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Out on the tiles in Tunis

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Tunis, like all the best cities, is a mosaic. The heart is quintessential Arabic, an ancient warren infused with energetic commerce. Beyond it spreads French elegance from the colonial era, interrupted by the archaic achievements of Carthage. Further out still, the dramatic Mediterranean shore is shared by tycoons and tourists – with a sprinkling of artists thrown in for colourful measure.

New horizons: The Nile, Egypt

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

For about 15 years, Nile cruises were restricted to a stretch of the river between Luxor and Aswan. The route through lower Egypt, towards Cairo, was closed to cruises after violence flared in the mid 1990s and water levels became unpredictable.

Traveller's Guide: Malawi

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:00:49 GMT

A sliver of southern Africa dominated by the Great Rift Valley, compact Malawi hides a surprisingly diverse interior, with little known parks and reserves that feel truly unspoiled, tremendous hiking through pristine highlands and across vast plains, and, at its heart, a dazzling freshwater lake. Backpackers on grand tours of Africa often cast Malawi as an unexpected favourite, thanks to the gently seductive landscape and markedly friendly population.

Where's hot: Victoria Falls, Zambia

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The rainy season is drawing to a close in Zambia, with temperatures dipping to a still balmy 30C.

Traveller's Guide: Ghana

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

From the sky, Ghana is a bundle of green on the west coast of Africa, bordered by golden beaches and the warm blue of the Atlantic. Once you're on the ground, its variety hits you like a rush of sweet, humid air.

Traveller's Guide: Ethiopia

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

There is a place, in the searing deserts of north-east Ethiopia, where you can watch a new version of planet Earth being created. In 2005, over a period of just 10 days, a 60km-long, 8m-wide crack opened in the Earth's surface. Scientists who witnessed it were astonished. Here, they told the world, were the labour pains indicating the birth of a new ocean and the beginning of an event that in a mere 10 million years would rip Africa in two.

Traveller's Guide: Botswana

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Even travellers familiar with southern Africa will find something new in this dramatic and diverse nation. Botswana combines vast expanses of empty beauty with some of the best wildlife viewing in the continent.

Traveller's Guide: Mozambique

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:00:01 GMT

Indian Ocean sunrises, turquoise waters, a 2,500km coastline and a fascinating cultural scene: all this and more awaits in Mozambique, one of southern Africa's least visited destinations. Here, in this long land running from South Africa in the south up to Tanzania in the north, the African bush fuses with Mediterranean flair (this was once Portuguese East Africa), humpback whales migrate up the coast while lions and buffalos roam the interior.

Tunis: This spirited city has a spring in its step

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The nameplates announcing the principal square in the Tunisian capital look almost new. That's because, until early last year, Place 14 Janvier was known as Place 7 Novembre. President Ben Ali seized power in this beautiful North African nation on 7 November 1987; he was deposed, in the first wave of Arab uprisings, on 14 January 2011.

Golf tourism: A hole new world

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

I've been swimming in the azure sea, I've eaten freshly caught fish and I've read my book. I've even tried water skiing. But as I've been lying on a sunbed surrounded by white-powder sand in Mauritius, I've noticed a constant stream of people heading towards a golf course. It's a spectacular course, but what's the draw of a game when you could be enjoying everything else paradise has to offer?

Traveller's guide: Seychelles

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:00:01 GMT

As honeymoon decisions go, theirs was an excellent one. When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – seeking a destination where they could hide from the world's attention – picked the Seychelles as their place of post-wedding escape last May, they chose wisely.

Travel Challenge: Morocco

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Each week we invite three companies to give us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a week in Morocco for a family of four during the Easter holiday. All prices include flights from the UK.

This African encounter is up close and personal

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:01 GMT

When I asked Maria, a quiet 15-year-old with an engaging smile, what she wanted to do when she finished school, she looked me straight in the eyes and said without hesitation: "I'm going to be a doctor."

