Antananarivo

Antananarivo, known as Tana, is Madagascar’s capital, a lively hillside city of steep streets, steps and old colonial buildings. It is the arrival point for most visitors, and a night or two here gives time to rest and see the Rova, the royal palace on the hill, as well as markets and craft shops. Highlights […]

Bukavu

We are not currently offering travel to this area. Government travel advice is against all travel to North and South Kivu, and the parks and airports here are closed or not operating. This page stays here for reference, and we will review it when the advice changes. Our Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safaris are open. […]

Goma

We are not currently offering travel to this area. Government travel advice is against all travel to North and South Kivu, and the parks and airports here are closed or not operating. This page stays here for reference, and we will review it when the advice changes. Our Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safaris are open. […]

Livingstone and Victoria Falls

Livingstone is the Zambian gateway to Victoria Falls, the largest sheet of falling water in the world, which David Livingstone named after Queen Victoria. The Zambezi spreads out across a wide basalt plateau and plunges more than 100 metres into a narrow gorge, sending spray hundreds of metres into the air. The local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, […]

Lusaka

Lusaka is Zambia’s capital and largest city, a busy and fast-growing place on a high plateau in the centre of the country. For most visitors it is a transit point for flights to South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kafue, and a night here lets you rest and sort out your luggage before the next flight. […]

Cape Town

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a place where a flat-topped mountain, two oceans and a long coastline meet in a single view. Table Mountain rises straight from the city centre, the Atlantic shore has white beaches and cliff-top drives, and the False Bay side has penguins, fishing villages […]

Johannesburg

Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city and the main gateway to the country, a vibrant, energetic metropolis built on a gold rush. Most visitors pass through O. R. Tambo airport on the way to Kruger, Sabi Sand and the Cape, and a night or two here repays a little curiosity. The Apartheid Museum is a […]

Windhoek

Windhoek is Namibia’s capital and the gateway to most journeys, a small, clean and relaxed city set among the Khomas Hochland highlands at 1,650 metres. Its German colonial heritage shows in the Christuskirche, the Tintenpalast and the cafes, and its African spirit in the craft markets and the lively township of Katutura. A night or […]

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is Namibia’s coastal playground, a small town of German colonial buildings and palm-lined streets between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert. The cool sea air is a relief after the heat of the interior, and the town has good restaurants, galleries, bakeries and a relaxed feel. It is also an adventure capital. You […]

Kasane

Kasane is the gateway to Chobe National Park and the northern tip of Botswana, a small, friendly town on the Chobe River where four countries meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the starting point for river cruises and game drives, and a convenient base for day trips to Victoria Falls, about an hour […]

Musanze

Musanze, once called Ruhengeri, is the busy market town at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes and the gateway to Volcanoes National Park. Most travellers pass through on their way to the lodges near Kinigi, but the town rewards a few hours of your time. Its market is one of the liveliest in the north, […]

Huye

Huye, once called Butare, is Rwanda’s university town and its intellectual heart. It sits on the main road from Kigali to Nyungwe, and it makes a good stop to break the journey. The Ethnographic Museum on the edge of town is one of the best in East Africa, with fine displays on traditional Rwandan life, […]