What better way to end the year than by hitchhiking through the Sahara Desert on top of one of the longest trains in the world with some of your favorite travelers? The Mauritania Railway has been transporting iron ore across the country since 1963. The 704-kilometer (or approximately 437-mile) railway links the mining center of…
A trip to South Sudan is not for the faint-hearted. The landlocked country in East-Central Africa gained independence from Sudan in July 2011—making it the newest nation in the world. Shortly after, fighting broke out in December 2013, igniting the South Sudanese Civil War. Since then, countries around the world have issued travel warnings advising…
Comoros was not on my radar for 2019. Strategically, a standalone trip to the country just did not make sense. I was saving it. Comoros made the perfect “add-on” for a longer trip to Madagascar—one that I had slotted for 2021. But then, life happened, and there I was planning a long holiday weekend trip…
Cabo Verde (or Cape Verde) was not on my radar for 2019. Working in the United States means I have a sad amount of annual leave at my disposal, meaning I have to use my weekends and time off wisely. I had slotted two or so weeks in February for a trip to Indonesia, Malaysia,…
Once dubbed “the North Korea of Africa”, Eritrea is slowly stripping itself of this controversial title. Or is at least trying. Since beginning this journey around the world, Eritrea was always one of the more difficult countries to visit. But, all of this changed in 2018 when new entry requirements made it easier for certain…
