Cape Town’s scenic beauty is legendary. It is regularly featured among the most beautiful cities in the world, with pictures showing it nestling at the foot of majestic Table Mountain. The southeasterly

I have rarely found myself thinking more deeply about the concept of democratic election and what exactly it is that a vote means. In my own country, South Africa, the trade unions, with support from the

There we were, joining young people in a wild dance in the forecourt of the old Mafia villa near Naples. It was weird to know that right there in that same place some people might have had less happy

South Africa counts among the world’s most biodiverse countries, after Brazil and Indonesia. Its scenic beauty must surely put it right up there with the best as well. These are just a few randomly selected

The road curving up the Drakensberg is scenic but treacherous. It is why adventure travellers call it The Mother of South African Passes. The 19 kilometre stretch of road is named Sani Pass and takes traffic

Knysna is one of the prettiest towns on South Africa’s Garden Route, which runs along part of the country’s South Coast. But it was a sad picture that met me when I arrived there a while back. I haven’t

There I was riding the Tail of the Dragon and I had no idea I was doing so. The section of forest road high up the Appalachians where I entered the 2 400-kilometre-long mountain range in North Carolina

Look into a cheetah’s eyes and somehow the sensation sticks. There is a haunting beauty there, as there is something old and sad. It is an experience not easily forgotten. This is the world’s fastest land

Staffarda Abbey stands there all by its lonesome self on the plain of Italy’s Piedmont. It is almost as if the grand old building, now nearly eight centuries old, got left behind by time as it continued

Dusk was falling when we entered Yellowstone National Park. The crescent moon hanging just above the outline of the western mountains added to our expectation. It is very much for reason of Earth’s heaving

Looking back on 2016 and wondering what 2017 had in store, I thought that had I been an astrologer I would have been hard put right now trying to figure out what the stars are up to up there. Radical changes

Walking under the desert sky is fast becoming a favourite activity in Dubai. The trend has come with the appearance of some excellent walkways in various parts of town. This is a sea change for the desert

The old elephant bull was a sight to behold. So impressive he was that he got crowned king on two counts. Hail to the king. The first was his regal bearing that already in his prime earned him the name

Travel and weather are close associates. Ask anybody about their holiday and the answer will most likely be the weather was fantastic or terrible, or some such. That says whether it was a success or not.

There comes a point on visiting Dubai when one stops staring after every Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati roaring past and every Bentley and Rolls Royce gliding regally by. With the Bugatti parked at the

If castles could talk, La Castiglia overlooking the picturesque north-western Italian town of Saluzzo would have had remarkable tales to tell. Some would be about pride and glory, others about pain and

The ancient little village seems as if it could at any moment tumble from the high rock on which it is perched in the middle of an enormous gorge. It is indeed what has over the ages happened to many a

My knuckles were white on the steering wheel and my foot pressed down so hard on the accelerator I feared I might crash it through the floorboard of my little rented car. I had till moments before kept

Businesses and media outlets in Dubai suggested a range of places for best sightings of last night’s super moon: From the roofs of hotels, from some of the many tall buildings, from luxury boats out to

Rhinos are fabulous creatures to watch, and nowhere more so than in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. It is in this beautiful reserve in South Africa’s garden province of Kwazulu-Natal that the iconic species got pulled