Things to do in Africa
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FEATURED
Cape Town To Kenya
45 days (Cape Town)
by Intrepid
Hear the roar of the mighty Victoria Falls, Glide down the Okavango Delta in a canoe, Delight your senses in spice-filled Zanzibar, Keep up with the pace of…Not LP reviewed
from USD$5,705 - All things to do
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Hippo Regius
The ruins of the ancient city of Hippo Regius, also known as Hippone, are among the most evocative in Algeria, stretched across a rolling site, full of flowers, rosemary, olive trees, birds and sheep, and overlooked by the imposing, colonial-era Basilica of St Augustine. You enter from what was the seafront, the water having receded several hundred metres over the millennia. There is a good plan of the site by the entrance. It is worth climbing the small hill to the museum, before seeing the ruins. The ground floor contains a good collection of sculpture in the Salle des Bustes, including the Emperor Vespasian found in the forum. The star piece of the museum, the unique…
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Monastery of St Anthony
This historic monastery traces its origins to the 4th century AD when monks began to settle at the foot of Gebel al-Galala al-Qibliya, where their spiritual leader, Anthony, lived. Over the next few centuries, the community moved from being a loosely organised grouping of hermits to a somewhat more communal existence in which the monks continued to live anchoritic lives, but in cells grouped together inside a walled compound.
In the 8th and 9th centuries, the monastery suffered Bedouin raids, followed in the 11th century by attacks from irate Muslims, and in the 15th century, a revolt by bloodthirsty servants that resulted in the massacre of the monks. The small mud-brick…
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Lambèse-Tazoult
The road from Batna towards Timgad and Khenchela makes a slight detour around the modern village of Tazoult, infamous as the location of a high-security prison, the latest incarnation of a penitentiary built by the French in 1855. But military presence here goes back much further than the French because all around (and beneath) Tazoult lie the remains of a settlement that once served as the capital of Roman Numidia and was, for a long time, the partner and sometime rival of nearby Timgad. Lambaesis has disappeared from most itineraries and, if seen at all by visitors, it is usually glimpsed from the window of a car or bus as they shuttle between Batna and Timgad. There…
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Tiddis
Although it in no way compares to the splendour of Djemila, the Roman town of Tiddis makes a great day trip from Constantine. The guardian will appear at your arrival to sell you a ticket and may want you to pay for guiding services. Drinks and snacks are sometimes available, but you should be sure at least to bring your own water in summer. There was a settlement on this site from early times, at least since the Neolithic Berbers, but it was the Romans who developed Castellum Tidditanorum, which, as its name suggests, was a castellum or fortress, one of a series of fortified villages that surrounded the larger settlement at Constantine (then Cirta) and protected its…
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Royal Enclosure
It's hard not to notice Gonder's impressive Royal Enclosure, with its castles and high stone walls sitting streetside. The entire 70,000-sq-metre site (also known as Fasil Ghebbi) was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in 1979.
Free 90-minute guided tours (a tip will be expected) are worthwhile and available weekdays. On weekends, you can hire a local licensed guide near the gate.
Almost completely restored with the help of Unesco, Fasiladas' Palace (in the compound's south) is the oldest and most impressive castle. It stands 32m tall and has a crenulated parapet and four domed towers. Made of roughly hewn stones, it's reputedly the work of an Indian architect, and…
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Djemila Ruins
Djemila is small enough to allow you to walk around the entire site comfortably in half a day. But spend longer here, linger in the temples and markets, stroll through the bath chambers, or just lie down on one of the pavements or in the shade of villa walls (as a number of locals were doing during our visit); the magic will be felt and this unique place will be better understood. The museum is to the left on entering the site and is best visited before the ruins. At quiet times, it is kept locked, but will be opened if you ask at the entrance to the site. Outside the museum building there are many tombstones and other funerary sculptures, the outer walls lined with…
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Amun Temple Enclosure - Main Axis
The most important place of worship at Karnak was the massive Amun Temple Enclosure (Precinct of Amun), dominated by the great Temple of Amun-Ra, which contains the famous hypostyle hall, a spectacular forest of giant papyrus-shaped columns. On its southern side is the Mut Temple Enclosure, once linked to the main temple by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes. To the north is the Montu Temple Enclosure, which honoured the local Theban war god.
The 3km-long paved avenue of human-headed sphinxes that once linked the great Temple of Amun at Karnak with Luxor Temple, is now again being cleared.
