Back on Lamu, kick off your shoes at the Kizingo resort on the other end of bone-white Lamu Beach. Sedate and rustic, its eight spacious bandas, or cottages, are constructed from palm, bamboo, and other local materials and provide cool respite from the African sun.
Dhows, with their classic triangular sails, navigate the Indian Ocean.
WHERE: 255 miles/410 km east of Nairobi. HOW: Nairobi-based Safari Company creates custom itineraries featuring Lamu. Tel 254/723-914094; www.thesafarico.ltd.com. BAYTIL AJAIB: Tel 254/121-32033; www.baytilajaib.com. Cost: from $195. PEPONI HOTEL: Tel 254/20-802-3655; www.peponi-lamu.com. Cost: from $275. MANDA BAY RESORT: Tel 254/20-600-6769; www.mandabay.com. Cost: from $860 (off-peak), from $1,270 (peak), inclusive. KIZINGO: Tel 254/733-954-770; www.kizingo.com. Cost: from $390, inclusive. BEST TIMES: Dec-Mar for hot and dry weather, good sport fishing, and snorkeling; in Lamu Town, May–Jun for Maulidi Festival celebrating the birth of Mohammed.
The World’s Greatest Animal Migration
THE MASAI MARA
Kenya
The Masai Mara is nature’s stage for the most spectacular wildlife pageant on earth. Every May, hundreds of thousands of wildebeests mass in Tanzania’s Serengeti (Masai for “endless plains”; see p. 429), moving north in search of sustenance to the wide-open grasslands of Kenya’s Masai Mara, where they arrive in July and August. The wildebeests, as well as migrating herds of zebras, antelopes, and gazelles, make up the more than one million animals on the move in the 583-square-mile game reserve. The Mara is also one of the best places for seeing all the big cats.
You can find yourself in the middle of the action via four-wheel drive or above it all in a hot-air balloon. Stay at one of four tented camps owned by Governors’ Camp Collection in the northwestern corner of the reserve, a legendary spot on the Mara River. The group is made up of Main Governors’, located on what is reputed to have been one of Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite campsites; Little Governors’, which offers a more intimate setting next to an active watering hole; the luxurious Il Moran; and the exclusive Governors’ Private Camp (bookable only by a family or group of 16 or fewer). For another perspective, the seasonal Rekero Camp has eight tents in the heart of the reserve along the Talek River near the confluence of the Mara. Or try Richard’s Camp, just north of the reserve. Its six private tents sit within riverine forest in a less-trafficked conservation area.
A horseback safari takes you out of the reserve and toward the forested Loita Hills. You’ll pass the dung-walled huts that make up the manyattas (villages) of the Masai, perhaps Africa’s most famous tribe. Often clad in their distinctive red shukas (plaid fabric derived from Scottish tartan kilts) and rubber sandals fashioned from tire treads, these herders view the migrating game as “God’s cattle,” and they protect them as such.
Always in search of food and water, blue wildebeests take part in the largest moving animal migration anywhere in the world.
WHERE: About 150 miles/241 km southwest of Nairobi. HOW: U.S.-based Micato Safaris offers customized safaris that can incorporate a variety of luxury camps in the Mara. Tel 800-642-2861 or 212-545-7111; www.micato.com. GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION: Tel 254/20-273-4000; www.governorscamp.com. Cost: from $250 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $440 (peak); balloon trips from $450 per person. When: closed Apr–May. REKERO: Contact Asilia Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, tel 27/21-418-0468; www.asiliaafrica.com. Cost: from $510 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $730 (peak). When: closed Apr–May and Nov. RICHARD’S CAMP: Contact the Nairobi-based Safari and Conservation Company, tel 254/20-211-5453; www.thesafariandconservationcompany.com. Cost: from $610 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $700 (peak). When: closed May and Nov. RIDING TOURS: U.S.-based Equitour hosts horseback safaris outside the reserve. Tel 800-545-0019 or 307-455-3363; www.ridingtours.com. Cost: 7-nights from $5,435 all-inclusive; with air transfer from Nairobi. When: year-round except for May and Nov. BEST TIMES: May–Oct for cooler weather; Jul–Sep for best chance at seeing the migration.
