I've just finished reading Tim Butcher's book, 'Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart', about his 600 mile journey overland (bar one helicopter journey) across the Congo from Lake Tanganyika to Boma. I couldn't put it down.

Butcher tells the story of his "suicidal" expedition through the Congo, as he follows in the footsteps of Henry Morton ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume?") Stanley, the Victorian journalist / explorer who charted the Congo in 999 days. He ties the narrative of his journey to accounts of the country's compelling and turbulent history.

He is helped across the Congo by UN peacekeepers, aid workers, a pygmy rights advocate, monks, rebel leaders, relics of the Colonial era, a drunk motorbike owner and many more colourful characters. Almost everyone Butcher meets he interviews, resulting in a fascinating patchwork of histories, stories and experiences.

In his own words, his Congo journey was not "adventure travel" but more "ordeal travel". Along the way Butcher encounters stumbling block after stumbling block, finally beating the obstacles corrupt officials, hunger, illness, and political and socio instabilities throw his way.

The journey that took Stanley three years, and cost the lives of hundreds of tribesmen, took Butcher 44 days. Along the way he witnesses the scars of the Congo Wars - burnt out villages, exposed human remains, marauding Mai Mai gunmen - and the regression of a country whose grandparents remember modernity, but whose children have only ever seen its relics. As Butcher puts it, the modern world "had tried, but failed, to establish itself in the Congo".

The Congo may have been a glamorous host to Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn once upon a time, but today it is "the most daunting, backward country on earth"; as Butcher laments, he "touched the heart of Africa and found it broken".

'Blood River' is a gripping and gruesome, passionate and poignant, historical and harrowing account of a country that was once a functioning place, but is now "undeveloping", spiralling backwards to a state very similar to that which Stanley witnessed in the 1870s. The Congo is "a place where the hands of the clock spin not forward, but backwards."

Find out more about 'Blood River' here.

Photo Credit: 'Pirogues on the Congo' by Julien Harneis.

The Kruger National Park is home to around 145 species of mammal, which includes an estimated 1,500 lion, 12,000 elephant, 2,500 buffalo, 1,000 leopards and 5,000 rhino (black and white). So, spotting the "big five" is a big possibility.

With all its flora and fauna, the Kruger offers some of the most stunning photographic moments. Here we pick a few of our favourites.

Leopards are usually so shy, and primarily nocturnal, so this shot taken in the Kruger National Park captures a rarely seen leopard moment.

You probably don't immediately associate Ground Hornbills with South African safaris, but this bird is gorgeous, and looks like she's all dolled up for a night on the town. Loving the yawning hippo - incredible colours, reflections and light. A lioness flirts with the camera.

A zebra rolls in the dust, and although the zebra would disagree, we think this little lion cub is almost too gorgeous to be true...

Adult elephants in the Kruger National Park protecting their young.

A Kruger elephant stands alone.

A Nile crocodile offers a look at the more sinister side to the Kruger National Park.

Two giraffe silhouetted against the South African sunrise.

Red Billed Oxpeckers get to work on a giraffe hide - they feed exclusively on the backs of large mammals.

In a rare moment, a male lion shows a cub some lion love.

Two endangered Black Rhinoceros stand and deliver.

Photo Credits: All Kruger National Park photographs by Arno & Louise via Flickr (Creative Commons).

I've been racking my brain about how I can cobble together £6,285 by the 25th February 2010. You see, if I can do it I'll be climbing Morocco's Mount Toubkal with wild man Bear Grylls.

I might be biased as my girlfriends and I are slightly in love with Bear, but this mountain experience from bespoke travel agency Black Tomato really is worth shouting from the top of Toubkal about.

Starting at Tigmi, a luxury boutique hotel just outside Marrakesh at the base of the Atlas Mountains, you'll be whisked to Toubkal's base camp by helicopter, where Bear Grylls will meet you. During a four hour trek to the peak of Mount Toubkal (4,167 metres) Bear will wow you with his survival stories. You get to see the man vs. the wild first hand during the trek back to HQ as Bear demonstrates how to fend for yourself in the great outdoors. After all that excitement you head back to Tigmi to relax for the rest of the weekend.

