#GoWildOnline campaign: Five Extraordinary Adventures Every Friday...

The Acacia Wild Bunch are back with five more extraordinary adventures. Part of our #GoWildOnline campaign, this week’s list includes the must do “Ali T” Spice tour, Lemur Love and a nice cup o’ cha in Morocco…

“Ali T” Spice Town tour: They’re certainly spicing things up in Zanzibar and we’re not talking about cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger – although there is a visit to the plantations on the tour. Ali T, one of the many guides will, according to one recent adventurer, roll out “a half African, half “Ali G” routine, peppered with rhyming slang and ‘innits’. One excursion not to be missed!

Two sugars please!: What better way to trek across the desert than by camel. Venture into the Sahara at Erg Chebbi and travel Moroccan style by camel for a night under the stars at a Berber camp – complete with a nice cup o’ cha.

Lemur Love: These cuddly creatures will give you a warm welcome in Madagascar. Head off on a dhow and sail around the Nosy Be archipelago enjoying fantastic marine life, swimming, fishing, forest walks and beach camping – oh and yes, not forgetting your new found travel buddies. Nosy Komba, is Lemur Love central, these captivating creatures noted for their friendly disposition.

There’s more to Cape Town than you think!: So grab yourself some diving gear and head off in a cage for a date with the Great White – shark-tastic!

Get even closer to the wildlife: Why not voluntour and get a hands on appreciation of the work being done by the “Race Against Extinction Project in South Africa. This is one of the oldest wildlife care and conservation projects for cheetah in Africa, and the location at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range, is just awesome!

Where will your next African adventure take you? Still undecided? Check out our 2010 online brochure...

#GoWildOnline campaign: Five Extraordinary Adventures Every Friday

As part of our #GoWildOnline campaign the Acacia Wild Bunch will be showcasing five extraordinary adventures every Friday, during February. This week we’re featuring après ski Moroccan style, alternative adrenaline activities in the adventure capital of Livingstone and if you can’t afford a Ferrari don’t worry, as our South African feathered friends could be the next best option!

Hunt with the King Of The Jungle: They say that only ten in every one million people will ever see a lion kill. Fancy raising the odds? At the Antelope Park in Zimbabwe you’ll have the option to enjoy the “Night Encounter”, part of the reserve’s “Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Programme”. Book your front row seat in the 4X4 and get ready for some live lion action, as the king of the jungle practices his stalking and hunting skills.

Forget Europe, come ski Africa: A novel place to test the powder, Oukaimeden in Morocco is less than a hundred miles from the start of the Sahara. Fancy a challenge that would give "Eddie The Eagle", a run for his money? The powder here might not be quite as smooth as that of established European resorts it does make for a more adventurous ski experience and (heyho!) there is little or no queueing for the lifts.

River boarding: Want an alternative to Livingstone’s popular white water rafting experience? Grab a board in Zambia, swim the rapids and surf the waves!

Ostrich riding: So a Ferrari is out of your price bracket? Don’t worry as an ostrich ride could be your next best option for an adrenaline rush. Yes, that’s right the sports car of the elite is in fact upholstered with our feathered friends and you can take one for an optional test drive in Oudtshroon – maximum speed 45kms p/h!

Safari the Zambezi: Want a change from the 4X4? Take to the water and experience an African safari from a different perspective. Canoe the Zambezi and paddle downstream as fish eagles swoop overhead and hippos wallow along the shores.

Where will your next adventure take you? Still undecided? Check out our 2010 online brochure...

A close shave and some cultural insight into haggling in Morocco – by Matthew Hampton

There are around 90 muscles in a human face. And I’m doing my very best to keep all of mine still.

Like most men on holiday, I’ve let my shaving regime slide. But after a few days off from the razor, it’s all starting to look a bit Grizzly Adams. This is how I’ve come to be sitting in Mohammed’s barbershop in Marrakech.