God’s Aquarium
LAKE MALAWI
Malawi
Famed explorer David Livingstone called Lake Malawi the Lake of Stars; the Malawians call it Lake Malawi; and Tanzanians and Mozambicans (who share its border) call it Lake Nyasa. It also has a nickname: the Calendar Lake. It’s 365 miles long and 52 miles wide, making it the third largest lake in Africa, not to mention the second deepest (at 2,300 feet). The clear, warm water teems with more species of tropical fish than any other lake on earth, including over 800 species of neon-colored, freshwater cichlid fish, some of which you may recognize from pet store tanks and the majority of them endemic to the lake.
On the eastern shore, overlooking the mountains of Mozambique, lies the beautiful, blissfully remote Likoma Island. Just 10 square miles, the island is home to approximately 9,000 people, a handful of cars, a few ATVs and motorcycles, a forest reserve, and an Anglican church built in 1903 to rival in size England’s colossal Winchester Cathedral. The island is also known for its hospitality. In a nation that many refer to as the “warm heart of Africa,” these are among the friendliest people you’ll meet, ready to teach you to snorkel and sail or to guide you to nearby villages, markets, and local community projects. You’ll be greeted with the same warmth at a gemlike resort on the island’s southern end called Kaya Mawa (Maybe Tomorrow). Its ten romantic waterfront cottages are built from local materials in the traditional style, and its 11 rooms and guesthouses are named after nearby fishing villages. South of Likoma, on the western shores of the Nankumba Peninsula, is the casually luxurious Pumulani (Place of Rest), with ten exquisitely designed villas spread along a verdant hillside overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the lake and a white sandy beach. Come here for relaxation. The Pumulani is commonly used as a postsafari destination for kaleidoscopic dives and lazy sunset dhow cruises, but many visitors are content simply to relax on their hillside decks and reflect on their African adventures.
The lake is famous for its hundreds of varieties of brightly colored cichlids, many of which are found only here.
WHERE: Pumulani is 144 miles/232 km east of Lilongwe. KAYA MAWA: Tel 265/9993-18360; www.kayamawa.com. Cost: from $335 (off-peak), from $375 (peak) per person, all-inclusive. PUMULANI: Tel 265/177-0540/60; www.pumulani.com or www.robinpopesafaris.net. Cost: from $340 (off-peak), from $450 (peak) per person, all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Jun–Oct for nicest weather.
Azure Waters and White Beaches
ARCHIPELAGOS OF MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique
Unspoiled, uncrowded specks of land with china-white beaches of sand so fine it squeaks and turquoise waters dotted with some of the world’s most pristine unbleached reefs—this is the magic of Mozambique. After two decades of war and instability, the mainland is still struggling to restore its image as a safe place to experience the safari days of old. But spectacular lodges have been appearing in the northern Quirimbas Archipelago (32 undeveloped coral islands) and the five more-accessible islands of the southern Bazaruto Archipelago. They lend the surroundings a seductive ambience that’s part tropics and part Mediterranean, with a whiff of the country’s days as a Portuguese colony.
Both Quirimbas and Bazaruto offer a marvelous variety of marine beauty, and the snorkeling and diving are spectacular. Shallow reefs protect schools of brightly colored fish, including moorish idols and lionfish; sharks, rays, and turtles find safe harbor among reefs farther out; and deep channels serve as a playground for whales, whale sharks, dolphins, and dugongs (pale, voluptuous rare sea mammals that are related to the manatee and fabled to have made bygone mariners believe in mermaids). Both archipelagos also boast some of the world’s most diverse flora and fauna, with samango monkeys, nesting turtles, and over 100 species of tropical birds.
Protecting all this is the mission of the Maluane Project, which recently opened Vamizi Island Lodge in the Quirimbas. Each of its 13 exceedingly private, open-air villas of wood, wicker, and thatch features its own secluded stretch of perf
ect beach backed by dense bush. Dive, kayak, or lounge the day away, and dine on fresh seafood under tiki torches at night.
Benguerra Island, a national park and the second largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, is home to the Benguerra Lodge, set in a thick, shady forest and featuring two beachside cabanas and ten larger casitas. In addition to dives, you can enjoy leisurely dhow cruises, nature hikes, and visits to villages. Also located on the 21-square-mile island is the newer, eco-vigilant Azura, the most elegant lodging in the archipelago. Amenities include a private infinity swimming pool for each of its 15 villas, which resemble modern boutique hotel suites fused with traditional Mozambican design: The structures have old-style thatch roofs but are missing a wall, the better to let in cool ocean breezes.
The waters surrounding tiny Pansy Island and Bazaruto Island are perfect for diving and fishing.
