Kilimanjaro is a currently inactive strato-volcano in northern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. At 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) above sea level, Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. As such - and aided by its relatively easy ascent - Kilimanjaro has become a major destination for mountaineers and trekkers from around the world. Although positioned close to the Equator (330 km south), Mount Kilimanjaro is famous as Africa’s snow-capped mountain looming over the plains of the savannah. In recent years, however, the snows have been fast disappearing. Kilimanjaro National Park protects the area above 2,700 metres (8,850 ft), on the mountain and includes the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. The …
Maputo, formerly known as Lourenco Marques after a Portuguese explorer who landed here in 1544, is the capital of Mozambique. Located in the far south-west of the country, it is easily reached from neighbouring Swaziland and South Africa. The city was founded in the 18-th century but not much from that period remains today. The biggest historic attraction in town in the Portuguese fortress, built in 1787. A more recent landmark is the Mousinho de Albuquerque Square in the centre of town. The beautiful Train Station is definitely worth a look. It was built in 1910 by an architect from the Eiffel school in Paris. Neither the war of independence nor the fighting between the governmant and RENAMO which began …
Dar es Salaam (Haven of Peace in Arabic) was founded in 1862 by Sultan Seyyid Majid of Zanzibar on the site of the village of Mzizima. Mzizima’s history dates back to the time when the Barawa people started to settle and cultivate the area around Mbwa Maji, Magogoni, Mjimwema, Gezaulole and Kibonde Maji Mbagara. Present day Dar es Salaam’s origins have been influenced by myriad of Sultans, the Germans and the British. The city started as a fishing village in the mid 19th century, is now Tanzania’s largest city, and has become one of East Africa’s most important ports and trading centers. With its great atmosphere, mix of African, Muslim, and South Asian influences, picturesque harbour, beaches, chaotic markets, and …
Lusaka, in Lusaka Province, is the capital of Zambia. It is a cosmopolitan city that is home to approximately one in ten Zambians.
Get in
By plane
Lusaka is reasonably well-served by flights from Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lilongwe, Addis Ababa, and London. British Airways is the main intercontinental carrier that flies to Lusaka from Europe, with direct flights from London three times a week. South African Airways fly to Lusaka from Johannesburg with multiple flights per day, and Kenya Airways from Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines from Addis fly daily.(However, in Johannesburg the airlines have no control over baggage in transit and the airport’s baggage concessionnaire is exempt from responsibility by contract, so lost baggage can be an issue.) Various other African airlines serve Lusaka. …
Entebbe is a city built on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. The city is the location of the international airport. The drive to or from Kampala is about an hour. The United Nations uses Entebbe as a depot and staging area for their vehicles and heavy equipment that are part of peace keeping and other missions in the central African region. Entebbe offers a relaxed stop-over alternative to Kampala on your way into or out of the country by airplane, as the air is clean, the streets are safe to walk, and the old colonial gardens and parks with the lake in the background make for a serene atmosphere.
Temperatures in Entebbe range from 15.4 to 29.15 (Celcius). Rainfall …
Mombasa is Kenya’s second largest city and also East Africa’s oldest settlement. Roman and Egyptian adventure literature seems to suggest that the city is over 2500 years old. The Portuguese, Omani Arabs and British each had their share of occupation in Mombasa with the Portuguese being the first.
Vasco Da Gama, was the first notable Portuguese explorer to land on Mombasa’s shores. He had a two tier objective which was to spread the christian faith and to open up trading doors for the Portuguese. They mainly traded in slaves, and goods such as spices, cotton and coffee. Fort Jesus, a main tourist attraction in Mombasa was built as a result of their trading efforts. This Fort was used for protection against …
Blantyre is the business centre of the country and the biggest city of Malawi. It is only rivaled by Lilongwe in importance. It is located in the south of the country. The city is surrounded by hills and beautiful mountains. The hills which surround the city are the first layer of an echo of hills which stretch to the Kirk Range, the Zomba plateau Plateau. Blantyre’s hills all have something special to offer. For Malawian standards the city of Blantyre has much to offer. There are some interesting sights to visit, for example Blantyre Mission, the church of St Michaels and All Angels, the Mandala House, and the March 3 House of former president Dr Banda. There are a few …
Uzbekistan has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is doubly landlocked, but includes the southern shoreline of the Aral Sea.
History
Uzbekistan is rich in history. Samarkand was conquered by Alexander the great. Islam was introduced by Arabs in the 8th-9th century. The most famous leader to come from Uzbekistan is Tamerlane who was born in Shahrisabz south of Samarkand. Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of “white gold” (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and …
Reunion lies in the Indian Ocean , approx 220km south-west of Mauritius and 800 km east of Madagascar. The island is volcanic in origin and mountainous, and covers an area of 2,512 sq km (970 sq miles). This is a volcanic island with two major mountain zones, the Cirques of Cilanos, Salazie and Mafate, and the active volcano Piton-de-la-fornaise, which errupts fairly regularly. The highest peak, Piton des Neiges, rises 3,069 m (10,069 ft) above sea level
The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island …
Phuket, pronounced (roughly) “poo-get”, is Thailand’s largest island. It is 48 km in length, 21 km at its widest, and is in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges.
Climate
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from March to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May to October, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider November to February the “cool” season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism …
