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The Seychelles is the only mid-ocean group of granitic islands in the world, the Seychelles was formed 600 million years ago when Gondwanaland broke up. A veritable Garden of Eden with its rare and unique flora and fauna, the islands protect more than 46 percent of its territory with conservation and natural reserves.
Its virgin beauty can be witnessed in the uncrowded white beaches, swaying palms, striking grey and pink boulders, untouched forests, bird sanctuaries, exotic hideaways and unspoilt underwater riches. Ecological treasures the Seychelles boast include the world’s smallest frog, the female Coco-de-Mer fruit, prehistoric beetles, the magpie robin, brush warbler, the white-throated rail, black parrot, giant tortoises, rare butterflies and flowers. If you are looking for a natural paradise, the Seychelles will more than satisfy you, it will astound you with its splendour.
CAPITAL:
Victoria
CLIMATE:
The Seychelles climate conditions in different areas can vary considerably, but in general the rainy season is Nov-Apr with high humidity and strong winds and the cool, dry season is May-Sep. Rainwear is required throughout the year.
CURRENCY:
1 Seychelles Rupee = 100 cents. Complete currency transactions at the airport for better rates than at banks. It’s illegal to exchange foreign currency with unauthorized money changers; penalties can be severe. All major credit cards are accepted. Pound Sterling traveller’s cheques are recommended. Only foreign currency is accepted in making payments in hotels, guesthouses and for other holiday-related expenses such as hiring of cars or boats, services of tour operators or travel agents, patronage of casinos and domestic transfers within the country. Incidental purchases or payments to restaurants outside hotels, for shopping (excluding duty-free shops) and taxi fares are payable in local currency. It’s illegal to enter or leave the country with more than 2000 Seychelles Rupees without authorisation.
ELECTRICITY:
240 volts, 50Hz. Plugs are 3-pin flat. Adaptors are provided by most larger hotels.
HEALTH:
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from infected areas or who have passed through partly or wholly endemic areas within the preceding 6 days. You are advised to take pre-arrival precautions against hepatitis A, polio and typhoid. Other health concerns are limited medical facilities, tetanus (recommended for rural areas), hookworm and other parasites (don’t walk barefoot) and influenza (risk extends throughout the year).
LANGUAGE:
The official languages are English and French. Seychellois is a mixture of Seselwa and French Creole.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
New Years’ Day (1 Jan); Good Friday (9 Apr); Easter Monday (12 Apr); Labour Day (1 May); Liberation Day (5 Jun); National Day (18 Jun); Independance Day (29 Jun); Assumption (15 Aug); All Saint’s Day (1 Nov); Immaculate Conception (8 Dec); Christmas Day (25 Dec)
SHOPPING:
Commercialised souvenirs; unique natural artifacts and craftwork e.g baskets, tableware and hats; Mother of Pearl, coral and shell rings and pendants; red and black coral necklaces; local wood boxes and walking sticks; paintings; jewellery; exotic local spices; strong black island tea; orchids dipped in gold. Polite bargaining is acceptable. NB: You need an official permit to purchase a Coco-de-Mer.
SOCIAL CONVENTIONS:
Religion is mainly Roman Catholic. Hand-shaking is the customary form of greeting. The Seychellois are very hospitable and welcome guests into their homes. Clothing is casual at dinner - for men, slacks and shirts are fine for the evening. Swimwear is only for the beaches. A shirt with a tie are suitable for business, no jackets are required.
TIME DIFFERENCE:
GMT +4
TIPPING:
Tipping is not expected at hotels, restaurants and in taxis as bills include a service charge.
TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS DESCRIPTION:
Mah
Tags: African, Gerald Crawford, Seychelles, Travel TipsAfrican, Gerald Crawford, Seychelles, Travel TipsShare This
When fall arrives, it saddens me somewhat because it indicates another travel season is over. Although, it hasn’t really made much difference in recent years because I’ve yet to get my butt out the door to all those fabulous destinations I want to visit.
I can blame only myself because I fail to prepare properly.
It’s like the huge trip I took with my sister and her family about 15 years ago. All my life I’ve wanted to go to California from my home in Ontario, Canada. I dreamed about it for years. Then one day, she announced that they planned a cross-country camping expedition and I was welcome to join them.
