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Barefoot luxury on an African isle

It’s hard to believe that this jaw-dropping eco resort was once a rundown, ramshackle island. With the help of a massive conservation project, North Island has been transformed into a dreamlike destination. Granite peaks erupt from the earth, tropical trees blanket the landscape and pretty beaches fringe the shore. This refuge for wildlife and a haven for humans is, quite simply, out of this world.

Situated on a white, powdery beach, each of island’s 11 deluxe villas is like a mini-estate – and even comes with your own butler. And forget mocktails upon arrival, guests here are treated to a complimentary massage or wellness treatment. Next comes snorkelling, diving, bathing in gin-clear waters and even lobster picnics in complete isolation. As to be expected, a night here is eye-wateringly expensive, but what’s to stop you dreaming?

In Pursuit of Primates

Follow in the footsteps of endangered western lowland gorillas on a safari in the Republic of Congo. Not for your novice hiker, this expedition with Natural World Safaris leads you through remote rainforests of Odzala–Kokoua National Park.

No two forays into the forest are ever the same, and you’ll follow expert trackers who monitor the gorillas’ habits closely, leading you to where they slept the previous night as the sun’s rays begin filtering through the canopy.

Covering distances of between five and eight kilometres, you’ll trail the gorillas, who can move at remarkably high speeds, through the undergrowth, until they stop to eat, shimmy up trees and stare at their human cousins who’ve followed them into the bush. Along the way watch out for all variety of monkeys, exotic birds and magnificent butterflies, as well as (if you’re lucky) forest elephants.

People often describe a gorilla encounter as one of the most emotional and humbling experiences of their lives. And it’s easy to see what attracted Spanish primatologist Dr Magda Bermejo here to study them as part of her groundbreaking research. Magda lives at Ngaga Camp and about 17 years ago began habituating two groups of the gorillas to her presence. More recently, they’ve also had to get used to the travellers who stay at the eco-friendly, rustic lodge in groups of four at any one time.

After two days of tracking gorillas, the adventure moves to Lango Camp, about four hours away. Travel along the local rivers in motorised pirogues (canoes) looking for buffalo, red river hogs, primates and bongos, a type of striped antelope, before arriving at jungle hides where you’ll watch the life of the forest unfold.

Egypt’s music makers

Outside the taxi the traffic is insane. Men pedalling prehistoric bicycles while balancing loaves of flat bread on their heads weave between several lanes of cars, scooters and apparently suicidal pedestrians. Despite the density of vehicles we’re still somehow moving fast. High on Cairo’s energy (and perhaps its pollution), I’ve begun adapting to the craziness. So instead of praying for survival, I’m happily chatting to the driver while listening to the most famous rock band in town.

Cairokee (appropriately the name means sing along with Cairo) melds poetic local lingo, inspiring vocals and catchy western rock logic. The band was also instrumental in depicting the solidarity of the Egyptian people during the 2011 revolution.

As we arrive in the suburbs, the streets become calmer and leafier. To the delight of the driver, one of the millions of local Cairokee fans, the group’s singer and songwriter 32-year-old Amir Eid appears wearing his signature black attire and a relaxed smile as we pull up outside the band’s HQ in Maadi.

Eid welcomes me and gives me a tour of his studio and office, where I meet the management, permanent office staff and a friendly old man who offers me a kicking Turkish-style coffee. We take a seat on the couch and dive into the essentials.

In 2011, after the success of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, young Egyptians began taking to the streets to protest poverty, high unemployment, government corruption and the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. At the time, Cairokee was an underground local band, but the video for its song ‘Sout El Horeya’ (The Voice of Freedom) became one of the most-watched clips on YouTube seemingly in a flash. The video, set in Tahrir Square, depicts a passionate community coming together to defend its rights and dignity. It projected a positive image of the protestors and shot the band to international fame.

“We had no idea the clip would have such a success,” says Eid, five years later. “I wrote a song about what I saw and what we felt – the Egyptian people coming together to stand up for basic rights, freedom and dignity.”

“Our voices reached those who could not hear them. And we broke through all the barriers. Our weapon was our dreams. And tomorrow is looking as bright as it seems,” Eid’s lyrics went, followed by the refrain, “In every street in my country, the sound of freedom is calling.”

Along for the Cairokee ride are Sherif Hawary (lead guitar), Adam El-Alfy (bass guitar), Sherif Mostafa (keyboard) and Tamer Hashem (drums). Most of these guys were childhood friends and played in a band that covered material by Dylan, Metallica, Coldplay, the Beatles and Pink Floyd. When Cairokee formed and began to develop, so did their voices. Eid took his time to write “exactly what I really felt and find the best way of expressing that through music and words”. Using the local dialect, the words mirrored those of many in their community. Never did they attempt to mimic a foreign coolness, and they soon found an authenticity the public applauded.

