Sights in Africa
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Arquipélago Dos Bijagós
At first, the Bijagós - Africa's only archipelago - may seem simply a pleasant escape from the problems of the mainland, with swaying palms, cooling breezes and powdery, white-sand beaches. Stay a little while though, and you'll begin to fall under the islands' singular spell.
Protected by swift tides and treacherous sandbanks, the islands have long been a world apart. They eluded Portuguese control until the 1930s, and the fiercely independent Bijagós people still retain a large degree of autonomy from the federal government.
Most visitors to the islands seem to be either biologists who come to study the unique and rich variety of marine life, or else sports fishermen…
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Fish River Canyon
The NWR Administers The Main Access Points To Fish River Canyon, which is entered at Hobas, near the Northern end of the park, or at Ai-Ais, near the Southern end. All accommodation must be booked in advance through the Windhoek office. Daily park permits, which cost around US$3 per person and around US$3 per vehicle, are valid for both Hobas and Ai-Ais.
Note that following the death of an ill-prepared hiker in 2001, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) decided to prohibit day hikes into Fish River Canyon, despite the fact that over the years, thousands of people have done it without incident. During the cooler weather, however, you may be able to get special permission at…
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Place Mohammed V
Place Mohammed V is the grand centrepiece of the French regeneration scheme. The vast square is surrounded by an impressive array of august administrative buildings, mostly designed by Henri Prost and Robert Marrast. The ancienne préfecture (old police headquarters), dating from 1930, dominates the south side of the square and is topped by a modernist clock tower.
The nearby Palais de Justice (law courts) was built in 1925. The huge main door and entrance was inspired by the Persian iwan, a vaulted hall that usually opens into the central court of the medersa (theological college) of a mosque. Stroll across the grand square and admire the 1918 main post office, a…
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Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Another 250m west on Sharia as-Salbiyya, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is easily identified by its high walls topped with neat crenulations that resemble a string of paper dolls. Built between AD 876 and 879 by Ibn Tulun, who was sent to rule the outpost of Al-Fustat in the 9th century by the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, it is the city’s oldest intact, functioning Islamic monument. It’s also one of its most beautiful, despite a rather ham-fisted restoration using cement on the mud-brick-and-timber structure. Ibn Tulun drew inspiration from his homeland, particularly the ancient Mosque of Samarra (Iraq), on which the spiral minaret is modelled. He also added some innovations of…
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Chak Wak Park
Several kilometres southeast of the statue of Ibn Chabbat is the incongruous and trippy Chak Wak Park, an enormous testament to the vision of one passionate and wealthy man. The former mayor of Tozeur and the driving force behind the Dar Charaït museum, has created what amounts to a three-dimensional liberal education on evolution, history and religion. Surrounded by high walls reminiscent of the King Kong films, inside is a circuit that takes you from dinosaur-sized replicas of dinosaurs to a replica of Noah's Ark with models of animals lining up two by two while a sound system pipes in rain effects. Even the Biblical parting of the red sea is represented here with…
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Bent Pyramid
Experimenting with ways to create a true, smooth-sided pyramid, Sneferu's architects began with the same steep angle and inward-leaning courses of stone they used to create step pyramids. When this began to show signs of stress and instability around halfway up its eventual 105m height, they had little choice but to reduce the angle from 54 degrees to 43 degrees and begin to lay the stones in horizontal layers. This explains why the structure has the unusual shape that gives it its name.
Most of its outer casing is still intact, and inside (closed to visitors) are two burial chambers, the highest of which retains its original ancient scaffolding of great cedar beams to…
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Kasbah des Oudaias
This occupies the oldest part of the city, the site of the original ribat, and commands powerful views over the river and ocean from its cliff-top perch. The kasbah is predominately residential and the narrow streets are lined with whitewashed houses - most of which were built by Muslim refugees from Spain. It's a tranquil and picturesque place to wander and there's no need for a guide. Ignore anyone who advises you that the kasbah is 'forbidden'.
The most dramatic entry to the kasbah is through the enormous Almohad gate of Bab Oudaia, built in 1195. Its location, facing the heart of the city and just outside the original palace, made it more ceremonial than defensive and…
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South Luangwa National Park
For scenery, variety of animals, accessibility and choice of accommodation, South Luangwa is the best park in Zambia and one of the most majestic in Africa. Amongst the varied terrain of dense woodland, oxbow pools and open grassy plains lurk beasts of all shapes and sizes, from massive elephants to pesky tsetse flies. Take precautions against malaria.
South Luangwa is where walking safaris (Jun-Sep) began. Being in the park, on foot, with the wildlife all around, is a truly exhilarating experience. Despite its many charms, South Luangwa attracts far fewer visitors than other African parks, especially during the wet season, making it all the more attractive. (Note that…
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Iziko Slave Lodge
This museum, mainly devoted to the history and experience of slaves and their descendants in the Cape, also has artefacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Far East on the 1st floor.
