|
|
Africa -
General Africa
|
How do you capture the essence of Africa on paper without using up every cliché in the book? No other continent comes close to it for scale, variety and pure, raw impact. Africa offers a travel experience a thousand kilometres from the well-backpacked, air-conditioned tourist trails of Southeast Asia or the cash-cow theme parks of Australia or Europe. Africa’s natural history alone would make a dozen visits worthwhile – where else on earth can you fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring, or watch a million flamingos take off from the waters of a remote soda lake? Parts of Africa boast scenery so spectacular they’ll damn near blow your mind, but the essence of this incredible continent isn’t in any desert, mountain or lake. It’s the spirit of the people – pushing, shoving, sweating, dancing, singing and laughing – that infects so many visitors with a travel bug so powerful they’ll never stop coming back, sometimes against all sense or reason. Debate with venerable merchants among the cool, narrow streets of an Arabic medina, dance to the thumping reggae beats coming from a West African market stall, or shoot the breeze with fishermen under Indian Ocean palm trees, and you’ll be struck more than anything else by the honesty, warm-heartedness and vitality of the African people. Africa’s not always an easy place to travel in. It can be frustrating and challenging at times. Hardships and logistical disasters can happen. But don’t believe everything you see on TV: Africa’s not a hell hole full of civil war, plague, famine and violent crime. It’s a fantastic, enlightening, surprising and intriguing continent. Try it once, and we guarantee you’ll dream about coming back for the rest of your life.
The Africa Explorer - Episode 1: Uri Tours, Zulu Nyala, Maldives & Sabi Sabi.
Dune riding in the Namib desert. Get back to the bush at Zulu Nyala lodge. Coral atolls form an enchanting island paradise in the Maldives. Learn to track animals and drive land rovers at Sabi Sabi private game reserve. The Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola which forms part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The name "Namib" is of Nama origin. The desert occupies an area of around 80 900 km² (31 200 square miles), stretching about 1000 miles (1,600 km) along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia. Its east-west width varies from 30 to 100 miles (50-160 km). The Namib Desert also reaches into southwest Angola. It is one of the 500 distinct physiographic provinces of the South African Platform physiographic division. The area is considered to be one of the oldest deserts in the world, having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for at least 55 million years after the Atacama Desert. Its aridity is caused by the descent of dry air of the Hadley Cell, cooled by the cold Benguela current along the coast. It has less than 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain annually and is almost completely barren. A number of unusual species of plants and animals are found only in this desert. One of these is Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the most unusual species. Welwitschia is a shrub-like plant, but grows just two long strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. These leaves may be several meters long, gnarled and twisted from the desert winds. The taproot of the plant develops into a flat, concave disc in age. Welwitschia is notable for its survival in the extremely arid conditions in the Namib, sometimes deriving moisture from the coastal sea fogs. Although the desert is largely unpopulated and inaccessible, there are year-round settlements at Sesriem, close to the famous Sossusvlei and a huge group of sand dunes, which at more than 300 meters high are among the tallest sand dunes in the world. The complexity and regularity of dune patterns in its dune sea have attracted the attention of geologists for decades. They still remain poorly understood. The interaction between the water-laden air coming from the sea via southerly winds, some of the strongest of any coastal desert, and the dry air of the desert causes immense fogs and strong currents, causing sailors to lose their way. Along with the Skeleton Coast further north, it is notorious as the site of many shipwrecks. Some of these wrecked ships can be found as much as 50 metres inland, as the desert slowly moves westwards into the sea, reclaiming land over a period of many years. The Namib desert is an important location for the mining of tungsten, salt and diamonds. Access is by light aircraft from Windhoek (the capital of Namibia, about 480 km north-east of the centre of the desert), Swakopmund and Walvis Bay at the north end of the desert, or overland on gravel roads.
The Africa Explorer - Episode 2: Botswana 4x4, Rawdons and Kamberg & Red Sea Wrecks.
