Travel Informations » africa

South Luangwa National Park in Zambia

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:31:08 +0000

We flew from Livingstone to Mfuwe via Lusaka, where we were met by our guide from Mfuwe Lodge and transferred for one hour to the lodge. The drive was really interesting as it travels through a number of villages, so there is lots going on and lots of people out walking along the road. On arrival at the lodge we checked into our room and went straight out on our 4.30 pm night drive, didn’t return until 8pm. A big part of it is done in the dark with a spotter and a spotlight.

The next day, we were off on another early morning game drive. South Luangwa National Park is known for it abundant game and we certainly didn’t have to drive very far to see animals. We saw zebra here which is something we hadn’t see so far in the wild. Another day spent by the pool before our night game drive.

While at South Luangwa we decided to go on a game walk. We walked straight out from the lodge and across the dry river bed that was directly in front of the lodge. We then frightened a hippo and quickly retreated as he looked quite scary and we thought it best not to upset him. Saw a reasonably big herd of elephant and was amazed at how quiet they are while they are walking.

It was an enjoyable walk but quite different to the walks we had done in the Okavango Delta as the terrain was quite different. We also learnt a lot about all the local flora and fauna which was very interesting.

On our evening game drive we found 10 lionesses lazing on the banks of a dry river bed and another male and two females next to the river. Saw a huge buffalo herd but as it was very dark when we saw them we could really only see the reflection from their eyes, it would’ve been amazing to have seen the whole herd during the daylight as there was easily 250 of them. On the way back to the lodge we saw our one and only leopard in this park, he was lying next to some bushes not far from the road.

Djenné, Clay City

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:17:13 +0000

Djenné (also known as or Djeneé Jenne) is a small town in the Niger River Delta, near the confluence of the Bani and Niger rivers in the plains in the heart of Mali. Its population has always hovered around 12 thousand inhabitants, and is noted for its ethnic diversity.

If we speak in locuraviajes Djenne is famous for its architecture in the bank, which used a style enormously simpler materials, like clay and adobe. This type of architecture has its greatest exponent in the Great Mosque of Djenne, monuments declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988.

Djenné was once a great center of trade and cultural exchange and now, after many conquests and reconquests, maintains the spirit of yesteryear. Every Monday, on the esplanade that opens in front of the mosque, mounted the most exciting market in West Africa. Over long distances, approach to real pilgrims who come here to trade, but also for news and people. The market is the space where you sell the surplus of dates and nuts, where to buy salt and nuts, but especially where the world and learn to flirt.

Visit Djenne, is to visit another world, another time when the city boasted with Timbuktu, the privilege of being the main population center of Sudan, that is, everything between the Sahara and the tropical forests of Africa. Certainly, watching the sunset on the walls of the mosque with mud is an unforgettable experience. You can find more information about his mosque in Djenne and the dossier of photos from Andy Gilham and on wikipedia.

Marrakech, modern city, the imperial city

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:12:39 +0000

If you’re traveling to Morocco, Marrakech is one of the destinations required, since it is impossible to conceive the full essence of the undiscovered country of its most historic cities. Located at the foot of the Atlas, this city of over a million and half people has numerous world heritage monuments.

The origin of Marrakech in 1062 occurs when one named Yusuf Tashfin morávide pitched his tent in the place and raised a palm of that arise after the city. Marrakech is a very touristy city with hundreds of people trying to hand-held camera photographing everything. If you want to capture the true essence of the place it is recommended that you set aside a little from the crowd and let yourself lose its streets and its culture.

In their markets and souks you can find everything: snake charmers, charlatans, street vendors, henna tattoo artists, all kinds of fruits and exotic juices. If you want to see you can visit several monuments: The Tombs Saadi (a cemetery in the Saadi open to the public for the first time in 1917), the palace of the Bay (Bay comes from the most beautiful, referring to the most beautiful concubine Ba Ahmed, a vizier of Morocco in the late twentieth century), the medina or the Jewish Quarter.

But surely the heart of all Marrakech is the Jemaa el Fna A symbol of identity of this city, where people go to get involved in their frantic commercial and social activity. If you want to buy and haggle in the souk of the Jemaa el Fna square at the entrance of the Medina, you can find almost anything. If you find a good fun atmosphere, with a large number of cafes and tea houses.

Before you go, do not miss the adobe walls of the city that change color during the day as sunlight is incident, the royal palace and gardens of Menara. Finally say that Marrakesh has more than 300 mosques, among which are the Ben Youseff and booksellers. You can find more information about Marrakech on the official website for tourism in Morocco or nomadic path, where our friends took a trip recently.

Live Animals of Africa: Kenya Webcam

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:43:18 +0000

As we discussed at locuraviajes, there are lots of webcams located throughout the world that let us see what is happening in these places in real time. The one that I discussed today is located in a nature reserve in Kenya, particularly in the pond Nkorho. This pond is the only one there for miles around, so it is possible to see the animals on quenching their thirst with assiduity.

The camera is connected 24 hours a day, and when an animal comes to drink starts zooming. Animals are not forced to go to drink, only go by choice when they want, so sometimes you have to have a little patience.

Trip to delta Okawango

admin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:09:33 +0000

One of the most recommended travel through Africa is one who travels in a vehicle 4 x 4 countries of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. There are plenty of amazing scenery there, and one of them is Okawango Delta in Botswana.

