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Our appreciation for Africa

Working on this, our 20th anniversary issue, got us

Karibu

Issue 80, October-December 2017

Storytellers

Our contributors share tales from their travels

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Indaba

Favourite place

The timeless attraction of Africa

The way in which we travel may be in constant flux, but some things remain the same. Brian Jackman reflects on Africa’s enduring appeal

Planning your adventure

Jo Austin investigates the influences that have changed the way in which people plan, prepare and book their trip

Changes on the ground

The African safari experience has diversified at a great pace in recent decades. But what have been the most significant developments, and what does this tell us about what it could be like in the future? Justin Fox discusses

Does Africa offer good value?

Travel has never been easier, and more places across Africa are accessible than ever before. But as the cost of going on safari increases, Richard Trillo considers where your money is going

Looking to the future

What will safari be like in years to come? Perhaps we will be moving around in driverless Land Cruisers with robots for guides, or setting off on a drone safari above the Great Migration? Aaron Gekoski lets his imagination run wild

Lodge of the future

We asked innovative architects Niel Crafford and Arno Pieters of PlanEco to forecast how a camp may be structured in decades to come

The world view

When it comes to the bigger picture, Africa is just a small player in global tourism. But why is this, and what can be done to change it, asks Graham Boynton

Reflections of Africa

Longstanding reader Dr Martin Briggs reminisces about his travels in the 1960s and ‘70s

20/20 VISION

What are the hot new places you should be visiting in the future? Mark Stratton has consulted the travel trade, journalists, conservationists and others to compile a list of 20 extraordinary, off-the-beaten-track destinations with great potential

Power to the people

The Northern Rangelands Trust is a pioneering partnership of local communities looking to invigorate a vast swathe of northern Kenya, with wildlife conservation and tourism at its heart. Does this signal a new way forward for rural areas across Africa? Harriet Constable reports

Sand and deliver

2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, a trend that has gained momentum over the past 20 years. Since 1997, the options on the continent’s coastline have improved considerably, with beach escapes becoming increasingly accessible, diverse, ethical and eco-conscious

All eyes on Rwanda

Over the past 20 years, the country has transformed from a place of abject poverty and civil war to a progressive, stable nation. But what happens next? Sue Watt finds outs

Footprints in the sand

The past two decades have seen a steep rise in experiential travel. Fiona McIntosh sets off on an awe-inspiring trek in the NamibRand Nature Reserve. She describes the feeling of being immersed in this stunning desert region and encountering its smallest residents

Senses and sensibility

The new Super Sensory Safari in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park demonstrates how innovative ideas and specialist guiding are enriching the experience of the modern-day safari.

Room service

As the industry has matured, standards in bush lodgings have improved and the range of options is enticing; we’re spoilt for choice! But what is the difference between a lodge and a bush camp, a tented camp or a mobile safari? And how do you know which is best suited to you?

How is accommodation evolving?

Increasingly, lodges are striving to achieve a balance between luxury and authenticity, and to ensure that tourism is beneficial to the local community, wildlife and surrounding habitats

Team players

Running a camp in remote areas is no easy feat, and is often underappreciated – but the impact of your visit on the staff is significant

Breaking the boundaries

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, bridging South Africa and Botswana, was the first peace park. Steve and Ann Toon have visited every year since 1997, and spent eight weeks there earlier this year. Here, they reflect on how it has changed, the challenges it has faced and what has made it an enduring and captivating success. Photographs by the writers

Slicker cities

African metropolises may not be obvious tourist hotspots – but some of the continent’s cities are evolving into standalone destinations. Lizzie Williams reveals five great places worth visiting in their own right

Conservation

Understanding and protecting our natural heritage

Islands of hope

Peter Borchert takes a look at the changing nature of African conservation today, examining its progress and looking at the role of tourism in future efforts to protect our natural heritage

AWF Bulletin: In the name of conservation, we’ll have a school

Classroom Africa works with communities to build new schools that incorporate conservation education

Toys ’R’ Us: supporting conservation education

The partnership between Toys ’R’ Us – the retailer with a giraffe mascot – and AWF will provide students living near critical giraffe habitats opportunities to learn about their natural environment

Glorious armoured giants

Powerful, prehistoric and precious, the rhino is one of Africa’s most iconic creatures, symbolising the struggles and successes of African wildlife conservation. In a series of short articles, Lauren Jarvis looks at the threats to its survival, and meets the people battling to protect it

Portfolio: Photos that weren’t possible 20 years ago

The development of camera equipment has hugely improved our ability to photograph Africa. We pick eight images that demonstrate some of the technical advancements of today

Kaleidoscope of colours

Africa’s lessvisited west offers some of the most vibrant and diverse tribes and ceremonies on the continent. Philip Briggs shares some of the cultural highlights he has enjoyed over 20 years of travel there. Photographs by Ariadne van Zandbergen

View with a room

Makgadikgadi Pan, Botswana

What’s new in Africa’s hotel and lodge scene?

February will see the opening of the newly rebuilt

Thorntree

Two years of perfecting safety measures have gone into

Ask the experts

Your questions answered by those who really know

Africa in the ’90s

In 1991, Anke Cowan of Kafunta Safaris travelled with her husband Ron from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Here, she reflects on how the continent has changed

Mouse lemur in Madagascar

The evolutionary paths of mouse lemurs and humans diverged