The Coast
It sometimes seams as if the Swahili Coast is not part of Kenya at all. The culture of the Coast is a unique mix of African Bantu and Arab Muslim influences, a combination created by Arab traders who arrived on the Kenyan Coast before the 7th Century. By the 12th Century, permanent settlements were formed, and the Arabs took root. Arab men took African women as wives, and the Swahili people were born. Of course communication was necessary, so Kiswahili arose from the mixing of Africans tribal tongues and the traders Arabic.
The Coast is a main attraction for travelers. The white sand beaches are a beautiful place to dive, snorkel, or just relax. There are beaches just north and south of Mombasa, the capital of the Kenyan Coast. The best beaches, however, are farther north, near Malindi and Watamu National Marine Parks, and farther north still to the island of Lamu. The cities and towns themselves are attractions, ancient towns that emanate history and culture.
Related Travel Information
Cape Coast
You can lie on the beach and enjoy delicious seafood and relax yourself here. It's also a good base for drives along the coast or for visits to nearby Portuguese beach fortresses. It's an interesting place to visit and contains the grave of British poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon. Cape Coast hosts a major festival, the Pan African Historic Theatre Festival (also known as Panafest), in odd-numbered years. Music, dance, drums and stage performances celebrate the cause of Pan-Africanism. Cape Coast is also a good base for visiting the lush rain forest of the Kakum Nature Reserve.
CLIMATE In Angola
Angola's climate varies considerably from the coast to the central plateau and even between the north coast and the south coast. The north, from Cabinda to Ambriz, has a damp tropical climate. The region that begins a little to the north of Luanda and extends to Mocamedes, the Malanje region, and the eastern strip has a moderate tropical climate. Damp conditions prevail south of Mocamedes, dry conditions in the central plateau zone, and a desert climate in the southern strip between the plateau and the frontier with Namibia. There are two seasons: a dry, cool season from June
South Africa: Natural beauty
The variety of scenic landscapes is fascinating as well, ranging from burnt-out deserts and arid savannahs through idyllic green rolling hills and fertile valleys to dramatically shaped alpine mountains with snow-covered peaks. A couple of thousands of kilometres of coastline hem the country. Rough, melancholy and harsh in the west, the beaches on the east coast are mild and Mediterranean, and the north-east coast is tropically warm.
The great variety opens up innumerable ways to spend a holiday. Enjoy leisurely walks in the lovely mountains of the Winelands, a beach run on the wild Atlantic coast, fly-fishing for
Dakhla
About 550 km south of El ayoune on the Atlantic Coast is the town of Dakhla (ed-Dakhla). This town was a Spanish outpost in colonial days. Today it doesn’t have a lot to attract visitors except for the possibility of crossing the Mauritanian border. This is where you get your paperwork done and say hello to real adventure: fear of land-mines make traveling down the coast a unique experience. The atmosphere is military here, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the company of soldiers and have to explain your presence a couple of times.
Arrive one or
Mahajanga
Mahajanga is a city on the north-west coast of Madagascar. Great beaches and lots of interesting hikes in the area. There are many nice colonial buildings here and the town somehow has an oriental atmosphere.
Mahajanga province covers an area of 150,023 km². It has a population of 1,733,917 (July, 2001).