WHERE: Quirimbas Archipelago is 300 miles/500 km southeast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Benguerra Island is 454 miles/730 km northeast of Maputo. HOW: U.K.-based Bushbuck Safaris offers customized trips. Tel 44/1669-630386; www.bushbucksafaris.com. Cost: from $400 per person, per night. VAMIZI ISLAND LODGE: Tel in the U.K. 44/1285-762218; www.vamizi.com. Cost: from $590 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $890 (peak). BENGUERRA LODGE: Tel 27/11-452-0641; www.benguerra.co.za. Cost: from $430 per person, inclusive (off-peak), from $525 (peak). AZURA: Tel 27/767-050599; www.azura-retreats.com. Cost: from $525 per person, inclusive (off-peak), from $750 (peak). BEST TIMES: Beautiful year-round but especially in Apr–Oct; Jul–Sep for humpback whales; Sep–Oct for exceptional diving.
Southern Africa’s Big Wild
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Namibia
Despite its harsh climate, Namibia has some of the world’s most compelling scenery, with diverse and plentiful wildlife that has adapted to the rigors of the desertlike conditions. Etosha National Park, in the north, a semiarid savanna grassland ten times the size of Luxembourg, is the third largest game reserve in the world and the country’s premier national park. Etosha roughly translates as “great white place” or “land of dry water,” a reference to the Etosha Pan, the vast, shimmering salt pan in the heart of the park, where the variety and profusion of creatures found at the spring-fed water holes at any one time—including some of the 144 species of mammals and well over 300 species of birds who live here—make for a veritable arkful. You may see great numbers of elephants, zebras, giraffes, blue wildebeests, and springboks. The endangered black rhino, leopards, and cheetah also inhabit the park. And for a few days every year after the rains, when the pan fills with water, flamingos and pelicans descend by the tens of thousands.
Of the number of comfortable lodges nearby, only four are located within the park, and all are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. The newest is the luxurious Onkoshi Camp, offering superb vistas from its 15 chalets over the Etosha Pan. In the mornings and evenings, guests can take guided drives and walks within the northeastern sand veldt area and on the pan; then, once the sun sets, there is unbeatable stargazing and the unusual opportunity for a night game drive. The government only recently began to allow night game-watching drives within park grounds, and Namibia Wildlife Resorts offers them exclusively here.
The giraffes found in Etosha may constitute their own subspecies.
WHERE: Andersson’s Gate entrance is 262 miles/421 km north of Windhoek, the capital city. HOW: U.S.-based Africa Adventure Co. offers a 7-day “Best of Namibia” flying safari. Tel 800-882-9453 or 954-491-8877; www.africa-adventure.com. Cost: from $3,950 (off-peak), $4,750 (peak) all-inclusive. Originates in Windhoek. NAMIBIA WILDLIFE RESORTS: Tel 264/61-285-7200; www.nwr.com.na. Cost: Onkoshi Camp from $600 per person, all-inclusive. BEST TIMES: Jun–Oct for dry, mild weather and optimum game viewing; pans flood in Jan–Mar.
Haunting Beauty and Unconfined Space
SKELETON COAST
Namibia
When the world is too much with you, this is the safari to consider—not to view game (which is a bonus) but to experience the strange solitude of one of the world’s most unusual and scenic areas. Namibia’s Skeleton Coast is a little-explored desert paradise of wide-open spaces—undeveloped, unpeopled, and far from civilization. Its name refers to the treacherous, barren shoreline, where shipwrecks and whale bones litter the fog-shrouded beaches. The area’s Cape Cross Seal Reserve is a breeding ground for tens of thousands of Cape fur seals; they lounge on the rocks and sand, and their blue-eyed pups arrive in late November or early December. Light aircraft is the only way to visit much of this desolate land, which at times resembles a vast sea—of shifting sand dunes, twisted veins of schist, and shelves of granite—and is inhabited only by the occasional herd of springbok or a massive flock of brilliant pink flamingos. You may even spot a rare desert elephant.
The Skeleton Coast includes the entire Namibian coastline and continues north to the Kunene River, about 100 miles inside Angola. It stretches approximately 1,000 miles in total, with nearly 75 percent protected within parks and reserves. A small Cessna plane will be your safari vehicle should you choose to travel with the Schoeman brothers, natural-born pilots and teachers who inherited Skeleton Coast Safaris from their father, one of the pioneers of ecotourism in the region. Flying nearly at sea or dune level, you’ll land wherever the fog allows, then continue by four-wheel drive, boat, or your own two feet to see geologic formations, wildlife, or ancient Bushman paintings little known to the outside world.
