Tag: Africa

Cape Town: Africas Most Popular International Tourist Destination

Among the many destinations in Africa, Cape Town draws in the most number of international tourists. The city, located at the northern end of Cape Peninsula, is widely regarded as one of the most breathtaking destinations on the planet. In addition, vacationers are treated to balmy summers, and gentle winter seasons, making trips to Cape Town any time of the year enjoyable. Another reason to visit the city is that it is one of the most affordable destinations in the world, taking into account factors such as food, alcohol, transportation, entertainment and accommodation.

Finding a place to spend the night in is not a problem owing to the fact that Cape Town accommodation capacity in total is around 30,000 rooms in almost 3,000 establishments. If you are travelling on a budget or simply don’t want to spend too much on your trip, bed and breakfast in Cape Town would be your best bet. Though affordable, you can expect excellent and friendly service from any bed and breakfast in Cape Town. A number of them can be found in the city’s center, placing you at a walking distance to some of the region’s best uptown shopping, clubbing, and dining establishments.

If you want a more laid-back atmosphere the suburbs can provide you that much needed recluse. Accommodations situated at the Blaauwberg coast will treat you to spectacular views of Table Mountain, Cape Town’s most prominent landmark. Cape Town’s accommodation facilities are individually assessed by the city’s tourism bureau to ensure they meet quality standards.

Local and international tourists are treated to Cape Town’s numerous offerings. Beach and aquatic sport aficionados will surely love Cape Town’s numerous beach resorts, majority of which hold a Blue Flag certification signifying these destinations passed the Foundation for Environmental Education’s stringent standards. Due to the city’s unique geography, it is quite possible for you to visit several of these beaches in one day.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is another frequented location in Cape Town. The assortment of shopping and amusement facilities surrounded by dramatic sea and mountain vistas is sure to keep every tourist busy and looking for more. The Two Oceans Aquarium is likewise located at the V&A waterfront. Gastronomes will surely delight in the city’s impressive selection of dining establishments which serve regional delicacies as well as international cuisine, and wine made from home-grown grapes. Truly, bed and breakfast cape town is one place you should visit at least once in your lifetime.

Egypt Classical Tours – Types Of Cruises You Ought To Know

People love to hop on a large boat and cruise to an exotic location (often times more than one exotic location) as their vacation or getaway. This is probably due to the fact cruises provide many different opportunities which resorts or hotels don’t.

Food is one attractant for people. A cruise provides breakfast, lunch and dinner but they also have midnight buffets, afternoon snack buffets, ice cream bars and 24-hour room service available. Food is basically available round the clock. You will find casual and formal meals. Big or private meals – of course, depending on the cruise line you choose will determine the quality of the food. You should keep in mind that numerous of the cruise ships are feeding roughly 2000 people 10 meals daily!

Other people like the entertainment that’s available. Most cruise lines run full scale production shows, have bands play, integrate other special shows such as magic or puppet for the children. The Disney Cruise line provides meals with Disney characters and special entertainment tailored directly for the younger crowd. Many cruise ships even have floating casinos.

Cruises offer one-stop-shopping. A cruise offers variety. You can take one flight and get on one boat yet visit as many as seven different islands or locations. To go to that many islands by plane after which stay in a different hotel at each location would be not just expensive but not much fun.

There is a cruise line available to fit every need of every individual. Below are a few of the things that make each line unique.

Carnival Cruises provides something for everyone and is great for the first time cruiser. There are many different ships available that depart from many different ports across the country. Land and sea prices are available for those who need to fly to a port of departure.

Celebrity Cruises is a higher end cruise line. They have a sophisticated AquaSpa on board as well as a unique art collection offered on their Galaxy ship. They’ve acquired a 5-star rating for their cuisine (not food but cuisine) and consist of an in-cabin entertainment and information center.

Radisson Seven Seas, Seaborn Cruises and Windstar Cruises provide a little more luxury than even the Celebrity line. The Radisson offers ultimate luxury by sailing smaller ships which have solely suites offered. In addition they offer unique destinations for example Tahiti, French Polynesia, Antarctica, the Mediterranean, and Europe. The Windstar ships all have romantic trimasted ships and sail to the Caribbean, The Americas, the Greek Isles and Europe.

Regardless of what you’re wanting to get from a vacation, may it be entertainment, relaxation, fantastic food, or variety, a cruise provides all of that at a great price. The next time you’re planning a vacation, do not disregard that great big boat out in the harbor.

Learn more about Egypt Tours. Stop by Our site where you can find out all about Egypt Golf Tours and what it has in store for you.
 

Touring the Great Egyptian Pyramids

Pyramid Tours – Explore the Funerary Complexes of the Pharaohs

In ancient Egypt the desire for eternity was the driving force behind the construction of the pyramids, the bold scale and technical mastery of which continues to be a source of wonder.

Built as tombs for kings and sometimes queens, these world-celebrated monuments did not stand in isolation, but were designed as part of funerary complexes that included shrines and temples, where priests would summon the spirits of the royalty and make offerings to ensure their immortality.

