This mystical and iconic figure can mainly be found in the northern parts of Kruger National Park. While you are likely to be taken aback by its presence and history, it also gives an exciting feeling of freedom and inspires a desire to explore this area, as many generations before have done.

You will therefore not be the first to enjoy the splendour that this tree has to offer, to man and beast alike. You will certainly not be the last. The baobab has been a source of materials and food for millennia. Its leaves are edible and the tree bears a delicious fruit that offers a valuable source of nutrition. Its mighty trunk also stores huge amounts of water to protect against the hardships the tree has to endure.

In many ways the Baobab is a perfect symbol for Earth Day. It is a mighty testament to Earth’s resilience and its ability to provide for us.

“When I spend time underneath a Baobab tree, it feels as if time stands still. It feels like it is cheering me on in life ‘come on, I have done it, you can too.’ ” – Anonymous

Volunteer vacationers are as diverse as our planet’s incredible range of environments and abundance of people. From protecting turtles’ eggs to delivering vital medical supplies, there’s something out there for everyone.

At Much Better Adventures, we work with a host of the world’s leading volunteer holiday providers, bringing the best under one roof. Here are just five worth your consideration.

Horseback riding and humanitarian aid go together with Relief Riders International

Deliver Humanitarian Aid on Horseback

For thrill seekers, nothing can beat cantering through the deserts of northern West India. This vast, unspoilt region is ripe for exploration. But it’s remoteness works against it too: many Rajasthan residents suffer from poor medical infrastructure. Deliveries of equipment and expertise are therefore vital.

So if you have plans to be in the area, why not add to the depth of your experience by volunteering on an important humanitarian mission? Horses are excellent for carrying supplies, so load them up with medical equipment. By helping out, you’re able to make a real difference to locals’ lives, while having an epic adventure yourself.

Teach English in Borneo, Malaysia, with Ecoteer

Teach English and Environmental Awareness

Teaching English abroad can be an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved. Offering you deep interaction with local people, it is a great way to delve into a new culture. Just as beneficially, local people learn English from a native speaker and are able to develop confidence in their language skills. Volunteers may also be given the chance to share their knowledge about environmental awareness, an important step in convincing locals to protect their natural resources.

These kinds of volunteer holidays often include free time each day, giving you ample opportunity to enjoy activities in the local area, whether they be sports meets or just chatting with new neighbours. English teaching trips vary in length from a couple of weeks to many months.

Volunteer with Lions in South Africa

The lion – the king of the cats – is one of the most majestic animals on the planet. So, what could be better than a volunteer position helping research the impacts of reintroducing it and other animals into an incredible nature reserve?

Volunteer projects could be your best chance to really help animals. Through guided courses and practical work with rangers, you develop new skills that you might not have a chance to otherwise. Research into endangered species, for example, is vital to the preservation of our ecosystems; however the (human and material and financial) resources to do this are sometimes hard to find. This is where volunteer holidays can come in to play: they help fill this gap so that the research can continue.

Student holding a baby turtle as part of his volunteer work with SEE Turtles

Protect Turtles as Part of Your College Studies

College students often think of volunteering holidays as rewarding additions to their studies. By putting theory into practice you gain a fuller understanding of your academic pursuits. Such experiences can also provide solid fodder for your CV, showing your commitment to your field and an appetite for contextualising your knowledge.

Turtle conservation projects are great area for students. Not only do they allow for hands-on care of these special marine creatures, but they are often located in rather nice corners of the world. Who would complain about that?

There’s a serious side to it all, of course, as many species are endangered and a lot of hard work is needed to help protect them. Roles can include monitoring beaches, caring for young turtles, researching populations and educating locals about how to prevent poaching.

Reef conservation and diving are twin pursuits of Reef Conservation International

Mix Diving with Reef Conservation

One of the most magical qualities of diving is experiencing the incredible submarine environment. You have only to look through the range of diving holidays to understand the increase in the number of volunteer holidays set up to help protect these garden hotspot for divers.

As reefs exist all over the world, you rarely have to travel too far to help out. Many reef-restoration volunteer holidays also integrate diving courses, giving you the ideal mix of conservation and learning.

There are many more opportunities than the five presented here. Why not start your adventure on Much Better Adventures’ Volunteering Holidays page?

You’ve seen them flocking together at every major tourist site: groups of travellers in bright Hawaiian shirts escorted by their tour guides, who lead them around like herds of cattle. Lumbering off buses, they brush sleep from their eyes for a 10- to 15-minute glimpse of whatever natural or manmade wonder they happen to see before them – a thunderous waterfall perhaps, or the crumbling pillars of an ancient civilisation. Then, still snapping photos with their brand-new cameras, they’re wrangled back on the bus.

One hopes that one day these folk will realise this is no way to see the world, watching the landscapes whirr by instead of savouring the journey. The typical big-hits packaged tour – characterised by buses speeding from one highlight attraction to the next – misses out on the unexpected pleasures of slower travel. Why not linger a little while to experience landscape from up close? What better way to get to know a place than to interact with the locals who live there? Group sightseeing by bus is a sleepwalker’s holiday. You need to get off the tourist coach for some real adventure.

A traditional dugout canoe, known as a haabja, is the best way to explore the wilderness of Estonia's Soomaa National Park. Photo courtesy of www.soomaa.com

Get Wet and Wild in Estonia

Known as the “land of the bogs,” Estonia reveals its natural splendour inside Soomaa National Park. Special footwear is required for “bog-shoeing” across this vast wet tract of land known for its abundant wildlife that includes numerous types of bird, wild boar and brown bear, all common residents of the peat bogs and flooded grasslands. The famous late-March ‘fifth season’ of floods is an ideal time for fully exploring the area’s damp landscapes and raging rivers, as well as the nearby Baltic Sea and the Estonia Islands just offshore. Spot seals, beavers, lynx and more on a Sea Kayaking and River Canoeing Adventure, with time spent both in Soomaa and in the Hiiumaa Islets Landscape Reserve.

The high-speed toboggan on Madeira Island, Portugal has been operating since 1850.

Take off by Toboggan in Madeira, Portugal

Visitors to Portugal’s Madeira Island have long been enjoying the high-speed trip from the hilltop resort town of Monte to the island’s low-lying capital city of Funchal. This easy commute requires no gas-guzzling vehicles, however – just a 10-minute ride via an old-fashioned toboggan. Steered by two men in traditional straw hats who use their rubber-soled boots as breaks, the toboggan ride has been a means of local transport on the island since as far back as 1850. During the two-kilometre trip, speeds can reach up to 48 kilometres per hour.

Away from the capital of Ulaanbaatar, a ranger patrols Mongolia's Khustai National Park. Photo courtesy Batbold Ragchaa

Horse Around in Mongolia

Since as far back as the days of Genghis Khan, horses in Mongolia have had a unique influence over the country’s history and culture. Mongol riders once ruled much of Eurasia, and horses remain central to the traditions of Mongolia’s nomadic tribes. In fact, the country today is home to approximately 20 million steeds, while the number of Mongolians is barely 2.8 million. It’s little wonder why riding is still so popular throughout Mongolia, especially as the beauty of country’s vast steppes is best discovered on horseback. Departing from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, a six-night Horseback Adventure to Legendary White Lake lets visitors take in sights that include ancient Mongol Empire ruins, petrified forests and rolling sand dunes – all while sleeping under the stars in a traditional yurt-style Mongolian ‘ger’ camp.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, visitors learn about the history of Apartheid while cycling around the vibrant Soweto township. Photo by Johannesburg Urban Adventures

Cycle Away in South Africa

Two wheels are an ideal way to see the sights in the legendary Soweto district of Johannesburg, South Africa – the colourful and vibrant neighborhood which helped usher in the end of the turbulent era of Apartheid. On Urban Adventures’ Cycle Soweto tour, visitors explore the most famous landmarks and streets recalling the days of Apartheid. The seven- to eight-hour leisurely pedal passes Vilakazi Street, where Nelson Mandela once lived, and encounters many noteworthy sights from the historic 1976 student uprisings. Rounding out the trip is a pause for umqombothi (traditional grain-brewed beer) at a local shebeen (bar).

