Apr 26th, 2012 at 9:00AM: Flying or driving into Dakar, the capital of Senegal, it's impossible to miss this imposing statue.
That's deliberate. The Monument to the African Renaissance is supposed to make a statement. At 49 meters (161 feet), it's the tallest statue in Africa. In fact, it's one of the tallest statues anywhere, beating the Statue of Liberty by several feet.
When it was completed in 2010, this giant ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
africa posts
Africa's Tallest Statue: The Monument To The African Renaissance
Apr 26th, 2012 at 9:00AM: Flying or driving into Dakar, the capital of Senegal, it's impossible to miss this imposing statue.
That's deliberate. The Monument to the African Renaissance is supposed to make a statement. At 49 meters (161 feet), it's the tallest statue in Africa. In fact, it's one of the tallest statues anywhere, beating the Statue of Liberty by several feet.
When it was completed in 2010, this giant ...Azawad: Africa's Newest Nation?
Apr 12th, 2012 at 9:00AM: A Tuareg rebel group in Mali has declared the northern two-thirds of the country as a separate state.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) has kicked out government troops and declared the independent nation of Azawad. The region is marked out in green in this map courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The remaining part of Mali is in dark gray just below it.
The Tuaregs are a ...A Sensory Journey Through Morocco, Africa
Apr 8th, 2012 at 2:30PM: Morocco is a country in northern Africa that features unique sights and experiences for all travel styles. When I visited, I was amazed at how much there was to explore – the lively sounds of the markets, the tastes of flavorful spices, the feel of gentle hands during a neck massage and the spiritually felt at a sacred mosque.
More than just your average tourism trip, Morocco takes you on ...New Experiential Moroccan Hotel Brings Chic Luxury To Traditional Berber Style
Apr 5th, 2012 at 5:30PM: In Morocco, the indigenous people are Berbers, and their traditional architecture uses rammed Earth and wood. Aside from in big cities, the Berber-style is plentiful across the country. While this rooted design may be popular, however, the country has never seen it done in a modern and luxurious way – until now.
At the end of March, Max Lawrence opened a brand new experiential hotel, Chez ...10 reasons to visit Ghana, Africa
Mar 16th, 2012 at 5:00PM: When planning a vacation, it isn't too often you hear people choosing Ghana as their must-visit destination. In reality, there are many unique and worthwhile experiences to be had in this African country. Before I visited, I was unsure what to expect, as I didn't know anyone who had ever been there. However, the friendly people, unique foods, and culturally immersive experiences made me fall in ...Seychelles two ways: Desroches and Calou
Mar 10th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
To start, I should say that there's no comparison between Desroches and Calou. They're two different beasts altogether, luxury apples and budget-friendly oranges, respectively. Yet taken together they present two distinctive experiences of the country: Seychelles two ways.
Desroches is one of Seychelles' top resorts, a private island resort that underwent a major design upgrade following ...Video: kalimba player in Malawi
Mar 9th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
One thing that consistently amazes me while traveling in Africa is how the people are able to create musical instruments out of just about anything. Take the kora, for example. This West African stringed instrument is made from a gourd and fishing line.
Another popular instrument is the thumb piano, or "lamellophone" for all you musicologists out there. It's a small wooden plate or box with ...
How to visit Seychelles on a budget
Mar 8th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
How to visit Seychelles on a budget? It's simple. Stay in a friendly little guesthouse on the island of La Digue, eat dinner at said guesthouse, rent a bicycle, spend time on the beach and chill out.
For tourists, the Indian Ocean country of Seychelles is luxury territory. This is a fact. It's expensive to fly there and it's expensive to stay there. The country is dotted with unfathomably ...Angola rising: tourism is next
Mar 5th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
I spent last week in Portugal's Azores, absorbing the rhythms of daily life on Flores, Europe's westernmost island. An unexpected discovery was the ongoing focus on Angola in the Portuguese media. Evidence of the rise of Angola as an economic power is everywhere.
First off, Portuguese people are moving to the former Portuguese colony in droves. Back in 2010 there was an interesting article ...Zimbabwe's last resort- an interview with bestselling author Douglas Rogers
Feb 19th, 2012 at 10:00AM: After a decade of political unrest, seizures of white-owned farms and record hyperinflation that forced the government to print 100 billion dollar banknotes, Zimbabwe is finally starting to inch back onto the tourism radar, thanks to a power sharing agreement and a move to use U.S. dollars as the de-facto currency of the country.