While shaving companies seek to outdo each other with ever more outlandish technology (take Gillete’s flagship model – a slightly silly six-bladed affair known as the Fusion), the barbering old school still relies on the faithful mono-blade. Not for nothing is it known as the cut-throat, and, rather alarmingly, there’s one gliding over my adam’s apple.

Barbershops are an institution across North Africa and the Middle East. The only place on earth where moustaches are still worn as an indicator of rugged masculinity, local coiffures hold sway over acres of stubble every week.

Mohammed’s shop is small, but tidy. There is a certificate in front of me from the L’Oreal Institute in Paris. But it is very old. Other ornamentation includes a few of those pictures you see in antiquated barbershops: all quiffs and bouffants that look as though they’ve been stuck on in one piece, like Lego.

Nevertheless, Mohammed is immaculately styled, with nary a stray hair in sight. Mind you, I expect someone else looks after his.

Shaving rituals differ from country to country, but all begin with a luxuriant dollop of soap massaged into the beard. This is nice. The whisk of the razor is somewhat more alarming, particularly around the throat, but I emerge with neither a nick nor a scratch. A hot towel sees me on my way and I’m as smooth chinned as I’ve ever been. Heaven. I wonder if I could carry off one of those Lego styles?

So now to the haggling...

Think of the souk as an early forerunner of eBay. You could leave with virtually anything – any pay anything for it. Follow these rules and you’ll get the most out of Morocco’s many markets, fairly and squarely.

1. Decide in advance how much you want to pay for an item. Around two-thirds of the asking price is usually fair, half if you’re striking a hard bargain. Start low and slowly your way work up.


2. Look out for quality workmanship and materials – wood, mother of pearl, leather, gold and silver make more rewarding purchases than a knock-off Real Madrid shirt.


3. Respect the salesmen – don’t insult them with silly offers and only start bargaining if you intend to buy. Any mention of numbers is an indication that you’re interested…


4. …but remember there’s no obligation to buy. If the price stays too high, decline politely and walk away. It may be cheaper the next day, or even next door.


5. Don’t be so hung up on getting a bargain that you don’t buy anything –remember that whatever you buy it will be cheaper than back home. If the salesman assumes you’re rich, it’s because you are – compared with him.


6. If any of this puts you off, there are large, state-run stores in all major cities and resorts offering fixed prices. You may pay a little more but it’s not such a hard sell.

Catch up with Matthew Hampton, a freelance writer and photographer on his website

Given up: gym membership for long walks in central London

Dear “Addicted to Africa Diary”…when my gym membership came up for renewal I had to take a long hard look at myself. Well, we all start off with good intentions, but I know over the last 12 months I’ve only managed to work out on the very rare occasion – mainly due to the guilt ridden anxiety attack that surfaces every time I read my bank statements. Then again having spoken to a few friends I know I’m not alone in this :)

Let's just say I'm not going to renew, as we housemates have decided to take long walks and see more of the UK capital instead. Being a free exercise, the travel kitty will no doubt be bulging at the sides come my next trip. After last Sunday’s expedition from Green Park through to Trafalgar Square – a two hour stint - I was raring to go. OK so the BBQ summer is out - but the weather’s been hotter than the Bahamas recently and my mind drifted back to my tour of the Bougmez Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. Of course, St. James’ Park can’t compete with one of the best-kept secrets in Morocco, where we spent four days hiking amongst high craggy peaks and grassy plateaus. Our tour group passed by nomads who were grazing their herds of sheep, goats and camels, but the main highlight had to be visiting some of the local Berber families en route – the trip topped off with a hammam in Marrakesh. Africa, I’m all yours…

Amelia Smith...

Saving up for your next Africa trip...any great ideas on how to generate more cash for Amelia's travel kitty? From the weird to the wonderful we're all ears...

It's hotting up in Morocco...

Take advantage of our huge 25% discount on the Moroccan Expedition. The original, uncut version, you can experience the real Morocco on this 15-day hands-on truck adventure. Offer ends 30 June 2009.