On a reindeer sledding tour with Nutti Sámi Siida, travelers drive sleds across Swedish wilderness and learn how to handle their own reindeer. Photo courtesy of Katja Bechtloff

Sled Through Sweden – by Reindeer

In the far north of Swedish Lapland, one local travel operator had the ingenious insight to combine reindeer husbandry with community-based tourism. Based in the village of Jukkasjärvi (which is also home to the legendary IceHotel), Nutti Sámi Siida arranges first-rate ecotourism trips that showcase the environment and culture of the region’s indigenous Sámi people. On a reindeer sledding tour, riders learn how to handle their own reindeer while driving a sled through Sweden’s snow-covered tundra. Along the way, time is taken to taste traditional Sámi food, learn how to throw a lasso and become better acquainted with the four-footed companions. Why take the bus, when you can caravan above the Arctic Circle?

A hop-on/hop-off sightseeing bus in Cape Town, South Africa, can't offer the slow travel experience of hiking or biking, but is a good way to get oriented. Photo courtesy of City Sightseeing Tours

One thing that visitors immediately notice about Cape Town is its laid-back attitude. Those who are used to the fast pace of other cities take a bit of time to adjust, but ultimately they settle in and love it. Still, it’s worth remembering in advance the best piece of advice you can get from a local: if you really want to get under the skin of Cape Town, you have to slow things down. If you speed through the city, you will miss out on the great subtleties that give Cape Town its character. It’ll melt together and become a blur, as if you are driving a car at 100 miles per hour and trying to look out the window.

There is, of course, a great list of must-do sights and activities in Cape Town. I too would like to offer some suggestions for visiting the city’s top destinations, but my angle is to do it the way we locals know and love – the slow way. Exploring Cape Town’s top attractions by slower means provides many more unique and exhilarating experiences.

Walk, Hike and Bike in the Table Mountain Range

Table Mountain, a recently appointed New Seven Wonders of the World, is one of the best places for panoramic vistas of Cape Town and the mountains surrounding it. Instead of taking a gondola or cable car that will whiz you to the top in five minutes, though, why not ascend the mountain the slow way?

Check out the views of Cape Town, South Africa, while mountain biking in nearby Tokai. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

If you are relatively fit and enjoy walking, there is no better way to see Cape Town unfold before your eyes than by walking. The hike up Platteklip Gorge – a series of stone-stepped switchbacks – takes about two hours. You can make the hike on your own or with friends, but I suggest taking a Table Mountain hike tour. For serious walkers and climbers, there are more difficult trails, but travel along these is not recommended without experienced Cape Town guides.

Mountain biking in Cape Town is another great mode of slow travel. Try cycling the lower slopes of Table Mountain or Tokai, the latter of which is further south in the Table Range.

Cape Town is laced with trails, walking paths and climbing routes; once you start looking, you see them everywhere! Running down the Cape and into the suburbs, these trails are some of the best ways to experience Cape Town slowly, taking the time to soak in local life. For a completely unique experience (and one of the city’s best-kept secrets), try walking to the top of Lions Head during a full moon. And if you are really looking for a local experience, try trail running, one of Cape Town’s fastest growing sports.

Buses and minivans will get you to the Cape of Good Hope, but to really feel the wind in your hair, head there via WWII motorcycle sidecar. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

Drive Along the Cape of Good Hope in Style

The southwestern tip of the African continent was described by Sir Francis Drake in 1580 as “The most stately thing and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.” Cape Peninsula National Park is one of the most popular tourist spots in South Africa, with historical maritime significance and breathtaking surroundings.

The common way for Cape Town tourists to reach the Cape of Good Hope is via a bus or minivan tour. Instead, why no let a chauffeur drive you there in a classic WWII sidecar or vintage car? The views along the way are astonishing, and you get an added sense of history when travelling in this classic mode of transport. There are also plenty of opportunities for unscheduled photo stops, which are great for meeting locals; people stop in their tracks to admire these classic cars.

If you want to get some exercise on your trip to the Cape, then rent a bicycle and get a shot of fresh air straight from the Cape Doctor; the prevailing wind is locally renowned for clearing chest infections and other respiratory ailments common to colder and wetter climates.

Visitors to Cape Town, South Africa, can experience the day-to-day life of the townships, where reminders of the country's recent segregated past meet its hopes for a more equitable future. Photo courtesy of AWOL Tours

Explore Cape Town by Foot

Most first-time visitors to Cape Town orient themselves to South Africa’s oldest and most beautiful city with a half-day minivan tour or by taking the hop-on/hop-off bus that winds its way through the city. But Cape Town is small and, in my opinion, the best way to really see it is on a Cape Town walking tour or cycling excursion.

Personalised walking or biking tours of Cape Town really wade into the city’s melting pot of cultures. Originally a Dutch settlement set up as a supply station for passing ships, the city’s essence and history are rooted in the competing interests of colonial powers and local indigenous groups. Walking around the city introduces visitors to this complex history. As the terrain is relatively flat, it’s a great option for families of all ages.

Bike the Winelands of Constantia

Fifteen kilometres from Cape Town lie the oldest and most beautiful wineries in South Africa. There are at least six world-class wineries in the Constantia Valley, most dating back to the 1600s. To drink it all in, take a South African wine tour (by bike), on which you can taste and purchase wine, as well as sample the outstanding cuisine at the local top-class restaurants.

The green valleys north of Cape Town are rife with family-run wineries and local culinary delights. Take a taste trough the region by car, bike or even horse. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

A tour of the Constantia Valley is just as easy by car or on an organised Cape Town tour. However, for slow travellers, the best option really is by bicycle. This low-impact form of travel is great for people of all ages and fitness levels. Just go easy on the wine tastings or you run the risk of falling of your bike!

Township Tours

As you approach Cape Town from the airport, you will see firsthand the material inequities that are a constant reality of life in South Africa. Along the highway are what many describe as ‘shantytowns’ – informal settlements on the outskirts of more affluent neighbourhoods. It might be easy to pass judgment as you drive by, but that only makes the situation seem hopeless and untenable. In reality, South Africa has come a long way from the times of mandatory segregation, since the Apartheid was officially abolished under Nelson Mandela in 1994. The best way to find out the real story is to visit these areas and meet the people who live there.

To do that, take a slow, interactive Township tour, walking through the area with a local guide who grew up there. Hearing his stories will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride, but the experience is guaranteed to leave you with a sense of hope for South Africa. The country is a living example of the positive outcomes people can achieve when they work together. There is still a long way to go, but the road has been mapped and its foundation has now been laid.

A meander in or around Cape Town - best done by bike - will help you get to know the city in the same slow way the locals do. Photo courtesy of AWOL Tours

Another option is a responsible cycling tour of the townships. Several community-based bicycle tours provide visitors with more opportunities to interact with the community than from an air-conditioned bus. It’s also recommended to take a tour of Robben Island to round out your knowledge of South Africa’s political history and Nelson Mandela’s incredible impact.

With so many Cape Town tours from which to choose, be sure to experience life from a local perspective…the slow way.

