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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
At the end of last year I travelled to Tanzania for the first time. It’s the furthest north that I have ever travelled in Africa and also the closest I’ve been to the equator. I planned to spend 12 days between Dar es Salaam, the…
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…
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…
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…
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 &…
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…
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…
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…
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…