Kent's Egypt Trip Report

Cairo International Airport's Terminal 3 makes arrivals in Egypt much more convenient than in years past if you are flying a Star Alliance carrier. With roomy concourses and expedient immigration and customs areas, we were in and out in no time. The same cannot be said for Cairo's streets which are clogged with drivers who, in their frustration with the maddening traffic and congestion, use their horns liberally and stop for only the boldest of pedestrians.

Our first stop was the Fairmont Nile City Hotel, a new 5-star property north of the city center along the banks of the famous Nile. Its modern rooms and rooftop pool make a comfortable although slightly remote base from which to explore this bustling city of 20 million plus people. For dinner, we ventured to the famous Abu El Sid restaurant. There, after a long wait at the bar (reservations recommended), we enjoyed the best Egyptian meal of the trip. Favorites included the kofta and the most delicious falafels I've ever had. (One obvious key is using fava beans instead of chick peas). Drinks are pricey here as they are all over this Muslim country.

The next morning we toured the famous pyramids of Giza with our outstanding Egyptologist, Zainab, who should be counted amongst the many treasures of Egypt. Our afternoon was spent at the Egyptian museum, the highlights of which are the King Tut exhibit and the mummy room, the latter of which may not be appropriate for children or the fainthearted. We also visited several hotels, our favorite being the Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza.

Day 3 began with a short flight to Aswan, a pleasant city below Aswan Dam which holds back the Nile to form Lake Nasser which stretches into Sudan. Philae Temple is a shot boat trip from town and a real highlight. We also enjoyed seeing the “unfinished obelisk” in the nearby granite quarries. Here we also boarded the Nile Adventurer, a luxury ship sailing the Nile from Aswan to Luxor for 3- and 4-night cruises.

The Nile Adventurer has just 32 cabins including 2 deluxe suites and 2 presidential suites which are both well worth the money if you are willing to spend it. The standard cabins are fine but book early to get a king bed on the top two decks. The dining room and lounge are very comfortable and the food is delicious and plentiful. Drinks are not included. The lounge was the site of our Galabeya night, where guests dress in tradition garb. Some really got into it and had a big time dancing. Note: You have to buy your own costume either on the ship or in town. The two covered outdoor decks are only surpassed by the great roof-top deck and pool. Umbrellas dot the top deck providing much needed shade from the hot sun.

Speaking of hot, Egypt can be very warm in May. We had several days above 105, and June to September can be hotter, so bring a hat, lots of sunscreen, and your patience. This last one will come in handy as you run the gauntlet of aggressive vendors hawking wooden camels, stone pyramids, pharaonic statues, papyrus pictures, hats, and more. If you do decide to buy something negotiate hard, and try to pay 30 to 50 percent of the original asking price. That's about what we got on some silver chains (at least we hope they are silver) in Luxor, which was our next stop.

After cruising for part of the day, and enjoying the scenery as we sailed, we stopped at Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek. Then we continued on to the impressive Edfu Temple, built by the Greeks. More sailing brought us to Luxor, home to more tombs and temples than anywhere. Our touring the next day was a blur of Valleys of Kings and Queens and temples including those of Ramses, Luxor and Hatshepsut, one of three female pharaohs along with the famous Cleopatra VII. Frankly, by this point in the tour, my brain started to fry and the sites blended together, but they are still worth seeing.

A last night docked in Luxor brought our farewell dinner along with local music, a belly dancer and a whirling dervish (tough gig). The next morning, some guests flew out early but we explored the markets of Luxor on our own, first on foot and then by horse-drawn carriage. At this point Kelly was giving me "the look" but later agreed that Ali our driver did a nice job of taking us to areas we wouldn't have found by ourselves. He also took us to a "government" tourist market where everything was half price because there was no tax and no commissions to the guides - Hah! The big savings must be why he tripled his price for the carriage ride when he dropped us at the end.

After flying back to Cairo we navigated only slightly horrible traffic for our last night at the Sofitel El Gezirah Hotel. Although not beautiful from the outside, we loved this place. The rooms are airy and modern, the lobby and pools are great, and it has seven different restaurants and a casino. Best of all is the location on the tip of Zamalek Island with plenty of river frontage.

In all, we highly recommend this tour. In fact, we’re officially introducing our new Egypt Tours with our Highlights of Egypt trip, starting at $2,114 per person.

Egypt Quiz Answers

1) What is the World's longest river?

