Africa
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Masai Mara – The Kingdom of Lions and the Great Migration
Masai Mara is one of the largest reserves in Kenya. The vast plains and savannas found here are renowned for their incredible biodiversity. Its name comes from the Maasai people and the word “Mara,” which in the Maasai language means “spotted.” The park received this name due to the scattered trees and shrubs that dot the landscape. The Maasai people are deeply connected to this land and are arguably the most iconic tribe in Africa. They moved to the highlands of modern-day Kenya in the early 17th century. They led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving with their cattle during the rainy and dry seasons to prevent overgrazing areas. Unfortunately, like most…
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Amboseli National Park- balloon ride with a view of Kilimanjaro
Amboseli National Park is the second most visited park in Kenya, right after the famous Masai Mara, attracting tourists from all over the world. The park’s name, “Amboseli,” means “salty dust” in the Maasai language, reflecting its semi-arid nature. Initially established in 1906 as the Southern Reserve for the Maasai people, it was designated a national park in 1974. The park’s diverse landscape consists of four main zones: savannah, acacia woodlands, wetlands, and the dried-up Amboseli lake bed. The park is home to numerous underground springs fed by the ice cap of Kilimanjaro. These water sources create an ideal habitat for birds. Around 400 bird species inhabit the park, including…
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Luxor – the world’s largest open-air museum
Luxor is also called the world’s largest open-air museum. Indeed, there are so many tourist attractions that you could easily spend a week or even longer here. The city was built around 1400 BC and was better known as ancient Thebes. Observing Luxor and its surroundings, you can imagine that this place must have been very impressive at that time. Even now, despite the fact that several thousand years have passed, you can still feel the power of ancient Egypt. Thebes was an important religious centre as evidenced by the number of religious objects that have survived to this day. In the eastern part of Luxor there’s the Temple of…
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Ngorongoro – the Seventh Natural Wonder of Africa
Ngorongoro is called one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, which also includes Mount Kilimajaro located in Tanzania and the Great Migration of Animals in the Serengeti. Ngorongoro is located between Serengeti National Park and the Lake Manyara. The name of the reserve was given by the Maasai and comes from the characteristic sound of the bell hanging around the cow’s neck. Ngorongoro is said to be the largest caldera in the world. It was created as a result of the collapse of a volcanic cone with a diameter of about 20 km. This occurred between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, depending on the source. The crater’s depth…
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Zanzibar – 10 most beautiful beaches
After visiting the mainland of Tanzania, I decided to go to Zanzibar. My plan was in no way original, hundreds of tourists do that. Zanzibar seems to be a natural choice for rest after a safari tour or climbing Kilimanjaro. It was the end of the year, so the peak of the season, I knew what awaited me there. The thought of hundreds of tourists made me feel sick. My expectations weren’t high, I just wanted to look around the island in peace. Zanzibar surprised me positively. You probably know that feeling when you leave the hotel and suddenly all the charm is gone. Usually, places outside tourist zones don’t…
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Senegal – vicious circle, Girl off the trail
Finally, I’ve got my stuff together to write another post from my trip to Senegal. In January, just after my arrival, you could read about the problem of the progressive littering in Africa by the so-called “developed countries”. This time, I’ll present the living conditions in this country. I know that pictures are more meaningful than the words, so I will limit the comments. There is no denying that a large part of Senegal’s society lives in poverty, especially in the north of the country. Many people are malnourished, and it is especially painful to see emaciated, begging children. It has a very emotional impact, however, making any donations actually…
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The Gambia, Senegal – European dumping ground
Today is that day! On January 1st, 2023, after a long break, I finally decided to check out the blog. To my despair, I was greeted with hundreds of notifications and updates. So far, traditionally, at the end of the year, I did a summary, this time it didn’t happen, because to be honest, I was counting down the minutes until the end of 2022 … Three canceled trips to Morocco, Malta and Mauritius made me abandon the idea of traveling to any country which name starts with with the letter M ? The lack of travel in connection with the gray reality and a few other overwhelming issues pinned…
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Abu Simbel – Egypt, buried temples and mirage
Abu Simbel is one of the greatest tourist attractions of Egypt, right behind the Pyramids of Giza. It’s located on the far southern part of Egypt, just below the Sudan border, actually in the middle of nowhere, or more specifically, in the middle of the Sahara desert, far from any civilization. Reason enough to be here as life here is very different than in the rest of Egypt. Abu Simbel consists of two temples: Ramses’es II and his wife Nefertari’s. The Temple of Ramses is dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re, Re-Horachte and to Ptah – the god of arts and crafts. The entrance to the temple makes an amazing…
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Tunisia – Sand Wars
Somewhere in Tunisia, at the gates of the Sahara, Matmata is situated. This place hasn’t been known for at least 1000 years. It’s no wonder because there’s nothing special, only a barren, semi-desert landscape. But then again, this place is visited by hundreds of tourists every Day, who are warmly welcomed by tourists agencies and locals. Matmata owes its popularity to George Lucas, who located here Star Wars hero’s home – Luke Skywalker, in a one of the underground hotels. Lucas derived the inspiration from the ancient Berbers’ settlement who had hid there from Arab invaders in 11th century. If it hadn’t been for the flood which occurred there in…
