Africa: news, stories, and travel reviews

Africa: news, stories, and travel reviews

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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 ...

Marrakesh

Sensory overload in a bustling North African must-see.

Our first excursion in Marrakesh was to find the medina where all the souks (shops) were located. Moroccan taxi drivers are on the fast pass to meet Allah. No wonder they have a call to ...

Darkness and Light in Rwanda

A story of tragedy overcome.

I was the only one in the vehicle awake, excluding the driver. There were four of us. Two were snoring loudly, and I was trying to read my book and failing. Perhaps because of the ...

Leopard Lessons from the Maasai

A tribal education in the Kenyan bush.

Spending time in Kenya with my Maasai friend Moses was an education in animal behavior. Wandering through the bush around his village together, he would point out tracks and scat, patiently explaining to this greenhorn ...

Kibuye, Rwanda: Three Days Out of Thirty

MONDAY I could write for hours, but I am toast. The Kibuye stadium is being torn down; the walls are gone and only a portion of the stands remain. It is best that the horrible ...

The Fetish Market in Lomé, Togo

One-stop voodoo shopping.

The fetish market in Togo, Africa, is a one-stop shopping paradise for witch doctors and medicine men – as well as a must-see for tourists. This dusty lot in the center of town covers an ...

Riding with the King in Burkina Faso

I had been photographing for about two weeks in Africa when I heard about a king. Africa has many kings, and I've met more than a few, but had never before sought one out. Africa's ...

A Priceless Photo in Timbuktu

Posing as a Tuareg nomad.

When you travel far enough for long enough, sometimes very cool things happen that sound like a far-fetched story to many. I have traveled both long and far enough. Photographing in Mali, West Africa, I ...

Tanzania: Meeting the King

On safari in Tanzania, a close encounter with the king of beasts moved from a wonderful experience, to an ordeal, then finally a funny story. Spotting a pride of lions, our guide parked us within ...

Captivating Casablanca

This culturally rich North African destination beckons.

Many tourists visiting Morocco overlook the sprawling oceanfront city of Casablanca and instead head for more exotic cities such as Marrakech. Morocco has retained its reputation of being the most stable country in North Africa, ...

The Seychelles

In search of a secluded beach on the island of Mahé.

I signed up for a wildlife volunteer project in the Seychelles. In order to get accustomed to the time change and to get my PADI, I went a few days early. Another volunteer for a ...

Groovin' with Bob in Ethiopia's Danakil Desert

After a week of photographing remote volcanic lakes in the desert of Ethiopia, Irene was tired and elected to stay with the vehicle while I went to shoot one last thermal pool. Assured of her ...

Kenya for Carnivores

An African dining experience.

Although a bit out of your way for nightly dinner reservations, if you happen to be in Nairobi, Kenya, this restaurant is not to be missed. In fact, it’s hard to avoid, as it seems ...

How to Hunt a Lion

(As told by Moses, a Maasai tribesman.)

After two years of invitations, I finally made it to Africa to visit my friend Moses, a Maasai elder, at his village in Kenya. That first night, while sitting around a fire, he offered to ...

Benin, West Africa: Begging for an Education

In the first century A.D. a Christian mystic named Augustine said, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read but the first page." Those words have guided a great deal of ...