Sex Tourism becoming increasingly popular with older women

by Scott Carmichael on

When you think of a “sex tourist”, you probably think of a dirty old man in Asia, molesting young boys. As it turns out, these filthy old men now have some competition.

International organization “Defense for Children-EPCAT” is sounding the alarm bell for a disturbing new trend in the world of sex tourism – older women heading to Africa for the sole purpose of sex.

A spokesperson for the organization reports on an increasing number of European and American women taking “tours” to Africa for sex.

The women involved in this disturbing new trend become part of it in one of two ways; Some of them are approached by their “tour guide”, falling for their charm and engaging in sex, others know exactly what they are doing, and take the trip purely for the sex.

Sadly, many of the kids participating are still minors, as it isn’t always easy to correctly judge their age. A UNICEF report says that over 30% of children between 12 and 18 in Kenya are involved in the sex tourism business, a horrifying statistic.

A new initiative by EPCAT, UNICEF and the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) introduced a code of conduct to be adopted by any supplier or tourism. Of course, as with any initiative like this, it relies on the support of the industry, and it won’t help against tourists booking their trips outside a group package.

Kenyan safari lets travelers become lion researchers

by Kraig Becker on

An African safari is a seminal travel experience. Early morning game drives, amazing wildlife, beautiful sunsets over the savannah, they’re all part of the experience. But tour operator Gamewatchers Safaris is offering something even more unique with a new option for travelers to take part in actual lion research while on their vacation in Kenya.

The nine-day adventure begins with a trip to Joy’s Camp, where famous naturalist and author Joy Adamson did research of her own with her equally famous lioness pal Elsa. Adamson’s story became a world wide phenomenon thanks to the book and film Born Free, and visitors will have the opportunity to wander the same territory, while helping modern day researchers track radio collared lions and observe their behavior. They’ll actually have the opportunity to interact with scientists and conservationists as they go about their work, while getting an upclose look at these beautiful predators. And after seven days in Joy’s Camp, it’s off too the Maasai Mara, on the northern Serengeti, where travelers will spend another three days at Porini Camp, observing more lions, as well as plenty of other wildlife, such as zebras, elephants, and wildebeest.

Over the past twenty years, the lion population in Africa has declined by an estimated 30-50%, and scientists have struggled to understand exactly why. While on this safari, travelers will have an opportunity to contribute to the research being done to solve this mystery, and perhaps even begin to turn the trend around. Besides helping to conduct research however, 5% of the cost of the trip will also be donated to the research program being conducted by EwasoLions.org. Ecotourism at it’s best, with travelers giving something back to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same experiences.

Endangered spaces: Ngorongoro Crater

by Kraig Becker on

Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania is an amazing place. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was formed when the caldera of a large volcano collapsed, creating a self contained ecosystem in the process, with dozens of species of animals living within the 2000 foot walls.

Tourists have flocked to the region for years due to the spectacular game viewing options, which include large numbers of zebras, elephants and gazelles, not to mention lions, and the very rare black rhino. The crater is a mere 102-square miles in size, and yet there are few areas on the planet that offer the variety of wildlife within such a relatively small area. But that small, self-contained space is now endangered thanks to the number of visitors that make the journey each year.

National Geographic Adventure is reporting that the increased traffic to the Crater is putting an undeniable strain on the environment there. The article says that back in the 1970’s, there were generally no more than three or four vehicles inside the Crater at any given time. But now, during peak season, there can be as many 300 trucks patrolling the roads, and this overcrowding is putting a strain on the system. The story also notes that an estimated 64,000 people live within the Ngornogro Conservation Area, a number that is twice as high as the region was expected to support. All of this traffic has caused UNESCO to caution conservation officials in Tanzania that they may be forced to add the Crater to their “danger list”, which has raised some calls for quotas on the number of visitors allowed in each day.

I had the opportunity to visit Ngorngoro a couple of years back, and it was easily as spectacular as I had heard. The views from the crater rim are amazing, and there is wildlife at every turn. But I went in April, which is traditionally seen as the low season, and even then it was crowded and busy by mid-morning. I remember thinking to myself that if this was the low season, I wouldn’t want to experience it in the busier times.

