In these times of uncertainty, of information overload, of constant connectivity and shrinking attention span, many speak of the need for a digital detox, a cleanse. Some may find relief in putting away the mobile phone, or forest bathing, or yoga. For me, it’s clear that when you need to empty the cache on your […]
I think what I like about a desert is the contrast. On the one hand there’s the fundamental hostility of the environment, never more apparent than at midday when the heat of day hits like an anvil. On the other, there is the supreme stillness and spectacular beauty at the day’s margins. Nowhere have I […]
My parents are African but I grew up in Canada, at times dreaming of far away places but mostly just grateful for summers spent paddling lakes, winters skiing ice, and weekends in hockey arenas all over Ontario. The travel bug bit me hard in my late teens, and by 20 I was working in the […]
Every year around this time, I pinch myself and remember how lucky I am, as I take stock of the places I’ve been over the past 12 months. Field research is one of the core principles at Trufflepig and in every region we plan, planners like me spend huge amounts of time trying to better […]
Last summer I returned to a place from my childhood; a remote beach three hours north of Maputo, Mozambique. On one of the first nights, we had a huge spread of food on the counter. We had just finished shallow frying some shrimp beignets, Rissóis de Camarāo, and as I took my first bite, I […]
Do you remember playing Cowboys and Indians, or Confederate vs Union Soldiers? Yeah, neither do I. But those role play games of my youth are what springs to mind as the closest comparison to the phenomenon of the Moroccan fantasia, although I much prefer to use the local term in Arabic, the T’bourida. We’re on […]
Rwanda remains as impactful a place as ever. The contrast between the country’s dark history and the prosperity evident today is nothing short of remarkable, and whatever your opinions on the country’s politics, there’s no denying that Rwanda is fantastic success story. Most of our travellers come just for a few days to visit the […]
There’s something relentlessly compelling to me about harsh environments. I find the way that they focus my mind to only the most immediate concerns very calming. It’s like having the volume turned down on your stream of consciousness. In that way, Namibia is something of a revelation. The entire country is functionally a pretty harsh […]
2012 to 2024 RIP My Hiking Boots. “Strong, durable, and comfortable on any trail,” declared MEC. And for once, the marketing department didn’t lie. After a 12-year career of loyal service, These Boots took their final step in the cobbled streets of Casco Viejo, Panama City. Succumbing not to time, but to the cruel inevitability […]
It’s 6:30pm in Rabat. The sun descends below the horizon. A cannon blast ricochets across the city, followed by the rising chorus of a hundred voices from a hundred minarets calling out the sunset prayer reverberating in the streets which magically have become bereft of cars and people. The call to prayer dies down and […]
Most people know Kenya for the Masai Mara and the famed river crossings of the Great Migration. Yet to me, that’s almost the least exciting part. I find Kenya to be utterly compelling in far broader ways. It’s a place that remains in my imagination, a frontier, a place where an older type of less […]
I have by now lost count of the number of times I’ve been to Botswana, but with my long-standing interests in wildlife and photography, I can say without hesitation that I don’t think I will ever tire of it. Put simply, Botswana inspires me – and in turn it inspires our travellers. Of all the […]
Whenever I’m asked when the best time to go on safari is, my enthusiastic – if rather unhelpful – answer is “it’s always a good time to be on safari’. So, with a view to being slightly more helpful, I wanted to talk a little about Emerald Season. Conventional wisdom for years has been that […]
Over a decade ago, I first visited Greystoke Mahale. It left its mark on me then and has lived rent free in my head ever since. I went back again this year and immediately renewed its tenancy. Mahale is an interesting case study in the way that the experience of going on safari has evolved […]
By now, many of us have seen the headlines and desperate images coming out of Morocco, where on Friday night a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck, with its epicentre in the High-Atlas mountains, a remote area of villages south of Marrakech. Parts of the Taroudant region, and the Marrakech Medina were also affected. First responders have […]
The Rabat-Tangier A-5 is a modern, four lane tollway traversing some of Morocco’s most fertile agricultural land, crossing several major rivers just before they finish their course in the nearby Atlantic, and passing beside the main coastal towns of what was once the Spanish protectorate of Morocco, namely Larache and the colourful artistic medina of […]