Ferme Favourite
La Petite Ferme in South Africa’s Franschhoek winelands not only offers high quality homely accommodation but great cuisine and stunning views. ‘The Little Farm’ is named, not as an affectation but as a reference to the 17th & 18th Century Huguenot exiles from France, who escaped persecution by Louis XIV, bringing their vines, crafts and skills with them, at the invitation of Dutch Protestant settlers in the Cape. As the story...
Zanzibar – A local catch-up
If, like us, you quickly tire of simply lazing, roasting on a beach for the complete duration of your holiday, then fishing and familiarising yourself with the local people can provide a welcome distraction in Zanzibar. Once you’ve visited Stone Town (which we’ll cover in a later review) then Zanzibar is largely an exotic beach resort with miles of white sand coral shoreline for the majority of visitors. Not that there’s anything...
Amboseli – wonderful wildlife water world
Amboseli presents a unique environment for wildlife in Kenya, complete with stunning views of Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania Whereas the majority of wildlife parks in Kenya are dominated by savannah that stretches to the horizon, Amboseli is typified during and after the rains by its big skies, huge lake and natural spring water-bodies.This can bring its own setbacks in terms of accessibility, with some tracks submerged and...
Kenya – Two Reserves, no reservations!
Visiting Kenya? Samburu and Buffalo Springs Game Reserves offer you a diversity and variety of landscape that you’ll miss if you restrict yourself to the Masai Mara. These relatively small but vital conservation areas host all of the big five animals together with a wide spectrum of other wildlife in surroundings that aren’t always overrun by the intrusion of tourists with little regard for conservation. Set either side of the Isiolo...
Nairobi Nights – our three luxury choices
Take a look at our choice of three wonderful exclusive hotels in Nairobi’s leafy suburbs, with wildlife on the doorstep and you won’t be in such a hurry to set out on safari. An East African safari, for many, doesn’t start until leaving Nairobi and heading out into the open countryside with its rural villages – but we think that you’ll be missing a trick. Let us show you our choice of three wonderful hotels, in green...