My dream was coming true. I was elated.
For the next four months, I focused all my energy on my job. When I wasn’t at work, I was watching television or doing some writing. Meanwhile, my sister was gathering information about the places we can visit while we’re there. Since we both are interested in nature, I left all the details up to her.
When it came time for the trip, however, I realized I hadn’t done any research whatsoever other than to glance through some of the books she brought home from the library. I hadn’t spent the necessary time working with her on the plans or even making any of my own.
If you’re planning to travel with your family, do your own research ahead of time. This might sound like common sense, but it was something I failed to do. As a result, I had some dissatisfaction with the tour. I hadn’t thought about the historic places and geological formations that would have been fascinating to visit, apart from the famous town of Tombstone, Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Fortunately, we did visit there, but I could have gotten more out of it if I’d done my own research rather than repeatedly asking for a side trip.
The biggest mistake I made was not working with my sister during the trip-planning stage. Being lazy, I Ieft too much up to her. Instead of seeing things like The Alamo in San Antonio, the famous Route 66, the UFO crash sites at Area 51, the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, the San Andreas Fault, the desert in bloom in Arizona and Hollywood attractions, we spent much of our time hanging around marshlands, fields and streams as we followed the bird migration from the U.S. to Canada.
Obviously, we all had a different mandate.
Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy the nature we saw along the way, but I would have liked to see some of the cities as well. Since our trip, I’ve discovered even more sites that I would have enjoyed seeing, but it’s too late now because it’s doubtful I’ll make that three-month trip again.
Next time you plan a vacation, start early so you have time to investigate what’s available, share ideas and interests, and if necessary, book lodgings and other services to avoid disappointment.
Be sure to talk it through and expect to compromise, which is something we didn’t do until we were already on the road. Review the research together, rather than allowing one person to do it all. Discuss where you’re going and what you’ll do there. It might require making adjustments to the route so each of you can enjoy your interests along the way.
A great place to start your research is on the internet and at your local library. Read everything you can find on the areas you’re interested in.
The internet is an excellent way to fill in the finer details. Search the online tourism branches of the towns near the areas you’ll be visiting. They will have a lot of information on what attractions are worth seeing nearby. Ask them to send you their travel flyers. Some States have excellent tourism books that list every popular site in their jurisdiction. For one, the thick Texas book with its great colorful images, makes an excellent coffee table book worth keeping for years to come.
Go one step further and see if those individual destinations have a web site where you can get more information. Don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s worth a visit until you do this, because you might be disappointed. Destinations might sound fabulous, but there might not be much there other than perhaps an historical marker and the remains of a grist mill.
Look up sites that list places to see. One that I highly recommend is http://www.roadsideamerica.com, the perfect resource for people taking road trips across the country. Another is http://www.haunted-places.com that lists many haunted sites across the U.S., providing you with background and information to learn more. If you’re interested in Arizona, the official tourist site is http://www.carizona.com. It gives detailed information about many attractions across the State.
If you’re interested in historical reenactments, enter this term into your favorite search engine to find sites and organizations that feature such events for public viewing. Be sure to follow links to reenactment groups, too, because they can tell you where the next events will be held. These are great places to take your entire family, both for their entertainment and their educational value.
Of course, your final step is to get your plan firmly established and any accommodations booked well ahead of time. Don’t forget that checklist of all the things you’ll need during the trip - from passports to pillows.
Sylvia Dickens is an award-winning journalist who enjoys the outdoors, nature and travel. Her site, http://www.book-titles.ca, focuses on ebooks on a variety of themes in which she has previous knowledge and experience. Topics include dog training, anxiety, and travel. As an avid writer and photographer, she aims to provide family vacation destination information on places she’s visited and researched. You will find her latest articles and photos in the Sundowner Travel Magazine at http://www.book-titles.ca/Sundowner.htm of destinations across North America.
Tags: destination ideas, family travel, family vacation, travel ideas, Travel Tipsdestination ideas, family travel, family vacation, travel ideas, Travel TipsShare This
The Northern Cape is the largest of South Africa’s provinces and the most sparsely populated. Despite this, the Northern Cape has plenty to offer visitors, whether their interests lie in the origins of the diamond industry, the Anglo-Boer War, wildlife, the brilliant spring flowers of Namaqualand, canoeing on the mighty Orange River or enjoying the clear skies and open spaces of the Hantam and Upper Karoo.