One of the oldest buildings in South Africa, dating back to 1660, the Slave Lodge has a fascinating history in itself. Until 1811 the building was home, if you could call it that, to as many as 1000 slaves, who lived in damp, insanitary, crowded conditions. Up to 20% died each year. The slaves were bought and sold just around the corner on Spin St.
From the late 18th century the lodge was used as a brothel, a jail for petty criminals and political exiles from Indonesia, and then a…
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Quartier Habous
The Quartier Habous, or nouvelle medina, is Morocco-lite - an idealised, almost toy-town, version of a traditional medina with neat little rows of streets and shop stalls. The district was built by the French in the 1930s as an attempted solution to the ongoing housing shortage. It marries the best of traditional Moroccan architecture with modern facilities and French ideals - even the mosque fronts onto a strip of grassy lawn just like a village church.
For fans of the bustle and chaos of traditional markets, it may feel too sanitised to be authentic, but if you fancy some Moroccan character without the associated smells and hassle, it's got a decent selection of…
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Stone Town
If Zanzibar Town is the archipelago's heart, Stone Town is its soul. It's magical jumble of cobbled alleyways make it easy to spend days wandering around and getting lost - although you can't get lost for long because, sooner or later, you'll end up on either the seafront or Creek Rd.
Nevertheless, each twist and turn of the narrow streets brings something new - be it a school full of children chanting verses from the Quran, a beautiful old mansion with overhanging verandas, or a coffee vendor with his long-spouted pot fastened over coals.
Along the way, watch the island's rich cultural melange come to life: Arabic-style houses with their recessed inner courtyards rub…
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Red Pyramid
The world's oldest true pyramid is the North Pyramid, which is better known as the Red Pyramid. It derives its name either from the red tones of its weathered limestone, after the better-quality white limestone casing was removed, or perhaps from the red graffiti and construction marks scribbled on its masonry in ancient times.
Having learnt from their experiences building the Bent Pyramid, the same architects carried on where they had left off, building the Red Pyramid at the same 43-degree angle as the Bent Pyramid's more gently inclining upper section. The entrance - via 125 extremely steep stone steps and a 63m-long passage - takes you down to two antechambers with…
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Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders)
Beit el-Ajaib - home to the Zanzibar National Museum of History & Culture is one of the largest structures in Zanzibar. It was built in 1883 by Sultan Barghash (r 1870-88) as a ceremonial palace. After British naval bombardment in 1896 it was rebuilt and used as a residential palace for the Sultans and later the headquarters of the CCM (Tanzania's ruling party).
Inside are exhibits on the dhow culture of the Indian Ocean, Swahili civilisation and 19th-century Zanzibar, plus smaller displays on kangas (printed cotton wraparound, incorporating a Swahili proverb, worn by women) and the history of Stone Town. There's also a life-sized mtepe (a traditional Swahili sailing…
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Giseny
Welcome to the Costa del Kivu! Gisenyi is a ritzy resort town for rich Rwandans and resident foreigners. The views over Lake Kivu and Nyiragongo to the northwest are magnificent, though be warned that the volcano blew its top in early 2002, consuming much of neighbouring Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gisenyi is a secluded retreat for the country's well-to-do, which means that most of the action centres on the town's posh hotels and restaurants. If you're looking for something to do however, you can check out the Primus Brewery, about 7km (4.3mi) out of town along a stunning coastal road. Swimming and sunbathing on the area's lovely beaches is also a nice way…
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Company’s Gardens
What started as the vegetable patch for the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, or Dutch East India Company) is now a shady green escape in the heart of the city. The surviving 6 hectares of Jan van Riebeeck’s original 18-hectare garden are found around Government Ave, with gates next to the National Library of South African and off both Museum and Queen Victoria Sts.
As the VOC’s sources of supply diversified, the grounds became a superb pleasure garden, planted with a fine collection of botanical specimens from South Africa and the rest of the world, including frangipanis, African flame trees, aloes and roses.
The squirrels that scamper here were imported to…
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Jakobsen’s (Mwamahunga) Beach
The best place for relaxing is Jakobsen’s (Mwamahunga) Beach, which is actually two small, beautiful coves reached via steps down a vegetated section of hillside about 5km southwest of Kigoma. There are a few bandas for shade, the water is bilharzia-free and the overall setting – especially if you visit during the week when few people are around – is idyllic. There’s no food or drink. Head west from town along the road past Kigoma Hilltop Hotel, keeping right at the small fork until the signpost, from where it’s about 3km further uphill and signposted. Via public transport, catch a Katonga dalla-dalla at the roundabout near the train station and ask the driver…
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Mt Mulanje
Mt Mulanje (also called the Mulanje Plateau) rises steeply from the undulating plain of the highlands, surrounded by near-vertical cliffs of bare rock, many over 1000m (3280ft) high. The cliffs are dissected by vegetated valleys, where rivers drop in spectacular waterfalls.