Lost city found in Ethiopia

by Sean McLachlan on

One of Africa’s most interesting countries has just got a new site to visit.

An ancient Muslim city thought lost for a thousand years has recently been discovered. A team of French archaeologists have found the location of the medieval trading center of Gendebelo.

While Ethiopia is famous for being the second oldest Christian country in the world (after Armenia), about half of the population is Muslim and the two communities have lived side by side for centuries, sometimes peacefully, sometimes not.

Gendebelo was part of the more peaceful exchange, acting as a focus for trade between the two cultures.

The archaeologists puzzled out the location of the city with the help of an old manuscript that an earlier researcher had found in the Muslim city of Harar, where it was being used for wrapping sugar. The manuscript told the tale of a 16th century Venetian explorer who had found the ruins of Gendebelo in the desert and gave vague references to the city being “the place where mules are to be unloaded and camels take over.”

That was enough for the archaeologists, who realized the explorer meant the escarpment that marks the borderland between the rough highlands and the arid Danakil Depression. It was here that merchants who used mules (the Christians) and those who used camels (the Muslims) met for mutual profit.

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The French team was able to pinpoint the site as being a medieval city now known as Nora. It’s been abandoned for years except for the mosque, which is still used by local farmers. Legends say that in ancient times the people of Nora were so rich that on his wedding day one young man paved the road to his bride’s town with injera bread. Allah grew so angry at this conspicuous consumption that he destroyed the town with a rain of ash.

The ruins of Nora are a bit out of the way for modern travel, but planned excavations will almost certainly reveal some fine remains, and the town may become a new tourist sight. In the meantime, one great Muslim center of civilization, Harar, is still very much in use. The city is in the eastern part of Ethiopia and is considered the fourth holiest sight for Muslims after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. The people of Harar are majority Muslim, but there’s a large Christian population too. Both speak Harari, a Semitic language related to Arabic and Hebrew. Jews also used to live in the area, but they fled to Israel and other countries during Ethiopia’s civil war in the 1980s.

Harar was founded more than a thousand years ago and is still enclosed by a city wall, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides the walls, there are three mosques dating to the tenth century, and the house of the French poet Rimbaud, who lived here when we was working as a gun runner and hanging out with the local governor, who was the father of Haile Selassie. Another weird sight is the nightly feeding of the hyenas.

Have you been to Ethiopia? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section. I’m taking my wife there for our tenth anniversary and I’m open to suggestions of places to go!

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Road trip through Namibia

by Kraig Becker on

The travel section of the Times Online has a great article today about a 3000-mile road trip across Namibia, the south African country that falls along that continents Atlantic coast. The 15-day journey sent author Holden Frith across stark, yet strikingly beautiful, landscapes in a country that has wide open spaces and remote regions that few visit.

The article offers a long, and very detailed look, at Firth’s journey. He breaks down his travels on a day-to-day basis, and gives an excellent description of not only where he’s been, but the people he encountered and the amazing things that he, and his traveling companion, saw along the way. For instance, in the first few days in the country, they visited a region known as the Giant’s Playground, where strange rock formations stretch for miles, and appear to have been stacked up by some unknown force. From there, the journey continues through such places as Fish River Canyon, one of the wildest and deepest gorges in the world, and past the Sperrgebiet, or Forbidden Zone, which is off limits to tourists because of the number of diamonds that can still be found there.

Each passing day of the road trip seems to reveal some new, and intriguing, location that gives us a glimpse of Namibia’s appeal to adventure travelers. Whether it’s exploring the remote and arid Namib Desert or driving the Skeleton Coast, so named for the ancient shipwrecks that litter its beaches, the country offers hidden wonders at every turn. And while the majority of travelers to Africa head to Kenya or South Africa to go on a classic safari adventure, Namibia has plenty of unique experiences of its own, and since it remains squarely off the radar for most travelers, there aren’t the crowds that are common elsewhere.