The simmering sun sinks beneath the delicate stretch of a baobab tree as the first notes of the Lion King’s soundtrack play. It’s that iconic image that many of us carry as our first introduction to the massive and marvellous continent. For others, it’s the awe-inspiring remainders of history in the form of the Egyptian Pyramids. Some might connect it to the swaying green waves of grass in the Savannah. Others might hear the waves that strike the shore of the Seychelles and say its name.
This is Africa – a continent so diverse, packed full of beautiful countries, backed by a rich heritage and tinged with a complex and painful past. The chance to explore its corners is a gift. Each slice of this content, each sliver is a revelation. The essence of this continent breathes from every inch of the land. It is in the mud underneath the hand of the great Gorilla lumbering in the jungles of the Congo. It is in the winds that sweep across the curve of the Table Mountain. It pulses in the streets of the sprawling cities. It ebbs and flows in the rhythms of Swahili, Igbo, Zulu, Amharic, Arabic, French, Shona and the other languages that populate it. It rumbles and splashes with the Great Victoria Falls.
We could honestly write a book (or a million) about the awe-inspiring nature of African Tourism. Today, we’ll restrict ourselves to an introduction to a land that was once called Akebulan.