Destination Africa

Morocco is a North African country that has a coastline on both the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It has borders with Western Sahara to the south, Algeria to the east and the Spanish North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla on the Mediterranean coast in the north. It is just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Gibraltar.
Despite having freed itself from colonial rule, French is still widely understood in Morocco, and it is the most useful non-Arabic language to know.

Morocco is one of Africa’s most popular destinations. The most important cities and tourist destinations are:

- Agadir - Agadir is all about the beach! The town is a nice example of modern Moroccan design, but not much in the way of history or culture. Take the local bus for a few cents and go 2 or 3 villages North. The beaches are much better there and there are no burglars at all.
- Amizmiz - With one of the largest Berber souks in the High Atlas Mountains every Tuesday, Amizmiz is a popular destination for travelers looking for a day trip that is easily accessible (about an hour) from Marrakech.
- Asni - Starting point for treks into the High Atlas Mountains.
- Casablanca - This modern city by the sea is a common starting point for visitors flying into the country. If you have the time, both the historical medina and the contemporary mosque (the second largest in the world) are well worth an afternoon.
- Chefchaouen - A mountain town just inland from Tangier full of white-washed winding alleys, blue doors, and olive trees, Chefchaouen is clean as a postcard and a welcome escape from Tangier.
- Essaouira - An ancient sea-side town newly (re)discovered by tourists. From mid june to august the beaches are packed but any other time and youll be the only person there. Good music and great people. Nearest Coast from Marrakech.
- Fez - Fez is the former capital of Morocco and one of the oldest and largest medieval cities in the world.
- Marrakech - Marrakech is a perfect combination of old and new Morocco. Plan to spend at least a few days wandering the huge maze of souqs and ruins in the medina. The great plaza of Djeema El Fna at dusk is not to be missed.
- Meknes - A modern, laid back city that offers welcome break from the tourist crush of neighbouring Fez.
- Ouarzazate - Considered the Capital of the South, Ouarzazate is a great example of preservation and tourism that hasn’t destroyed the feel of a fantastic and ancient city.
- Rabat - The capital of Morocco; highlights include a 12th-century tower and minaret.
- Rissani - This small oasis town lies near the northwest edge of the Sahara.
- Tangier - Tangier is the starting point for most visitors arriving by ferry from Spain. An enigmatic charm which has historically attracted numerous artists (Matisse), musicians (Hendrix), politicians (Churchill), writers and others (Malcolm Forbes)
- Taza - At the Medina the more “touristic” sights of Taza are located: the Great Mosque (”Jemaa el-Khebir”), the Medersa Bou Abul Hassan, the Andalusian Mosque and the souks with the “Jemaa es-Souk”, the Market Mosque.
- Tetouan - Capital of the North of Morocco, has very beautiful beaches and is the gateway to the Rif Mountains.

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Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border. It is comparable in size to France, and is somewhat smaller than the US state of Texas.
Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and the most important city in the country. It is a cosmopolitan and multicultural religious city, with many immigrants from former British colonies, including India, Somalia and Sudan. This is highlighted in the number of churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras within the city. As a reflection of the cities multicultural composition, the night life offers a diverse range of watering holes.
Nairobi has the informal title “The Green City in the Sun”. Nairobi is not a prime tourist destination, but it does have several tourist attractions. The most famous is the Nairobi National Park. The national park is unique, in being the only game-reserve of this nature to border a capital city, or city of this size. The park contains many animals including lions and giraffes. The park is home to over 400 species of bird, which is more than the entire British Isles. Located just 10 mins from the city centre off Langata Road, its ideal to get your first feel of what Kenya has to offer, or for those quick visits without the time to see the Mara, Serengeti, Amboseli etc. It’s the ideal park to visit.
Nairobi has several museums. These include the Nairobi Railway Museum and the National Museum of Kenya, which houses many artefacts including the full remains of a homo erectus boy. The National Museum is currenly closed due to renovation, but is due to be reopened in 2007.
Nairobi is also home to the largest ice rink in Africa, the Panari Sky Centre. The rink covers 15,000 square metres and can accommodate 200 people.
Langata is a suburb of Nairobi, lying south west of the city centre and south of Karen. It is home to a large European population, and to a giraffe centre. The center was established in order to protect the endangered Rothschild’s Giraffe, that is found only in the grasslands of East Africa. The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform.
A tourist village Bomas of Kenya is in Langata. Bomas (homesteads) displays traditional villages belonging to the several Kenyan tribes. Langata also has the famous Carnivore restaurant and Carnivore grounds, where many concerts are hosted.
The Karen Blixen Museum situated in the suburb “Karen” was the home of the author Karen Blixen between 1917 and 1931. She spent much of her life in Africa, Kenya in particular, and wrote the book Out of Africa. The museum includes many books from Karen Blixen’s library and also a number of her African portrait paintings.

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Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa and located in the Western Cape Province. It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa. It is a stone’s throw from South Africa’s world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek.
Today Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city with numerous sites of historical significance, and a lively nightlife, as well as a big gay community.

Thing to do:

- Hike Table Mountain. This is the mountain located in the center of Cape Town, part of the Table Mountain National Park (part of the UNESCO Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site) running along the peninsula to Cape Point. Table Mountain is known for the unusual “table cloth effect.” That is, when the top of the mountain (which is relatively flat) is covered in clouds, the clouds drape down the side as a table cloth hangs over the edge of a table. The hike takes about 2 to 3 hours, depending on your fitness and enthusiasm, but is well worth the effort for the sense of achievement; there’s even a café at the top of the mountain to reward your quest. For those seeking less strenuous hiking, numerous other paths trace the contours of the mountain and wander through the protea bushes and fynbos, with breathtaking views. There is also a cable car that goes up if you prefer not to hike (which is how most people get to the top!). Both the cable car and the pathways on top of the mountain are wheelchair accessible.
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While many safari visitors are keen on seeing the “Big Five” - buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino - there is a lot more out there if you know where to look.

- Carnivores. The meat-eating mammals are the kings of the bush
– Cheetahs are the fastest hunters in Africa, but you are quite lucky if you can see them very close because they tend to be hidden in the high grass. You don’t see them in the dense thickets of South Africa whereas the savanna in Kenya and Tanzania allows better viewing. Cheetahs usually travel alone or in small groups consisting of mother and offspring.
– Leopards are famously elusive hunters that stalk their prey at night. For most visitors the only chance of spotting one is on night drives, and Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park (which allows night driving) is claimed by some to have the highest density of leopards in all Africa.
– Lions are common in the wider part of Africa and can be best seen in Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti and to a lesser extent in South Africa, nevertheless you have to be lucky to see them very close. Lions hunt early in the morning or in the night and during the day they allow themselves to be lazy. To see them in action you have to get up before the crack of dawn or you see them only resting after a big dinner.
– Spotted hyena has a bad reputation for no good reason. They are good at hunting and are not dependent on the leftovers from lions. They live in packs of 3-4 animals and can form larger groups as well. The leader of the pack is a female and they hunt often during the night but can be spotted during the daytime as well. They tend to explore bins in national parks.
– Wild dogs live in packs of 10-15 members. Wild dog sightings are always a big event so watch out for them because they are considered to be the rarest predator in Africa. Wild dogs are mainly active during the day and they hunt in the early hours or late afternoon.

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