After ‘Sout El Horeya’ came another song ‘Yal Midan’, a collaboration with singer and oud player Aida El-Ayoubi – it was the most watched video in the history of Facebook – and the album Matloob Zaeem, which topped the Egyptian charts for months. Collaborations with Algerian singer Souad Massi and the late Egyptian poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, followed by tours to Jordan, Poland and the Cannes Film Festival, expanded both the band’s audience and its influence.

That success allowed the group the time and means to work on songwriting and producing videos and albums, as well as tour extensively. “Music is what we do now every day from morning to night,” says Eid with a smile. “With our fan base we don’t need the media to support us. Everything is via social media and this gives us the freedom of expression we believe in. We love our jobs.

“We do owe our success to the revolution,” he continues, but that doesn’t mean the band believes everything is political. “We make music about issues that touch us.” Often that is a variation on the theme of freedom. Since the revolution Eid and his fellow Cairokee musicians have broken down barriers, but he questions if history is now repeating itself and sings about the importance of thinking freely and without fear of being monitored and controlled. “The old man lives in the past but wants to control the present,” are the lyrics in ‘Akher Oghneya’ about the region’s renowned struggles between the generations. The words express a generation’s feeling of being stifled and it’s deep need to think, to dream and to be different.

“If this is my last song, I’d keep on singing about freedom” is the chorus. “Sing along with me loudly – freedom.”

Walking with Kenya’s Giants

Promises have been made: hike to the top of a huge rock called Nyasura in the distance and be rewarded with spectacular views over the plains. After about 15 minutes or so, it isn’t the vista that proves to be the most magical element of the climb: we can hear men singing. Since we’re in the middle of nowhere, Kenya, this comes as a bit of a surprise, but it does provide the impetus to get moving a little faster towards the summit.

Suddenly, we happen upon three Samburu warriors by a small rock pool. Each of them is washing his clothes in the water. It’s hard to say who is more startled to see the other, but pleasantries are exchanged and we eventually continue on our way to the vantage point overlooking the Ewaso River and Laikipia landscapes.

There’s no denying the appeal of taking an Ewaso River Walking Safari. This gentler, quieter approach to exploring the African wilderness offers the seasoned visitor to the continent another avenue to exploration.

Words can’t describe the feeling of walking through empty Laikipia landscapes. On a well-worn elephant trail we bump into an old man who has nothing but a spear in his hand. He speaks briefly to the guides and trackers and is on his way once more. At other times I’m acutely aware of the levels of life in this landscape. Without a vehicle to separate me from the environment, I can appreciate even the smallest of insects and flowers. But, this being November and the beginning of rainy season, there is plenty of other animal action. The acacia bush country is home to giraffe, zebra and impala, as well as monkeys and birds. Elephants, who like to bathe in the muddy stretches of the Ewaso Ng’iro River, can also be spotted.

One of this walk’s unique aspects is its guides. Hailing from the Samburu tribe, who live mainly in north central Kenya (they’re related to, but distinct from, the Maasai people), they lead the safaris dressed in traditional attire. This includes shoes made from old tyres – and if you doubt the effectiveness of such footwear, I’m here to tell you those old Bridgestones seemed to offer better footing than my hiking boots. They lead camels – a strange sight on the African plains – which carry food, water, cameras, camping gear and, whenever needed, weary walkers.
The guides are kind and knowledgeable. Walking alongside them or sitting around the campfire in the evening allows for easy conversation. I learn about their culture and customs, traditions and lifestyle, and in just a few short days they go from being the people who show me animals to fast friends.

Each day is a little bit different on the safari. I’ve opted for the luxury option and the tent has a bed with a proper mattress and linen, robes, lanterns and chairs out the front.

Every morning begins with an early wakeup, as one of the guides pours warm water into a bowl so that I can wash my face while looking out over the landscape lit with the soft sunshine. Considering the camp is packed up and moved each day, the standards are remarkably high.

Each afternoon we explore the area around the camp, only to find one of the staff members hiding behind a tree with snacks and sundowners ready to go. Even the tonic water for the G&Ts is icy cold. Dinner is cooked over a fire on the ground, then, after the talking is done, there’s nothing to do but head for bed where the sounds of the bush surround my canvas home and act as a wild lullaby.

