Best thing to do is to Google for that particular tour operator and see what other people write about them. If you don`t find anything or bad reviews than I`d stay away; if the comments are good you can go further. Obviously keep in mind that some tour-operators write their own reviews (under another name) but usually they are soooooo positive that it gets suspicous too :wink:.

i think the best place in africa its Morocco because its mix beach, desert, mountains.... more then that its safe for more information you can contact me [removed - please read the advertising guidelines].

Hi everyone, I don't know Africa very well, so I need some advice... You can answer the question separately, even if each one may influence the others. I have two months to travel, July and August. I am adventurous, and a backpacker. ### Laptop or not ? ### I will have work to do on my laptop(*), so I either take it with me, or shorten my trip by 2 weeks to work back home. It would be nice and resting to regularly settle down for a few days and work on the computer, but bringing my laptop would make my backpack heavier. Would it be risky to travel with it ? (stealing, ...). (*) The work is composing music, so the environment would be nice and inspiring... ### Rainforest, Where to go ? ### en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Africa_FebAug.gif I can see on that picture that there is clearly one area which stay deep green all year long, I guess this is where the forest is the denser.

Yeah.... I also don't get why you had to bribe.... or do you mean tipping? Coz tipping is your choice.....

Hi Ayla, July is just around the corner... I bet you've researched about all the countries and hot spots to visit. Do enjoy yourselves... This is a trip of a lifetime.... Take lots of pics and videos :lol:.

Yeah I agree... Its becoming a real problem these days. But its mostly to people who have car problems late at night and have to stop at night... I think that's the case in most countries.... If you have problems its best to try stop at a petrol station. Apart from that I think we're good.... There are so many whites living here you can't even distinguish who is a tourist..

South Africa's climate is generally sunny and pleasant, but there is considerable regional variation: the northwest is very arid, the south is temperate, and the northeast has a more typically tropical climate. Thanks !!!!!.

Countries like Mali or Chad can be incredibly hot between May and October, so if you are not used to the heat, you may wish to get there between November and March. Southern Africa can be milder around June-August. At the equator, the time of travel does not matter much, as the weather is likely to be the same, heat and frequent rain showers..

I guess, I'll have to answer that one sometime in Mid April when I get back. I am flying into Cape Town on March 13.10,, spending 5 days before going on a road trip to Dar Es Salaam. Will be travelling through South Africa before entering Bostwania, to Victoria Fall for a few day, continuing our journey through Zambia to Serengeti in Tanzania, finishing the trip in Zanzibar .Will be travelling about 6000 klm. I have read some travel books, read some post and seen some pictures. But as far as what to imagine, I imagine this will be one of my most memoriable trip. I just hope that the people I will be travelling with ( 3 South Africans that I have not personally met yet) will be compatable. I'll let you know when I get back, Josee.

Thanks for the updates guys, does anyone know when the submarine line will be fixed? We have a fair few customers travelling to Zanzibar in the comming months and though we have had plenty of customers coming back and saying it didn't inconvience them to much, I just don't want Zanzibar to get a bad reputation. It's such a beautiful place....they have to get it fixed soon! Cheers.

I would like to go to Egypt to take lessons from Egyptian belly dancer as they are considered the best in the world. Of course, I would also like to to some sightseeing, but I am mainly interested in dance and shopping for costumes. Can anyone give me some advice on the best places to stay in Cairo, the best places to shop for belly dance gear and also if you know any belly dancers who are based there or any costume designers that I could contact. I would also be interested in any general advice you can give me about travelling to Cairo..

Personally, I wouldn't touch Boyd Tour and Travel. But that's only because sheillachep is operating under multiple aliases here and trying to deceitfully promote the company. Duly banned..

where will you go first ?.

Have a look at Kendwa Rocks: http://www.kendwarocks.com/ This is a fun place to stay if you enjoy a bit of party. It has one of the bes beaches of Zanzibar. Because it is located on the west side, you don't get low tide and high tide. The beach is very deep and long. They have different types of rooms with different prices. You can also plan some activities here like snorkeling, fishing and sunset cruises. They don't have a swimmingpool though. If you prefer to have a swimming pool you should have a look at Kipepeo: http://www.kipepeo.it, it is an Italian owned and managed lodge at Jambiani. Also Casa del Mar at Jambiani is a nice place to stay and has a swimming pool: http://www.casa-delmar-zanzibar.com/. There is still no power on Zanzibar at the moment, but it could be back at Easter (you will never know for sure).

Tanzania - the most diverse fauna and flora on the continent. This is as a result of the diversity of habitats from the snows of Kilimanjaro to the Eastern Arc Forests .....

