Category: Africa

Traveling in Africa can be an exciting and rewarding experience for adventurous travelers. With its diverse range of cultures, landscapes, and wildlife, Africa offers a unique and unforgettable travel experience. Visitors can explore ancient historical sites, such as the pyramids of Egypt or the ruins of Zimbabwe or embark on a safari adventure to witness the continent’s incredible wildlife, including the “Big Five” animals – lions, elephants, leopards, rhinoceroses, and Cape buffalos. Africa also boasts some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, such as those in the Seychelles and Zanzibar. However, travelers should also be aware of the potential risks and challenges of traveling in Africa, such as political instability, disease outbreaks, and safety concerns. It is important to research the specific countries and regions to be visited, and to take necessary precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. Shown below are the places we’ve visited in this incredible continent.

Uganda Safari – November 2022

Donna and I embarked on a thrilling Ugandan safari adventure with Gate 1, accompanied by a group of 13 individuals and three seasoned tour guides: Chris, Paul, and Enoch. Our expedition featured a mix of land and water-based safaris, but the absolute highlight was trekking through the jungle to photograph gorillas in their natural habitat. Along the way, we also had the opportunity to explore Murchinson Falls and visit the Batwa Pygmy village, creating unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. After our safari journey, we extended our trip for an additional day in New York City, where we visited Rockefeller Center and Times Square before sharing a delightful lunch with our grandson Aydan.

Donna enjoying a beverage while on a river safari

Visiting Grandson Aydan on our stop in New York City on the way home from Uganda

Morocco Tour – November 2019

Donna & I went on a Gate1 tour of Morocco. It began in New York where we met Grandson Aydan and toured Times Square and the American Museum of Natural History. From there we flew to Casablanca, then onto Rabat and did a circular tour of the country. Some of the highlights included a sunset camel ride and overnight camp out in the Sahara Desert, a cooking class in Marrakesh, numerous visits to temples and marketplaces, and a horse-drawn carriage ride to a restaurant to witness a belly dancer. We visited several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ancient Roman city of Volubilis, a tannery, and drove over, around and through the Atlas Mountains. Our group included 22 people with our guide Moha who did an outstanding job explaining everything as we journeyed through the country. It was a wonderful trip, fun and educational.

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Visiting the American Museum of Natural History in New York City before flying to Morocco

Overlooking a town in northern Morocco where serious fires occurred in 2019

Malawi/Madagascar – March/April 2019

The trip to Malawi was to build a home for a family in Salima. Carey & Donna traveled with 4 other Habitat for Humanity of El Paso board members over 9,000 miles to work at this Global Village site. It was a very rewarding experience for all of us. We followed that adventure with a tour of Madagascar to see lemurs in the wild, along with the many other wonders in that country. This 21-day trip was a one-of-a-kind adventure that very few people have the opportunity to experience.

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Standing in the Madagascar Ocotillo cactus forest

Donna’s first interaction with the lemurs of Madagascar

Tanzania/Zanzibar Trip – September 2017

Our trip began in Philadelphia where we visited Audrey & Avery and spent a couple days touring the sites of Philly. Afterward we flew to Tanzania to begin our safari adventure. It included 8 safari game drives and 1 incredible balloon safari. We saw more animals than ever before and stayed in beautiful lodges along the way. The final leg of our journey was to Zanzibar where we rode a Dhow boat into the Zanzibar sunset.

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Champagne toast during our Serengeti balloon safari

Relaxing on a “dhow” (boat) cruise – Zanzibar, Tanzania

South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe – March 2014

An incredible journey through South Africa and 3 other countries. We took several game cruises and game drives, visited Victoria Falls and several African National Parks – Kruger, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, Chobe and Table Mountain. It was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken.

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Great view from the top of Table Mountain National Park, South Africa

Mediterranean Cruise – January 2007

It’s always fun to cruise in the Mediterranean. We visited several coastal cities in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. We visited the Coliseum in Rome, many of the famous temples in Athens, and the great pyramids and the Sphinx in Cairo, Egypt. This trip was on the infamous Costa Concordia ship that eventually sank along the coast of Italy in 2012.

On board the “infamous” cruise ship Costa Concordia

Kenya/Egypt – February 1990

This was a trip that Carol & I took. It began in Pennsylvania, then onto Amsterdam where we stayed for two nights. From there we flew to Nairobi, Kenya to begin our safari. We took several game drives throughout the Masai Mara, visited a Masai tribe and then drove to Mombasa, through parts of Tanzania. From there we flew to Cairo, visited the pyramids and the Spinx, then flew south to get on a cruise up the Nile. The cruise included several excursions to various temples along the route. The last stop was the Egyptian Museum back in Cairo. An incredible journey that will never be forgotten.