SUTTON Travels: Africa

Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

17 December 2023

Luxor Egypt

Our journey to Luxor (ancient Thebes) and the Valley of the Kings began early in the morning at Safaga, an Egyptian Port on the Red Sea.

After crossing miles of barren desertscapes, we began to see vegetation--we had reached the Nile Valley.

There is so much to see so, I created separate pages for the following sites in the order we visited them. Select the links to learn more and view our collection of photos.

1. The Valley of the Kings

We visited two of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings: Ramses VI and Ramses IX. You will see amazing colour images created in these ancient tombs. The burial chambers date between 1539 and 1075 BCE.

Valley of the Kings 2023

2. Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon

Two different stops on this page.

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

Although, we could have walked into the temple, the contents have been removed to a museum so, we simply appreciated the structure and the setting.

Two large statues known as the Colossi of Memnon

You get a sense of the incredible size of the structures as people wander about and can't seem to get enough photos. Nearby, local people offer souvenirs.

3. The Temples of Karnak

The Temples of Karnak and other buildings date from about 2,000 BCE down to the last few decades BCE. Checkout the majestic structure of this ancient wonder.

After a buffet meal by the Nile at sunset, we made our final stop at Luxor Temple.

4. Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple, in the city of Luxor is absolutely stunning when viewed at night.

Following our visit to Luxor, we returned to Safaga and boarded our ship.

Google Map

See the map for the location of the sites in and near Luxor Egypt.

Link to our cruise and other ports of call.

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Mind the Gap on AMAZON

An entertaining and educational introduction to British culture

Please check out my webpage to see if any of my books on psychology topics might be of interest.

Geoffrey W. Sutton suttong.com

10 December 2023

CAPE TOWN TOUR SOUTH AFRICA

A TRIP AROUND THE CAPE

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

On our third day in Cape Town following the end of our African Cruise, we explored the popular coastal sites. This post includes

Cape Point

and the Historic Lighthouse

Cape of Good Hope

Boulders- Home of the African Penguin

Table Mountain

Our Cape Town tour began with awesome views of the rugged coastline and mesmerizing, in-your-face, wave action.

Soon we arrived at Cape Point where we hiked to the old Lighthouse at the top.

I looked for baboons, but we did not see any here. But we did see some later in the day.

Baboon warning

An advantage of being slow is seeing more things like this little creature below.

On our way to the Cape of Good Hope, we stopped to ponder, "Why did the ostrich cross the road?"

Fortunately for tourists, there are memory-making signs along this beautiful stretch of the Cape.

After we ate lunch on the go, we stopped at Boulders, which is home to the African Penguin. It was such an active and enchanting scene.

Enjoy a Penguin Video from my YouTube channel.

On our way to Table Mountain, Sandy captured a baboon.

Our final stop was Table Mountain (elevation 1,084.6 metres). We decided to ride the 360 degree rotating cable car to the top. The views are magnificent and there so many trails I wish I had had more time to enjoy.

Link to our cruise and other ports of call.

Sponsor

Mind the Gap on AMAZON

An entertaining and educational introduction to British culture

Please check out my webpage to see if any of my books on psychology topics might be of interest.

Geoffrey W. Sutton suttong.com

09 December 2023

Lokobe National Park Nosy Be Madagascar

Lemurs are a primary reason tourists stop at Nosy Be, an island near Madagascar. Our stop was part of an African Cruise in October-November 2023.

Our exploration of Lokobe National Park began with a fast and bumpy boat ride to a small village by the forest. After wading ashore and waiting for our small group to use the primitive toilets, we walked past stalls where villagers offered souvenirs.

Mouse Lemur, Lokobe, Madagascar
Geoffrey W Sutton 2023

Lemurs are a primary reason tourists stop at Nosy Be, an island near Madagascar. Our exploration of Lokobe National Park began with a fast and bumpy boat ride to a small village by the forest. After wading ashore and waiting for our small group to use the primitive toilets, we walked past stalls where villagers offered souvenirs.

Soon, we were led along winding dirt trails by barefooted local guides who stopped to point out wild animals, flowers, and rare plants.

The guides were most helpful because they knew the trails and were adept at spotting familiar specie like this small snake or

this tiny chameleon

A gecko stood out against the bark of a tree

but this specimen blended in

Off to one side, a guide pointed to a tree branch. There was a large boa constrictor draped a few feet above my head. You may have to look closely.

We saw quite a few lemurs swinging through the high branches, but they were hard to photograph within the time constraints of a guided hike. However, a mother and her young were within camera range, though they did not offer a portrait.

Just so you could see what we saw, a fellow traveller with a proper camera shared his images:

The small animals could easily be ignored-- for example--

After the guided hike, we returned to the small village for lunch served by the villagers.

The tide had gone out so, we waded in a disorganized queue toward the boats, which were anchored in water about waist high.

So, it's goodbye to another adventure.

A few notes

Wear insect repellent and sunscreen.

Wear comfortable walking shoes.

Be prepared for primitive toilets.

Be prepared for walking in shallow water.

Bring a water bottle.

Be prepared for a rough boat ride if you arrive in a motorized craft.

Bring whatever camera you are comfortable carrying--keeping in mind some animals are in high branches

As possible, encourage guides to leave the animals in their natural state. The guides are keen to please tourists and as you can see, they did display a tiny chameleon.

The official languages are Malagasy and French.

Link to our cruise and other ports of call.

Sponsor

Mind the Gap on AMAZON

An entertaining and educational introduction to British culture

Please check out my webpage to see if any of my books on psychology topics might be of interest.

Geoffrey W. Sutton suttong.com

Google Map of Nosy Be-

the Lokobe National Park is in the lower right corner of the island identified as "Lokobe Strict Reserve."

06 December 2023

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden South Africa

We visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden 25 November 2023 on a lovely Spring day. What's so impressive about this garden is the fantastic setting on a hillside with the majestic Table Mountain in the background.

We walked the paths and some of the trails, which are clearly marked.