Africa is huge and country has it's own attractions, Zambia and Zimbabwe are my favorite places, The Zambezi valley is one of the places to see large herds of elephant, plus you have the wonder of seeing Victoria Falls. Then comes Namibia where you can see colosal sand dunes , vast expanses of desert and immerse yourself in the culture of the Kalahari bushmen. Then Botswana followed by SOuth Africa. Let us know what you are looking for and then we can narrow it down and give you tips, places to see first. Annya.

[quote]I am interested to go back to Egypt to do a little diving. Where are the best places to dive?[/quote] I would recommend Sharm El Sheik Annya.

IN MAURITIUS:: TROU AUX CERFS CENTRAL MARKET THE CHURCH AND SHRINE OF PERE LAVAL ROCHESTER FALLS BLACK RIVER GORGE HISTORICAL AND NAVAL MUSEUM OF MAHEBOURG.

I'd say travel4eva has Cape Town pretty much wrapped up; I did all the trips mentioned and they were all really good, although I did it all self-drive, no tour, so I have no idea what the tours are like. If you do go to Boulders Beach watch a bit of the video in the visitor centre, it's pretty funny. I also did a cage dive with the sharks which was great, but you may not agree with the ethics of that. I drove through Soweto in Jo'burg, visiting all the sites. Despite our precautions we still got slightly lost! However, with a bit of care you should be ok. Went to the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto which is fascinating and very moving. In the evenings the thing to do there appears to be to go to the big Mall-type places, like MonteCasino and surround, or to Sandton City with all the restaurants in Nelson Mandela Square.

Two years ago we drove from Cape Town to Katima Mulilo in the Caprivi, then down through Botswana. I dont recommend driving at night, if you do, keep your speed down. Most areas we were in had a speed limit of 80KM when there is game around. On the main national roads you can drive a lot faster, around 120KM I think. I would recommend taking extra water, drinks and snacks in the car, sunblock, and of course when driving on a dirt road, drive slow. I have heard many times of people getting punctures on the dirt roads, because the front wheels of the car throw up the sand and stones that in some areas are like splinters, which pierce the back tires. We went mainly on fully tarred roads all the way through Namibia and Botswana without incident the whole trip. If you can, take some music cd's and things too, just to make the trip more enjoyable.

Steve Hunnisett posted a photo:

Dad has captioned this photo "Fruit Lady" and as the lads here are carrying bunches of grapes and the like, I can only assume that they have just seen the fruit lady!

This photo is dated December 1941 and was taken in the Nile Delta area.

Steve Hunnisett posted a photo:

This photo is simply captioned "Habbaniyah, Palestine" (as it then was) and shows an un-named line up of soldiers in fairly casual pose. It is dated 1941 but with no month given. Unfortunately, none of these lads are named, perhaps Dad just felt like taking their photo?

pixietart posted a photo:

cafard cosmique posted a photo:

Comme avait dit une amie, il n' y a pas de dernière vague.
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cafard cosmique posted a photo:

Des fois, il ne faut pas respecter les règles
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©oOoHEAVENLY PHOTOGRAPHYoOo CAPTURED AS SEEN© posted a photo:

Captured AS SEEN MY WAY... I like this photo come out well shows the traditional ways of Tunisian life.. bread making cooking outdoors the rustic charm life clothes .. lovely lady who always seemed to be as busy as a bee as the men folk looked on ...

Unlike other North African cuisine, Tunisian food is quite spicy. A popular condiment and ingredient which is used extensively Tunisian cooking, harissa is a hot red pepper sauce made of red chili peppers and garlic, flavoured with coriander, cumin, olive oil and often tomatoes. There is an old wives' tale that says a husband can judge his wife's affections by the amount of hot peppers she uses when preparing his food. If the food becomes bland then a man may believe that his wife no longer loves him. However when the food is prepared for guests the hot peppers are often toned down to suit the possibly more delicate palate of the visitor. Like harissa or chili peppers, the tomato is also an ingredient which cannot be separated from the cuisine of Tunisia. Tuna, eggs, olives and various varieties of pasta, cereals, herbs and spices are also ingredients which are featured prominently in Tunisian cooking.

©oOoHEAVENLY PHOTOGRAPHYoOo CAPTURED AS SEEN© posted a photo:

Captured AS SEEN MY WAY.. think this lady has forgotten something she seemed to pop in and out numerous times.. but hey what a beautiful home from home out in the middle of nowhere cooking outside olive trees growing nearby..it just seems like its another world....

