Seychelles: Praslin Island

Praslin

Praslin was the second of the three islands I visited in the Seychelles. Along with Mahé and La Digue, it is one of the most popular and easily accessible of the 115 islands that make up the archipelago. From Mahé it’s only a 20-minute flight with Air…

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Seychelles: Mahé Island

Mahe Island

On maps, the Seychelles seems like mere blips in the sea and in terms of land area they cover just 450km2. But these blips are spread over 1.4 million km2 of ocean, so there’s a vastness to the 115 islands and islets that make up this…

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Volunteering in South Africa #ResponsibleTravel

Volunteering in South Africa

Updated January 2023: The road to animal exploitation is often paved with good intentions coupled with innocent ignorance. If you’re considering volunteering in South Africa (or anywhere for that matter) at a legitimate wildlife conservation project that’ll mean getting your hands dirty and no interactions…

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Fall in love with Seychelles (in 10 easy steps)

Seychelles

After a week of cavorting around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue islands, I realised just how easy it is to fall in love with the Seychelles. This Indian Ocean archipelago is exceptionally charming… and knows it. It’s many allures are undeniable. Firstly, it’s 1 000…

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Solo female travel tips from SA travel bloggers

Solo female travel tips

In Art of Travel, Alain de Botton writes the truest of truths about solo travel. It goes something like this. “It seemed an advantage to be travelling alone. Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our…

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The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park

https://igamotylska.contently.com/

The Serengeti. It’s the safari to top off all safaris. All the superlatives you’ve heard, read and watched about the Serengeti are true. It’s not Tanzania’s most legendary national park for no reason, it’s also where you can witness The Great Migration – the seventh…

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48 hours in Cape Town: free things to do

48 hours in Cape Town

There’s really no time to waste if you only have 48 hours in Cape Town, so let’s get right to it. First off, make sure you plan a much longer stay in the Mother City on your next visit. A weekend getaway to Cape Town…

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Maputo’s (old) Fish Market

Maputo

Ask any local and they will tell you that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who love the Maputo Fish Market and those who loathe it.  During my trip to Mozambique’s capital city (read: 48 hours in Maputo: A guide…

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48 hours in Maputo: A guide to Mozambique’s capital

Maputo

Time passes quickly when you’re in Maputo, especially on a first visit. One moment you’re eating a pastel de nata for breakfast and the next you’re having flame-grilled crayfish for dinner. Here’s my advice about what to do during a two-day visit to Mozambique‘s capital…

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Graaff-Reinet: The Return To

Graaff-Reinet

Hundreds of South African Instagrammers and photographers packed their tripods, memory cards, and battery banks ahead of a cross-country road trip to Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province. They drove from Cape Town, the Garden Route, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Johannesburg and elsewhere. The reason was…

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Meet South Africa

Meet South Africa

In South Africa, September is both Tourism and Heritage Month, so no there’s no excuse needed to justify a road trip through the country. And here’s a mathematical equation that proves it beyond doubt: Tourism Month = 9 days + 7 South African provinces + 3000-odd kilometres &…

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The First South African National Instameet

If you love Instagram as much as I do, then you have to go to the first South African National Instameet. It’s happening in Graaff-Reinet from 24 – 27 September 2015 and everyone is invited! Here’s your chance to explore the little town in the…

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Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge: Where Lions Roam

Two hours from Johannesburg, on the rim of an extinct volcano, lies Kwa Maritane – a four-star bush lodge in the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park, where elephant footprints are tracked by day and lion calls are heard at dusk. A young wildebeest springs across the…

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Whale Watching at De Hoop Nature Reserve

De Hoop

Updated January 2018 It’s the best time of year along South African shores: whale watching season! I observed more whales than I could count along the 70km coastline at De Hoop Nature Reserve, in the Western Cape. This UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site is also…

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11 facts you didn’t know about Joburg

Joburg

It was only after I returned to South Africa in early 2012 – after living abroad and travelling for two years – that I truly began to explore Johannesburg as a tourist would. And that’s when my love affair with this city began. Here are 11 things…

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