Marrakech (aka Marrakesh) is an ancient city located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in the center of Morocco. It has the largest and oldest medina (walled city) in the country which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking through the narrow,...
In September 2025, I left New York City for a dream trip to Kenya and Madagascar. Before leaving, I alerted the U.S. State Department of where I would be, which meant I would receive emails about issues in either of those countries. Well, shortly after arriving in...
I discovered Amarula on a trip to South Africa back in the late 1990s, and I've loved it ever since. It's now available throughout the U.S. and many other countries. Amarula is made from the marula fruit, which is a yellow, plum-sized fruit with white flesh. it's rich...
I recently spent a little time in Nairobi on my way to Maasai Mara. (I was supposed to visit Madagascar as well, but political unrest there caused me to cancel that part of my trip.) Nairobi is a vibrant, busy, and cosmopolitan city with much to offer the visitor. If...
During my recent visit to Kenya, I stayed at three different 5-star hotels in order to be able to report on them. Here is my assessment of each. The lobby of the Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Sarova Stanley Hotel. This historic property is...
Lake Nakuru is a three-hour drive from Nairobi in Kenya and is famous for its flamingos. You have to be there at the right time of year to see huge flocks of the flamingos, however. By the time I was there in early October, many of them had already migrated away from...
My time in Kenya's Maasai Mara was nothing short of sublime. I hope these photos and videos will give you a taste of what it was like. Also check out my review of Entim safari camp in the Mara. A leopard in Maasai Mara. Photo by Melanie Votaw. A superb starling in...
A 30-minute flight with SafariLink from Wilson Airport in Nairobi dropped me at an airstrip near the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where my guide, Jamlick, picked me up and drove me to Entim Camp, a luxury safari accommodation within the Reserve. We drove through some...
People are fascinated by apes and monkeys, probably because they appear to be so human-like in many ways. Around the world, the variety, adaptations, and behaviors of these creatures will intrigue and fascinate any traveler. Here are 15 apes and monkeys around the...
Back in the day (1920s to 1940s), the port city of Tangier had a reputation for depravity, where everything and anything was available ... as long as you paid the price. Tangier is located in the Straits of Gibraltar, at the very tip of the African continent between...
Tea in the Sahara? Well, I didn't have tea, but I did enjoy myself in the remarkable desert of Morocco. It was a landscape out of the movies, and the bright colors worn by the guys leading the camels just made it all the more beautiful. A camel caravan in Morocco's...
I've seen the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas, but honestly, Morocco's Atlas Mountains may be the most beautiful range of them all. Judge for yourself! Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw....
Most Saharan Berbers are still living the same way they did 10 centuries ago in the Western Sahara and the Atlas Mountains. They are both a tourist attraction and an international lesson on “how to live in harmony with the land and the neighbors Allah gave you.” The...
Kruger National Park in South Africa - a name that resonates with the stampede of blue wildebeest, the trumpet of elephants nearby, or the call of the African fish eagle – offers an array of private lodges that promise experiences as diverse as the park's wildlife....
I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to the United Kingdom in 2009. After the pandemic, I could finally see my retired parents again. But on arriving in Cape Town, I discovered that I had caught COVID-19 and needed to isolate away from my parents and their...
How did we get here? How did the tools necessary for primitive humans to communicate with each other to survive, turn into one of the most beautiful art forms practiced by almost every culture known to man? Photo by Barbara Angelakis Initially communication consisted...
In Egypt, the ancient meets the modern more intensely than anywhere I’ve been on the planet. Besides the temples and hieroglyphs, you’ll see cars parked next to carriages drawn by horses or donkeys. You’ll see women in jeans walking next to women in full burkas with...
Chefchaouen, Morocco is one of the most picturesque hill towns in a country overflowing with picturesque cities and villages! We stopped to take photographs of the sparkling blue city from a distance, but the impact doesn't truly hit until you enter the city gates and...
While visiting Zimbabwe, we were lucky enough to be invited to spend one night at Somalisa Camp, located in the heart of the Hwange National Park that hosts more than 100 types of mammals and more than 400 bird species. Somalisa is called a bush camp, but it was much...