African Multisport Adventure

If you can’t decide whether you’d prefer to take to the African plains by foot, clamber into a saddle or quaff sundowners after witnessing a lion gorge on an antelope from the back of a 4WD, combine them all for the ultimate safari adventure. Start in South Africa, where you’ll hike Cape Town’s Table Mountain and meet a local who will share tales of his time imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, then glimpse rare zebras, ostrich and baboons as you cycle to Chapman’s Peak on the rugged Cape Peninsula.

You’ll go hiking and canoeing and get a taste of ancient history at the luxurious Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat, where more than 130 rock art sites date back 10,000 years. In the afternoon take a break from adventure for a spa treatment in the Riverside Gazebo and watch the sun set with a glass of one of the local vintages.

From South Africa a private charter flight takes you to Mashatu in Botswana where more than 50 types of mammals and reptiles and 350 species of birds roam the plains. Three of the big five – lions, leopards and the largest herd of elephants on private land in Africa – as well as cheetahs, jackals, wildcats, ostrich and giraffe, make for excellent photo opportunities. You’ll learn to track animals as you cycle between baobabs and giant sacrosanct Mashatu berry trees, for which the reserve is named. A blazing fire and canopy of stars accompanies your camp at night.

Before returning to South Africa for bush excursions by foot and 4WD you’ll go for game drives and hike the Great Escarpment. After all that adventuring we bet you still won’t be able to pick your favourite style of safari.

Chongwe River Camp

Chongwe River Camp is one of the most established camps in Africa and a go-to destination for safari lovers.

Parked on the banks where the Zambezi and Chongwe rivers converge, its nine classic tents and larger tented suites (they have plunge pools) are decked out in luxurious colonial style, with outdoor bathrooms and private decks overlooking the magnificent surrounds. Of course, any trip to Africa must have its share of wildlife and you won’t have to wait long after you’ve arrived. Elephants visit the camp, hippos live in the river – and serenade guests day and night – and lions are never far away. Once you’ve had your fill of exploration for the day, the chefs cook amazing meals you can eat beneath the night sky.

During the day… All guests have guides who can take them out on safari – whether you want to see prides of lions or fancy yourself as a twitcher – in canoes, 4WDs or on foot. There’s also the chance to go fishing or visit local communities.

Wise up in a hotel atop an art museum

Like everywhere else in the world, the working waterfront in Cape Town isn’t working as hard as it once did, so for the past three decades – give or take a few years – there’s been a move to convert sections of it into mixed-use residential, tourism and retail developments. The latest addition, opening this March, is the Silo luxury hotel. It has just 28 rooms located in the elevator tower of a grain silo that was decommissioned in 2001. It will sit above the six-storey Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, due to launch in September 2017, with views of the harbour, city and Robben Island. The glass rooftop swimming pool and bar is sure to become the must-chill destination for the city’s most stylish denizens.

Morocco’s best boutique address

It’s easy to be distracted by the amazing decor – a clever blend of tribal and modernist – of this amazing four-bedroom villa near the old medina in the coastal town of Essaouira, but it’s the little things that make it exceptional. When you and up to seven of your closest friends arrive, the owner will be there to offer a guided tour of the surrounds and tell you exactly where all the best local restaurants, hammams and activities can be found (they’re also listed in a handy booklet). And while the rooms are definitely a sight for sore, travel-weary eyes, there are plenty of opportunities to catch a few rays even without strolling to the nearby beach. Nomad House is built around a central courtyard, there’s a large terrace complete with hammock on the second floor, and the top floor bedroom also has a private patio.

Get lost in the jungle at this lodge

What began as a reforestation project has culminated in a luxuriously rustic eco-lodge deep in the African wilderness. There are river and forest lodges at Mandina, but the most elegant by far is the Stilted Lodge, perched over the Gambia River. Spread over two levels, there’s a four-poster bed in the main room, a hammock on the deck and a day room from where you can watch life on the river. Live the life of a modern-day Tarzan and Jane and explore with your own guide. A favourite trip is the Bush Trackers Breakfast, where you rise at dawn to follow baboons into the forest then have a breakfast cooked the traditional way – on a shovel over the campfire.

Wake up among the mountains

Let the rooftop of North Africa take your breath away as you bed down in the shadows of the region’s highest peak, Jbel Toubkal. At Kasbah du Toubkal you’ll wake to echoes of morning prayer as the sun filters through the peaks of the Atlas Mountains. Located at Imlil in Morocco, the hotel is the quintessential mountain retreat, complete with donkeys to carry your bags.

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region: Africa