Video: 5 Things to do in Johannesburg!

Rough Guides, a British travel guidebook and reference publisher, has set up a list of 5 things to do in Johannesburg. If you want to know why Rough Guides thinks that Joburg is on the up to be a global leader in... Music, Art, Style and Creativity, you don't want to miss this short video. Enjoy your quick video trip through Johannesburg's inner city, nearby Pilanesberg National Park, the Apartheid Museum, Soweto and the "new" Joburg. Kudos Rough Guides!

Durban & Rwanda top Rough Guides' "The Rough Guide to 2019"!

Rough Guides, a British travel guidebook and reference publisher, has named Durban in South Africa's province KwaZulu-Natal the number one city to visit and Rwanda its number one country to travel to in its "The Rough Guide to 2019". According to the publisher, Durban is one of the few places that allows the traveller to "combine surfing with a safari, or an international film festival (now in its 40th year) with traditional Zulu culture." [src.], while Rwanda "is home to hundreds of mountain gorillas that move between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the rainforests of the Virunga Mountains. New luxury lodges are opening up in the area, making it easier than ever to get a glimpse of these kings of the jungle." [src.]. Congratulations!

Rough Guides names Malawi & South Africa among the top countries to travel to in 2018

Rough Guides, a British travel guidebook and reference publisher, has named Malawi and South Africa among the 18 places that should be on a traveller's radar in 2018. While Malawi came in at number three in Rough Guides' "The Rough Guide to 2018", South Africa was ranked 14th. 

Rough Guides describes Malawi as follows:

Long known as "the warm heart of Africa" because of its friendly, welcoming people, Malawi is fast gaining a reputation as a fabulous safari destination too. Three of its reserves – Majete, Liwonde and Nkhotakota – are now run by conservation organisation African Parks which has been busy regenerating them and reintroducing wildlife.
Today, Majete is home to all of the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard), which roam its lush rolling hills and riverine landscapes.
In 2017, Liwonde also welcomed cheetah as new residents to its game-rich plains dominated by the beautiful Shire River snaking its way through the park. Lions will be joining them in 2018. And following the world's biggest ever translocation of elephants, wonderfully wild and rugged Nkhotakota became home to 500 elephants from Majete and Liwonde.
In each reserve, places to stay range from luxury lodges to community campsites: check in now before the crowds do. [src.]

Rough Guides describes South Africa as follows:

2018 marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth – and though it’ll be marked with events around the world, nothing compares to celebrating Mandela's legacy in his beloved South Africa.
You can explore the landscape and culture of the Eastern Cape, which shaped Madiba’s childhood and later years; experience the vibrancy and political activism which drew him to Johannesburg throughout his adult life; and marvel at the contrast between Cape Town's desolate Robben Island, where he spent most of his 27-year incarceration, and the imposing Parliament building, where he spoke as President.
There will be events, tours and openings throughout South Africa to mark the centenary, plus all of the country’s usual jaw-dropping attractions. Go on safari in Kruger National Park, listen to jazz in Joburg, wander the wine routes of the Cape – and savour the diversity and freedom Mandela fought so hard to protect. [src.]

Rough Guides' The Rough Guide to 2018:

1. Newcastle, England
2. Civil Rights Trail, USA
3. Malawi
4. Valette, Malta
5. Wales
6. Cuba
7. Russia
8. New Orleans, USA
9. Chile
10. Sierra Leone
11. South Korea
12. Jordan
13. Tbilisi, Georgia
14. South Africa
15. Palermo, Italy
16. Togian Islands, Indonesia
17. Tunesia
18. Belize

South Africa: Northern Cape named among Rough Guides' 10 regions to vist in 2016

The Northern Cape in South Africa has made it to a shortlist of 10 regions to visit in 2016, according to travel guide publishing company Rough Guides. The publisher names the following reasons why travellers shouldn't miss out the Northern Cape in 2016:

• Northern Cape is covering one third of South Africa's landmass and seldom explored by visitors
• long distance travel in the Northern Cape is rewarded with swathes of wildflowers blooming amid the region’s red dunes, mountain deserts and wildlife including the black-maned lion of the Kalahari
• visit the lands of the San Bushmen, the oldest population of humans on Earth
• indulge your inner adrenaline junkie with kayak tours into Richtersveld National Park via the Orange River's white-water rapids
  (via http://www.roughguides.com)

 Rough Guides' Top 10 regions 2016:

1. Alaska, USA
2. Gujarat, India
3. Tasmania, Australia
4. Quebec, Canada
5. Tohoku, Japan
6. Northern Cape, South Africa
7. Lombok, Indonesia
8. Calabia, Italy
9. Castilla Y Leon, Spain
10. The Western Isles, Scotland

Rough Guides: Johannesburg is the top city to visit 2015!

Rough Guides has named Johannesburg in South Africa the top city to visit in 2015 in its "The Rough Guide to 2015". According to the travel guidebook publisher, "Jo'burg has a reputation problem. But South Africa's biggest city is finally beginning to break free from the chains of its troubled past, and parts – like the arty Maboneng quarter – have rooted themselves as exciting cultural hubs. New clusters of forward-thinking museums, galleries and shops are set to emerge in 2015, though better-known attractions like Constitution Hill and the poignant Apartheid Museum should still be on the to-do list of any first-time visitor." (via Rough Guides)

Here's the full list of Rough Guides' Top 10 cities 2015:

1. Johannesburg, South Africa
2. Malaga, Spain
3. New Orleans, USA
4. Hamburg, Germany
5. Nizwa, Oman
6. Wellington, New Zealand
7. Belgrade, Serbia
8. Salta, Argentinia
9. Birmingham, England
10. Yangon, Myanmar

Ethiopia is Rough Guides' top country to visit in 2014

Ethiopia has been named as Rough Guides’ number one country to visit in 2014, beating the likes of Madagascar (#2), Brazil (#3) and Turkey (#4). Rwanda in East Africa got ranked 6th on the travel guidebook publisher's list.

Rough Guides says that the main reasons for selecting Ethiopia as the number one country to visit in 2014 are the following:

• independent travel around Ethiopia is becoming easier thanks to a boom in small hotels and restaurants
• the untouched national parks
• the ancient cities of Axum, Harar and Lalibela
• the world’s first coffee plantations, the largest cave in Africa at Sof Omar
• the continent’s largest concentration of UNESCO sites.

Rough Guides’ main reasons for selecting Madagascar as one the Top 10 Countries in 2014 are the following:

• over ninety percent of Madagascar's wildlife is found nowhere else on the plane
• blissfully untouched forests and empty beaches
• the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

Rough Guides’ main reasons for selecting Rwanda as one the Top 10 Countries in 2014 are the following:

• 20 years after the Rwandan genocide, the economy has rebounded and peace has, by and large, been restored
• the mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park
• the rainforests of the Nyungwe National Park
• the wildlife of the Akagera National Park

Rough Guides & Imaginative Traveller: Win a safari for two in Tanzania (UK residents only)

Rough Guides and Imaginative Traveller have teamed up to offer you the chance to win a dream safari for two in Tanzania. This once in a lifetime travel experience – to celebrate the publication of Rough Guides’ Earthbound – will deliver you deep into the truly spectacular settings of Tanzania’s greatest wildlife habitats.
You'll treasure every moment of this dream safari; from getting up close with elephants, zebras and rhino on exhilarating game drives through the Serengeti National Park to travelling down into the Ngorongoro Crater to explore its outstanding wildlife sanctuary.
Plus, plus 10 runners up will win a copy of Earthbound: A Rough Guide to The World in Pictures.

click here to join in >>
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Win a trip to Borneo with Rough Guides

Rough Guides is celebrating the publication of Clean Breaks by offering you the chance to win a once in a lifetime trip to Borneo for two! Clean Breaks unearths 500 unique experiences and new ways to travel that make a real difference to the lives of local people and the planet.

Borneo View Larger Map

Simply fill out the webform on www.roughguides.com/cleanbreakswin and get the chance to win the trip (prize draw is open to UK residents only)...

Good luck!

Clean Breaks for £8.54 (instead of £18.99) amazon.co.uk >>
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