By:
Danniell Saunders
2012-08-19 22:00:00
Many well travelled people are often looking for the next big thing but before the masses find out about it. There is something very intriguing about a destination which is not yet mainstream. Many years ago most of the countries that we now consider touristy were at one time mysterious and exotic, before the infrastructure of the country was boosted by a huge influx of tourist cash. Places like India and Cambodia, Mongolia and China, these places are now easily accessible for even the greenest of travellers.
One destination that is just starting to open up to adventurous travellers is Sudan. This incredible country is a hidden gem in the Nubian desert. Steeped in history, this country has much to offer travellers, with a huge concentration of pyramids and temples and some of the most welcoming people on the planet, Sudan will not disappoint. The area of Meroe is a stunning landscape of narrow pyramids shooting up from the rolling sand dunes. The real attraction here is that you are likely to not pass any other tourists while you explore these ancient sights, so if you are a traveller who doesn’t like to get sucked into tourist traps and who likes to mingle with the locals, then Sudan could be perfect for you, make sure to get there before this incredible location opens up fully to the world, as inevitably it will.
Encounters Travel offers a 9-day Sudan group tour called Hidden Treasures.
Need some travel inspiration or looking for some handy travel tips? Our blog provides excellent insight into our travel destinations - from tour updates to country guides, packing lists to little known things to do, you'll find it all in our travel blog.
By:
Martin Hosie
2026-06-09
Morocco isn't just a destination to observe; it is a country that demands to be actively experienced. Discover the best places to visit in Morocco in our honest travel guide. From scrambling through Ait Benhaddou and trekking through Todra Gorge to camping among the Erg Chebbi dunes, find out what makes this Encounters Travel journey truly extraordinary.
By:
Martin Hosie
2026-06-05
We booked a Uganda safari holiday, half hoping it would be good. What we did not expect was to stand in a rainforest in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, barely three metres from a mountain gorilla, completely speechless. This post is about that moment, and everything that led to it, from tracking chimps in Budongo Forest to watching the Nile thunder through Murchison Falls. If you have been wondering whether gorilla trekking in Uganda is worth the journey, the permits, and the mud on your boots, read on. We are going to be honest with you, the way a friend would be, not the way a brochure would.
By:
Martin Hosie
2026-06-04
Lebanon is one of those destinations that quietly rewrites everything a traveller thinks they know about the Middle East. This Lebanon travel guide is not a list of monuments. It is the story of how a single trip wove together Phoenician harbours, Roman ruins, cedar-scented mountain air, and a table that never seemed to empty, from creamy goat cheese fresh out of a Bcharre factory to wood-fired SAJ flatbread at dawn and bold reds poured straight from a Bekaa Valley winery. If you have been searching for a travel guide to Lebanon that treats food as seriously as archaeology, read on.
By:
Martin Hosie
2026-06-03
Finding the best time to visit Cape Town depends on what you want from the trip, and for us, the answer was September, without a shadow of a doubt. We weren't just visiting Cape Town for the city itself. We were using it as the launchpad for a 20-day overland journey north through the Cederberg, across the wildflower-dusted plains of Namaqualand, and deep into Namibia and Botswana. Choosing the right month mattered enormously, not only for Cape Town's weather, but for everything that followed.
By:
Martin Hosie
2026-06-02
Planning a trip and trying to figure out the best time to visit Botswana for a safari? Whether you are drawn to the vast floodplains of the Okavango Delta, the raw wilderness of the Kalahari, or the legendary elephant herds along the Chobe River, timing your visit can make all the difference. This month-by-month guide breaks down what visiting Botswana looks like across every season, including why one August morning on a boat safari in Chobe National Park became the single most jaw-dropping wildlife moment of an overland journey from Namibia to Victoria Falls.