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
In transit: 8 things you’ll love in Addis Ababa
It's a random Tuesday in late November, and I'm on my way home from South Sudan (post coming up), with a long layover in Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines seems to have the best connections to a whole lot of cities in Africa. Addis Ababa means New Flower in Amharic, the national language. Transit in Addis My stop is 9 ¾ [...]
World at a Glance: Cidade Velha, Cabo Verde’s ancient capital
I'm back in West Africa for a few days, on the island of Santiago this time, the largest of the 10 volcanic islands that comprise Cabo Verde, ca. 600km off the coast of Dakar. Cabo Verde is an increasingly popular destination for Europeans eager to get away from wintry climes. But as you know by now, that’s not enough for [...]
Road trip West Africa part 5: Senegal
Here is a plane that lands when it was meant to take off! Air Senegal gets mixed reviews; our experience is positive. This very plane was meant to take off from Banjul at 22.05, and land in Dakar at 22.45. Instead, it landed at 22.05. Very efficient! (Assuming - or hoping, at least - everyone was on board.) And so [...]
Road trip West Africa part 4: The Gambia and Casamance
We have left Bissau and are headed north to the border with Senegal. Guinea-Bissau's capital has been pleasant enough, but is perhaps not the most exciting city on earth. Nothing like a bit of self-created drama, then. You remember my visa conundrum? (This is the last post where I'll mention it, promise). Plans A through C fell through; I'm now [...]
Road trip West Africa part 3: Guinea-Bissau
Well, hello there! Did you have a good night's sleep? Here, the saggy mattresses weren't exactly the height of comfort, but it'll get better from here. It's 09.33 and we're about to dock in Guinea-Bissau, after a 5-minute river crossing on this barge. This post is about Guinea-Bissau. We travel from the Foula Mori border crossing in the [...]
Road trip West Africa part 2: Guinea
Our Sierra Leone to Senegal journey continues. Here is the stretch from the Sierra Leone/Guinea border to Conakry, then onwards to Boké and the Guinea-Bissau border. The drive from Freetown to the capital of Guinea should take about 6-7 hours, allowing time for the border crossing. We leave Freetown ca 07.00 and enter Conakry at 14.30. Not bad, considering we [...]
Road trip West Africa part 1: Sierra Leone
Another summer, another road trip, through another part of the world. A somewhat unusual holiday destination, you might say. But then, that is what we're about here at Sophie's World. West Africa road trip: from Sierra Leone to Senegal This time, we are exploring Freetown, Conakry, Bissau, Banjul and Dakar - capitals of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and [...]
11 things you’ll love in (and around) Cape Town
South Africa is on my mind lately. Perhaps it is because we have had a rough winter up here at the other end of the world, made worse (for me) by stupidly breaking my wrist and needing surgery. Perhaps because I keep getting SoMe reminders that I was in Cape Town exactly ten years ago (how is 2013 a decade [...]
World at a Glance: The Great Pyramids at Giza
So we're in Memphis. Well, not now. But in this photo here. It's the original Memphis. Not the one Cher is walking in. Or actually Mark Cohn; he sung it first - and wrote it. Cred where cred is due. But I digress. Memphis was the capital of ancient Egypt, and is located on the west bank of the River [...]
World at a Glance: Medina of Tunis
The Medina of Tunis on a brilliant April day in 1992. Practically vintage, isn't it? Tunis is a fascinating city with an equally fascinating past which is attested by the hundreds of palaces, residences, mosques, madrasas and mausolea you'll find in the medina, the original Arab town inside the Tunisian capital. Back in the day, between the 12th and the [...]
World at a Glance: Mauritius beyond the beaches
If you're in Mauritius (and why wouldn't you be), you'll no doubt be lounging about on one of the island's many beautiful beaches sipping a rum punch, which I'm sure you will find quite satisfactory. Life's a beach, for sure - but perhaps you want a change of scenery for a day or two. (Say you do, say you do!) [...]
Bringing the world home: Books, the Algerian edition
Spring of 2020: days, weeks, months (we'll stop there) dominated by a vicious virus. The spring of corona. 'If the mountaine will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will goe to the mountaine', said Francis Bacon nearly 400 years ago. 'We can't travel the world. But we can bring the world to us,' say I. Reading is one avenue. What are [...]
