How could one adequately sum up the magic that is Africa – wild and wonderful?

Africa is in my blood. I was born in South Africa and I love my home country, so there’ll be many posts about South Africa. But we’ve been fortunate enough to live in Mauritius for 6 years and Seychelles for 2, so I’ll be writing about these islands as well. Also we’ve visited other African countries; Madagascar, Botswana,Tanzania, Zanzibar and Mozambique. Here’s a taste in pictures to whet your appetites.

South Africa

South Africa’s natural beauty attracts visitors from around the world. Its landscapes include mountains, beaches and game reserves. And there is wildlife galore. It is a melting pot of cultures, shaped by a very complex history.  You won’t find any political talk in this blog though! The focus will be on “the wild side.”

Kenton-on-Sea, Eastern Cape

Mauritius

Mauritius is a hugely popular tourist destination and there are a great number of hotels dotted all over the island, including some impressive 5 star ones. We lived in the South Eastern corner, first in Blue Bay and then in Pointe D’Esny, where we were right on the lagoon. We had many wonderful outings in our boat Footeloose, snorkeling, catching fish, including squid – which is a hilarious experience not to be missed!

Seychelles

This archipelago consists of 115 islands, and they are the only granitic islands in the world. Mahe is the largest island and even it is only 26 kms long and 17 kms wide! Many of the islands are uninhabited and others are ‘one resort islands’. The talcum powder, palm fringed beaches with their impressive rocky outcrops support huge numbers of exquisite tropical fish. Being very near to the equator, it is very hot and humid all year round.

Madagascar

This large Indian Ocean island off the east coast of Africa has some of the most unusual and intriguing wildlife on the planet, one example being its lemurs. It was distressing to see how desperately poor the majority of its people are though.

Botswana

Top of the list in this country is of course the Okavango Swamps. It’s unfortunate that it has become so very expensive. We were fortunate enough to spend 4 days and nights there in 2011,  when we could still afford it.

Tanzania 

This African country is of course most famous for its outstanding National Parks, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater being the most well-known. We thought Tarangire and Manyara parks equally impressive and the fact that they were less crowded added to their appeal.

Hippos, Serengeti

Zanzibar

This small island has a fascinating history and lots of eye candy appeal too. The locals are poor however and for me this detracted from the enjoyment of this experience.

Starfish

Mozambique

Getting to Mozambique by road is a mission in itself. We had quite an adventure getting to our friend’s villa in Vilanculous. Look out for my forthcoming post on this. In this country too, the poverty of the local people is very much in evidence and it did make me, a comparatively well off tourist, feel uncomfortable. However, without tourists, they would be a lot worse off.