Virunga - The Heart of the Congo

by Sandor Carter

Congo; the very name is what keeps most people away and yet at the same time lures others to the enigmatic, second largest country in Africa and into the heart of the Continent.

The airfield was cut out between rough fields of beans and bananas on one side and a rusty UN outpost on the other. The forest behind disappeared from view into distant volcanoes. It was raining. Six men, five armed with AK47’s and another with bandoliers of ammunition were there to greet us, they were our escort to the lodge, welcome to the Congo.

Stalking Cheetah in the Grumeti Reserve

by Richard Coke

I just got back from northern Tanzania. The beautiful open grasslands were really lush after the short rains.

It's a great time to see predators. The impala are willing to take risks to feed on the fresh grass in the less protected open areas.

Epiphany in Ethiopia — The Home of the Lost Ark

by Sandor Carter

Bizarre as it sounds, the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant may be a village in northern Ethiopia.

The Ark is a sacred object in Ethiopia. Every year, at Timkat, held on the Orthodox feast of Epiphany, models of the Ark are carried in procession through the streets and symbolically baptized. Every church has a model of the Ark for this annual event.

Inspiring Destination - Virunga

Located within the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga National Park has diverse habitats and remarkable terrain, extending over 7800 square kilometres. It is bordered by both the Volcano National Park in Rwanda and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. From its founding in 1929 as the first national park on the continent, this exotic and intriguing expanse has drawn visitors from all over the world.

Book Pick - King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

by Adam Hochchild

Amazon.com Review
King Leopold of Belgium, writes historian Adam Hochschild in this grim history, did not much care for his native land or his subjects, all of which he dismissed as "small country, small people." Even so, he searched the globe to find a colony for Belgium, frantic that the scramble of other European powers for overseas dominions in Africa and Asia would leave nothing for himself or his people.

Cradle of Humankind Excavation Trip

Guided by Dr Colin Menter

THE PLACE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…The Cradle of Humankind in South Africa is a treasure trove of fossil sites that have produced more than a third of the World’s information on our early human ancestors, the hominins. A mere fifty minute drive from Johannesburg, this area has yielded more than 1,000 actual hominin fossils that have afforded scientists a window into our own past.

Property Pick - Mikeno Lodge

Mikeno Lodge
Virunga, D.R.C

Mikeno Lodge is favourably located amidst the dense forest of Rumangabo, within the southern section of the Virunga National Park. Surrounded by various attractions; the city of Goma lies to the north, whilst the Mikeno Gorilla Sector is situated to the east and the breathtaking Nyiragongo Volcano forms a scorching throne to the southwest.

Photo Essay - Night Glow

Nyriagongo Volcano, D.R.C
by Richard Coke

A group of us embarked on an overnight trek up the Nyiragongo Volcano in the Eastern DRC. It is the worlds largest lava lake and whilst the rest of the group admired the spectacle from the volcano rim, I decided to take a few step back to capture this image.

Photo Essay - Lake of Fire

by Michael Lorentz
Nyiragongo Volcano, D.R.C

Having climbed hard for 5 hours up the flank of Nyiragongo Volcano, I found myself gasping for breath amidst the wind swept lava boulders that form the desolate rim of the crater itself – At 11 385 feet it would have been miserable had it not been for what we were looking at. 1,000 feet below us, at the bottom of a sheer sided crater, was quite literally a flaming lake.

Documentary Pick - Virunga: Rivers of Fire & Ice

Virunga: Rivers of Fire & Ice
by Alan Root (1995)

Synopsis:
The Virunga National Park in Zaire contains a variety of landscapes from snowy glaciers and fire-belching volcanoes to the mist of the rainforest, the home of the mountain gorilla.