You don't need to be a hardcore mountain climber to qualify just of reasonable fitness as, according to Black Tomato, the Toubkal summit is "an uphill trek rather than a ropes-and-pulleys vertical climb, so the only equipment you'll be using (apart from snow-proof clothing) will be crampons and your very own muscle power."

The icing on the cake is that you can travel with your other half without them having to come on the hike too; those who prefer a bit of pampering with their panoramic mountain views can tag along on a three-day spa package.

Right, I'm off to begin the hunt for spare change.

PRICE

• £6,285 per person travelling solo. £6,449 for a couple sharing, with one climber and one non-climber. £12,349 for a couple sharing, both climbing (not including flights).

WHEN TO GO

• 25th - 28th February 2010

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• 3 nights half board at Tigmi, airport transfers, one day climbing mount Toubkal with Bear Grylls, celebratory dinner and drinks.

For more information about the Bear Grylls Experience, contact Black Tomato by email on readytowear@blacktomato.co.uk or call +44 (0)845 224 7416 and ask for a member of the Ready to Wear team.

Photo Credits: Mount Toubkal Panoramic by timmo; Yebel Toubkal by gonzalo saenz de santa maria poullet via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Our friends over at Black Tomato are roaring with excitement because Botswana's Okavango Delta currently has the best safari conditions in 45 years.

The Okavango Delta is enjoying the highest water levels on record since 1963, and more water = more game. So right now is the time to cash in your holiday time and travel to Botswana.

The current tip top safari conditions mean that visitors can go by boat into parts of the delta that are normally unreachable - seeing the wildlife in a way that is usually near impossible. You can even explore the flood plains and spot game in a traditional mokoro canoe.

Black Tomato is running a special offer on Okavango Delta safaris (in case you needed any more reason to pack your bags and go): 7 nights for the price of 6, saving £400 per person.

Unparalleled safari conditions, incredible wildlife, papyrus swamps, reed plains and a luxurious camp at the Vumbura Reserve - sounds pretty perfect to us.

A 7 night safari costs from £5,380 pp (save £400 pp), including international and internal flights, 7 nights' Full Board accommodation, park fees, game drives, mokoro/boat trips, laundry, and taxes. For more information, visit Black Tomato.

Photo Credits: Okavango Delta, Botswana by Sara&Joachim and Sunset on the hippo pool by lawmurray via Flickr (Creative Commons).

This shot by frederic.salein depicts a scene that travellers to Botswana dream about encountering. Amazing light plus a stunning animal.

Check out AliceAfrica's two week African adventure travel itinerary here. For more information about the Chobe National Park click here.

To experience the world's largest and most dramatic sand dunes why not throw caution to the wind and sign up for sandboarding or sand-skiing? In Namibia and Mozambique extreme sports combine with extreme scenery to provide an unforgettable and adrenaline-filled travel experience.

SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA

Bordered on three sides by the vast Namib Desert and facing the Atlantic Ocean, Swakopmund is the adventure sports capital of Namibia and the jumping off point for sandboarding and sand skiing excursions. The dunes near Swakopmund are some of the world's largest and offer exhilarating slopes amidst majestic scenery.

Jen Bolton Bigelow, 37, from Abiquiu, New Mexico describes the sandboarding at Swakopmund as "fan-frickin-tastic, so absolutely beautiful", and "a gorgeous way to experience the magnificent beauty of the dunes and overall landscape".

Drawn to Swakopmund in June 2007 after reading about the sandboarding on offer there, Jen organised a half-day "stand-up boarding" session through a local agency, Desert eXplorers, and headed out to the dunes with three instructors.

Upon arriving at the sandboarding site "the vastness of the dunes is truly breathtaking and they are constantly shape-shifting due to the wind. They went on and on as far as the eye could see", Jen recalls.

