Once we arrived in Kigali, we realized that if Rwanda is the Land of a Thousand Hills, then Kigali’s setting right among rolling green vistas makes this a fitting choice of capital. It is a contender for Africa’s most scenic capital and the cleanest, safest, and most relaxed...
We enjoyed the nice weather and drove around the legendary, mist-covered Rwenzori Mountains, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site in 1994 because of their beauty and biodiversity. It’s the tallest mountain range in Africa, and several peaks are permanently covered by ice and glaciers...
It was supposed to be an easy drive from Namagunga to Kampala, but 39 kilometers took us 7 hours. Uganda’s capital and largest city occupies a series of hills at an elevation of about 1,190 meters and is situated just north of Lake Victoria. Kampala lies just north of Mengo, the...
Google Maps offers two roads from Tsavo East National Park to Amboseli National Park. Still, these are not roads but some paths through the Tsavo NP; you must pay the entrance fee (54,34 USD) and carefully drive through; it’s probably passable with a small 4WD, but not with our...
Lamu is a town, port, and island in the Indian Ocean off the East African coast, 240 km northeast of Mombasa. A former Persian, then Zanzibari, colony, Lamu Island rivaled Mombasa until the late 19th century as an entrepôt for gold, spices, and enslaved people. The town of Lamu, the...
We stopped at the Umm Ar Rasas site, which spans the expansive ruins of Kastron Mefaa (mentioned in the Bible as the Roman military outpost of Mephaath). The ruins encompass four churches (including the Church of Lions, with impressive namesake mosaics) and the city walls. Arches rise...
We spend one day exploring ancient Petra, which lies half-hidden in the wind-blown landscape in southern Jordan. It is often deemed one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the world. Inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataean caravan city, situated between the Red Sea and...
We arrived at the site (Bethany Beyond the Jordan, 🎟️ 12 JOD) around 4 pm, and it was closed already, so we just parked off the road behind some bushes. In the morning, we took a covered walking trail that meanders past ancient steps down to the original water level and the sparse...
As-Salt was the region’s administrative center during Ottoman rule. It was built on three hills: Qala’a, Jada’a, and Salalem. The town has never experienced an intense wave of modernization and retained much of its historic charm. Today, much of Salt’s downtown is a living museum of...
The guard at one of the best-preserved desert buildings of the Umayyads explained frescoes to us, which was our highlight of a trip into the Eastern Desert. The little castle is part of a much greater complex that served as a caravanserai, bathhouse, and hunting lodge. It is renowned for...