Between 2700 and 1640 B.C., a great number of these gripping structures were constructed and, although many have since been reduced to rubble, lots of examples nonetheless survive today.

Imhotep’s Step Pyramid

The first master Egyptian pyramid builder was an architect by the name of Imhotep. Around 2680 B.C., he was commissioned to build a tomb for the pharaoh Djozer, and, as was habitual, work commenced during the monarch’s lifespan.

Imhotep started by building a tomb in the form of a traditional mastaba. These were long flat rectangular buildings, built of sun-baked mud bricks, with walls standing around 12 feet high.

The name mastaba derives from the Arabic “bench,” on account of the tomb’s similarity to a long stone seat typically found outside Egyptian homes in later times.

The advanced Imhotep, however, used stone as his medium and continued to add to the tomb until he had created a six-layered, stepped pyramid, standing 200 feet high. The result was the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the first monument in Egypt to be made wholly out of hewn stone.

The vast disbursement and labor involved in its construction is a clear demonstration of the considerable power exercised by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.

Imhotep, who also appears to have been a scholar and physician, was held in such great respect that he was worshipped as a god after his death. His superb achievement still stands today at the ancient site of Memphis, south of Cairo.

The Pyramids of Giza

Viator

By the fourth dynasty (approximately 2600 B.C. to 2500 B.C.) the Egyptians had perfected their fantastical architectural skills enabling them to construct the most prominent and famous of the Egyptian Pyramids, those at Giza.

Unlike the Step Pyramid, the Giza Pyramids – known as Khufu Khafre and Mycerinus – were of true pyramidal form and were originally constructed with smooth white limestone faces. Such was the wonder they inspired that they were considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The largest of the Egyptian Pyramids at Giza, named after and built for the pharaoh Khufu, who ruled between 2589 B.C. and 2566 B.C., stands 481 feet high.

Its construction was an immensely costly business, involving many thousands of skilled workers (not slaves) over a period of some 20 years. The monument contains around two and a half million blocks of stone, whose average weight is more than two and a half tons, with some weighing as much as fifteen.

Most of the stone used was locally quarried limestone. Granite, a much harder stone, was also used for the construction of the burying chambers and internal passages. This was brought by river a distance of more than 500 miles from quarries in Aswan in the south. The stones were then dragged into place by means of ramps.

Standing next to Khufu are the later Egyptian pyramids of Khafre (471 feet high) and Mycerinus (204 feet). The Khafre funerary complex is also home to the famous limestone statue of the Sphinx, the oldest and largest of the many images of man-headed lions.

The Giza Sphinx

Besides the Pyramids, another popular feature on Giza Pyramids tours is the Sphinx and the Temple of the Sphinx.This human headed lion was originally built in honor of the sun god Re-Horakhty. Is your curiosity piqued by the Sphinx’s missing nose? No, the ancient Egyptians didn’t have a sense of humor. What is believed to be the cause of the missing nose is that bored soldiers once used the Sphinx as target practice. (The culprits have been suggested to be anyone from World War I British troops, to Napoleon’s army, to even Turks of the old era)

 

Are You Ready to Tour the Pyramids?

Egypt is home to some remarkable pyramids and our experts can help you plan the elemental tour of the many pyramid sites throughout the country. Come and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime on  Egypt Pyramids Day Tours!

Ready for the Vacation of a Lifetime?

I am a fairly seasoned traveler, not crazy, but I have been around. But when I decided to go to Africa, I was out of my league. I have never been in such a magical place, additionally, I never felt like a neophyte traveler. The reason I am blogging about it is to help you not make the same mistakes I did.

But I wanted to go on an Africa vacation in the worst way, and I am nothing short of determined.

Okay, here goes. First, do your research, it is a huge country with much to see. So go online and plan your trip, there are so many great sites to guide you. Next, you don’t need to get shots, I’m not a doctor but when I got their and started talking to tourist from Europe, they pretty much laughed at me when I told them I got shots.

Now lets talk about hotels. There are beautiful boutique hotels in South Africa along Long Beach. Speaking of Long Beach, it’s the most beautiful 2 ½ miles of beach I have ever seen. The drive to Chapman’s Peak is frightening because there are no guard rails but it truly is stunning. Now, if you go to Africa, you must go to Boulders Beach. This is an experience of a life time because Boulders Beach is home to a large family of penguins. What is really great is that you can actually swim with them. This is not Sea World, this is where they live and they do not mind you joining them for a dip, in fact, they love it.

Finally, if you like wine, even if you don’t, you must go to Stellenbosch, it is some of the beautiful country in the world. Once their, you can pretty much bounce from vineyard to vineyard like Napa or Burgundy. The difference is, these are some of the most unique architecture and unspoiled landscape I’ve even set foot on. So take my advise, do your homework, and say hi to the penguins.

If you really want to live life, you must experience an Africa vacation! It will change the way you look at everything thereafter! Promise.