My experiences in the wilds of Africa have equipped me with a specific set of skills to deal with things like charging elephants and angry lions. These skills tell me when to stand my ground, and when running is the more prudent choice. Having said that, there are certain things I’m just not ready for, […]
Close your eyes (enough to allow for some mental visualization, but not so much that you can’t read this). Now, imagine that you’re standing on an 18th century rampart overlooking the sea. The air is humid and heavy, the sun warm like a pancake on your forehead. Seagulls are swooping around, making noise, in their […]
If you’re going to build a hotel out of mud and straw, and place it on the far side of nowhere, then it had best be good. If you’re going to officially nickname it a ‘house of dreams’ and charge a thousand Euros a night, then it had best be phenomenal. Dar Ahlam, hidden in […]
I slowly navigate my ATV along a winding path, through coarse salt grass and lonely stands of palm trees. The sun is low in the sky and the desiccated landscape is bathed in that magical golden African light. All of a sudden the path widens and I’m there on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans. […]
P.T. Barnum may have had “The Greatest Show on Earth”, but that was over 100 years ago. And you had to pay for it. These days, the finest, funnest, freakiest show we know happens every day in Marrakech’s Djemaa el Fna square. And it’s free. If Morocco is a target for the traveller craving the […]
Lodge-to-lodge trekking out of the Kasbah du Toubkal gives you access to some of the most beautiful parts of the Atlas, remote rural communities, and sweeping other-worldly landscapes. The well-known Kasbah du Toubkal has been doing up lodges, scattered in the hills and valleys around Imlil, which the lodge uses to put together multi-day treks beginning and […]
When Marrakech begins to overwhelm you with its smells and persistant sales pitches, click your heels three times and chant “there’s no place like Toubkal. There’s no place like Toubkal.” In a flash (relatively speaking—a 45 minute drive to be more precise) you will find yourself in a mountain retreat where the air is fresh, […]
Don’t get me wrong – I love elephants as much as the next guy. Their behaviour is fascinating, their intelligence undeniable, and the little ones are just so darn cute. Observing them from the safety of a Land Rover is common on safari, though interesting as it is, one can’t help but feel removed. Walking […]
If ever you find yourself with a day in Nairobi, don’t panic; the city once referred to as ‘Nairobbery’ is much safer than it used to be. There are actually some cool things to see and do, like visiting the Kazuri Beads factory or taking high tea at Giraffe Manor. You may even have heard […]