Dear Traveler

I'm a fan of Einstein's theories. Specifically about his relativity of time theory. How else does one explain how this year has flown by, literary inducing whiplash? We are at the end of the year in the Western calendar and while snow piles up and people huddle together indoors in the North, here in the southern Hemisphere the sun warmly shines down upon all that live - and visit! - beneath it.

So escape with me this December to a veritable cornucopia of warm African experiences. In this, the last issue of 2016, we travel to Kenya in East Africa to experience one of the all-time highs on anyone's ultimate bucket list - the Maasai Mara.

We pop into Tribe Hotel in Nairobi for a whistle-stop (for only one night to my chagrin) and experience opulence, style, elegance and fantastic food at this amazing hotel before moving on to ogle the spectacle that is the wildlife migration of the Maasai Mara. It is my second stay at Basecamp Explorer camps in the Mara but the pristine beauty and their efforts in terms of preserving the community as well as the animals are no less astounding. This is easily one of my favorite places on earth.

Next we hop over to the spectacular Drakensberg mountain range in South Africa for a weekend of restorative rest for mind body and soul at the luxurious Montusi Mountain Lodge.

One of the things I love most about South Africa is its incredible scenic diversity. It's a one-stop-shop really - two oceans, temperate yet varied climates, deserts and forests and, of course, spectacular mountain ranges. The roads there wind through the bucolic country-side against the ever-nearing backdrop of a folded blanket of lush slopes that extend to vertiginous cliffs in the west and the scenes will take your breath away.

We also happily report on the completion of the new Victoria Falls Internal Airport in Zimbabwe, now making it much easier for visitors from all corners of the globe to experience the iconic Victoria Falls.

And last but not least, we bring you our must-see-and-do global list of experiences and destinations for 2017 - from Iceland to Rwanda, we tell you about new and unique lodge and hotel openings as well as things like volunteering experiences and very special designer adventures that you simply cannot miss.

So until next year, enjoy this issue of Africa Travel and bon voyage!

Jo Kromberg,

Travel Editor