Camp Okavango is an oasis of tall leafy trees and statuesque palms, writes Jill Worrall.

Botswana's Boteti River forms one of the boundaries of the Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan national parks, the latter of which is home to one of the largest populations of zebra in Africa. In 2009, after 20 dry years, the river began flowing again and it's now once again a great place to see African wildlife up close.

The Boteti River is not, as some travel brochures and websites say, dry.

Zambia is not nearly as firmly on the African safari trail as some of its neighbours, especially Tanzania and Botswana.

The 1860km-long Tazara Railway links landlocked Zambia to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salam.

Kiwi journalist Glen Johnson is in Egypt and has been talking to locals about what will motivate them to vote in their first free elections for decades.

Jill Worrall is captivated by the cycle of life on display within Serengeti National Park.

Serengeti National Park is best known for its annual migration of millions of wildebeest but once the migratory animals have left it's also a superb place to see predators such as lions, cheetah and leopards.