Egypt's Nile River is the world's longest at 4,160 miles (6,695 kilometers) long

2) Who came first - the Greeks or the Egyptians?

The Egyptians came first. Ancient Egypt is thought to date back as far as 3411 years BCE when the unification of Egypt occurred. Between 3100-2181 the construction of the pyramids began.

3) How many Cleopatra's were there? Which one was the famous one?

There were seven Cleopatra's and the 7th was the most famous.

Take a look at our new Highlights of Egypt tour that includes Cairo, the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, a Nile cruise and more. Contact us with any questions or to book a tour.

Photo by Kent Redding.

Team USA Faces Africa's Last Hope This Saturday

Thanks to Landon Donovan's heroic last minute goal, Team USA has advanced to Round Two of the World Cup. On Saturday they take on Ghana, the only African team to advance to the second round.

The Ghana Black Stars are a worthy opponent, with the hopes of the whole African continent riding upon their shoulders. They are playing well, even with Chelsea star Michael Essien on the sidelines with an ACL injury.

Team USA may benefit from the unusually cold weather in South Africa the past few weeks. Being in the southern hemisphere it is winter there, and several African teams have voiced concerns about the low temps. (Not to worry, for tourists from temperate climates, the weather is still pleasant.)

Whichever team you are rooting for, this looks to be a fantastic match and gets a full five-stars on the "must see" index. The game airs at 2:30pm EDT on ABC.

Go USA and Thank You Bafana Bafana!

Today, after Landon Donovan scored a minute 91 goal, the US team defeated Algeria to move one step closer to victory! Bafana Bafana did not advance after yesterday's match against France, but they played filled with pride and passion for their home and World Cup host country, South Africa. Thank you for being great ambassadors of your country!

Our partners in South Africa continue to deliver a world-class event in hosting the FIFA World Cup. South Africa spent years preparing for this event, including major infrastructure additions such as the 10 new football stadiums, airports, highways and train stations.

For more information on travel to South Africa for the World Cup or on safari, please contact us at Africa Adventure Consultants.

Botswana Beef - Make this Safari Favorite at Home!

Botswana Beef

This recipe is often served on mobile safaris in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, such as our Botswana Explorer. You can easily make this bush favorite at home!

Serves 4

Conversion calculator (courtesy of www.globalgourmet.com)

250ml beer

125ml olive oil

60ml soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 thumb fresh root ginger, peeled and crushed

2 red chillies, seeded and chopped

5ml paprika

10ml ground peppercorns

10ml coriander seeds, crushed

4 x 225g fillet steaks

45ml olive oil for cooking

8 large cloves whole garlic, peeled

Salt and ground pepper

To Serve:

4 banana leaves

Fresh chillies

In a deep ceramic dish combine the beer, olive oil, soy sauce, crushed garlic, ginger, chillies, paprika, ground peppercorns and coriander.

Add the steaks and coat well with marinade. Leave for at least 6 hours.

Heat a large cast-iron pan. Add the olive oil for cooking, steaks and whole garlic.

Seal steaks for 3 minutes on each side, then cook until ready.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Wrap each fillet in a strip of banana leaf and garnish with fresh chillies as per photograph.

recipe from:

A Kitchen Safari

Stories & Recipes from the African Wilderness

by Dumi Ndlovu and Yvonne Short

Struik Publishers 2007

Images courtesy &Beyond

Updates and reports from Mozambique!

We're excited to be offering our new Mozambique Eco-Adventure in addition to our Mozambique Beach Holiday. Thanks to our associates in Africa, we're pleased to give the following updates on our favorite lodges and camps in Mozambique.

For new bookings through December 31, 2010 a Rand 1,000 (approximately $135 per person) air credit will be applied to each booking of 5 days or more. This air credit will be

applied to flights within your itinerary! Not sure where to go? You can fly SA Airlink to Pembo (applying your credit) and stay at the Ibo Island Lodge, fly to Beira and stay at Explore Gorongosa or fly to Vilanculos and the Benguerra Lodge (photo right) or Indigo Bay!

