Africa

We have used 'Africa' in our portfolio to head up all the countries south of those bordering the Mediterranean which, in practical terms, means sub-Saharan Africa. Morocco, for example, exists under its own heading because the flavour and culture of the country are something different and perhaps more Mediterranean in character than Kenya, Zambia or Namibia.

Africa, for Global Artichoke then encompasses Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa.

The equator passes (from East to West) through Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and on into the Congo with the other sub-Saharan countries being varying degrees into the southern hemisphere until one reaches Cape Town which is roughly as far south as Cyprus and southern Spain are to the north. Roughly speaking, this means that when we are in winter, Africa is in summer.

Time-wise, because one travels almost due South to reach Africa, there is very little clock adjustment to make and this eases the strain of travelling considerably. Namibia and Cape Town are GMT +1 and most of the rest of Africa is GMT +2.

Winter and summer mean slightly different things on the Dark Continent because the weather systems in play are different to those we have at home:
In East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), the Long Rains arrive during the period from March to May and the Short Rains fall in November (but can be as early as October or as late as December). The Short Rains can be a very pleasant time to go but the Long Rains tend to make transit difficult. In the bush, safari operations tend to close during the Long Rains and re-open in June.
Mozambique experiences rainfall in the same way as the UK (highest in January, lowest in August) but the temperatures are the opposite, rising to 86 degrees in January but falling as low as 60 degrees in July. In general, the Indian Ocean coastline of Africa remains cool in the sea breeze and is subject to brief rainfalls at any time of the year. Zambia remains at roughly the same temperature all year but experiences its rain between November and April (around 300mm per month between January and March). Namibia does not get much rain at all (350mm a year) but what it gets falls between December and March and the temperature is pretty constant too (around 30 degrees Centigrade) but dips slightly around July. Cape Town is warmest in February and the highest rainfall is in June - but this is still very low.

International entry points are at Nairobi (8 hours from London), Dar es Salaam (10 hours from London), Johannesburg (11.5 hours from London) and Lusaka (10 hours from London) and from here one will normally be required to take another flight onto one's destination.

Nairobi stages for Kenya and the northern Tanzanian destinations. Dar es Salaam services Zanzibar and the inland Selous and Ruaha National Parks and the northern Mozambique destinations such as Vamizi. Johannesburg is the main entry point for all of Southern Africa - southern Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa (on to Cape Town). Lusaka is Zambia's international airport and is handy for Vic Falls and the Luangwa Valley, Botswana's Okovango Delta and travelling onward to Malawi.

It is worth considering the tiring effect of travelling in this way and together with the effects of temperature change and altitude (Nairobi is at 5,500ft) it is often wise to spend a night acclimatising before heading off into the bush and what is a fairly tiring safari. One night resting on arrival can help one to enjoy one's safari much more.

Please see more detailed information about each specific African country under the link at the top-right of each hotel and villa page.

Global Artichoke's Africa

Global Artichoke love Africa very much and between honeymoons, Raleigh International and travelling extensively in southern and east Africa (and helping to build lodges in Botswana and Malawi) we have seen quite a bit of what the continent has to offer.

There are a great many lodges and hotels to choose from in every African destination and Global Artichoke are always travelling, looking at what is new and checking up on what is old - managers change, lodges are sold, new laws are passed and natural patterns alter.

A safari for a first-timer has different requirements from the one for a seasoned hand and in a country where the main draw is unspoilt nature, everyone's different degrees of Demophobia have to be taken into consideration. A game drive can be considered the most wonderful thing but surely a walking safari is the purists preference...?

For me, nothing surpasses a walking safari with an expert guide. The smells and touch of plant and rock bring the experience alive and there is nothing like a close encounter with any of the 'Big 5' (or the 'much larger in real life 50') to get one's blood pumping. We have had memorable lion encounters at Abu's Camp and Tafika, heart pounding buffalo moments at Shompole and a hippo charge, again at Tafika.