Head on holiday to Egypt and you’re guaranteed to end up in Cairo. Beyond the endless hum of traffic and towering apartment blocks, the Egyptian capital is home to several big-ticket attractions. Top of the list is the Great Pyramid of Giza – the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient… Continue reading
When is the best time to visit Egypt? Can you go to Egypt all year round? Both are important questions to answer when considering a trip to the world’s first tourist destination! Tourist numbers tend to peak between May and June and again as August becomes September. But is this… Continue reading
Something that worried me in the past was whether it’s okay to travel during Ramadan to Muslim countries. I needn’t have worried, but there are certain things to keep in mind if you plan to do the same yourself. What exactly is Ramadan? Ramadan is the ninth month in the… Continue reading
This short guide aims to highest Africa’s best diving destinations. Think of Africa, and it’s likely that it’s the continent’s plains and rainforests that come to mind. And you should definitely take any opportunity to head out on safari and enjoy the sights and sounds of happy elephant. But don’t… Continue reading
There’s more to Egypt than the Pyramids and Sphinx. A felucca journey down the River Nile is still one of the most evocative out there. And Egypt’s Red Sea coast offers extraordinary diving opportunities. Centuries-old monasteries dot the Sinai Peninsula. Meanwhile, Cairo proudly holds its nickname of ‘the city with… Continue reading
The trouble with Mugabe’s apparent continuing election shenanigans in Zimbabwe – formerly the breadbasket of Africa – is that it tars the entire African continent with the same brush of unfree election cycles, which is simply no longer the case. Mali’s highly-praised presidential election just a few days before Zimbabwe’s… Continue reading
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, the month when Muslims participate in 28 days of daylight fasting. Use of the lunar calendar means the Islamic calendar shifts slowly over time against the Gregorian/Western calendar. Over the next couple of years Ramadan will coincide with the northern… Continue reading
Around AD 150 a man called Ptolemy sat in Alexandria. This was probably not unusual for the time. Perhaps, in need of a break, he watched the fishermen coming to harbour beside the long lost pharos lighthouse. Modern Alexandria lines the same harbour of ancient times Ptolemy was… Continue reading
Spending the weekend in the Royal Geographical Society’s Ondaatje Theatre at their London headquarters for the annual ‘Explore’ weekend (see last blog) got me to thinking of those adventurers who predated me. The theatre’s wood-panelled walls are marked out in gilding with the names of the world’s most important explorers…. Continue reading
It felt like I had ended up face to the fround at the second to last hurdle, being refused overland entry into Libya. The suspension of the coach to Cairo is soft, feeling like I was on a boat, so I only kept my eyes open for an hour or… Continue reading
