Interested in Africa? It’s where humanity first appeared – with Lucy, Ardi and their contemporaries, ancestors to us all. (You can see them both in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa). Then begin your exploration with these Africa travel stories.
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Djibouti
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Latest Africa travel stories
Destination Dakhla: a road trip in Western Sahara
Dakhla Grand Mosque The short road trip from Mauritania to Western Sahara - specifically from Nouadhibou to Dakhla - is a journey with very interesting landscapes and experiences. The coastal views are lovely, the desert expansive, and there's fun animal encounters to be had. Read on! We begin in Nouadhibou, or Port-Etiénne back in French times. Nouadhibou is Mauritania's second [...]
Riding the longest train in the world through the Sahara
Today, we'll take you along on Mauritania's Iron Ore Train, the most singular rail journey on Earth. I know you've been waiting for this, dear readers. The train starts its voyage in Zouérat, a remote mining town in the middle of the Sahara, where up to 84 tonnes of iron ore are loaded on each of about 200 cars. The [...]
Mauritania: Oases in the Sahara Desert
In the last post, we leave Chinguetti and set off for Atar, for one final night before the Iron Ore Train. We drive past the endless sand dunes of the Sahara, interrupted by dramatic cliffs, deep canyons and oases. We stop for a bird's-eye view of M'haïreth, one of the largest oases in the Adrar Massif. High above [...]
Mauritania: Nouakchott to Chinguetti
Well hello there, good people. Been a while. You see, we're just back from hitching a ride on the oh-so-iconic iron ore train in Mauritania. This will be our most hardcore adventure yet. But let’s begin at the beginning - with a stop in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott, thousands of camels included - then onwards to ancient Chinguetti in the middle [...]
Tipasa: Ancient Rome in Algeria (Day out Algiers)
It's early on a Friday morning in June; we're on our way to Tipasa, an ancient Roman city on the shores of the Mediterranean. Before the Romans, it was a port of trade for Phoenicians from Carthage. 'Location, location, location,' they must have thought, the Phoenicians. Some prime real estate right here. Remember that Carthage was founded by a woman [...]
Alger la Blanche: The White City on the Mediterranean
Why Alger la Blanche? Algiers the White? Gleaming, shiny white buildings against the cerulean Med. That is why. 11 things you'll love in Algiers 1. The architecture - and it is (almost) all white Whilst occupying Algeria, the French built large stone buildings. Gorgeous Art Nouveau structures, adorned with wrought-iron balconies. Felt like home, I guess. When Algeria won its [...]
Quickly into Kenya
Thanks to some savvy planning (if I do say so myself), my recent journey to Rwanda began in Uganda and ended in Kenya. That resulted in the best deals on flights and gave me just enough time to get a tiny sample of the countries at either end. Your choice! Here - and in life. So what to [...]
11 things you’ll love in one of the most expensive cities in the world
Are you guessing Oslo or London? Tokyo or Zurich? Not today, folks. We are further south in the world. In the southern parts of Africa. Angola, to be precise, a green and gorgeous country and Africa's largest oil producer (even larger than Nigeria), and infamous for a 27-year-long devastating armed conflict - encompassing both a civil war and a USSR/USA [...]
Entebbe and the Equator
Entebbe. What comes to mind? For me, it is Idi Amin, 1970s dictator - and a hijacking at Entebbe Airport in that same decade. The decade of hijackings. There's bound to be more to the former Ugandan capital than the memory of this rather sad chapter in history, and I was curious to learn. So when booking a flight to [...]
Rwanda: The least I can do
Hotel des Milles Collines, Kigali 23 March 2024 At the beginning of this year, I wrote about visiting the world’s dark places. About however unpleasant, however bad or sad or angry it makes me feel, it is necessary. I can choose whether to go - or not. Those who suffered through unimaginable horrors did not have a choice. I owe [...]
Cabinda: The Third Congo
Billboard in Cabinda 1. Antigo cemetério Wandering around the historic cemetery here in Cabinda, I spot an interesting grave. Here lies the Viceroy of Cabinda The Viceroy of Cabinda! Fabulous title, isn't it? One that sets the wheels of the imagination spinning. I'm picturing a character in a vintage murder mystery, ca. 1850. And this house! Just a ruin now. [...]
South Sudan: Juba and the Mundari
A long weekend in South Sudan, I ask myself? Sure, why not! I'm curious to see Juba, and even more interested in visiting the Mundari, nomadic cow herders in the country's central region. Also, the odd long weekend is all I have these days. And just like that, 7 days later, I'm on an Ethiopian flight from Oslo to Addis [...]
