South Africa is a country full of rich diversity and a soul that’s waiting to be explored. This is especially true for Johannesburg, a city full of hidden treasures and exceptional discoveries. Plus, you can take a car hire in Johannesburg and drive to some of the most amazing destinations within a 3-hour drive to get a real taste of South African culture, adventure, and traditions. If you’re looking for a short escape from the city and want to do something fun over the weekend.
1. The Cradle
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Myanmar (aka Burma) is changing fast and is now one of the "gotta-visit" places before it is too late. Tourism is now booming and things are changing fast. One are that is still of the radar of most tourist is the Irrawaddy Delta. Only Pandaw cruises can provide a comprehensive tour of the area.
The delta, which comprises nine main tributaries and a capillary system of smaller creeks and waterways, stretches over 10,000 square miles. Heavily populated, this water-logged maze has played a major
During a recent visit to Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, we became fascinated by the Mayan Culture and their spiritual history. In addition to the dozens of ancient pyramid-temple ruins that are spread throughout the area, there are also numerous revered underworld caves to explore.
The Rio Secreto (riosecreto.com) was a highly recommended tour company that specializes in a naturalist's approach to exploring these sacred caves as well as their religious significance, and int
“I walk on, once again, down these corridors, through these halls, these galleries, in this structure of another century, this enormous, luxurious, baroque hotel…”
That line, from French director Alain Resnais’ 1961 film classic Last Year at Marienbad, reintroduced many in the West to the magnificent Belle Époque spas enjoyed by the European élite in Bohemia (which then became the Czech Republic between World Wars I and II) before it fell under the shadow of Nazi Germany, then the
We are sitting with concierge Franco Milano on an evening in the beautiful, classic lounge of Naples' grand, waterfront Hotel Excelsior (Via Partenope 48). Cream-colored Roman shades have been lowered over the French doors and windows that line the room of this historic property. Soft light from antique Murano chandeliers spills over tall glass vases filled with white and fuchsia orchids. We're drinking Prosecco, the slightly effervescent white wine, while the elegant Franco, dressed in a dark
by Lee Howard
Cameraphones may be everywhere these days – they’re certainly convenient and their quality keeps improving rapidly. But if you’re off travelling to – and taking pictures of – interesting parts of the world, you still owe it to yourself to not leave your memories entirely to phones with all their limitations when DSLR cameras do the job so much better. And furthermore, even if you’re not a pro photographer – or even a dedicated amateur – you can still pull off some surprisingly fa
When was the last time you felt the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen next?
If you never leave your comfort zone, maybe it's been a while.
There’s some fun excitement in that mix of anticipation and anxiety that flips your stomach and makes your heart race.
Experts say it's easier to stay in our comfort zone where we feel comfortable. But by limiting ourselves to what we already know, we miss out on opportunities, life experiences, adventure, excitement, and personal growth. When we st
If you compare various hotels in Italy, Sicily offers tourists really unique by their stylish hotels. Sicilians honor history and therefore living in hotels on this island is a great opportunity for ordinary tourists to find themselves in the old castles or cells of an ancient monastery. Each hotel is interesting in its own way, but we will tell about the most famous and unusual ones.
NB! In order to get to the certain hotel you need to ask for the car hire service at Catania airport
We couldn’t have picked our time to stay in Mai Chau any better. After spending time in some of the major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the lure of lush green rice fields and rolling mountains was just the tonic.
Vietnam is a relatively flat country, with only a few regions boasting mountains. On a trip that has so far seen the smog of the city, the fierceness of an ocean being swept up by a typhoon thousands of kilometres away, and the serenity of the Mekong, staying in the mountains o
After writing scores of articles about ocean cruises, we decided to see what motivates vacationers to take European river cruises. We are glad we did.
So Much to Choose From
There are endless selections of river cruise itineraries on the internet, so we sought the guidance of three prominent river cruise companies in Europe – Amway, Uniworld, and Viking.
Viking River Cruises Comes Through
Viking River Cruises was most generous with their public relations department and customer service time, so we s
Located 120 kilometers south of Cancun, Akumal is a place of virgin beaches with crystal clear water, natural areas and hundreds of turtles that thrive in this area, protected by national authorities. Akumal is one of the calmest places on the Mayan Riviera, 37 km from the Riviera's main city, Playa del Carmen, and the preferred place for those seeking to enjoy nature and the quiet conditions, ideal for diving.
