WORLD TRAVEL & TOURISM: December 2011

Monday, 19 December 2011

GAMBIA | A HUB FOR TOURISM

The sacred Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau has over the years become a tourist magnet for visitors to The Gambia with its 100 or so resident crocs. Some people believe that the pool has supernatural healing powers and in particular bathing with the waters can aid in fertility. There are dozens of these sacred pools in the Gambia (some without crocs) but this is the nearest to the Atlantic tourist strip. The place was first discovered by a palm-wine tapper, a member of the Bojang clan, over 100 years ago. The water's crocodilian residents have since become so tame, that they allow visitors to pet them, and seem to prefer fish over red meat.

Kachikally Crocodile Pool Gambia.

Infertile women travel from far and wide from both within and outside the Gambia to visit the site where they are washed with sacred water from the pool by specially trained women of the Bojang clan. After the ritual washing the women are given some of the water in a bottle to be applied to certain body parts before going to bed and first thing in the morning. In return, people washed at the pool are expected to make a small cash donation, a piece of cloth and a cola nut - half of which is shared among the elderly and the other half of which is thrown into the pool to appease the crocodiles. Once the ritual is performed, one is not supposed to shake hands with anybody from Bakau.

Members of the Bojang clan are forbidden from exploiting the pool for financial gains lest it loses its sacredness. There are two other popular pools at Folonko in Kartong Village and Berending Bolong 4km from Barra.

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

KAKUM NATIONAL PARK GHANA- SWINGING BRIDGE

Kakum National Park is one of the largest tropical rain forests occupied by the world mammalian and plant species . Visitors have the opportunity to experience a walk on the only tree-top 350 meter long suspended canopy walkway in Africa It is a home for nature lovers. Trained guides are on hand to explain the economic, cultural, and medicinal values of plants and farming. Fifteen kilometers from Cape Coast is the serene, golden beach of Brenu Akyinim, a 3-kilometer stretch of sandy beachwhich provides an excellent site for swimming, sun bathing, and bird watching.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Fifth Chukker and Country Club.

Founded in 2001, the Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club is a private public partnership that represents the new in the old world of the equestrian sport of Polo in Nigeria.

With over four hundred thoroughbred polo ponies stabled in a three thousand hectare resort Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club sets a benchmark in excellence while maintaining its relaxed family orientated atmosphere.

Famous for its high goal extravaganzas. Fifth Chukker is Nigeria's best internationally known sporting venue, having hosted high profile competitions featuring top professional players from around the world. The club is the focal point of the Kangimi resorts. a 3,000-hectare lifestyle development which will also incorporate a signature golf course, horse racing track, hotels and spa, as well as business plazas and entertainment parks.

The resort is set in superb savanna woodland indicative of the Sahel region of northern Nigeria, and bordered by the vast Kangimi Dam, Natural open vistas stretch to the horizon, where they are met by the fabulous sunrise and sunsets of Africa

Attractions in Gambia

The Kombo resort area is delightfully close to the ocean. Beach outings and sunbathing in Gambia are strictly Western ideas—locals usually confine beach visits to exercise sessions or craft/cashew vending. Be warned that the tides and currents along the Gambia's coastline are surprisingly strong, and sinkholes and sand bars are common, though the ocean generally remains on the shallow side a good distance into the water.There are few lifeguards in the country, so use extreme caution when swimming—it's not a good idea to go into the sea if you’ve come to the beach alone. Remember that if you are caught in a riptide current, the rule is to swim parallel to the shore to escape it, then swim back towards the land.

ECOTOURISM | TIES

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ecotourism. Founded in 1990, TIES has been in the forefront of the development of ecotourism, providing guidelines and standards, training, technical assistance, research and publications. TIES' global network of ecotourism professionals and travelers is leading the efforts to make tourism a viable tool for conservation, protection of bio-cultural diversity, and sustainable community development.

Through membership services, industry outreach and educational programs, TIES is committed to helping organizations, communities and individuals promote and practice the principles of ecotourism. TIES currently has members in more than 90 countries, representing various professional fields and industry segments including: academics, consultants, conservation professionals and organizations, governments, architects, tour operators, lodge owners and managers, general development experts, and ecotourists.

KOTU STREAM | GAMBIA

The Kotu Point resort, in Gambia, forms part of the epicentre of the country's tourism scene. On the beach and away from the coastal highway are the hotels of Kombo Beach and Bungalow Beach which are situated in Kotu Strand and Palm Beach by the Stream (Creek) where you have to cross over the small Lower Bridge. Just before you get to the bridge is the Tourist Guide's green shed on the left hand side. There is another hidden route cut by foot from Fajara which straddles the right side of the Golf Course and down onto the sand. This location is very popular with young Gambians who come on mass in the early evenings or at weekends for picnics & football matches. The area is part of the Kanifing Municipality in the Kombo which in Mandingo is pronounced "Kom bo" (meaning "the hatred has lifted") harking to the safe haven that they found after their 14th - 15th century trek west into The Gambia. Much of the area around the stream (catchment area 65 km²) is yet to be developed and is an ideal opportunity to do a spot of birdwatching or nature gazing. It is sometimes prone to flooding particularly during the rainy season because the alteration of the hydrographic network and local topography, in particular, were reported back in 1996 as the main causes of flooding. It is used occasionally by the local cattle herders for grazing & by local farmers who regularly plough their rice fields. However, there are not many good trails and it is perhaps better just to stay with the main access roads though there is a dirt trail that leads toward Kololi that is free from traffic.

Eurozone Agrees to New Fiscal Pact Without Britain

Meeting at an EU Council summit in Brussels late into Thursday night, leaders of the seventeen eurozone countries agreed to sign a new intergovernmental treaty (NYT) mandating greater fiscal coordination and budget discipline. The highly anticipated decision is meant to quell months of market volatility by offering a long-term solution to the ongoing eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had pushed for a full overhaul of the existing EU treaty. However, British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected such a move when he failed to obtain concessions (DeutscheWelle) to protect Britain from a European financial tax harmonization plan.

The pact is expected to include twenty-three EU countries (WSJ), including six non-eurozone states that hope to join the single currency in the future. EU leaders will continue to meet today to hash out the details of the agreement.

cfr.org