While each of these elements is an important trait of the region’s larger personality, no single feature of the Cape Winelands stands on its own. Rather, they form a complex web of connections: the gorgeous nature is related to the local agriculture, which is in turn connected to a history of colonisation and cultural development that continues to affect social and environmental issues today. The Cape Fold Mountains, for example, provide a scenic and geologically rich border to the region, and the vineyards are the basis of South Africa’s wine industry, but those vineyards are deeply dependent on the environment and climates created in part by their mountainous shelters, not to mention the people who devote attention to them.

At the Chamonix Cellar in Franshhoek in the Cape Winelands region of South Africa, excellent wines and shnaaps are ready for tasting. Photo courtesy of WineLands Experience

Nature, Ecology and Culture Noted by UNESCO

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) took into account all of these overlapping spheres of the Winelands when it recognised the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve as a special Man and Biosphere (MAB) reserve. The aim of the MAB program is to strengthen the relationship between society and the environment through sustainability and conservation, all by considering the unique ecological, environmental, social and economic components of a place.

Parts of the region have also been recognised for their intangible cultural heritage; the Cape Winelands Cultural Landscape has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2009. From diverse styles of architecture to a four-centuries-deep tradition of winemaking, the cultural heritage of the Winelands is an inseparable part of the larger ecological and social spheres of the region.

Of course, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve is particularly famous for its biodiversity. In fact, cutting through the heart of the Reserve is the Cape Floral Region, another UNESCO-protected World Heritage Site. One of the world’s richest plant areas, it is home to nearly 20 percent of Africa’s endemic plant life – on only 0.5 percent of its land.

Nearly 80 percent of the flora in the Cape Floral Region is shrub-like Fynbos vegetation (fynbos means ‘fine bush’ in Afrikaans) that thrives in rocky and nutrient-poor soil found in coastal and mountainous regions with a Mediterranean climate.

The fynbos plant, which thrives alongside grapevines in the rocky soil of the Cape Winelands, helps make the region a remarkable biosphere. Photo courtesy of wikimedia/Abu Shawka

Agricultural, Historical, Colonial and Cultural Connections

As at home as fynbos in the region’s rocky soil are the local grape vines. This agricultural twist was first exploited by 17th-century Dutch colonists, who imported the European tradition of winemaking to the region. The first bottle of South African wine was produced in 1659; within 30 years, over 100,000 vines had been planted in the Constantia Valley. Over time, colonial agricultural practices were superimposed onto this land of already abundant biodiversity.

Today the Cape Winelands region is divided into subregions, each notable for the variety of soil types that support different kinds of grapes and thus lend themselves to different winemaking practices. This ecological diversity, further influenced by nuanced climatic distinctions, gives the Cape Winelands an upper hand in the cultivation of grapes and production of wines that have met with great success in global markets.

Stellenbosch, for example, is widely acknowledged as the Winelands’ foremost wine-producing region. It has both limestone- and granite-laced soils that sustain white and red grapes. The Paarl region, with a slightly hotter climate and higher elevation, focuses on other varieties of red.

Intertwined with the history of agriculture and winemaking is the rich mix of cultural traditions just as diverse as the land and the grapes. Towns like Paarl have been shaped by Khoisan and East-African slave traditions, Dutch and French Huguenot customs and architecture, immigrant traditions from Eastern European Jewish communities and Italian migrant groups, and the practices and habits of Xhosa migrant labourers.

The Beyerskloof vineyard in Stellenbosch is an example of the vineyards that make Stellenbosch the country's foremost wine-producing region. Photo courtesy of flickr/Mark Turner

Environmental and Social Connections

UNESCO designation doesn’t stop at simple recognition for the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve and Cape Floral Region. A number of environmental and social challenges are being addressed with the help of UNESCO funding and international awareness.

For example, even though large tracts of the Winelands Reserve are doubly protected by the Cape Floral Protection Zone, much of the land is still privately owned and over-farming threatens some of the endemic plant life with extinction. The region’s agricultural history also has a darker past of ecologically unsound practices, and the use of pesticides has harmed local birds and animals, including the blue crane, raptors and owls.

It goes without saying that the country’s tumultuous political history has had an impact on the region’s current state of affairs. A number of communities within the Reserve, many of which are rural, struggles against the effects of poverty, unemployment and urban migration.

When asked to comment on UNESCO’s involvement in the Cape Winelands region, a spokesperson for Winelands Experience, the whl.travel local partner in the Cape Winelands, was optimistic, especially given the company’s active participation in the community as local business owners:

“[UNESCO status] creates local and international interest and awareness of the region as a biosphere reserve and fulfills a marketing and educational function on both the national and international levels. It also empowers local communities and economies by bringing more visitors to the area, which results in the inflow of capital and investment to these regions. A UNESCO designation also focuses on local, provincial, regional and national government attention, and ensures that social, economic, environmental and biodiversity conservation issues are placed on the national and international agendas of the relevant agencies… Education of local communities [will] result in positive and workable solutions to complex regional issues.”

UNESCO’s attention is an important step for the Cape Winelands, as its communities move toward reconciling a turbulent past with progress toward a future in which the diverse and overlapping spheres of ecological, agricultural and cultural heritage are appreciated and fully utilised for the larger wellbeing of the Western Cape of South Africa.

Taste the wine and absorb the layers of heritage in the Cape Winelands for yourself. To plan an experiential trip to the region, get in touch with Winelands Experience, the whl.travel local connection in Cape Winelands, South Africa.

On the occasion when this picture was taken, we were visiting the park, staying at Gorah Elephant Camp, one of the luxury camps found within the park, and were on an afternoon safari. We came across these lions a few hundred meters from the camp. They were on their way to the camp to overnight with two other lionesses and the big dominant male, which was on the periphery. The young male shown here was reaching an age at which he would be kicked out of the pride fairly soon and was probably savouring the last few weeks or months with his family.

During the evening we enjoyed dinner and then were escorted to our tented rooms for the night by our ranger. We heard the pride of lions all night, grunting and roaring, clearly letting the rest of the animal kingdom know where they were and who was “King of the Addo”. Early the next morning, we found the pride again on our safari; they were very relaxed and did not seem very interested in moving on. Lions do sleep about 20 hours of the day away, so it was no surprise.

Visiting the Addo National Park is a must for any visitor venturing up or down the Garden Route of South Africa, as it offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a safari before or after the scenic drive along our southeastern coastline. Various accommodations, from budget to luxury, can be found around the Addo National Park, as well as in Port Elizabeth, as the park is only about 80 kilometres from the “Friendly City”, as it is locally known.

A major draw is the opportunity to compete in a unique and spectacular environment. Forget the endless fire roads and jeep-track climbs that some races tend to rely on, where road-bike endurance tends to matter more than MTB skill. The Induna MTB Challenge provides an entirely different challenge for riders to get their teeth into.

Known for its hand-cut trails that snake through the forest, the course serves up a difficult mix of short sharp climbs, rock shelves, rooty drops and tricky switchbacks. Add a few shallow water crossings and even some single tracks beaten flat by hippos and you can see that the riders have their work cut out for them.

The Lowveld’s warm winter climate provides a comfortable environment for those who choose to camp at the race venue. As excitement builds before the race, the community spirit of the riders and spectators is a jovial and rewarding experience.

For those not up for competing, the race is an incredible event just to be around. But if you are looking for something to get the adrenaline pumping, there are plenty of activities available in the Western Kruger area.

Do you shop when you travel? Are souvenirs irresistible? It's important to understand the perils of irresponsible shopping and learn how to shop the fair way - or else. Photo courtesy of Flickr/|vvaldzen|

The great part about buying handmade items like these is that they were all purchased directly from the artists who made them – an exceedingly rare interaction in an increasingly mass-produced world. Buying the items felt good to me, but best is that I know these local artists appreciated each sale as well.