It is as easy to see sea turtles in Akumal as it is for turtles to see humans swimming
We boarded our ship in Buenos Aires, and the cruise would take us right around South America around the famous … or infamous … Cape Horn to Valpariaso.
I thought of the old sea shanty ‘Paddy Lay Back’:
‘… for we’re bound for Valparaiso round the Horn’
Then I remembered more words of the same ditty:
‘ … half the crew were spewing o’er the ship’s side
And the other half were spewing over me’.
Happily, such conditions didn’t happen on this cruise. We called at Punta del Este, Puerto Madryn and Port S
One of the most vibrant and popular destination in Asia, Singapore is renowned for its cleanliness and a garden city with unique cultural fusion of Malay, Indian, Chinese and European immigrants. The city is clean, efficient and safe city because of its laws, enforced strictly for people to follow. However, the different racial groups in the city that retain their own religious and cultural identity including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism, sometimes cause confusion and confl
Latvia has quite the roller-coaster history, controlled by powers including Lithuania, Sweden, and Russia, until the birth of a new republic in 1918. Then of course it fell back under Soviet Russian subjugation until the rebirth of a new independent republic in 1991.
I first visited its capital, Riga, that very year, and found it to be a delapidated but handsome – and slowly reawakening – gem. Now, on having recently marked a quarter century of re-established independence, it’s positively bo
Tahiti is a goldmine for divers of all skill levels. It has something to offer for everyone and anyone. The dive sites here are some of the best in the world and mostly unspoiled. Tahiti is located in the southern Pacific Ocean, and is home to thousands of varieties of marine life and beautiful Coral Reefs.
These are the spots I liked the best:
Moorea
Moorea is located within the heart of French Polynesia, and is a fantastic place to visit if you are daring and love to try new things. What is the m
by Miguel Martínez Rabanal
If everyone’s a little Irish today on St. Patrick’s Day, you could maybe also say that everyone’s a little Spanish, too. That’s because the culture that has made Ireland as well as Scotland and Wales what they are came didn’t originate there, but in Bronze Age Central Europe in the second millennium BC – and recent genetic studies have confirmed that the migrations of the Celtic tribes led them first to the Iberian Peninsula, centuries before some headed back north to
Astride the coast of the Aquitaine region and France’s Basque Country, the country’s southwesternmost city (just 19 kilometres/12 miles from the Spanish border) has been one of its most famous seaside resorts since the mid-19th century. And still strongly flavoured with the Belle-Époque/Art Deco elegance of its heyday, Biarritz continues to attract a interesting mix of upmarket bourgeoisie with conventioneers – and increasingly in recent years, a younger, more boho crowd which has been making
Nothing wrong with joining the crowds at Maho Bay to stand about five feet under jumbo jets coming in for a landing (what could possibly go wrong?), but I have a new pet attraction in Dutch Sint Maarten: Parotte Ville. It's really three attractions, because it includes an immense walk-in aviary for parrots, a heritage museum, and a medicinal herb garden.
I was amused to learn that the visionary behind Parotte Ville is a man named George Parotte, but this shouldn't have surprised me. After all,
While the Mexican Riviera boasts many stellar lodging options, over on the Pacific coast near Puerto Vallarta, Velas Vallarta Resort has the distinct advantage of offering you an intriguing balance of sybaritic retreat conveniences with plenty of opportunities for genuine cultural immersion.
With Playa El Salado right out front, downtown only a ten-minute ride away, 18-hole Marina Vallarta Golf Course within walking distance, and the airport literally five minutes away, Velas Vallarta is in quite
Savvy travelers know that the best restaurants are the ones where the locals eat. So when the fam and I took an off-season trip to Ocean City, MD, the good folks at the Dunes Manor Hotel & Suites had two very appealing recommendations for us: Embers Buffet and 28th Street Pit-n-Pub BBQ.
- It’s Ocean City’s first and largest all-you-can-eat prime rib and seafood buffet.
- The family that owns Embers has been operating restaurants in OC for over 70 years.
- The buffet offers dishes that include l