Off-road adventure through Botswana's Okavango Delta. Trout fishing in KwaZulu-Natal. Wild dives: explore reefs and wrecks in the Red Sea. The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. The area was once part of Lake Makgadikgadi, an ancient lake that dried up some 10,000 years ago. Today, the Okavango River has no outlet to the sea. Instead, it empties onto the sands of the Kalahari Desert, irrigating 15,000 km² of the desert. Each year some 11 cubic kilometres of water reach the delta. Some of this water reaches further south to create Lake Ngami. The waters of the Okavango Delta are subject to seasonal flooding, which begins about mid-summer in the north and six months later in the south (May/June). The water from the delta is evaporated relatively rapidly by the high temperatures, resulting in a cycle of cresting and dropping water in the south. Islands can disappear completely during the peak flood, then reappear at the end of the season.
The Africa Explorer - Episode 3: Malawi, Mashatu & Red Sea Wrecks.
Lake Malawi: the world\'s first freshwater national park. In Botswana, elephants congregate at Mashatu, the land of the giants. Plunge in to the Red Sea to examine a World War II relic. Flick through the glossy tourist brochures and the clichés come thick and fast. Malawi is ‘the warm heart of Africa’, or ‘Africa for beginners’; and its lake ‘the lake of stars’. It all seems too good to be true, but, with stunning and varied scenery and supremely friendly locals, along with the relative ease of travel here, Malawi really does live up to the hype. Malawi’s big draw is the lake: a magnificent shard of crystal water stretching some 500km along Malawi’s eastern border, separating it from the wild and mountainous coast of Mozambique and Tanzania. Isolated villages pepper the northern lakeshore and the beautiful Liwonde National Park rests at its southern tip. Around 500 species of fish inhabit the lake and the freshwater diving and snorkelling here are excellent. Malawi’s not just for water babies and sun worshippers though; there’s plenty here to keep you active and Malawi’s landscape is surprisingly diverse. Head for the misty heights of Mount Mulanje or to the Nyika National Park, where you'll find sheer escarpments, dramatic peaks, endless rolling grassland and some of the most enjoyable hiking routes in the whole of Africa.
The Africa Explorer - Episode 4: Dive SA, Cango Caves & Lesotho.
Experience South Africa's most spectacular dive sites. Climb through the ancient Cango Caves. A riding adventure on the mountain ponies of Lesotho. Lesotho (le-soo-too) is called Southern Africa’s ‘kingdom in the sky’ for good reason. This stunningly beautiful, mountainous country is nestled island-like in the middle of South Africa and it is a fascinating travel detour from its larger neighbour. The country offers superb mountain scenery, a proud traditional people, endless hiking trails, and the chance to explore remote areas on Basotho ponies. The ‘lowland’ areas (all of which are still above 1000m) offer some craft shopping and dinosaur footsteps, while the highlands in the northeast and centre feature towering peaks (over 3000m) and verdant valleys. Escape the rest of the world in Eastern Lesotho's remote Sehlabathebe National Park, or hang out in the pleasant capital Maseru, where a slow pace and friendly locals ensure a memorable stay.
 |
|
|
Chose your episode
Episode 1:
Uri Tours, Zulu Nyala, Maldives & Sabi Sabi.
Episode 2:
Botswana 4x4, Rawdons and Kamberg & Red Sea Wrecks.
Episode 3:
Malawi, Mashatu & Red Sea Wrecks.
Episode 4:
Dive SA, Cango Caves & Lesotho.
Episode 5:
Kaokoveld, Mozambique & Kapama.
Episode 6:
Lesotho 4x4, Mauritius & Gunn's Camp.
Episode 7:
Waterberg, Sharks & Nduna Lodge.
Episode 8: N/A
Episode 9:
MalaMala, Kimberley, Okavango & SabiSabi.
Episode 10: N/A
Episode 11:
NieuBethesda, Pretoriuskop & Serengeti.
Episode 12:
Thornybush, Benguerra, Kilimanjaro & Okuti.
Episode 13:
Kruger, Thistlegorme Wreck & Royal Natal.
Report dead link
If you spot a dead link on this site, or a not working video, let us know and report it overhere..... Thanks!
Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER. All the videos on this site are hosted on Google, Guba, VEOH and YouTube. Linking to these videos was not possible without the help from the excellent FLV-software from Jeroen Wijering.
About
Maza is born in the Netherlands about 40 years ago and has studied economics in the 90's. He is very much a travel buff. He has also a hughe intrest in science and astronomy. At the moment he is working for the local municipality. If you like you can contact him at info @ mazalien.com.© Mazalien 1999 - 2010
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
