Grand Erg Occidental

The Grand Erg Occidental (also known as the Western Sand Sea) is the second largest erg in northern Algeria, behind the Grand Erg Oriental. This true desert region receives less than 25 cm (10 in) of rainfall per year. It contains no human villages and there are no roads through it.

Algeria, on Africa's Mediterranean coast, possesses some of the starkest but most beautiful landscapes on earth. Dominated in the north and south by mountain ranges and plateaux, and crossed by the Sahara Desert, it also has several of the largest inland sand dune systems in the world, including the Grand Erg Occidental and Grand Erg Oriental, the Great Western and Eastern sand seas.


In lowland basins, they are thought to be the remnants of ancient shallow seas or lakes. Unlike most of the Sahara, whose ground is a mixture of stones and pebbles, the ergs are the epitome of everyone's romantic image of deserts, with seemingly endless ranks of golden, knife-edged dunes marching into the distance .

There are no oases, so no-one can settle here and there are no roads or villages. A road skirts around the southern side of the erg, affording magnificent, if distant, views of the dunes and it is possible to travel a short way into the area from the beautiful oasis towns around its edge, like El Golea, Beni Abbes and Tarhit. Even a brief walk into this surreal landscape leaves visitors in awe of the scale of these giant natural sculptures and with a readjusted sense of their own importance.

Coral Reefs including the Eye of the Maldives

The Maldive Islands are located 480 km (300 mi) south west of Cape Cormorin, on the southern tip of India. Consisting of 26 large atolls containing 1,190 islands, they run 648 km (405 mi) from north to south, and 130 km (81 mi) east to west, a double chain lying within the central area. Only 200 of the islands are inhabited and, of these, some 88 are exclusive holiday resorts.

The geomorphology of the Maldivian islands is unusual. An atoll is a coral formation surrounding a circular lagoon, but these lagoons, many of which are very large, are dotted with other, smaller, ring shaped reefs, each surrounding its own sandy lagoon. These are known locally as "faros", and this formation is known as the Eye of the Maldives. Natural channels, allowing the free movement of fish and currents between the lagoons and the open sea, cut through each reef.

The islands are formed from coral sand, and are very low lying, averaging no more than 2 m (6 ft 6 in), with vegetation mainly consisting of coconut palms, and mangroves. Just take a look, however, beneath the surface of the turquoise sea and you will find glorious, dazzling coral gardens teeming with multi-coloured fish that are more curious than afraid of humans.

The diving and snorkelling here is the main attraction, and the exclusivity of many of its resorts, which appeals to the rich and famous. Long term, the Maldives are under threat. Climate change is already adversely affecting the coral, which can only thrive at temperatures from 24 to 27 ํC (75 to 81 ํF), and the natural phenomena of El Nino and La Nina has caused severe bleaching to some of the formations.

Sea levels are also rising, and although preventative work is being done, it seems that these fairy tale coral islands will surely slip beneath the surface of the sea in the not too distant future. Tourism is the main source of revenue here, so much so that, whilst happy to sell alcohol to tourists, all luggage is X-rayed on arrival and any alcohol discovered is confiscated and returned only on departure.

Lake Chad

One of the world's great lakes is disappearing. Lake Chad (in French Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow lake in Africa.


Fifty years ago Lake Chad was the fourth largest lake in Africa and covered an area in express of 25,000 sq km (9,650 sq mi), mostly in the far west of Chad but also extending into the neighbouring countries of Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. Believed to be a remnant of a former inland sea, at its largest around 4,000 BC it measured some 400,000 sq km (154,000 sq mi).

Today, however, as a result of reduced rainfall and desertification combined with increased demand for the lake's water, the area of the lake has been dramatically reduced to less than 1,000 sq km (386 sq mi), and it is now entirely within the bofders of Chad. Lake Chad gave its name to the country of Chad. The name Chad is a local word meaning "large expanse of water".

The lake, which has an average depth of only 1.5 m (5 ft) and is a mere 7 m (23 ft) at its deepest, has many islands and mudflats within it and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including fish, crocodiles, waterfowl and shore birds. It is surrounded by swampy vegetation mostly made up of reeds and papyrus, which is used to make canoes.

Some of the islands are inhabited and used as bases for fishing, though the annual fish catch from the lake is about 20 per cent of what it was 40 years ago. The lake is a vital resource for the 10 million people living in the area, yet while there are various ambitious schemes to divert river water into the lake, it is by no means impossible that Lake Chad will have completely dried up by the end of this century.

Found at the intersection of four different countries in West Africa (Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon,) Lake Chad has been the source of water for massive irrigation projects.

Niokolo-Koba National Park

The Niokolo-Koba National Park (fr. Parc National du Niokolo Koba PNNK) is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in south eastern Senegal near the Guinea-Bissau border.






One of the largest national parks in West Africa, Niokolo-Koba National Park is situated in the south east of Senegal and is famous for its diverse wildlife. The park, which covers an area of over 9,000 sq km (3,474 sq mi), is home to over 80 different mammal species, including lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, hippos and hyenas, as well as some 30 types of reptile and over 300 different bird species.



The landscape throughout the park is generally flat, the varied vegetation includes savannah, forests, lakes and marshes. The park is well watered as the Gambia River, along with its tributaries, the Niokolo-Koba and the Koulountou, runs though it. Included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1981, the park is also an international biosphere reverve.

Today many of the large mammals are under threat from poaching, the numbers of leopards and elephants - the only herds remaining in Senegal have shown significant decreases in recent years. The park's future is further threatened by several dam schemes and a road project which are under consideration in the area.