SKELETON COAST SAFARIS: Tel 264/61-224-248; www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com. Cost: 4-day safaris $5,995, all-inclusive, with accommodation in tented desert camps. Originates in Windhoek. BEST TIME: Jun–Oct is mildest and the ideal choice if you want to pair your trip with a Namibian safari.
Waves of Sand and a Sea of Stars
SOSSUSVLEI DUNES AND NAMIBRAND PRIVATE RESERVE
Namibia
The Namib Desert, from which Namibia takes its name, is known for its apricot-red Sossusvlei Dunes. Shaped and driven like waves by the sea winds, at 1,000 feet these dunes are some of the highest in the world. They are at their most magnificent at sunrise and sunset, when the colors and shadows shift like a living painting. Attempt to appreciate something of the scale and silence of this empty region by climbing them. After an hour of two steps up and one step back, the feeling of accomplishment is as awe-inspiring as the view of vivid blue skies and seemingly endless undulations of golden-orange sand. A wondrous spectacle appears during rare years of extreme rainfall, when the valleylike depression fills with water, reflecting a vast mirror image of the dunes and gnarled trees shimmering like a desert mirage.
Just south of the dunes is Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, whose ten villas are built of stone and glass. The lodge is located in the northern part of the 444,800-acre NamibRand Reserve, one of the largest private reserves in Africa. Spend the morning on a quad bike tour of the desert, stopping to check out the more elusive wildlife living in this 55-million-year-old ecosystem, including the long-nosed elephant shrew, the spotted leopard tortoise, the sturdy buffalo weaver, the fuzzy antlion, and the horned rhino beetle—Namibia’s “Little Five.”
Nighttime in Namibia brings a dazzling show as the skies seem to fill with diamonds. The Southern Cross, the Milky Way, and almost all the constellations of the zodiac are visible to the naked eye; plus, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge houses a state-of-the-art observatory. Farther south in NamibRand are the Wolwedans Lodges, established by the reserve’s original founder, environmentalist Albi Brueckner. They offer a range of accommodations, from the not-so-basic Dune Camp to the exclusive Boulders Camp with four magnificent tents where you may never feel the need to put down the flaps: the entire desert is your bedroom.
WHERE: 224 miles/360 km southwest of the capital city of Windhoek. SOSSUSVLEI DESERT LODGE: Contact &Beyond in South Africa. Tel 27/11-809-4314; in the U.S., 888-882-3742; www.andbeyond.com. Cost: from $415 (off-peak), from $775 (peak) per person, all-inclusive. WOLWEDANS LODGES: In Windhoek, tel 264/61-230-616; www.wolwedans.com. Cost: from
$450 per person at Dune Camp; from $750 per person at Boulders; all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Jun–Oct for dry, mild weather and top game viewing.
“This cape is the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth”
—SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
CAPE TOWN
South Africa
The cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, where Africa and Europe culturally collide at the tip of the continent, is one of the most beautifully sited coastal cities in the world. Overlooking it is the iconic Table Mountain and its rolling “tablecloth” cover of clouds; at its summit, take in the breathtaking panorama of blue skies and blue oceans and the modern expanse of South Africa’s oldest and favorite city. Cape Town enthralls visitors with its eclectic mix of Dutch, English, Malay, and African culture, encroaching wilderness, and nearby world-class vineyards. A safari may be your main meal, but Cape Town will be your dessert.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
BO-KAAP (FORMERLY MALAY QUARTER)—The Bo-Kaap, on the slopes of Signal Hill and above the city center, is a historic suburb of Cape Town rich in Cape Malay culture. Cape Malays are descended from slaves first brought here from Indonesia and Malaysia as farm workers by the Dutch East India Company in 1657. Cobbled streets are lined with brightly painted houses, mosques, and restaurants. No cause for alarm when the Signal Hill cannon goes off each day at noon; sailors set their watches by this. Pop in to the Noon Gun Tea Room (273 Longmarket Street) or Biesmiellah (2 Upper Wales Street) for an inexpensive, authentic Cape Malay meal, which might include curries, samoosas, or bobotie, a minced beef dish not unlike a spicy moussaka. On New Year’s Day Bo-Kaap hosts a colorful Minstrel Carnival.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 66