Whether our purchases make a positive impact when we travel is unfortunately not always so clear. Yet in developing countries, where Western currency goes that much further, it’s a thought worth investigating. How can we be sure that our purchasing choices will ensure the well-being of locals and the environment? Are we supporting an industry that helps sustain the local economy? Do our penchants support a trade that values the labour, dignity and rights of all those it employs?

You could hardly do better than local handicrafts made from indigenous bamboo grown in the forests around Luang Prabang, Laos. Photo courtesy of Stanislas Fradelizi/Teamworkz

When it comes to buying the “fairest” souvenirs, being well informed can make a big difference. Responsible shopping means understanding what’s at stake with each penny traded with the goal to preserve the world’s heritage and resources.

Here then are a few points to consider to help ensure that our tourist dollars are well spent. I’d really encourage you to add some of your own.

Look Around for Local Crafts

From the hand-woven traditional textiles of Laos to the fine filigree jewellery available in Portugal or the eclectic wire sculptures sold along South Africa’s Garden Route, nothing compares in value to beautifully produced local handicrafts made by some of the world’s finest artists. After all, craft items make far better gifts than boring old t-shirts, and purchasing locally produced goods constitutes a viable source of income for local creative types the world over.

When you buy goods and handcrafts directly from the local producers, your money goes straight to the community and will help to preserve those traditional arts. Keep your eyes out at the smaller markets in rural areas for some of the best deals, or buy through specialty Fair Trade stores such as Global Exchange.

Get Goods Made from Sustainable Sources

We all know that poaching is wrong. Tourists who buy endangered animal furs have as much blood on their hands as the poachers themselves. Fortunately, butterflies do not look nice to me in a box. I’d never consider buying ivory, that barbaric and illegal trade that causes incredible agony and death to the most magnificent of creatures. I boycott buying furniture made from rare and endangered woods and always aim to buy products made from the finest renewable sources.

Enough said? Are you sure? Take a stroll down almost any tourist beach and you will likely see vendors selling coral or seashells. But, except in places where some invasive coral is harvested to preserve the native ecosystem, how many people know that the market for harvested coral is destroying the world’s ocean reefs and causing irreparable damage to underwater ecosystems? The colourful shells now sold as earrings and necklaces once contained living animals – creatures that are now dead because someone wanted pretty adornments. Please don’t encourage this trade.

Keep an eye out for homemade items made from sustainable resources, like the natural dyes used by traditional weavers in Peru's Sacred Valley. Photo by Laurel Angrist

Buy with a Conscience – Patronise Stores that Give Back

Another important way to ensure we spend our money responsibly is to purchase items that help to support the communities we visit. In the peaceful Xieng Khoang province of northeast Laos, for example, lies the cultural village of Ban Napia. Despite the countless atrocities they suffered as residents of the most heavily bombed region in the Indochina War, the villagers here are resilient and resourceful: aluminium scrap metal from leftover bombs is converted into delicate spoons and bracelets that are sold to tourists visiting the village-owned souvenir shop.

Around the world, of course, there are many other small stores that provide self-sustainable income to locals, whether through skills training or other means, and countless shops that contribute to worthy causes. Get online and ask around to find the best local charity shops and patronise businesses donating a percentage of profits to local community projects, environmental conservation or humanitarian assistance programs.

The successful thrift shops and bookstore run by Housing Works support programs providing housing, healthcare and job training to more than 20,000 low-income New York City residents living with HIV and AIDS. Photo courtesy of housingworks.org

Consider an Item’s Trade Roots – and Think Outside the Factory-Made Box

Many infamous examples exist of products made by exploited workers, produced under dismal conditions for shockingly minuscule wages. The most high-profile cases that come to my mind are the Christmas ornaments that were made by child workers and sold at Walmart, the Nike shoe company’s questionable labour practices and the horrific abuse and involvement of the Koidu diamond mines in fuelling Sierra Leone’s bloody, decade-long civil war.

Unfortunately, such stories only come to light once a corporation’s underhanded practices become too egregious to ignore. Let’s face it: mass production has had a long history of labour violations, many of which we choose to ignore because we want our cheap dinner plates, children’s toys, cell phones and you name it.

In South Africa, the Consolidated Diamond Mine, owned by De Beers, is said to have the largest private earthmoving fleet in the world. Outmoded vehicles and machines are dumped in this eerie graveyard without a second thought about the environment. Photo courtesy of Flickr/sosij

Factory-made souvenir items such as magnets, key chains or t-shirts are often manufactured outside of the destinations they represent, and typically have little to no real connection to the places they are supposed to portray. I don’t know the industrial origins of the most common and obvious mass-market souvenir items, but knowing what we know already, how much do we really want them? How great could they really be?

Instead, why not hunt for more meaningful mementos? Vacations are the perfect time to get just a little bit more creative: think of items that are not merely souvenirs but are actually used in local households for decoration or day-to-day living. Need some ideas? Go ask a local. They’re bound to come up with some imaginative suggestions you may never have thought of on your own.

Even after relatively mild experiences on roller coasters and other vague elevations, it took a long time for me to feel comfortable with being up really, really high. I finally had a breakthrough when I decided to attempt my first bungee jump at the age of 18, in late 1996, in Kuranda, Queensland, Australia. The adrenaline hit, and, of course, I loved it immediately.

A suspension bridge connects the colourful Orlando Towers of Soweto, South Africa. The bridge was built for high-intensity vertical sports such as bungee jumping. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

The instructor had advised that I focus on a spot on the horizon, avoid looking down and lean forward until my balance reached the point of no return, at which time I was to bend my knees, push off and yell, “Bungee!” Rather embarrassingly, not only did I follow the latter instruction, but have continued to do so during most of my six bungee jumps since: three on the Gold Coast in Australia during 1997, two in Bali in 2008 and the Macau Tower jump in 2008 – a massive 233-metre plunge.

In 2009, I moved from London to Johannesburg to work on the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Given this was my first experience visiting Africa, let alone living there, I compiled a list of experiences I wanted to tick off before my contract ended in August 2010.

This list included a proper safari – something I never got around to doing – and, after spying the Orlando Cooling Towers during a work visit to the Soweto Derby in late 2009, another bungee jump.

A Vertical Vision

Orlando Towers was opened to adrenaline excitement in 2009 by Skyriders, a South African company established in 1988 and specialising in rope access for work, inspection and maintenance in very high or hard-to-reach areas. While Skyriders began in window-cleaning and progressed to industrial access in the 1990s, Orlando Towers was their first foray into the world of extreme sports.

The anxiety builds as adrenaline thrill-seekers are swept into a cage elevator that propels them to the top of the Orlando Towers Vertical Adventure Centre in Soweto, South Africa. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

Long before that, the hulking structures were the cooling towers for the Soweto Power Station from 1942 to 1998, when the coal-burning facility closed. Then, Bob Woods, a rope-access specialist and director at Skyriders, was fortunate enough to experience the stunning view from the top of the towers while conducting maintenance work. Believing that more people should be able to take part in this amazing experience, a brainwave that struck Woods in 2001 compelled him to developed the decommissioned Orlando Towers into a ‘vertical adventure centre’.

The years that followed were filled with discussions and negotiations with the people of Soweto, as well as local councils, engineers, builders and the Johannesburg Property Company. In 2005, preliminary plans for the Orlando Ekhava Precinct were presented, with the comprehensive Orlando Towers Vertical Adventure Centre project approved in 2007.

At the end of 2007, a lease was signed; development began soon after. By July 2008, a lift tower was installed and the site officially opened. In order to develop the vertical adventure component, a bridging platform between the two towers was raised 100 metres from the ground (three metres from the top of the towers) and secured in place for the ‘World’s First Bungee Jump Between Two Cooling Towers’. Fittingly, the first leap was made by Bob Woods.