On The Road: Slippers, saffron, and a game of hide and souk in Marrakech

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

It had all started so well. An early encounter with a babouche salesman resulted in a 50 per cent discount on his original price. These typical Moroccan slippers were made from the finest camel hide, he explained, and had taken his brother-in-law's family weeks to make.

Nature’s bounty: Valentine Warner’s South African food safari

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

A mouthwatering scent emanates from the dark, velvety oxtail stew bubbling away on the braai in the middle of our camp. I'm sitting at an Out of Africa-style outdoor table laid with white china, silver cutlery and hurricane lamps in the deep, dramatic interior of the South African bush, the rolling hills and valleys of the Eastern Cape uninterrupted in every direction as far as the eye can see. The furthest hills are tinged blue while myriad shades of green set off the bright red soil of dirt tracks and baked orange termite mounds scattered among tall yellow grass.

Go with the flow: Charting a course through The Gambia

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Children rarely scream at the sight of me. My own offspring, faced with my anger, might quiver a bit. But I'm not often that cross. I therefore didn't understand the terrified wailing when I first saw it in The Gambia. I was in a small village called Tubakulam, just north of the river which gives the country its name. A local mechanic, Ousman Camara, had kindly offered to show me around.

Dazzled by Morocco's desert city

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Why visit?

There's a monkey tugging at my shoulder and someone's trying to drape a snake around my neck.

Tunisia one year on: Simon Calder explores the source of the Arab Spring

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Ice-cream and fine wine: the bosses of the Swiss conglomerate, Mövenpick, may be wishing they had stuck to those profitable lines rather than expanding into hotels in North Africa. On New Year's Day, the chic lobby of the Tunis Mövenpick hotel was, like the rooms, mostly empty. Perfectly attired and mannered staff wished the handful of guests bonne année – a greeting that was returned with feeling.

Travel Challenge: A diving holiday in Egypt

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Each week, we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a week-long diving holiday in the Red Sea resorts of Egypt in early February. Prices are per person, based on two sharing, and include flights from London and all-inclusive accommodation.

Family safaris: Look children, a zebra crossing

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT

What's the attraction?

Children love animals, particularly the awe-inspiring varieties you find in Africa. Yet taking your brood on safari can still raise eyebrows. Won't they get charged, munched, or trampled? In fact, safaris make a great family holiday and tour operators are at last wising up to the family market. At the top end, your family can have an entire camp to itself. The more budget-conscious can tailor-make their self-drive itinerary. Parents may need to tweak their personal agenda to cater for younger attention spans. But keep game drives short, pack in hands-on activities, and you'll have the family adventure of a lifetime.

Cape Town: Get an appetite for Africa

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Why visit?

When it comes to show-stopping locations, few cities can compete with Cape Town. Its winning combination of Atlantic coastline and mountainous backdrop means it sits alongside Sydney and Rio de Janeiro as one of the world's most geographically gifted cityscapes.

Get an appetite for Africa. The table's all set

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Why visit?

Traveller's Guide: Tanzania

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT

From acacia-dotted plains to snowy mountain peaks and sandy shores of exotic islands where the air is scented with cloves, Tanzania delivers a heady and enticing mix that has lured visitors for centuries.

Famous hotels: Soft beds and hard battles

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:01 GMT

It's not just as a bolthole for reporters that hotels have played famous parts in wars. As Matthew Sweet's new book West End Front recalls, London hotels such as The Ritz and The Savoy were key destinations for spies and fallen governments during the Second World War. But others around the world have played even more famous roles in conflicts:

Marrakech: It ain't half hot, mum

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:01 GMT

When I told my mother I was thinking of taking her to Marrakech, she was very excited. "Ooh, can we ride camels into the desert?" she asked. "Can we camp out under the stars? Can we go up into the Atlas mountains?" When I told my friends that I was thinking of taking my mother to Marrakech, some of them fretted. "But she's over 80," they said. "Do you think she'll cope?"