Unlike their snow-topped cousins, sandboarding slopes are not serviced by chairlifts or buttons. Sand bunnies have to summit the peaks on foot, which can be pretty tough going; the sand is deep and snowboarding boots unwieldy. It is, as Jen notes, "an incredible butt workout".

Although previous snow or sandboarding experience is not necessary, Jen says her surfing, skiing and snowboarding skills were helpful when it came to mastering how to turn down the dunes. Her advice is to avoid taking big, curvy turns and to just go for it, turning tightly when needs be to avoid grinding to a halt. Novices can choose to opt for the "lie-down boarding" option, which essentially involves heading down the dunes on a tea tray, but are advised to cover up very well.

If you don't have any prior experience instructors are on hand to help. Jen says that her guides were "marvelous and having so much fun themselves that I felt like I was at a sandboarding party. They were very professional and made sure I wore my helmet, which I thought I didn't need".

The guides shared a lot of insight into life in Namibia and arranged for the three hour sand session to end with a sunset picnic at the beach. Jen says, "Sandboarding in the later part of the day and seeing the sunset in the Atlantic at the end of the boarding was spectacular! The majority of the sandboarding is done on the backside runs of the dunes facing away from the ocean, but the last run of the day, back to the vehicle, is right down the front face heading to the vast open ocean. Awesome!"

Details: Desert eXplorers – Tel: +264 64 406 096; Web: www.namibiadesertexplorers.com. Call for bookings and prices.

BAZARUTO ISLAND, MOZAMBIQUE

The eastern strip of Mozambique's Bazaruto Island is comprised of enormous dunes making it a serious sandboarding hotspot. The smooth, stunning dunes offer a variety of options that cater to beginners, experts and everyone in between against a backdrop of diverse African wildlife and the indigo Indian ocean.

Sandboarding in this island paradise does come with one catch… You must be staying at the luxury Indigo Bay Resort to access the dunes. The massages, milk baths and body wraps on offer at the hotel spa do have their plus points at the end of a challenging boarding session though, so we'll leave it up to you to decide whether this is a burden or a boon.

Indigo Bay's exclusive dune access guarantees a quiet experience with enough breathing space to soak-up the views. Each two hour excursion culminates with sunset at the top of the dunes. In August, September and October sandboarders can even combine an exhilarating session with some whale watching.

Bazaruto's dunes are 60 metres high which allows for a 10 second "run". It takes about two minutes to climb to the top. Brandon Kilbride, Activities Manager at Indigo Bay, says the Bazartuto experience is unique, "the overall experience of the views, the sunset, the drive to the dunes through the surrounding island vegetation with the possibility of seeing crocs and red duiker. It is something one can't do every day at home, or in most places for that matter."

Details: Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa – Tel: +27 11 467 1277; Email: enquiries@raniresorts.com; Web: www.indigobayresort.com. Sandboarding / Tobogganing costs USD 20 per person. Room rates from USD 465 per night.

THE DOS AND DON'TS OF AFRICAN SANDBOARDING:

DO

• Go armed with sunscreen
• Wear proper fitting socks to avoid getting blisters from hiking up the dunes in snowboard boots
• Avoid wide turns

DON'T

• Worry about falling; we are assured that the fall is soft!
• Let lack of experience put you off. Instructors will look after you whether you are a novice or a regular rider
• Wear clothing that is too loose or too tight

Photo Credits: Namibia photos all ©Jen Bolton Bigelow; Mozambique photos by jackhynes and flickabix via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Doesn't this shot by solea20 make you want to pack your bags straight away and jump on the next plane to Morocco?

I'm dying to know what's behind those doors. When I was on a train from Tangiers to Fez in 2001 a teacher told me that all doors in Morocco - whether they lead to a riad or a ruin - look the same. This is because Islamic culture frowns on the showing off of wealth.

So, in Marrakesh the most stunning palaces are hidden behind unassuming doors. I wonder what lies behind these.