Plettenberg Bay (known locally as ‘Plett’ and originally named ‘Bahia Formosa’ (beautiful bay) by early Portuguese explorers), is 33 km east of Knysna and enjoys probably the best beaches along the Garden Route and is a very popular resort on the Garden Route. The wide bay of white sand is separated by forest from a … Continued
One of the most popular volcanoes for visitors, Poas boasts a scenic crater lake and variably active fumarole. Accessible by car, the summit has an observation platform for viewing the bubbling sulphurous mud below, after which one can stroll to the crater lake through the stunted woodland. Early morning is the best time to visit, … Continued
The industrial town of Port Elizabeth (abbreviated locally to ‘PE’) with its sprawling townships tends to be the departure point to a Garden Route itinerary (or entry if travelling westwards) and also a hub from which to access the Eastern Cape game reserves such as Addo Elephant Park, Shamwari and Kwandwe (please see the next … Continued
The capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, is a sprawling coastal city overlooking a beautiful natural harbour. It contains the parliament, built in the style of a haus tambaran (Sepik worship house), and an interesting national museum. On the outskirts of town lies the Pacific Adventist University estate providing exceptional birding with species such … Continued
Blessed with over a mile of beach and a laid back atmosphere, Praia do Rosa is one of the best places in Brazil for whale watching. Between the months of July and November dozens of southern right whales come here to breed and can be seen from the shore or on special boat trips. Further … Continued
The long, sandy beach is one of the two main sites for turtles on Principe. Three species of marine turtle – green, leatherback and hawksbill – visit the beach to lay their eggs, protected by the exemplary local conservation project whose rustic beach headquarters contains a small but enlightening museum. If in season, you might … Continued
Second largest of the Seychelles islands and lying 45km from Mahe, granitic Praslin boasts the World Heritage Site of Vallee de Mai, containing the endemic black parrot, Wright’s skink and Seychelles chameleon as well as the unique coco-de-mer palm forest. The curiously pelvis-shaped female nut is the largest on Earth, while the male palm displays … Continued
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country’s three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital. Known as the Jacaranda City for all the purple … Continued
The smaller island by far, Principe is nevertheless beautifully formed. The rainforest is denser than São Tomé, the beaches more isolated, everything more virgin and purer still, the island magic even stronger – as is the degree of isolation from the world. About a century ago (in 1919) a British astronomer, Sir Arthur Eddington, proved … Continued
A small but perfectly formed game reserve with intimate five-star accommodation overlooking Lake Kariega. Pumba Private Game Reserve contains five biomes, predominantly Eastern Cape Valley Bushveld, with fynbos, savannah, grassland and forest, and is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo) featuring the rare white lion. As well as ranger-led game drives … Continued
Occupying a great swathe from Ecuador to Argentina, the vast Altiplano is the largest high plateau outside Tibet. One of the world’s great rail journeys traverses the plateau from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, reaching the lively town of Puno on its shores. At 4000m in altitude, Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake. Titicaca … Continued
Punta Tombo is home to the largest concentration of Magellanic penguins in the Americas. Here more than 250,000 pairs gather to breed from mid-September to late January, occupying shallow burrows along the beach. Other species include kelp gulls, oystercatchers, blue-eyed cormorants and rock cormorants.