But Zimbabwe's long-dormant tourism sector has also received a ...Trekking mobility chairs make planet accessible to all
Feb 16th, 2012 at 4:00PM:
Travelers challenged with mobility issues often had to take a back seat to adventure travelers in the past, viewing dreams-of-a-lifetime from a distance. Now, dedicated companies and organizations are making destinations around the planet accessible to all, even in unlikely places.
Visiting Italy's iconic attractions can be a daunting task for the handicapped. Ancient ruins, preserved and ...How much does it cost to travel the world for a year?
Feb 4th, 2012 at 12:00PM: $15,000 is how much, according to travel bloggers Kyle and Briana of RollGlobal.org who traveled to 19 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, tracking their daily expenses to prove that it is not only possible to quit your day job and travel the world, but it can be affordable, too.
As we see in this infographic, it could have been less too but bad weather put them in a hotel a few nights and ...Traveler's guide to local and western food in Ghana, Africa
Feb 3rd, 2012 at 12:00PM: When visiting Ghana, Africa, unless you are at the mall in the capital city of Accra or staying at a resort or hotel, you will most likely find yourself eating food that is far from Western comfort cuisine. Here is a guide to some of the typical foods you will find in Ghana, as well as some surprising favorites from home you'll be able to find in the small shops.
Local meals
Banku with ...10 tips for doing a homestay
Jan 24th, 2012 at 11:00AM: Doing a homestay in another country is a great way to get to know the culture from a first-hand perspective. By living with a family, you get to see how a local's daily life is, from what they eat, to how to they dress, to what their before-bed ritual is. With such a unique opportunity being given to you, it's important to get the most out of the experience while also being respectful. To help, ...African game reserves flooded, travelers stranded
Jan 22nd, 2012 at 12:00PM: Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and a UNESCO Biosphere location. This week, the park was closed as massive flooding of the once-in-one-hundred-years magnitude stranding American and Canadian tourists who had to be airlifted out yesterday.
After a swollen river burst its banks and washed-out a bridge. "There wasn't any other way to get out of the park," ...Rescuing wildlife in Namibia
Jan 21st, 2012 at 2:00PM:
While 2011 has been a bad year for African wildlife, a foundation in Namibia is making a difference.
The N/a'an ku sê Foundation, which runs a wildlife sanctuary in Namibia, announced its best year to date, the Namibian reports. Last year the Foundation rescued, rehabilitated and re-released several animals, including five cheetahs, two leopards, one brown hyena, two caracals and one ...Opinion: Dutch khat ban smacks of racism
Jan 16th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
The Dutch government recently announced that it will ban the use of khat, a narcotic leaf widely chewed in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
I've written about khat before. I've spent four months in Ethiopia, especially Harar, a city in the eastern part of the country where chewing khat (pronounced "chat" in the local languages) is part of many people's daily lives. It's a mild drug that makes ...Budget Vacations 2012: Ghana
Jan 5th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
For those looking to travel on a budget, Ghana, Africa, is a prime destination. According to exchange-rates.com, as of December, 2011, $1 was equivalent to about 1.63-1.65 Ghanaian Cedis.
It is not hard to travel around Ghana and spend very little money. While taxis are considered the "expensive" form of transportation, you can still get pretty far for $5 or less. The more economical form of ...Video of the day: flying rhinos in South Africa
Dec 28th, 2011 at 5:00PM:
Flying Rhinos from Green Renaissance on Vimeo.
Flying rhinos aren't something you see everyday--not even in South Africa, where 19 of these endangered rhinos have recently been moved from the Eastern Cape to a conservation location in the province of Limpopo. Still relatively new, an airlift capture technique was used to transport black rhinos out of inaccessible or difficult locations. ...
Travel the world through the photography of Kyle Marquardt
Dec 24th, 2011 at 3:00PM: While there are a lot of beautiful travel photos out there, the images of Kyle Marquardt have a way of capturing those quick, often missed moments while helping people to discover places not often seen by tourists, like a penguin the first second he goes to jump out of the water, a cheetah in hot pursuit of a gazelle, or an iceberg half underwater and half above. So how does he capture such moving ...