The Quay of Amun was the dock where the large boats carrying the statues of the gods…
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Timgad
Nothing in the surrounding area – certainly nothing in concrete-clad Batna, the jumping-off point 40km away – prepares you for the grandeur of Timgad. Even the entrance is deceptive, a large car park, a line of trees, a museum and then… an entire Roman town. At first sight it may seem just a vast field of stones and rubble, but walk around, take the time, inhabit the place, and Timgad will more than repay the effort. Whatever happened at this site before AD 100 is of little consequence: the story of Timgad begins in grand style when the Emperor Trajan decided to build a colony for soldiers and veterans of his Legion III Augusta. The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi,…
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Siam Thai
This attractive restaurant has an extensive menu of actual Thai food (gasp!) and a very good reputation. Unga House can be reached from either Woodvale Grove or Muthithi Rd.
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Trattoria
This long-running and very popular Italian joint could hold its head up in Melbourne or San Francisco, offering excellent pizza, pasta dishes, varied mains and a whole page of desserts.
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Double Four
Offering mainly Lebanese dishes, the menu at Double Four tries to throw everything into the mix - Nigerian, Continental, a bit of Indian - so if you're unsure where to dine, this might be the place. It seems to work, as the place is always packed.
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Charly’s Bakery
Don’t leave Cape Town without eating one of Charly’s chocolate cupcakes, famously decorated with blindingly bright icing designs by his wife Jacqui. There’s also a fantastic range of baked goods, including pies, and a wonderful new location in the historic premises of the one-time Judaica emporium Beikinstadt.
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Chez Les Nomades
A wide selection of antique and modern Berber carpets, reasonable prices, and a pleasant all-around carpet-shopping experience. Salah will explain (in perfect English) key differences in motifs, regions and quality with a variety of carpet types, then pull out carpets in whatever style and size appeals to you. Enjoy the tea and the education, without the usual hustle; here the selection speaks for itself.
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Imbizo Tours
Specialises in tours to Jo’burg’s gritty townships, including shebeen tours and overnight township stays, and it also offers a one-day Mandela’s Struggle Trail tour through Gauteng.
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Queer Johannesburg Tour
Run on the first Sunday of the month by the Gay & Lesbian Archives of South Africa at Wits University. Gay or straight, the tours offer a fascinating insight into gay Jo’burg, taking you deep into the heart of Hillbrow and Soweto, and providing plenty of background on the role homosexuality played in the gold mines and the struggle against apartheid. Tours start at 9am, last four hours and cost R300 per person.
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Out in Africa: SA International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Focusing on gay-themed films, both drama and documentary. Held in September in 2008 but dates change so check website.
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City Sightseeing Cape Town
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Siviwe Tours
As well as regular walking tours, English- and Spanish-speaking Siviwe Mbinda offers two-hour bicycling tours around Langa (R180 if you get yourself to Langa, R300 if Siviwe comes to pick you up). In his spare time he’s helped local kids form a gumboot dance troupe, which he can arrange to perform.
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Taste of Africa
Offers something different from the zoolike township tours. It offers tours where you can explore Soweto on foot or by minibus with a local guide, hang out with locals in a shebeen, and visit areas far from Soweto’s beaten tourist track for a more authentic experience. Staff can organise rooms in guest houses in less-visited parts of the township as well as shack accommodation (R100 per night).
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Hammam Dar el-Bacha
For the authentic experience at a bargain price, head to your local neighbourhood hammam – you’ll find one near most major mosques, since hammams traditionally share a water source with ablutions fountains. Here entry costs less than Dh10, massage costs from Dh50 to Dh100 and gommage (scrub) Dh15 to Dh20. One of the more impressive historic hammam is the vast Hammam Dar el-Bacha. Bring your community hammam kit: towel, flip-flops, plastic mat and a change of knickers (you’ll be expected to wear yours).
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Kachikaly Crocodile Pool
Kachikaly Crocodile Pool is a sacred site for locals, some of whom come here to pray, as the crocodiles represent the power of fertility. Success rates are apparently high and the 80 fully grown crocodiles and 'countless' smaller ones are protected. A popular tourist spot too, it's probably the nearest you'll ever safely get to a croc!
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Coolen – Chez Ram
The clear local favourite among Royal Rd's endless parade of restaurants, Coolen is situated smack in the centre of tourist town but is usually filled to the brim with Mauritians. Customers are welcomed with fish cakes and a splash of rum while they thumb through the menu of Creole and seafood staples. Go for the fish in banana leaves (Rs 175) and make sure to save room for the banana flambé.
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Happy Rajah
Near one of the Tamil temples in a large wooden structure, Happy Rajah satisfies costumers with a large selection of surprisingly filling curries and stews. Lunches are served in the vestibule – if you come in the evening you'll eat in the more atmospheric dining room draped in oriental tapestries.
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Sakura
Despite Grand Baie's wishy-washy dining scene, Sakura has managed to hold its own for 22 years – the faded decor is living proof. The friendly owners are present every evening waving to repeat customers and watching their skilled chefs fling ingredients in the air during the exhilarating teppanyaki shows. Reservations are essential if you want your meal cooked at your table.
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Bahati Book Centre
Bookshop.
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