While more tourists have been visiting the park of late, the numbers are still fairly modest due to the park's relative remoteness and its distance from Dakar, the capital. Potential visitors to the park may need to be reminded that, as in many wildlife reserves, though you will almost certainly see animals such as antelope and buffalo at Niokolo-Koba, sightings of lions or elephants, for example, are by no means guaranteed.

Waza National Park

A vast area of plains and woods, where myriads of birds and animals can be observed

Waza National Park is a vast, remote area in the far North Province of Cameroon. Situated on the edge of the Sahel, between Chad and Nigeria, these flat acacia plains lie to the south of Lake Chad's floodplain, and are only accessible from mid-November to mid-June due to summertime flooding.



The park, which is an area of about 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres), was listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1982. It consists of a forested area, and huge expanses of feathery grasslands and seasonal marshes, making it home both to forest and savannah animals, as well as permanent and migrating birds.

This is probably the best place in Central Sfrica to observe wildlife, and in late spring, when only a few waterholes remain, a constant parade of fabulous animals arrive in search of water and shade, finding moments of much needed relief from the blistering sun.

The plains are teeming with animals - giraffe, antelope, hyena, cheetah, serval, warthog, elephants and lions. A multitude of birds can be seen here, as both African and Palearctic migrants are attracted by the habitat. Some 397 species have been sighted, including raptors such as griffon vultures, eagles, goshawks and buzzards, flocks of cranes, storks and egrets, and many species of migrant ducks and waders.

Needless to say, Waza National Park suffers from poaching. Unfortunately there are very few guards, making it impossible to secure the entire area, even with extra funding given by the World Wildlife Fund and the Netherlands IUCN Committee.

Visit as part of an organized tour or bring your own 4 wheel drive vehicle. Whatever way you travel, you are bound to see a wealth of marvellous creatures roaming these golden plains.

The park is open to visitors from 15 November to 15 June. A guide is compulsory in each vehicle that enters the park. While there is no accommodation in the park, visitors can camp near the entrance, or at the tiny village of Waza, north of the park entrance. Access to the park itself might be tricky.

Late March to April is the best time for viewing, as the animals congregate at water holes before the rains.

Siwa Oasis

Siwa Oasis is one of Egypt's isolated settlements, with 23,000 people, mostly ethnic Berbers[2] who speak a distinct language of the Berber family known as taSiwit. Its fame lies primarily in its ancient role as the home to an oracle of Amon, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction and gave the oasis its name.







Agriculture is the main activity of modern Siwi, mostly dates and olives, supplemented by handicrafts (like basketry).[2] Tourism has in recent decades become a vital source of income. Much attention has been given to creating hotels that use local materials and play on local styles.

The Siwan people have their own culture and customs and, as well as speaking Arabic, we speak own Berber (Amazigh) language. Women still wear traditional costumes and silver jewelers and Siwa remains one of the best places to buy traditional local handicrafts.

This remote oasis in the Western Desert, on the edge of the Great Sand Sea, only a few miles from the Libyan border and 550 km (342 mi) west of Cairo, has provided a place of refuge for many thousands of years. It is set in a depression 82 km (52 mi) long and 9-28 km (5.5-17 mi) wide.

The average depth is 18 m (60 ft) below sea level. More than 1,000 slightly saline springs bring water through the sandstone rock to the surface here, and there are three major saltwater lakes. The slightly saline water allows the area's inhabitants to grow olives and dates, and lush, dense groves of these occupy the floor of the depression.

Several of the springs can be bathed in, and their mineral waters are reputed to have medicinal qualities. A favourite is the Cleopatra Bath, where the water bubbles up from the ground into a deep pool. However, bathing in the lake belonging to the Oracle, which was famously visited by Alexander the Great, is regarded as sacrilegious.

The mountains and hills that lie within the oasis have caves in which people have lived or buried their dead and these may be reached via numerous tracks that wind through the landscape, offering views over this beautiful, peaceful landscape.

Although technology is beginning to make its presence felt here and tourism is growing, Siwa is in large part an unspoiled., serene refuge, where the local' cultural heritage is respected and maintained.

Olduvai Gorge

One of the most significant prehistoric sites in the world, the Olduvai Gorge is located in northern Tanzania, at the border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park. The steep sided gorge is about 48 km (30 mi) long and is situated on a series of fault lines, which, thanks to centuries of erosion, have yielded an unequalled treasure trove of fossilized bones, teeth, tools, flora and fauna.



The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles (48 km) long. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, commonly called Oldupaai.

The land is now semi-desert, but thousands of years ago it was covered with lush forest, fed by streams flowing into the Olduvai Lake. Successive layers of volcanic ash and stones covered the area, but exposed fossil deposits show seven distinct layers, covering a time span from about 2.1 million to 15,000 years ago.

Louis and Mary Leakey began excavations here in the 1950s, and work continues to this day. The earliest discoveries showed that primitive hominids lived here in small camps, hunting for food and using stone tools made of flakes of basalt and quartz. These tools were named Oldowan as this is the first site in which they were ever found.

The skeletal remains of various early hominids have been found here, up to and including one complete skeleton of Homo sapiens, dated to 17,000 years ago. Possibly the greatest discovery of all was made by Mary Leakey, when she found fossilized footprints dating to 3.75 million years ago, proving that our prehuman ancestors walked in an upright position.

On the edge of the gorge is a museum, founded by Mary Leakey in the late 1970s, and centred around the paleoanthropological artefacts discovered in the area. Some 20 years later it was renovated and added to by the J. Paul Getty Museum. The discoveries at Olduvai Gorge have been instrumental in furthering our understanding of early human evolution.