Traveling Overnight Through the Somaliland Desert in a Bush Taxi and Being Detained in a Remote Village for a Day During an Election

by Matthew Allison | Nov 24, 2012 | Africa

A Visit to the De-Facto State of Somaliland November 2012: A Last-Minute Adventure into Somaliland As a backup plan after my failed attempt to visit Socotra Island in Yemen, I decided to travel to Somaliland from Djibouti-Swimming With Whale Sharks and the Bizarre...

Swimming With Whale Sharks and the Bizarre Desert World of Lake Assale

by Matthew Allison | Nov 23, 2012 | Africa

Djibouti: The Backup Plan That Became an Adventure November 2012: As part of a larger Middle East-Middle East | Venture The Planet and East Africa-East Africa | Venture The Planet trip, my friend Evan and I ended up in Djibouti for four days—a destination that,...

Sleeping on the Rim of a Lava Lake at 11,000 ‘ in One of the World’s Most Dangerous National Parks-Virunga and Camping with the Mbuti Pygmy Tribe in the Ituri Forest  

by Matthew Allison | Nov 14, 2011 | Africa

Into the Heart of the Congo – My Journey Through the Ituri Forest and Virunga VolcanoesNovember 2011 My friend Sterling and I spent a week deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), chasing a dream I’d had for as long as I can remember—to explore the vast and...

Witnessing the Great Migration Across the Endless Plains of the Serengeti, Meeting the Maasai Tribe and Camping in a Tent Among Elephants

by Matthew Allison | Nov 8, 2011 | Africa

Witnessing the Great Migration A Budget Safari in Tanzania – November 2011 As part of a larger journey through Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, I spent a week in Tanzania to experience the legendary wildebeest migration across the Serengeti. To keep costs...

Tracking Wild Chimpanzees and Observing the Horrors of the Rwandan Genocide-Rwanda

by Matthew Allison | Oct 11, 2011 | Africa

November 2011: As part of a two-week journey that included Congo and Tanzania, I spent four days in Rwanda traveling with my friend Sterling, along with a car and driver. Our visit had two main objectives: To visit sites where some of the worst atrocities of the 1994...

Camping Among the Lesser Known Nubian Pyramids in the Country of Sudan Where You Are More Likely to Encounter a Desert Nomad than another Tourist

by Matthew Allison | Nov 24, 2010 | Africa

Exploring Sudan’s Ancient Wonders Amidst Political Turmoil November 2010: At the time of my journey, and for many years prior, Sudan was frequently portrayed as a villain in international headlines. Sudanese President Omar Bashir had been publicly condemned by...