It was New Year’s Day, and the party in Chintsa, on South Africa’s Eastern Cape, had been long and wild. The hangover was severe, and the need to leave immediate. You see, included on the …
November 7, 2016
Africa: news, stories, and travel reviews
Africa: news, stories, and travel reviews
Chaos, cops and captivity on the Eastern Cape
Art meets nature in the Canaries
The island of Lanzarote, part of Spain’s Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa, is for many budget tourists synonymous with cookie-cutter resort towns and all-inclusive holiday packages. The truth is that the island’s …
August 9, 2015
Mud and infidels: Djenné, Mali
When the first rays of sunrise strike the great mosque at Djenné, many believers fall to their knees from its beauty. Djenné, Mali, is a fly speck on a map. Overlooked by most travelers, it's …
April 7, 2015
The Maasai: East Africa's ambassadors
There are some images so iconic, they're forever associated with a particular place. Certainly among the foremost would be the Maasai and East Africa. More than any other tribal culture, the Maasai embody both the …
Tanzania: the Stone Age lives
The diversity of cultural groups in Africa is unrivaled by any other continent. In East Africa, Kenya and Tanzania alone can boast close to 200 different tribal groups. The East African sites of Olduvai Gorge …
April 27, 2014
Addis Ababa: escape from ordinary
“Ethiopia?!” cried my mother, her eye wide shut. “Why are you going there?” It’s not on everyone’s “to go” list, for a variety of reasons, but for anyone with a devil-may-care attitude to travel, this …
January 23, 2014
Video: Amen the printmaker, Tanzania
I spent this past June traveling Tanzania. While in Dar es Salaam, I met a Tanzanian artist named Amen Ntangu. He is self-employed as a batik printmaker. I had the opportunity to interview him and …
November 5, 2013
Kenya's elephant orphanage
Greater Nairobi, home to more than six million people, has a reputation for mayhem. Its international airport just burned; the Kenyan capital’s nickname is Nairobbery. But visitors can still find some extraordinary pleasures. Ranking high …
Uganda's Batwa Trail
In Uganda, gorilla tourism is an economic engine. It benefits not only the mountain gorillas that the tourists track, but also the human communities in and around the forests in which the animals live. It's …
Burkina Faso: remote logic and the almighty dollar
In my long-range travels I have learned two great lessons: 1) the people most removed from the modern world not only think differently than I do but are far more logical, and 2) Western-style capitalism …
July 11, 2013
Fes, Morocco: a trip to the medina
Fes is my favorite city in Morocco. It has the best-preserved medina in the Arab world – dating back to the 14th century – as well as being one the largest living medieval cities in …
June 27, 2013
Andasibe, Madagascar
Tina, my male Malagasy guide, planned a trip to the Andasibe National Park and a small lemur reserve. On the walk there we discussed different cultural aspects of Madagascar and his history. Arriving in the …
June 13, 2013
Serengeti hippo pool, Tanzania
Even during the dry season, there is water in the Serengeti. One of the region's most notable watering holes is the hippo pool. Fed by the Seronera River, the site is located towards the northwest …
June 4, 2013
Mali: my almost nomad wife
In my capacity as a travel writer, I journeyed through much of Mali's Sahara Desert with the fabled Blue Men in the years before it was desecrated by Al-Qaida. For two thousand years, Tuareg nomads …
May 16, 2013