CLIMATE: The Northern Cape experiences a diverse range of climatic conditions because of the respective regions and altitudes. The Northern Cape enjoys a summer rainfall, but this is infrequent. The summer months have long, hot summer days and cool evenings. Winter days are moderate, but the nights are very cold with temperatures often dropping below zero. Snow in winter and heavy frost falls at night are common.
SHOPPING: There are many shopping malls, arts and craft shops, and many ethic vendors on the beachfront. Good buys include mohair products such as jerseys, rugs and blankets; the famous Karoo Lamb, dried fruit, diamonds, jewellery and gems.
TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS:
The Diamond Field:
This area is known as the prairie country of Southern Africa, with sun-drenched plains, covered in grass and acacia thorn trees. To the geologists this is a bewildering delight, and for the tourist the “Diamond Way” is an exciting journey, taking one back in time.
Kimberley:
Today the city is a prosperous, thriving metropolis worthy of the title, “the Diamond Capital Of The World”. The city is geared for tourists, with plenty to offer in terms of accommodation, restaurants, shopping malls and attractions. See a replica of the town during the greatest diamond rush the world has ever seen, as well as ‘Eureka’ - the world’s first recorded diamond discovery at the Big Hole and Kimberley Mine museum.
Groenriviersmond:
The seaside estuary of Groenriviersmond (Green River Mouth) lies Southwest of Garies and offers excellent fishing and crayfish diving opportunities.
Namaqualand:
Spring time sees this region transformed from a desert landscape into a carpet of colourful wild flowers, attracting many visitors. Also an adventure tourist’s playground, the region offers hiking, canoeing and 4×4 trails. The coastline is popular with fishermen and hosts a booming crayfish industry. Diamonds are also mined from the sea and copper is mined too. The world-famous Richtersveld National Park is found in this region.
Hantam Karoo:
Millions of years ago, this area was an inland sea and over time it has transformed into an arid and rugged landscape with wide open plains and mountains. This region is renowned by astronomers for its remarkable night skies and is home to the South African Astronomical Observatory. The region is also known for its spring wild flowers, and is home to the rare Sterboom.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park:
Africa’s first transfrontier park, Kgalagadi “land of thirst” is shared with and crosses the border into Botswana to facilitate the migration of wildlife and the movement of free-roaming predators; red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob ensure excellent opportunities for game viewing and photography. Fifty-eight species of mammal and more than 400 plant species share the desert and dry savannah, while approx. 260 species of bird, including at least 20 species of large raptor share the sky.
Richtersveld National Park:
Southern Africa’s largest mountain desert park, the Richtersveld is 160 000ha of lava mountains and sandy plains situated in the north-western crook of the Orange River. It is also one of the world’s most precious and fragile eco-systems. Its strange rock formations shaped and sculpted by the wind and sun, is a land for those keen to ‘rough it’. Visitors can explore the area from the comfort of a 4×4 or by paddling long stretches of the river.
Green Kalahari:
Dominating this region are the lush vineyards and the massive Orange River, which meanders through a giant valley. The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Augrabies Falls National Park - with its famous Black Rhino Aventure, are not to be missed.
Augrabies Falls National Park:
The Augrabies Falls, which is one of the five biggest waterfalls in the world, plunges a sheer 56m into a rolling, turbulent maelstrom of foam, mist and rainbows said to contain untold diamond wealth and a river monster. This is where the black rhino can be found and visitors can also go on game drives.
Kalahari:
The sun-drenched Kalahari, with its ancient, undulating landscape and endless horizons, evoke memories of a land before time. This region is home to “The Eye” a permanent and abundant source of daily water. Hunting in the area is popular and the Kalahari is home to over 40 raptors and vulture species and 7 owl species.
Gerald Crawford was born in South Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and african travel concepts. He taught responsible tourism in South Africa. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me on. E-mail Address: southafricantravelarticles@12234455.co.za Website Address: www.12234455.co.za
Tags: Northern Cape, South Africa, Travel TipsNorthern Cape, South Africa, Travel TipsShare This