The Wonders of Africa webinar resumed today, October 30, 2020 with an exciting lineup of fascinating destinations presented by team leaders from Nigeria, Benin Republic and South Africa.
The first speaker was the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Nkereuwem Onung, and team leader representing the West African country.
He highlighted three destinations in Nigeria, namely: the iconic Zuma Rock and the trending Mpape Crush Rock in Abuja and Obudu Mountain Resort in Calabar. His fourth destination was the Kachikally Crocodile Pool and Museum in Bakau, Gambia.
Olanma Ojukwu of GOTA Travels, the team leader for Benin Republic talked about the recently transformed Pendjari National Park, Dassa, a city surrounded by 41 hills and Ganvie, the Venice of Africa. Her fourth pick from outside her country was Kuriftu Resort in Ethiopia.
Sun International’s Didier Bayeye, team leader representing South Africa spoke about exotic Sun City, Pilanesberg National Park, and the enchanting Garden Route, while choosing Goma in DRC as his pick outside his zone.
Gilbert, standing in for Babra Adosso Vanhelleputte, the team leader for Uganda who had to attend to an emergency.
Gilbert spoke about two of the country’s national parks, Murchison Falls, the first to be gazetted and Kidepo Valley, the largest.
He also spoke about the Ugandan gorillas found at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Magahinga National Park.
On the Holy Mountain at Obudu, Onung remarked that you will hear only three sounds when you’re there: the sound of Nela Waterfalls, bird singing and the voice of God.
Speaking about Pendjari, Mrs. Ojukwu informed that the park has seen a major transformation, with its management taken over by African Parks. While Dassa city, surrounded by 41 hills, with links to Old Oyo and Ganvie, the floating city were fascinating as they come.
The fascinating Sun City, aptly referred to as “a world within a city” and the nearby Pilanesberg National Park offers a great package of enjoying a premium safari and a city experience. Usually when people go for safaris, they are usually locked away from the city in the jungle.
The Garden Route takes you on a fascinating drive along the Atlantic coastline from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, while the city of Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo offers an opportunity to get close to an active volcano and luxury cruise on Lake Kivu to Rwanda.
Meanwhile, Didier Bayeye expressed reservations about the COVID-19 PCR test. Citing his situation, being presently in Ghana, he found it rather strange that he has to pay for a test before he leaves his base in South Africa, only to pay to do another test on arrival in Ghana.
Then when he is leaving Ghana, he pays for another test and another when he arrives South Africa.
For him, it rather unfair and the whole process will restrict travel because of the costs of all the PCR tests, in addition to regular charges such as visa fees, etc.
Next week, the search light will be beam on team leaders from Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and the Diaspora.
Initially slated for last week, today’s episode had to be shifted following the unfortunate Lekki Toll-gate massacre in Lagos, Nigeria which led to a spate of violence across several states of the country, with the angry populace destroying government properties.
A minute of silence was observed in honour and memory of the victims of the sad incidence which occurred when soldiers alleged shot and killed #endsars protesters, mostly young people who were agitating against the wanton killings, arrests and extortion by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS.
