Africa - a continent of contrasts

Africa’s second biggest city (after Cairo) is also Nigeria’s most prosperous, and was the country’s capital until 1991. It is famous throughout West Africa for its vibrant music scene, having given birth to juju, fuji, Afrobeat and Afrohip-hop, among others. The Black Heritage Museum was founded in part by a national cultural commission, and preserves artifacts and records from the slave route that once ran through Badagry. The magnificent Oba’s Palace (Iga Idungaran) is the official residence of the Oba (supreme head) of Lagos and was built by the Portuguese in 1705. The Balogun Oshodi Tapa Monument was built by his family to celebrate the centenary of the death of the renowned warlord, Chief Balogun Oshodi Tapa. Another attractive monument is Taiwo Olowo's Monument, built over the tomb of Chief Daniel Conrad Taiwo, who died in 1901.

Africa’s most populous city, Cairo was founded in 969 AD as the royal enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs. It is full of noise and movement almost 24 hours a day, with the sound of honking horns, children playing in the streets and merchants selling their wares. Right at the city limit are the Sphinx and that Wonder of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Old Cairo contains a vast number of buildings, including the Coptic Museum,Babylon Fortress, Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St George, the Jewish Synagogue and Amr ibn al-’As mosque. The Egyptian Museum is home to the world’s most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. Cairo also offers a vast range of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities, dating right back to the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, largely unchanged since being established in 1382.

Accra, Ghana’s shining capital city, has made a staggering transition in a relatively short period of time from a 19th-century suburb of Victoriasborg to the modern metropolis it is today. Occupying pride of place on the Atlantic coast, it is well-endowed with luxury hotels, fine restaurants and nightclubs, as well as absorbing museums and busy markets. The museum of greatest interest is the National Museum of Ghana, containing archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, as well as fine art. Fort Christianborg or Osu Castle, the seat of government of Ghana and the residence of its president, was built by the Danes in the 17th century and occupies a stunning coastal location. Accra is one of the wealthiest and most modern cities on the African continent, with a high quality of living and reputedly the most active nightlife.

Addis Ababa is the political capital and the economic and social centre of Ethiopia. This sprawling, welcoming city bears the hallmarks of the exuberant personality of its founder, Emperor Menelik, with architecture as varied as can be found in any African city. The city is home to a range of fine museums, including the Ethiopian Ethnological Museum (and former palace of Haile Selassie), the Addis Ababa Museum and the Ethiopian Natural History Museum. St George’s Cathedral is also home to a museum. The beautiful Holy Trinity Cathedral was once the largest Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral and is the unlikely location of the tomb of suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. It is also the burial place of Emperor Haile Selassie and the imperial family. Menelik’s old Imperial Palace remains the official seat of government, and the National Palace is the residence of the president.

Perched between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain, and with a national park as its heart, there’s nowhere quite like Cape Town. The ‘Mother City’ has a cultural heritage spanning over 300 years. A trip up Table Mountain is top of everyone’s itinerary, and is a hiker’s paradise. Back down by the sea, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a unique shopping and holiday experience on a scenic working harbor. Discovering the chequered history of Robben Island, from refreshment station to leper colony to correctional institution, is also a must. It was for over 20 years home to Nelson Mandela. The Cape Town Wine Routes are where some of the world’s best wines are produced, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are internationally acclaimed as one of the great botanical gardens of the world.

Johannesburg is world famous for its gold and diamond trade, but is growing as a tourist destination thanks to its vast O.R. Tambo International Airport and therefore its location as a gateway to southern Africa. The city has several fine galleries and museums, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, featuring South African and European landscape paintings. Newer historical museums include the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City is a huge amusement park in the south of the city and is a draw for tourists in the city. Visits to former townships, such as Soweto, with its Mandela Museum, located in the former home of Nelson Mandela, are also popular. The Cradle of Humankind is 25 kilometers northwest of the city and includes the Sterkfontein fossil site, famous for being the world’s most fruitful hominid site.

Dar-es-Salaam is the largest city and main port in Tanzania, and was the country’s capital until 1996. Located in a quiet bay on the Indian Ocean, it is one of East Africa’s most prosperous cities. With increasing tourism and a growing expatriate community, the number of international restaurants has risen rapidly in recent years, and the music scene there is thriving. The city’s numerous historical landmarks, including the old State House, St Joseph’s Cathedral and the White Father’s MissionHouse make for an interesting walking tour around the city centre and along the waterfront. Daytrips to the nearby islands of the Dar-es-Salaam Marine Reserve are popular for locals and tourists alike, and are perfect for snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. Bagamoyo is an hour’s drive to the north and is home to the 13th-century Kaole ruins.

Although not as tall as Mount Everest in absolute terms, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain rise in the world, and is the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 meters. The mountain was the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway’s short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro. The sight of Kilimanjaro has captured imagination for centuries. See Kilimanjaro and you’ll speak of it for years. Climbing Kilimanjaro is the highlight of most visitors’ experiences in Tanzania, with its breathtaking views of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, the Rift Valley, and the Massai Steppe. Much of the lowland slopes are farmland, with coffee, bananas and cassava. Inside the Kilimanjaro National Park, thick lowland forest becomes alpine meadows as the air thins. Near the summit, the landscape is harsh and barren, with rocks and ice predominating above that breathtaking African view.

Kenya’s capital has transformed itself from a brackish swamp to a thriving modern capital within just 100 years. It is now the safari capital of the world, as well as being one of Africa’s largest and most interesting cities. It is home to several museums, including the National Museum of Kenya, which contains the full remains of a homo erectus boy, and the Karen Blixen Museum. The Nairobi National Park is unique, in that it is the only game reserve to border a capital city. The park contains countless species of animals including zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and lions. Further out of town, the spectacular 27-metre Fourteen Falls waterfalls at Thika are ideal for a scenic daytrip. Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park is also nearby, as is the chance to go white-water rafting on the beautiful Tana River.