Hanging around at the Orlando Towers of Soweto, South Africa, bungee jumpers and giant swingers wait to be lifted to a launch platform 100 metres above the ground. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

Today, Orlando Towers offers a number of adrenaline-pumping experiences, including the 100-metre bungee, a swing from the centre of the suspension bridge resulting in a 40-metre free fall, and a swing into one of the cooling towers. Beyond these thrills there are also rap jumping, base jumping, abseiling and a zip line. The centre even offers rock climbing and paint balling, and the suspension bridge itself is an excellent viewing platform from which to take in the seemingly endless panorama of Soweto.

A Flying Leap

In August 2010, only weeks before I was due to head back to London, I realised I’d ticked very few things off my to-do list. No safari. No bungee jump. Then, two people I had met at the Soweto Derby back in 2009 suggested we tackle Orlando Towers as a celebratory wrap-up after the World Cup.

When I arrived, I was surprised at how simple and laid-back the setup was. Despite being very professionally qualified and approved, the staff were all very relaxed about the experience. Instead of my usual bungee experience, I therefore elected to try something new to me – the giant swing – and was outfitted with a harness, something specific to the swing experience.

At first we waited at the foot of the tower, watching the group before us throw themselves into gravity’s embrace from 100 metres above. This increased the anticipation, and perhaps the apprehension too, but given past experiences and my love of bungee I was desperate to give it my go.

In Soweto, South Africa, the swing at Orlando Towers is an adrenaline-packed alternative to bungee, which is also available. Choose your thrill. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

When it was our turn we were given a quick briefing and bundled into the open-air rickety-feeling lift riveted to the exterior of one of the towers. The staff played on this fact by tweaking the speed of the elevator halfway up the tower (50 metres above the ground) to make the entire lift shudder. It also didn’t help that the lift hugged the shape of the tower, meaning you began by leaning slightly against it, and finished by dangling off it.

At the top, the walkways to the suspension bridge allowed us to look into the massive tower. We worked our way around to the launch platform and waited for the first of our group to bungee. It took a lot of coaxing, and a few moments of considering turning back, but she eventually leapt. The second group member completed her bungee jump too, and then I was strapped on to the swing rope.

The swing does not involve walking out onto the bridge, as with the bungee, but instead begins on a platform attached to one of the towers from where you try to fly from one tower to the other. Once you’re attached to the rope, the weight of the rope itself practically drags you to the edge. Unlike a bungee, where you’re told to lean into it and fall headfirst, the swing involves taking a long stride off the 100-metre-high platform and then free-falling for 40 metres before the rope pulls taught and drags you into a massive swing toward the other tower.

Free-falling 40 metres from a 100-metre platform between the Orlando Towers in Soweto, South Africa, is a powerful swing experience. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

It was far more stomach-churning than a bungee jump, feeling much more like the floor had been removed from under my feet and I was simply falling to the ground below. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone who has previously bungeed and is interested in putting a new spin on it.

Although I missed out on a few things while I lived in South Africa, I certainly do intend to go back and take part in a safari. I also hope to experience the world’s highest bridge bungee: 216 metres from Bloukrans Bridge!

A kayaker dwarfed by the 56-metre-high Mac-Mac Falls, Mpumalanga, South Africa

If an epic experience means going beyond what is usual or ordinary – to encompass that which is extraordinary, momentous and great – then that is how I would describe my first descent on the creeking Mac-Mac River, beginning from the thunderous Mac-Mac Falls, a national monument of South Africa.

More than a monument, though, the Mac-Mac River is one of the country’s healthiest, most untouched biospheres. It is home to Red List fish species and many birds like the African finfoot, half-collared kingfisher and African crowned eagle. It’s also a botanist’s heaven.

And now, after two years of planning, contemplating and waiting for the right amount of water, there was no better time to tackle the 14-kilometre stretch of river between Graskop and Sabie, Mpumalanga. Fellow adventurer Andre van de Berg and I would start at an elevation of 1,220 metres and then drop 450 metres. With the help of maps and Google Earth, we had studied the steep gradient with lots of drops, which meant we should be prepared to face some serious rapids.

A Falls Start

Early one morning, after seeing my sons, Luan and Dian, off to school, Andre and I made our way to the still-locked gates of the scenic view point at Mac-Mac Falls. Some friendly craft ladies eagerly awaiting potential buyers pointed out a way around the locked gates and wished us luck. We needed it.

The 30-minute hike to the bottom of the world-renowned Mac-Mac Falls was nothing short of breathtaking. We clawed and slid our kayaks down a small path and already knew that there would be no turning back. There would also be no one that could come and help us. A rescue mission would be a mssion impossible: so we had to play it safe, even though playing it safe is not really in a kayaker’s genes.

Finally at the river’s edge, we quickly climbed into our kayaks and paddled up to the falls to capture the splendour and powerful thrust of the dropping water. We also wanted to mark the start of our epic journey. We tried to get as close to the eye of the falls as possible, but the force of the spray left us literally breathless. What a way to start an experience, at the bottom of one of God’s most amazing creations!

Before departure, we had used Google Earth to create checkpoints and to landmark water features, waterfalls and rockslides to tell us more or less where we might be. But with lots of shaded turns and thick tree cover, the satellite images could not really tell us what grade and type of rapids would be lurking around every corner.

The forces of gravity pull Andre over the first challenge: a seven-metre-high waterfall on the Mac-Mac River, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Some Early Reminders

Rapids were thrown at us from all directions right from the start. There was no stretch longer than 50 metres before we had to climb out to scout ahead. Always concerned about what lay hidden around each corner, we needed to plan our line of approach… if what lay ahead was approachable. This was basically the itinerary for the whole day as there was always something interesting around every twist in the river. A kayaker’s dream.

Our first landmark, just a couple of stone’s throws from the falls, was a seven-metre waterfall with an easy approach. For us, it served as a reminder that respect for nature must be a high priority for a safe first descent. Andre missed his line and disappeared into the curtain of the falls. A couple of seconds later he popped back up, but with nothing more than a paddle. His red medium-sized Solo Fluid kayak was nowhere to be seen: a fairly important item given the objective of our journey.

Andre was fine; with no more than a couple of bruises to his leg, we searched for his missing kayak, which Andre eventually glimpsed still pinned under the curtain of the falls. Our boat rescue attempt produced a kayak that looked like a tin can beaten with a five-pound hammer by an angry teenager. Luckily, as it was made from the finest materials, we could bash it back into shape and were left with only a 20-millimetre tear at the top of the cockpit – something with which we could live, although Andre had to drain water from his boat every 15-20 minutes.

The author enjoys a fast 'super tube' on the Mac-Mac River of Mpumalanga, South Africa

After some great drops and a 40-metre-long rock slide, we encountered our second landmark of the day: another waterfall that tumbled 15 metres down a hill and then disappeared over another ledge to somewhere we could not see. With no more than a glance at one other, we both knew that this was not just unrunnable in a kayak, it could even be impossible on foot. The problem was: there was no turning back!

So with blood sweat and close to tears we clawed our way through nearly impenetrable, thorn-infested bush that was so steep we had to anchor either the boats or ourselves to prevent serious injury. One and a half hours later, nature spat us out like ‘old chewed-on biltong gut.’

Overjoyed to be back on the river, we stopped for a well-deserved lunch break of dried fruit, nuts, chocolate and water from a trickling stream that you just know is as fresh and clean as God intended it to be.

Rapid Thrills

As time was not really on our side, we wrapped up our leftovers and paddled over the next three-metre drop with renewed energy and purpose.

