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Circumnavigating Wild and

Wondrous Africa

local beer and rum, and savoring grilled
by Lisa Spiller, Luxury Travel Advisor Madagascar is a stark contrast to the
fresh catch alongside fragrant curries. A local
affiliated with Preferred Travel & Company. emerging chic Zanzibar: raw, beautiful, and
guitarist sang French Calypso and hummed profoundly different from anywhere I had
Lisa@PreferredNaples.com harmonica while we danced off lunch in the been before. It is also a place that requires
www.preferrednaples.com sunshine. emotional preparation; the visible poverty
Zanzibar, just off the coast of Tanzania, is
f you haven’t been to Africa, it’s easy can be striking. We traveled by motorized
a sublime fusion of powdery white beaches,
to miss just how vast and diverse the canoe along a winding river where young
lush jungles, playful monkeys, and a rich
I continent is. It isn’t a single, unified boys balanced on hand-bound bamboo rafts
tapestry of Arab, Indian, African, and British
destination, but a mosaic of nations. By to fish, cattle stood knee-deep in brown
influences in both architecture and culture.
circumnavigating Africa and visiting ten water alongside women washing their
Here, I ventured into the Jozani Forest for
countries, I came to appreciate how distinct clothes, and daily life unfolded with quiet
a day of monkey trekking, coming face-to-
each one is—shaped by its own colonial resilience. Walking the red, muddy paths of
face with these mischievous primates for
legacy, history, politics, language, and local nearby villages, mothers crouched outside
priceless photos. Bold and endlessly curious,
culture. modest huts fashioned from branches and
they snatched sunglasses and seemed to
Off of East Africa, the island nation of palm leaves, infants in their arms, while
revel in striking mesmerizing poses for the their toddlers eagerly hawked handcrafted
Mauritius surprised with modern high rises
camera. At dusk, the bohemian-chic streets goods; seed-bead jewelry, wood carvings, and
and highways, five-star beach resorts, and
of Stone Town came alive. This beguiling beautifully woven baskets, hats, and purses.
European heritage. It was colonized by
UNESCO World Heritage city enchants Remarkably, the island is home to roughly
the Netherlands, France and Great Britain
with its whitewashed buildings, labyrinthine 100 species of lemurs found nowhere else
and today, is a haven for offshore banking
alleyways, artisan shops, inviting cafés, and on earth. Hiking through the forests with
and European sun-seekers. I boarded a
intimate boutique hotels. We weaved through a guide, we met dozens of these jungle
motorboat captained by a dreadlocked
the alleyways, ducked into boutiques and dwellers—outrageously entertaining,
millennial, and we skimmed across turquoise
courtyards and visited the Freddie Mercury surprisingly fearless and gentle. They swung
water toward a secluded island. The afternoon
Museum, a must-visit for any devoted Queen effortlessly from the treetops onto our heads
unfolded in easy indulgence—lounging in
fan, before enjoying a sophisticated dinner on & shoulders, ate fruit from our hands and
hammocks beneath whispering palms, sipping
the sea wall under the stars.
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