This natural park itself justify a trip to Botswana, not only for its incredible beauty, but for such an incredible feeling that you experience being in such close contact with animals. This feeling is not experienced in any other national park in Africa.

There he can see the 5 large mammals, which many tourists call it the big five: lion, panther, elephant, rhino and buffalo, but you can also see the 5 large birds, including the martial eagle. A curiosity of the park are lions swimmers, who are forced to enter the river to hunt antelope.

The park can be visited while staying at one of 40 existing lodges or camps accessible only by SUVs. So if you do not want to ruin the show do not go with a 2 × 4. That yes, the campsites are also very expensive. About 30 euros per night.

A tip if you go to visit the park is Delta Okawango you to stay inside the park to sleep in your tent (there are two or three camping areas, plus the super luxury resorts or lodges) because it must leave the park at 5 pm and is when the show begins with a capital everything. Many people have traveled to many places but there are placed the creeps …

Animals rest during the day, heat, evening and at dawn they hunt at five is forbidden to keep walking with car inside Etosha, so if you camp there you do not lose everything as it is when animals go to drink and you can see them from the ponds of the campsite.

A The Okawango park with free movement, with hundreds of tracks (only 4 × 4). If you get to sleep you see the circus as we have said from the 5 pm. It’s amazing what happens at dusk as hundreds of elephants that do not know where they’ve gone, lions, zebras, wildebeest, oryx … and all at your side.

Some say it is dangerous for the tent is small, the animals and because of this are huge stores. Although not known mishaps lately.

The typical food in Uganda: The Matoke

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:58:00 +0000

One of the things that are more curious people living in Kenya and Uganda when they meet Western cooking is to know how the Europeans. Inma during their stay in an NGO in Kenya had the opportunity to try a lot of local foods, including the typical food of Uganda, Matoke.

The Matoke is a kind of dough made with boiled green bananas, mixed with chopped garlic, onion, pepper and meat. All that is stirred and served with a sort of chopped peanut sauce, which, though apparently not part of what is “Matoke” if often used in other dishes to accompany the meat.

Internet doing some research I found this recipe for Matoke for those who want to prepare.

Ingredients

Eight to ten plantains
Juice of one lemon (optional)
Oil for frying
One onion, chopped
Two or three tomatoes, chopped (or canned whole tomatoes)
A green pepper chopped
Three or four garlic, crushed
An African or Jamaican pepper, chopped (optional)
Salt and red pepper
Half a kilo of minced meat or stew meat into small pieces (optional)
Two cups of beef broth or beef stock

Preparation

Peel the bananas, cut into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice.
Heat oil in large saucepan. Saute the onion, tomatoes, green pepper, hot pepper and garlic together. Add the desired species. Add broth. Continue frying and stirring until meat is almost done or until the broth is beginning to boil.
Reduce heat. Add the bananas. Cover and simmer until bananas are tender and the meat done.

Swahili Television in Kenya

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:02:29 +0000

One of the Kenyan TV shows attracted more viewers gathered in front of the boob in that country is “This is not fair,” a program broadcast in Swahili on Wednesday afternoon. Inma, during his trip to Kenya had the opportunity to see some peculiar episodes of the program, the Black and white TV with the “house” where he was “staying”.

The program in question is a series of educational, teaching good manners to viewers in different social situations, where you can find an inhabitant of the country. The issue that I was commenting Inma was entitled “How to behave in the library” (a Inma it translated).

For the laughs we listened as he told me, it seems that is a pretty funny seen by a Westerner. The chapter of the week, starring a man who entered a library, where four people were concentrated in a very heady in reading their books. Upon entering the room, begins to sing (all provided in Swahili), then the camera focuses on the readers, who devolved by the chants of the new visitor, looking with his face twisted and tut the scandalizer.

As you can imagine, the staging of the program is a waste of resources, and at that time the announcer shouts “This is not fair,” followed by a repetition of the same phrase for a children’s choir: “This is not fair “” This is not fair “and explained to the visitor who sings, the because of his wrongdoing.

The program continues throughout their duration to the same scene starring cleaning ladies, policemen, etc.. Trying to understand the Kenyan population, as people should behave in a library.

Massai Village

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:59:47 +0000

This year we were fortunate to travel to Kenya. One activity we did during our trip was a safari where we had the opportunity to visit the Masai Mara reserve. In addition to the incredible amount of animals, all different you see, also visited a Massai village.

The truth is that the situation is rather curious. Upon arrival you get the village chief, and then negotiate with him, the price to enter and visit their village. Once negotiated the price, you send a kid Massai, more or less young, who speaks English and is going to be the one to tell you things from their village.

Although Massais live in villages, in the midst of National Park Reserve, ultimately it is common to send their children to school, to learn English among other things, that’s why the guy who was with us he could communicate to the perfection.

So nothing here began our visit to the village. We saw many houses made of mud and cow dung, the villagers, we got into some of their houses and told us how they live. The Massais usually drink much milk, and also the famous blood of one of the many cows they have. In fact, the more cows to have richer and more children are considered can have.

A strange thing is the impact that you get to see a kid about your age, speaking to the culture of his people: Polygamy, machismo, ablation and circumcision … and your there six feet but a world of cultural difference.

Well here we leave you some pictures of what was the visit to the village. With hint of dance by Massai me included.