The next grade-4-plus rapid ended with the river pushing straight toward an undercut (water that disappears underneath a rock because of an overhang or ledge formed by a rock). After dropping two meters, the river passed through s-bends over and between massive boulders and then pushed directly toward the water hazard. To get through, at the bottom of the drop, after going over a ledge, we had to land on the lip of a hole (the side of a wave that shows the exit) and ride a lateral (crossing diagonal) wave to avoid the teeth of the undercut. I had a smooth run. Andre decided to skip this whole saga and tried an easier drop on the other side of the big boulder.

What happened next I can only describe as the most fun rapid I have ever run in my life! It was neither the scariest nor meanest, but it gave me a feeling which said, “Wow, I want to do that again!” It was a 40-metre drop with two super tube (water slide) launch pads (places from which to get airborne with your kayak), one at the beginning and the other in the middle of the rapid. True to its name, the first launch pad catapulted me through mid air to a landing on the second launch pad, which, in turn, sent me hurtling, a slave to gravity, into a big pool at the bottom.

There was nothing left to do but stick my fist in the air and shout my best war cry. Maybe I’ll ask Santa this year for a rapid just like this one in my backyard.

Colossal Challenges

Still filled with excitement and pure adrenaline, I ran the next rapid blindly, only to find out the wheel had turned. I boof stroked through a wave and landed in a massive hole with a terminal eddy (a water hole being fed from all sides like a hungry child in a chocolate factory). Andre, still packing away his camera after my 40-metre super-tube run, could only watch as my three-metre-long Solo cartwheeled like a Nemesis on 12Bb (a famous surfing wave on the Zambezi River).

After a couple of disappearing acts I decided to pop the cord and free myself from my boat. I had had enough of that chocolate factory! Luckily, the river spat me out while my kayak did a couple of solo runs. River=1, Jaco=0. This had Andre thinking twice about his approach. After some long thought, he opted to play it safe and not tempt the chocolate factory again.

The author uses a boof stroke to launch over a munching hole on the Mac-Mac River of Mpumalanga, South Africa

The onslaught of rapids did not stop here: drop after drop, with all that we encountered being runnable. A kayaker’s dream!

We then came to another waterfall we had marked as both unrunnable and maybe unwalkable. To get around it, we had to backtrack upriver and find a way to across the mountain and down to the water again. This was not what we had had signed up for. After 30 minutes of crawling on all fours, we nevertheless succeeded in getting back to the river below the falls. By this time we were tired and uncertain how far we still had to go. To top it off, Andre had snapped one of the blades off his paddle while bundu-bashing through the thickets. Reluctantly, I agreed to carry on with his paddle, which I called ‘stokkie,’ meaning ‘stick’ or ‘tree branch.’

The thing about steep creeking rivers is that when the water plummets down a drop or slope and there is a recycling hole (a dangerous water hazard that looks and acts like a funnel, trapping kayakers) at the bottom, chances are good that there is no easy way down, so you just have to face the gauntlet. However, there is less room for error than on high-volume rivers and there are more obstacles to negotiate. So it was with the next four rapids, all class-4 and each with a 50-50 chance of recycling us. We’d like to call it calculated risk.

So with energy levels in reserve and the sun bowing its head on Mother Nature, we were really hoping for no more surprises. Around the next corner, however, we were greeted with the sound of thunder. We agreed that on a regular day, the waterfall we faced would definitely be runnable, but this was no regular day and I was left with ‘stokkie’ to steer me over a two-level drop with sticky holes at each end and an unclear picture off what was still to come and how far we still had to go.

We opted for the portage and staggered down the side to a compulsory five-metre jump into the bottom of the pool.

An inspiring view of just some of the challenges overcome on the first descent of the Mac-Mac River from the Mac-Mac Falls of Mpumalanga, South Africa

A Safe Return

Slowly the steep gradient eased and the rapids became less and less serious. The last four kilometres were one continuous stretch of grade-2 rapids with a 100-metres-long pool in the middle. Those are conditions that I have rarely come across and were a great way to cover a lot of distance in the quickest time, with limited energy and tired bodies.

The take-out point greeted us like a family member after we had served a five-year jail sentence. We were safe, uninjured and more alive than ever.

On our way driving home, looking at the pictures, we let a feeling of ‘invulnerability’ creep back into our thoughts. We relished the idea that we were the first ever to witness the splendour and feel the power and rage of this never-paddled stretch of the Mac-Mac River.

We had done it! The first kayak descent from the Mac-Mac Falls!

For more about kayaking and other adventure-travel experiences in South Africa, contact Jaco Lubbe of Induna Travel, your whl.travel local connection for the Panorama Route in South Africa, also an expert on the area’s accommodation, tours, activities and loads of local hints.

The Greater one-horned Indian Rhino (rhinoceros unicornis)

Fortunately there are organisations like Save the Rhino and awareness-raising efforts like the one I am leading now working hard to draw the crisis to the attention of more people.

Deadly Myths

In Southeast and East Asia, superstitions about rhinoceros horn have people believing it to be a ‘remedy’ for various ailments, such as fever and pain. There is, however, no scientific evidence supporting this. Rhino horn has absolutely no medicinal effects on humans.

And yet cultural myths surrounding rhino horn persist and are why rhinos are slaughtered illegally. These deadly myths are why wild rhinoceros populations in Africa and Asia are at risk of extinction. The high and unrelenting demand for rhino horn has pushed its price to US$59,000 per kilogram, making it far more expensive than even gold.

Dwindling Numbers

2010 was a very bad year for poaching in South Africa, which is home to 90% of the world’s wild rhino population. Figures released by WWF (the world’s leading conservation organisation) that the number of rhinos shot dead in South Africa increased by 173% in 2010, a 15-year high across the continent. At a time when the rhinoceros is need of protection, South Africa is losing more than 20 per month. Conservationists warn that, at the present rate, the number of killings will outstrip new births.

It is not just the African rhinoceros populations that are suffering. Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered, the Sumatran Rhino faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future; it may not live to see the end of the next decade.

This mother and baby are southern white rhinos, which in the late 19th century were considered extinct, are part of a very small population in the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe region in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. The northern white rhino sub-species is critically endangered; in mid-2006, only four were reported in the wild in Garamba National Park, DRC.

Big 4 Safaris in 2035?

Right now, a lucky few of us are able to travel to Africa and Asia to see rhinoceros in the wild. But in 2035, will our grown children and grandchildren still see wild rhinos? Will the Big Five have been reduced to a Big Four?

I am trying to make a difference and make people aware of the terrible plight of the world’s rhino population. The Facebook page – Save the Rhino, see my Horn is a great place to show your support. All I ask is that you please just spread the word and ask your friends and family to please ‘like’ this Facebook page. By showing your support, the more people we can get on board, the more pressure we can put on governments to do all they can to STOP this. To stop it today, before it is too late.

Traditional dancers perform in the Ringetani Cultural Village. Photo courtesy of Brenna Bales-Smith

Even better, the attention tourists give to the province – and the consequent need for local accommodation and tour providers – has put locals involved in the industry in a position to design and implement sustainable business strategies that help protect the area they serve.

Making the Best of New Opportunities

Although Kruger National Park is the jewel in the province’s rich tourism crown and acts as a major drawing card in this part of South Africa, other industry subsectors – in adventure, heritage and cultural tourism – have also shown enormous market potential as well.

For example, around Kruger National Park and the Lowveld in particular, the growth of tourism has led to the development of new tour operators, adventure outfits, accommodations and restaurants, but It has also given organisations such as Maholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre and Ringetani Cultural Village the exposure they need to enhance and develop their endeavours.

Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre is an animal educational centre that offers tours in and around their facility, to educate the visiting, local and surrounding communities and public through programs, talks, skills development and unique interactive workshops and experiences about the importance of wildlife conservation and environmental awareness.

The Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre is a haven for the care of abandoned, injured and poisoned wildlife. Photo courtesy of Brenna Bales-Smith

Ringetani Cultural Village is the result of a local community that jumped at a commercial opportunity to reclaim their heritage. Working together, they built and created a traditional village where they work and entertain. Through their earnings and fundraising, they built a school where they educate their youth about African principles and the importance of preserving nature and the environment. Their non-profit organisation subsists largely on donations made by the visitors they receive each day and entertainment services provided to the hospitality and tourism industries in Lowveld and the surrounding areas.

Finding Support from All Quarters

More visitors to Mpumalanga has also spurred the creation of new jobs in what is otherwise a struggling province, providing strong incentives for locals to develop the skills necessary for earning a living through sustainable tourism and hospitality. As a result, Mpumalanga has seen improved services and facilities, as well as a rise in environmental and conservation awareness through education and environmental campaigns conducted by national parks and affiliated wildlife programs such as Moholoholo.

Some important secondary effects of environmentally friendly practices and awareness have been beneficial developments in the use of clean energy. In fact, most of Kruger National Parks facilities now use solar heating and recycle all their rubbish, which has added to the sustainable tourism boom in South Africa.

Fine crafts and bead work sold to visitors at Cultural Villages help raise funds for local projects and needs. Photo courtesy of Brenna Bales-Smith

Finally, even targeted external investment is making a difference. Through organisations like WHL Consulting’s Project-Exposure, small-scale local accommodation and tour providers in the Mpumalanga Lowveld region have gained an understanding of how to shift from unreliable energy practices to better, cleaner and, in the long term, more cost-effective energy sources.

All in all, as Mpumalanga draw in more and more visitors, all stakeholders – local tourism businesses, non-profit organisations and national parks – must continue to work together to protect the homelands they rely on and cherish. The travel industry has helped to promote economic growth and environmental awareness and long-term sustainable strategies designed to bring lasting benefits to the social, economic, natural and cultural environments in Mpumalanga.

That said, it’s hard to find a subject that stirs as much pride, interest, passion and debate as a discussion of cuisine. Getting to grips with the local grub is as much a part of the travel experience as immersing oneself in the local culture, engaging with local people and learning the local lingo; it is definitely one of the highlights of any trip.

Thanks to the efforts of our whl.travel and Urban Adventures local partners around the globe, we’ve managed to assemble a pretty extensive selection of typical local appetisers, soups and stews, main dishes, vegetarian dishes, desserts, drinks and snacks and street foods, many even with recipes, but all recommended by inside local experts.

So start by using our photo gallery below, limber up your jaw and start munching!

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Appetisers

Soups & Stews

Main Dishes

Vegetarian Dishes

Desserts

Drinks

Snacks & Street Food

Competition is fierce for the invitation-only right to set up shop in the coveted 'Traditions' section at Lima's Mistura food festival. This special space devoted to good, old-fashioned Peruvian street food featured tamales as a highlight in 2010.

Peru, a True Culinary Crossroads

September sees Peru‘s grand culinary fiesta, Mistura, take place in the Parque de la Exposición in central Lima. This weeklong extravaganza features renowned local and international chefs celebrating the country’s cultural and culinary melting pot, which boasts influences from Africa, China, Japan, Spain, Italy and the Middle East. One of the highlights is the ‘Traditions’ section, which is dedicated to the versatility and endless variety of Peruvian street food with stalls selling much-loved goodies such as anticuchos, tamales, sandwiches and sweets.

Pitahaya, also known as dragon fruit, is actually the fruit of the cardon cactus. Native to Mexico, it is also cultivated in parts of Asia.

Prickly and Fruity in Baja Mexico

Every summer, the coastal area of Los Cabos at the southern tip of Mexico‘s Baja California Sur, likes to show its appreciation for the pitahaya (dragon fruit) harvest, during the famous Feria de la Pitahaya. Held in the charming village of Miraflores, just 30 minutes from Cabo San Lucas, this festival is, as one might suspect, all about this succulent fruit of the cardon cactus, with homemade pitahaya ice cream and candy, as well as fresh fruit and a crowning ceremony for the pitahaya queen, as well as the less fruit-focused pursuits of donkey racing and arts and crafts contests, all accompanied by the mellifluous strains of music from a mariachi band.

San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize plays host to the annual San Pedro Lobsterfest. The last and longest of the three lobsterfests in Belize, it's five fun-filled days of BBQs, carnivals, block parties, cocktail parties, pub crawls and music.

A Belizean Fishy Fiesta

With 198 miles of Caribbean coastline and the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, Belize can always be counted on to feature its fresh fish and shellfish cooking. To celebrate the start of lobster season (in June), there are annual summer lobster fests that kick off in Placencia Village before moving on to the island of Caye Caulker and wrapping up at the San Pedro Lobsterfest in the main town on the island of Ambergris Caye. The towns slip into lobster lunacy, as stalls selling all manner of lobster dishes set up along the streets and beaches, bands play day and night, and the rum and beer shacks are in full swing. With most restaurants offering all-you-can-eat lobster buffets as well, this two-week party is guaranteed to satisfy your king-of-crustaceans urges until next season.

Cooking and Culture in Australia and Portugal

Australia has a large Greek population, so it is only fitting that there be celebrations of Hellenic hospitality. The city of Brisbane has its own in the form of the Paniyiri Greek Festival in late May. This largest cultural festival in the state of Queensland is in its 34th year and is a three-day extravaganza of food, drink, fashion, fireworks, music, eating contests, grape stomping, dancing and cooking demonstrations, all adding up to more than 50 hours of non-stop entertainment. Zorba would be proud!

Machico Gastronomy Week on the island of Madeira, Portugal, is one of the highlights of the island's social calendar. Not just content to showcase local cuisine, the event also features a very popular cocktail festival.

The Portuguese island of Madeira celebrates Machico Gastronomy Week at the beginning of August. Visitors and locals descend on the seaside town of Machico, famous for being the landing point of Madeira’s first settlers, to enjoy a vast array of local dishes and delicacies. Although there are a few other food fests on the island, this one draws the biggest crowds and culinary talents and acts as a showcase of traditional Madeiran cuisine and produce with the aim of widening its appeal beyond the island. Food is of course the rich principal attraction, but the addition of sports tournaments, live concerts featuring local bands and artists, and even a cocktail festival adds to the fun.

Wet Your Whistle in India (wine), Malta (beer) and South Africa (whisky)

Proudly billed as Malta‘s largest free outdoor festival, the Farsons Great Beer Festival has celebrated the humble ale annually in since 1981. The 10-day mid-summer festival boasts over 300 hours of music, 40 live performances from local bands, 15 bars, two stages, a daily beer drinking competition and a variety of international cuisines complemented by a large selection of beers produced and imported by Farsons. The bars and souvenir stalls also sell the official festival beer mug, which has become quite a collector’s item!

A wine festival in India like the Grape Escapade Festival in Goa might seem rather unusual, but the country does actually produce both decent vintages. Of course, there are a few wacky interpretations thrown in for good measure. Herb-infused health wine anyone?

The beginning of every year sees wine fever hit India’s small, southwest state of Goa with the Grape Escapade Wine and Haute Cuisine Festival. Going strong since 2005, it attracts India’s biggest wine makers, guaranteeing some great local nectar. In addition to some traditional grape crushing, which lures in participants eager to dance barefoot in a vast tub of grapes, the event features free wine tastings, top-notch nosh in the food courts, dancers, fire-breathers, artists, fashion shows, live music and the crowning of the Grape Escapade Queen. Started by the Goa Tourism Development Organisation as a fun platform to promote Goan lifestyle, culture, food and drink, the event has certainly done that and more and regularly attracts between four and five thousand visitors a day.