It is often misty here and Mulanje's high peaks sometimes jut above the cloud, giving rise to the local name 'Island in the Sky'.
This is one of the finest areas for hiking in this part of Africa. There are clear paths up the mountain, several huts and stunning scenery. Up on the plateaus there are clear mountain streams (safe for drinking) and swimming holes where you can cool off in the icy water.…
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Dzanga-Sangha National Park
This national park, wedged into the triangle of southwestern CAR Cameroon from Congo, is probably the one corner of the country still attracting visitors. Gorillas, elephants and the Baka people are all found in this remote corner of Africa.
Bayanga is the main village near the park, on the banks of the Sangha River. Although a handful of intrepid visitors may come to Bayanga by road, most visitors probably arrive in chartered aircraft. Bayanga has a number of small guesthouses offering simple accommodation, but the fly-in groups will probably stay at the riverside Dolicom Lodge, which has rooms with luxuries like attached bathrooms and running water. The lodge is only…
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Iziko Michaelis Collection
On the south side of Greenmarket Sq, the city’s second-oldest public space after the Grand Parade is the beautifully restored Old Townhouse, a Cape rococo building dating from 1755. It now houses the impressive art collection of Sir Max Michaelis, donated to the city in 1914. Dutch and Flemish paintings and etchings from the 16th and 17th centuries (including works by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Anthony van Dyck) hang side by side with contemporary works – the contrasts between old and new are fascinating. The cool interior is a relief from the buzzing market outside on Greenmarket Square, while the relaxed Ivy Garden Restaurant in the courtyard behind is worth considering…
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Museum Africa
This museum is housed in the impressive old Bree St fruit market, next to the Market Theatre complex. The thoughtful curatorship features exhibitions on the Treason Trials of 1956-61, the development of South African music and the history of housing in the city. The satirical ‘Cartoons in Context’ are worth a look, as is the Sophiatown display, which contains a mock up of a shebeen (unlicensed bar).
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Musée d'Art Camerounais
This museum forms part of Yaoundé's Benedictine monastery in the lea of Mt Fébé. It has a wonderful collection of masks, bronzes, wooden bas-reliefs and pottery. Look out for the brass sculpture of the 'Great Maternal Figure', from the area northeast of Foumban - similar sculpture is still produced at Foumban's Village des Artisans. The monastery's chapel (underneath the main church) is decorated with Cameroonian textiles and crafts, and kora are sometimes used to accompany the singing at Mass.
The museum has a really handy English/French guidebook available at the entrance.Take a shared taxi to Bastos and then change for Mt Fébé.
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Kenyetta Conference Centre
Towering over City Square, Nairobi's signature building the Kenyetta Conference Centre was designed as a fusion of modern and traditional African styles, though the distinctive saucer tower looks a little dated next to some of the city's flashier glass edifices.
Staff will accompany you up to the viewing platform and helipad on the roof for wonderful views over Nairobi. The sightline goes all the way to the suburbs, and on clear days you can see aircraft coming in to land over the Nairobi National Park. You're allowed to take photographs from the viewing level but not elsewhere in the building. Access may be restricted during events and conferences.
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Musée National du Moudjahid
This museum sits beneath the Makam Echahid, its mission to collect, preserve and display objects and memories of the struggle against colonialism. It starts with the story of the French invasion of 1830, but focuses on the glorious struggle from the uprising in Sétif, Constantine and Guelma in 1944 to Independence Day in July 1962. Although information is in Arabic, the meaning of the exhibits is easy to understand, from Abdelkader’s pistols to reports of executions of ‘terrorists’. The museum’s lower floor is a domed sanctuary, a natural shrine of low light and no noise, its walls inscribed with verses from the Quran.
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Jardin Majorelle & Museum of Islamic Art
Owned by the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint-Laurent Foundation, this exotic sub-tropical garden provides a haven away from the hectic pace outside. The garden was designed by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who lived here from 1922 to 1962. In among the cooling water features, the cacti, majestic palm trees and cascades of bougainvillaea, is a small museum.
The museum contains one of those Moroccan collections you'd love to scoop up and take home, including Berber and Tuareg jewellery and textiles, carpets, wedding curtains and cobalt blue pottery - all labelled in Arabic and French. Another room is dedicated to Majorelle's work.
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Iziko SA National Gallery
The impressive permanent collection of South Africa’s premier art space harks back to Dutch times and includes some extraordinary pieces. But it’s often contemporary works, such as the Butcher Boys sculpture by Jane Alexander, looking like a trio of Lord of the Rings orcs who have stumbled into the gallery, that stand out the most. Also check out the remarkable teak door in the courtyard, carved by Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz with scenes representing the global wanderings of the Jews. His carvings also adorn the tops of the door frames throughout the gallery. There’s also a good shop with some interesting books and gifts.
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