Straight from Africa, the latest on Gorongosa National Park and Explore Gorongosa (featured in our Mozambique Eco-Adventure):

Gorongosa National Park – known in the 1960’s as the place where “Noah left his Ark” because of the vast herds of game – was ravaged by the civil war in Mozambique. While the dramatic landscape remained largely untouched, the animal life was all but obliterated. The Carr

Foundation, a U.S. not-for-profit organization, teamed with the Government of Mozambique in January 2008 to protect and restore the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park and to develop an ecotourism industry to benefit local communities for the next 20 years, and this forms the backnone of a drive to restore the Park to its former glory. Animal relocations from the Kruger National Park, including elephant and lion, have been successful and plains game numbers have increased incrementally. It isn’t the Masai Mara – yet – but it

is a remarkable wilderness area, with 54 different biomes, and ever changing landscapes. The plains recall images of Busanga Plains in Zambia – the Sand Forests northern KwaZulu Natal, while the Gorongosa Mountains and Lake Urema are evocative images in this 400 000 hectare park. Explore Gorongosa is the first – and currently only – concession in this wilderness, offering comfortable tented accommodation with bucket showers and eco-loos, and unparalleled day and night access to activities in the Park. Expect plentiful birdlife, plains game, lion sightings and a sense of being in a remote and exotic part of Africa.

Thanks to our partners in South Africa, for the Mozambique update! Contact us for more information on Gorongosa, Explore Gorongosa or any of our programs in Mozambique!

Photos by Kent Redding

Where to find wild dog!

Here at Africa Adventure Consultants we have a bit of an obsession with wild dog. The little guys may not be the most impressive creature you'll spot while on safari (in terms of size!), but what they lack in grandeur, they make up for in character. Lyndsay had great sighings in Botswana and South Africa last May and several of our travelers just returned from Botswana with some amazing photos and video footage of wild dog (stay tuned for the July newsletter!). Thanks to our partners at Wilderness Safaris, read on to learn more about this unique African animal.

Revered and reviled

"The African wild dog is one of the most revered, reviled and fascinating animals on the continent. It’s unusually communal and s

eemingly caring social structure endear it to human beings while it’s hunting style has been described as savage and cruel by people who don’t understand it. It is Africa’s second most endangered carnivore.

(Incidentally, the dubious distinction of ‘most endangered carnivore’ on the continent goes to the Simean jackal or Ethiopian wolf – a reddish jackal-like canid that lives in the Afro-alpine regions of Ethiopia).

Life and times of the African wolf

Wild dogs are the wolves of Africa and their zoological name Lycaon (Greek for wolf) pictus (Latin for painted) is an appropriate moniker. Their social structure is very similar to their European and American cousins although at 27kgs, they are about two thirds t

he mass. The pack (from two to up 30 individuals) is lead by an alpha pair who, unless the pack is enormous, is normally the only one to breed. This they do once a year, normally in the winter when the vegetation is thin allowing the pack increased visibility which suits their pernicious and unsubtle hunting style. The whole pack will feed the pups by regurgitating meat for them. They do this for sick and injured members too. Wild dogs favour woodland and savannah habitats but they can easily exist in grassland.

Wild dog packs are highly efficient hunting units. They do not employ the subtleties of the stalking feline counterparts. Instead they simply sight a herd of potential prey and then tear off after them, sometimes reaching speeds of 60 kph. The alpha male normally leads the hunt and packs have been known to chase prey for more than five kilometres at a time. They’re not particularly fussy eaters and will eat anything from scrub hares to wildebeest. That said, they like their meals fresh and tend not to eat carrion or rancid meat – unlike jackals, hyaenas and the big cats.

Where are they now?

Wild dogs used to be distributed throughout Africa but for the desert and rain f

orest regions of the continent. During the last century however, these incredible animals were been reduced to an estimated 5000 individuals. Their decline has been brought about by human persecution, disease and habitat loss. Most of the remaining dogs are concentrated in southern Africa with a small population in Tanzania, an isolated group in Senegal and there are confirmed populations in central Africa. There are also anecdotal reports of dogs from Mali, Guinea, Gambia, Nigeria, Algeria and Mauritania.

In southern Africa, the dogs occur in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Angola and the far north east of Namibia. There are also records of individuals in Mozambique south of the Zambezi River.

Botswana offers some of the best wild dog viewing with packs found in the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe-Linyanti river system, Nxai Pan National Park an

d Chobe National Park. They also occur in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

In Zimbabwe packs occur in the Hwange and Mana Pools National Parks although they also live in Gonarezhou in the far south east – these probably come in and out from the Kruger in South Africa.

In South Africa, the largest wild dog population occurs in the Kruger National Park and visitors to the southern end of the Kruger and nearby p

rivate game reserves often have fantastic wild dog sightings."

