botswana, with every day being spectacular than the last.

Our excursion began with a full day in Chobe National park (a must see as a tourist) not only does this park have the worlds largest concentration of elephants, it is home to a vast array of wildlife from monitor lizards to Nile crocs. The mode of transport was open 4x4’s which made the experience all the better.

We did a morning game drive (3hrs) and an afternoon boat cruise on the river. The cruise was especially good for seeing all the aquatic animals that are not normally seen during the game drive. Both the boat cruise and the game drive gave us great game viewing opportunities in one of the largest parks in southern Africa.

Maun our base for the remainder of the trip in Botswana was a city always on the go, definitely not what I was expecting as it’s far more developed than I thought, here there was everything we needed including Nando’s fast food, access to internet cafes and ATM’s. The national currency is Pula but USD are also accepted, it seemed a lot easier to pay in Pula’s because the conversion rates for USD were at times a lot lower than the official rates. Safety was not an issue and everyone seemed very friendly, the locals were all very inquisitive of tourists and often were keen to barter their goods for sale with our own belongings rather than money.

Read more at oetravelblogs.com