South Africa pays its respects to the aqua vitae with both Cape Town and Johannesburg playing host to a three-day FNB Whisky Live Festival every November. With the Scotch Whisky Association confirming the spirit is fast becoming a tipple of choice to young, upwardly mobile South Africans, it’s little wonder that this is the largest whisky and lifestyle event of its kind, attracting more visitors and brands than any other whisky festival globally. Divided into zones, the display area is definitely not short of attractions, including a chance to sample over 180 whisky varieties in the tasting hall, expert workshops and tutorials on whisky jargon, distillation and cocktail making, guided tours and food and whisky pairing. The event is capped off with a big party, where everyone still standing can indulge further before heading home to sleep it off.

A common sight in Thailand's Bangkok markets, this deep-fried insect food stall sells locusts, bamboo worms, moth larvae, crickets, scorpions, diving beetles and giant water beetles. Photos courtest of Wikimedia/Takoradee

We’ve rounded up a collection of some of the world’s most uncanny edibles, from fried spiders to local lizards and great big mouthwatering worms! Adventurous eaters beware: not everything tastes like chicken and one man’s pet may be another man’s delicacy.

Crunchy Crickets, Thailand

Visit the street markets in Thailand and you are certain to find all manner of ready-to-eat fried insects like locusts, dragonflies and even giant water bugs! In the northeast of the country, though, small crickets are the local delicacy, considered the perfect beer munchies and often compared to popcorn for their “buttery” taste and crispy texture.

Caught using light traps in the rice fields of Chiang Rai, the crickets are cleaned, dehydrated and seasoned to taste. Yum! Cricket husbandry is even catching on as a means for farmers to supplement their incomes. Of course breeding them means having to contend with the constant chirping, but luckily, these little guys only need to be fed twice a day. Cricket breeders can make up to 20,000 Thai baht (over US$600) per month!

Chicken feet and heads (affectionately known as walkie talkies) are a popular street food in South Africa, particularly in Durban and Soweto. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Maqi

Yummy Walkie-Talkies, South Africa

Don’t play fowl! Chicken thighs and breasts are positively tasty, but why throw away the rest of this otherwise appetising poultry? As any good cook from China, Jamaica or Peru will happily explain, some of the best bits of this bird include the liver, gizzard and feet!

In South Africa, “Walkie-Talkies” are a common traditional township delicacy. To prepare it, the feet – the “walkies” – and head – the “talkie” – are boiled to remove the tough outer layer of skin; they are then covered with seasonings and grilled. Explore the local food markets in Durban or Soweto and you are likely to stumble upon this classic savoury snack. Other regional specialities include mngqusho – a dish made from samp (cracked corn) and beans – and “smileys,” which are whole roasted sheep’s heads, each still bearing a gruesome toothy grin.

A bag of mopane worms - harvested and sun-dried and ready to eat! The dried worms tastes like dried fish and have surprisingly more protein than beef. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Hsuepfle

Mouthwatering Mopani Worms, South Africa and Botswana

In hot, dry, low-lying areas throughout Southern Africa, the Mopani worm (a type of caterpillar that metamorphoses into an Emperor moth, one of the world’s largest) lives on the Mopani tree. There it is hunted down by hungry locals!

Considered a tribal delicacy in many countries and a staple snack in northern Botswana, the harvesting and sale of Mopani worms is a multi-million rand industry in Southern Africa. South Africa alone does annual trade of roughly 1.6 million kilograms of Mopani worms, which are plucked off the trees by locals two times each year. Like long tubes of slimy green toothpaste, the worms are squeezed, gutted and then laid in the sun to dry. Southern Africans just can’t seem to get enough of this grub, whether eaten raw like crispy potato chips, or canned and packaged in tomato or chilli sauce.

Peruvians eat approximately 22 million of these cuddly guinea pigs each year. High in protein and low in fat, the healthy meat apparently tastes a bit like rabbit.

Guinea Pig Picante, Peru

The Andean delicacy of cuy, or guinea pig, has been a popular traditional food staple in Peru for literally thousands of years, even before the rise of the mighty Incan empire. Domestication of the cuy in the Peruvian Altiplano can be traced back to 5000 BCE, but it wasn’t until Queen Elizabeth I took one as a pet that these little critters became popular household animals. Today, though, while guinea pigs may be the “first pet” of choice for many European and Northern American kids, these tasty little fur balls continue to make mouths water in many Andean communities.

Peruvians consume more than 22 million guinea pigs per year – a number that might be startling were it not for the fact that cuy are, after all, rather lean and bony. Picante de cuy, a dish in which the guinea pig is fried and doused in spicy peanut sauce, is perhaps the most traditional recipe. Other variations include cuasa de cuy (guinea-pig stuffed potatoes), aguadita de cuy (a type of guinea pig soup) and escabeche de cuy, which is guinea pig served in a vinegar sauce with plenty of onions and potatoes.

A spiny sea urchin being dissected to get to the tasty orange roe inside. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Portum

Spiny Sea Urchins, Corfu

At first glance, ricci di mare, or sea urchins, don’t really resemble an edible treat. As any experienced scuba diver will explain, you certainly wouldn’t want to step on one of these small, spiky underwater animals that often inhabit the ocean’s rocky regions. Catching and eating them therefore requires some care, although when urchins pull across your palm, their spines merely tickle.

Considered a delicacy on the Greek island of Corfu and many other regions around the world, urchins are in fact rather meagre reward for the effort taken to catch and prepare them! With urchin in hand, take a seat right on the sand and begin: snip off those spines (carefully), split the urchin in half and then scoop out the raw insides. Urchin roe has a light consistency and complex salty taste. We’re told it’s best served raw with a nice glass of ouzo!

Barbecued green iguana (or bamboo chicken, as it's known) is a popular dish in Belize. Just season with salt and pepper, garlic, soy sauce and pepper sauce et voilà!

Braised Bamboo Chicken, Belize

Rest assured that you won’t be eating poultry if a local from Belize invites to dinner of bamboo chicken. This delicacy is none other than the great big green iguana, an animal commonly found throughout Central and South America. Catching these fellows is not always easy business, as some grow as large as two metres in length and have sharp tails (used for whipping) and an occasionally nasty bite. Nevertheless, this particular reptile does appear as bush meat on local menus, usually grilled or sautéed with seasonings such as garlic, pepper and teriyaki sauce.

While hunting green iguanas for food and sale as pets has unfortunately left their numbers rather sparse in certain areas, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre manages to maintain a captive green iguana-breeding program to increase their populations.

Fried tarantula sellers on a street in Skuon, Cambodia. This market town is sometimes known as 'Spiderville' in the local lingo on account of its penchant for this unusual delicacy. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Thomas Schoch

Crispy Fried Tarantulas, Cambodia

Ever wondered what would be the scariest job in the world? If you’re afraid of arachnids, then being a spider-catcher in Cambodia would top that list! The spiders are dug out of their holes in the ground with a shovel and then collected by hand. Cambodian “tarantulas” (unrelated to the Western variety and by no means poisonous) are extremely slow and do not run quickly like their relatives on the other side of the world. This makes it relatively “easy” for the catcher to pick up the spider and prepare it for consumption.

For the bold, fried spiders are available at street stalls throughout Cambodia, especially around the town of Skuon (75 kilometres north of Phnom Penh. Jam-packed with protein – and flavoured with salt, sugar and garlic, these a-ping are the healthy snack food of choice for local Cambodians on the go! Many Khmer women also believe the furry arthropods have cosmetic properties which can enhance one’s natural beauty. Crunch and munch on the legs first, ladies, and feel your hair grow long and lustrous!