By now you are probably wondering where you can spot these curious creatures. Some of the best camps for viewing wild dog in Botswana include Duba Plains Camp, Chitabe Camps, Zarafa Camp, Selinda Camp, DumaTau Camp, Kings Pool Camp and Kalahari Plains Camp. We can create a customized safari to visit some of these camps and increase your chances of spotting wild dog, or you can book our Botswana Deluxe, Botswana Great Wilderness Journey, Botswana Wild Kalahari or our Ultimate Botswana Safari. Contact us for more information.

'The Ball'

'The Ball' is a FIFA project that is used to raise awareness about the Special Olympics through football and it is part of the World Cup activities. On its 2010 journey, 'The Ball' has passed through over 100 countries and over 16,000 people have signed it. Teams of intellectually-challenged children will also be a part of the World Cup activities.

The worldwide journey of the ball started 146 years ago in Battersea Park in London, United Kingdom (UK), where the game first started in 1864. Every four years, the ball travels to the World Cup host country.

This year it is estimated to have covered 15,000-miles to South Africa through West and East Africa passing through Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d' Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia Namibia and Botswana before reaching South Africa.

Photo courtesy South African Tourism

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Travel Insurance

There are many circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip, return home early or force you to seek emergency medical treatment while traveling.

While most trips happen without any hitches, insurance covers your investment on the chance that something might go wrong. To demonstrate the importance of purchasing travel insurance and emergency travel services, here are 10 common examples of what could go wrong.

1.It's 10 p.m. and you and your immediate family arrive at the airport for a connecting flight, only to find that your flight has been cancelled. Who can assist you with finding new flights to get everyone home?

2.Your bag was lost with your insulin inside. You need help to locate your bag as soon as possible and have your emergency prescription filled. Who do you call?

3.Your first visit to Europe, and your passport and wallet are stolen. Where do you turn for emergency cash, and how will you get your passport replaced?

4.You're involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. Who will help arrange and pay for a medical evacuation?

5.If your sister-in-law becomes seriously ill and you must cancel your trip, what happens to your non-refundable deposits or pre-payments?

6.You arrive at your destination and your luggage doesn't. If it's lost, who will help you find it? If it's delayed, who will pay for your necessities? If it's stolen, who will pay to replace it?

7.Your cruise line or airline goes bankrupt. Who will pay for your non-refundable expenses? Who will help get you to your destination?

8.You're walking down a street in Arusha and twist your ankle. Who can help you find an English-speaking physician?

9.Just before your scheduled departure to Africa, a volcano in Iceland begins erupting and disrupts travel throughout Europe (where you are scheduled to connect en route). Who can help you change your travel arrangements or who will pay if you must cancel your trip?

10.You are at a beach resort and you are forced to evacuate due to an approaching cyclone. Who will help you evacuate and who will reimburse your lost vacation investment?

The Double Comfort Safari Club

Alexander McCall Smith recently released The Double Comfort Safari Club; the latest installment in his charming No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series'.

A quick and pleasant read, this story follows Mma Ramotswe's adventures in dealing with a case of mistaken identity and good fortune, and has her venturing all the way to the Okavango Delta to solve her case!

Always fun to read, McCall Smith's books bring the reader closer to Africa and give an intimate view of daily life in Botswana. If you haven't yet read any books in the series you can start nearly anywhere, but why not with book one - then take time to savor each heartwarming story.

Plan your own trip to the Okavango Delta with us - just give us a ring to start planning!

'Rhino Relo'

More than twenty years after being brought to South Africa, a group of five black rhinos was recently returned home to Tanzania, BuaNews reported. The animals were transported by air on a Lockhead Hercules C130 and are among a group of 32 that will eventually be relocated to Tanzania.

Eight rhinos of a species that is not indigenous in South Africa were imported to the country and kept at the Addo Elephant National Park about 20 years ago. The animals were later moved from the park to a private nature reserve and replaced with an indigenous species.

Over the years, the original eight rhinos increased in number to 61.

The Tanzanian Wildlife Authorities approached the Chief Executive of South Africa National Parks (SANParks) last year asking if was possible to return the rhinos to Tanzania as the species had become extinct in its original home range. SANParks agreed but wildlife authorities from both countries had to wait for the right conditions to move the animals.

The relocation of the animals has been described as a "fairytale" ending.