Safaris and endless sands in Namibia

We visited in late September, the end of the six-month dry season when the landscape takes on almost ghostly qualities as dust and sand envelops the scrub and vegetation. It's the best time for instant, quick-fix game viewing -- in contrast to the hours sometimes spent in Kruger. Although visits are possible all year round, it can get uncomfortably hot between November and February.

Etosha is deservedly the highlight of a visit to Namibia, a country dominated by the Namib and Kalahari deserts and roughly the size of France and Germany combined, which is attracting growing numbers of tourists -- especially from Europe -- lured by safaris and sand. Endless, endless sand.

Bird flu a worry in Pakistan, Africa and Indonesia

World health experts are also concerned about another two suspected bird flu outbreaks, in the West African state of Benin.

Outbreaks in Africa are always a worry because the continent's widespread poverty, lack of proper veterinary and medical facilities and huge informal farming sector could allow outbreaks to go unnoticed for longer, increasing the risk of the virus mutating.

South Africa: Travel Title On Nostalgic Trip

Afrikaans travel magazine Wegbreek has adopted a new payoff line and matt cover and pages. According to Wegbreek's editor, Gerrit Rautenbach, the new look was originally planned for January 2008, but the magazine's December 2007 issue is a nostalgic one and was the perfect vehicle for conveying the timelessness of its contents through the change in cover treatment and paper stock.

The title has increasingly positioned itself as a lifestyle publication about travel, with the emphasis on the written word, allowing readers to savour the language. The new payoff line, "Reis sonde einde" (Journey without end), emphasises this point. The matt cover and paper also complement its mood and content and provide a more lasting feel to the magazine.

Resorts That Give Back to Others

It's time to plan that late-winter vacation. Perhaps skiing is in store for you, or maybe a trip to a rainforest. Wouldn't it be ideal to visit a resort where the company is giving back? Maybe they are distributing some of their profits to the community, setting up foundations or providing jobs to locals.

There are many places doing just that.