Text Tabitha Lasley
Around-up of travel news from Brussels Airlines’ long-haul network
Hotel with a view
SANDELE ECO-RETREAT, THE GAMBIA
Where is it? Kartong, The Gambia, tel. +220 771 1209.
What’s the view? The lodges are tucked away on a forest ridge, and each one affords a tantalising glimpse of the ocean, while guest rooms look directly onto the beach.
What to expect Ziggurats, arches and domes. Each light, airy forest lodge shares a cool plunge pool with one other.
What you need to know The retreat’s ecological credentials are impeccable. The beeswax-sealed bricks of the hotel are made of local earth, and the staff is largely drawn from the local community. The hotel’s owners have assiduously nurtured the land around the retreat, planting 4,000 trees.
Why go there? Because while many resorts merely give a nod to sustainability, this one has made a genuine effort to address the ethical concerns tourism often raises – all while keeping its high-end aesthetic intact.
What does it cost? Rooms from €87 per person, per night. Lodges from €160 per night.
Full of beans
In recent years, ethically minded coffee-drinkers have had to console themselves by ensuring their chosen bean is Fairtrade. Soon, by switching brands, they could help save the beleaguered African elephant. Elephant populations in countries like the DRC and Cameroon have been decimated by hunters and, since demand for local coffee has fallen, former farmers have turned to poaching as a source of income. In an effort to halt this depressingly familiar pattern, TWWF (the Wasmoeth Wildlife Foundation) has met with tribal leaders to develop a programme that will see local people get a guaranteed price for their beans. It’s early days but signs are promising: abandoned plantations have been cleared, coffee-grinding stations have been refurbished, and arrangements have been made to ship the beans to Europe. Watch this space if you’re a coffee-drinker who cares about West Africa’s wildlife.
Sea change
It seems Angola is having something of a renaissance. Next month sees the country’s much-anticipated Miss Landmine pageant, a project that has attracted international critical attention. Further proof of development has emerged in the shape of the country’s first-ever guide to many of its finest beaches. Published by Libermédia, Luanda Coast 2008 lifts the lid on some of the most beautiful coastline in and around the capital city – from Cabo Ledo and Caxito to Mussulo and Cabo Island. Until now these beaches have been unfamiliar not only to tourists, but also to many Angolans.
One to watch…
Ricardo Lemvo
Born in DR Congo but of Angolan descent (his family come from M’banzaKongo), Ricardo Lemvo has been described as “the embodiment of the Afro-Latin diaspora”. Certainly his music draws on suitably diverse influences. Melding Cuban clave rhythms with salsa, merengue and soukous, his unique sound and rhythms coax listeners to the dancefloor. Having released five albums, he’s already an established artist in America, where he has been based for many years, but as of last summer, when he and his band Makina Loca embarked on a worldwide tour, he has had his sights set on this side of the Atlantic too. www.makinaloca.com
Inspiring images from Brussels Airlines’ African destinations
A high jumper practises in the town square in Baraka, Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
In Uganda, cowhide is stretched across a frame to construct a shelter
A mandrill, south Cameroon. The primate’s natural habitat is rainforest, where it lives on fruit, seeds, fungi, insects and small vertebrates
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