The region of Tunisia has some deserts, including part of the Sahara Desert in the south. In the north and mid the land is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia does not get so cold in the winter that it snows, but the temperature still can get below 0 °C (32 °F). In the summer it can get up to 32 °C (89.6 °F). Most of Tunisia has four seasons.
Tunisia's climate is temperate in the north, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers . The south of the country is desert. The terrain in the north is mountainous, which, moving south, gives way to a hot, dry central plain. The south is semiarid, and merges into the Sahara. A series of salt lakes, known as chotts or shatts, lie in an east-west line at the northern edge of the Sahara, extending from the Gulf of Gabes into Algeria. The lowest point is Shatt al Gharsah, at -17 m, and the highest is Jebel ech Chambi, at 1544 metres.

©oOoHEAVENLY PHOTOGRAPHYoOo CAPTURED AS SEEN© posted a photo:

Captured AS SEEN MY WAY.. Wanted to show you the bread oven and how it is made.. by the way tastes absolutely delicous as well with the hot chilli sauce.. yep i was brave enough to try it actually couldnt get enough of it...wish id brought some home now...Tunisian appetizers come in all kinds of tastes and flavors. Typically they include olives and olive oil, fresh vegetables, bread and sauces. No Tunisian food is complete without spicy hot Harissa.

Harisa - Mildly hot dried guajillo chili peppers and mild dried Anaheim chili peppers are soaked in tepid water up to an hour. Drained and deseeded. Place in a blender or food processor with garlic, water and olive oil. Process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in caraway, coriander and salt. Store in a jar topped off with olive oil covering the surface. Whenever the paste is used it must again be topped off with olive oil.


Tunisian cuisine, the cuisine of Tunisia, is a blend of Mediterranean and desert dweller's culinary traditions. Its distinctive spicy fieriness comes from neighbouring Mediterranean countries and the many civilizations who have ruled Tunisian land: Phoenician, Roman, Arab, Turkish, French, and the native Berber people. Many of the cooking styles and utensils began to take shape when the ancient tribes were nomads. Nomadic people were limited in their cooking by what locally made pots and pans they could carry with them. A tagine is really the name of a conical-lidded pot, although today the same word is applied to what is cooked in it.

©oOoHEAVENLY PHOTOGRAPHYoOo CAPTURED AS SEEN© posted a photo:

Captured AS SEEN MY WAY... I wanted to get as close as i could.. NOT TOO CLOSE.. these fasinate me so many different shapes and growing totally everywhere in Tunisia .. no wonder they expensive over here in the UK..

A cactus (plural: cactuses, cacti) is any member of the plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas (with one exception, Rhipsalis baccifera, which is native to parts of the Old World). They are often used as ornamental plants, and some are also crop plants for fodder, forage, fruits, cochineal, and other uses. Numerous species have been used since ancient times by indigenous peoples for their psychedelic effects. Cactuses are part of the plant order Caryophyllales, which also includes members like beets, gypsophila, spinach, amaranth, tumbleweeds, carnations, rhubarb, buckwheat, plumbago, bougainvillea, chickweed and knotgrass.
Cacti are unusual and distinctive plants, which are adapted to extremely arid and/or semi-arid hot environments, as well as tropical environments as epiphytes or hemi-epiphytes . They show a wide range of anatomical and physiological features which conserve water. Their stems have adapted to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have become the spines for which cacti are well known.
Cacti come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The tallest is Pachycereus pringlei, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m, and the smallest is Blossfeldia liliputiana, only about 1 cm diameter at maturity. Cactus flowers are large, and like the spines and branches arise from areoles. Many cactus species are night blooming, as they are pollinated by nocturnal insects or small animals, principally moths and bats. Cacti range in size from small and globular to tall and columnar.

©oOoHEAVENLY PHOTOGRAPHYoOo CAPTURED AS SEEN© posted a photo:

Captured AS SEEN MY WAY... Showing the world how they cook...absolutely fasinating to watch and then try the sample afterwards...

Tunisia (Arabic : تونس Tunis, officially the Tunisian Republic (الجمهورية التونسية), is a country situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. It is the northernmost African country and the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range. Around forty percent of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil, and a 1300 km coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient times, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, and later, as the Africa Province, which became known as the bread basket of the Roman Empire.

catchlightsa posted a photo:

A series of archways provides an insight into Marrakech street design near the main market square in Morocco.

John & Tina Reid | Travel Portfolio | Photography Blog | Travel Flickr Group

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Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

Cioty Tjia posted a photo:

On the megacities of the Gap, and suggestions of how to ameliorate the plight of their inhabitants

ABAN operates a Business Angel network for the MENA region

I found this website interesting because it covers the culture and beliefs of North Africa. It shows the traditions, land property and marriage beliefs of people.

Very detailed timeline of North Africa. It covers North African history from 1800 AD to the modern 2000. It shows the government rule and leaders of the period.

Offers detailed information about the begininngs of North Africa. Covers from 8000 BC to the seventh century. Also offers links to the keywords for further information.

Origin of a Translation