Africa Things to Do Tips by tini58de

Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"These are among the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The Zambezi river, which is more than 2 km wide at this point, plunges noisily down a series of basalt gorges and raises an iridescent mist that can be seen more than 20 km away."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Those were the first huge waterfalls that I ever visited - and so it was something very special to me! It was also the first time that I spent lots of money to go on a flight over the falls, which I have never regretted one bit! It was even better than getting wet while walking near the falls!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/509.htm

Tunesia: Kairouan

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"Founded in 670, Kairouan flourished under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb's principal holy city. Its rich architectural heritage includes the Great Mosque, with its marble and porphyry columns, and the 9th-century Mosque of the Three Gates."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Kairouan was nice - but the same holds true as for Tunis - we had just seen too much during the four preceeding weeks, that I could not appreciate the beauty of this place as much as I should have.... !

Tunesia: Tunis

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"Under the Almohads and the Hafsids, from the 12th to the 16th century, Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. Some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, testify to this remarkable past."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Tunis was our last stop after four weeks of crossing the Sahara desert and seeing and experiencing more than we could remember! This might be the reason, why I just did not enjoy Tunis all that much - I had just seen so many fabulous things until then. I might have to return and make Tunis my first stop - who knows, if it will be just as beautiful as the UNESCO description suggests....?

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/36.htm

Mali: Bandiagara

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"The Bandiagara site is an outstanding landscape of cliffs and sandy plateaux with some beautiful architecture (houses, granaries, altars, sanctuaries and Togu Na, or communal meeting-places). Several age-old social traditions live on in the region (masks, feasts, rituals, and ceremonies involving ancestor worship). The geological, archaeological and ethnological interest, together with the landscape, make the Bandiagara plateau one of West Africa's most impressive sites."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

We did a hike down the "Fallaise", a real steep decline.... It was hot, it was dry, it was fascinating!!! Climbing up again to visit the old village of Tily was breathtaking in the true sense of the word, but also VERY fascinating!!!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/516.htm

Mali: Djenné

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenn? became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the centres for the propagation of Islam. Its traditional houses, of which nearly 2,000 have survived, are built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from the seasonal floods."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Mali is a fascinating country, that I fell in love with right away! Visiting Djenné was one of the most exciting days in Mali for me: we crossed the river in a piroge, went to Djenné, visited the fabulous mosque there and were even allowed to go to the roof! What a view!!! Especially since it was market day!!! For more impressions, please have a look at my Mali page!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/116.htm

Egypt: Saint Catherine Area

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"The Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine stands at the foot of the Mount Horeb of the Old Testament, where Moses received the Tablets of the Law. The mountain is known and revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa. The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Monastery, founded in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function. Its walls and buildings are very significant in the study of Byzantine architecture and the Monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape, containing numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments, forms a perfect backdrop for the Monastery."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

First of all: getting there was a fabulous adventure, because the landscape is fascinating! Then we got to stay overnight in the monastery, but it was a short night!! We got up at 4 a.m. to climb Djebel Musa and watch the sun rise. The climb was not my favourite activity and on top of it all, there was no real sunrise!!! And it was freezing cold!!! Still I would not want to miss it!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/954.htm

Egypt: Islamic Cairo

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"Tucked away amid the modern urban area of Cairo lies one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains. Founded in the 10th century, it became the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Cairo - what a huge city it was even back then! I was fascinated!! I especially loved strolling through those narrow streets of Islamic Cairo and felt like in a tale of 1001 nights!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/89.htm

Egypt: Abu Simbel

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"This outstanding archaeological area contains such magnificent monuments as the Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae, which were saved from the rising waters of the Nile thanks to the International Campaign launched by UNESCO, in 1960 to 1980."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

I can still remember the actual moving of the temple of Abu Simbel. It was in the media every day and I was so fascinated by it back then! Now, getting up early in the morning, driving through the desert in a taxi - which lasted hours - and then finally standing there in front of a gigantic temple - it really was breathtaking!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/88.htm

Egypt: Thebes

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee

"Thebes, the city of the god Amon, was the capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms. With the temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor, and the necropolises of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, Thebes is a striking testimony to Egyptian civilization at its height."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

Visiting Luxor and ancient Thebes, was almost too much to take in! These temples, ornaments, graves, the paintings and inscriptions - I was ready for a vacation after seeing all this!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/87.htm

Egypt: Memphis

This is the official brief description of the UNESCO committee:

"The capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World."

(quoted from the official UNESCO website)

Personal impression:

My trip to Egypt was a dream come true: I had heard so much about ancient Egyptian history, that standing there and seeing all this really was fabulous for me! I could very well understand why this place was one of the seven Wonders of the World!

Website: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/86.htm