Historical Africa
Explore a past as fascinating as Africa itself
Summary
Africa is a continent seeped in history. Africa is certainly worth taking a moment to travel to explore some of the fascinating historical archaeological finds and heartbreaking accounts of human history. They will enrich and transform your visit and connection to Africa’s rich past history.
Highlights
Robben Island
Nelson Mandela spent 18 of the 27 years he was behind bars in a small concrete cell on Robben Island, South Africa. He was just one of hundreds of political prisoners held in this 17th century island prison just off the coast of Cape Town. A visit to the island is a sobering experience, yet it serves as a testament to the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Not to be missed.
Zanzibar Slave Trade
Tanzania’s paradise island holds a dark secret. For almost 200 years Zanzibar was one of the world’s great slave trading ports, shuttling up to 50,000 people each year from Africa to the Arab world. The market was closed in 1873 and a church now stands on the site. A life-sized sculpture of chained slaves serves as a silent reminder to the horrors of the past.
Cradle of Humankind
Africa is the birthplace of humankind. Fossils of early humans more than two million years old have been found across the continent, and the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa is home to around 40% of the world’s human ancestor fossils. Located about 50km from Johannesburg, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 and features a fascinating complex of limestone caves to explore.
Archaeology Kenya
Kenya offers many historical and archaeological sites to travel too. Trace the history of early human at Lake Turkana, discover ancient stone tools at Olergesaille, explore the Neolithic settlement of Hyrax Hill near Lake Nakuru or view a collection of art and artefacts at the Nairobi National Museum. For the ultimate experience, take a luxurious fly-in safari accompanied by an archaeological expert. Africa is one of the few places on earth where you can track the evolution of civilisation across the millennia and be humbled by all that has come before.
Rock Art
For hundreds of thousands of years people have been leaving their mark on Africa. The oldest rock art in the world is found in Namibia and was painted almost 30,000 years ago. In South Africa’s Drakensburg mountains you’ll find thousands of paintings from the San Bushmen, depicting life on the plains just 800 years ago. Tsolido in the Kalahri is called the Louvre of the Desert for its many sites, more than 4,500 in just 10 square kilometres. In Kenya, the Kondoa paintings show rare depictions of domesticated animals. They are a piece of history, preserved through the ages.
