Native Eye Travel

Native Eye Travel Native Eye - Experts in the Unusual

Native Eye offers cutting edge group and private trips to some of the world's most unusual destinations, from tribal encounters in hidden corners of Africa, to groundbreaking and unique journeys through the vast steppes of Asia.

In the Adrar region of Mauritania sits the town of Chinguetti, one of our favourite places and perhaps one of the most a...
23/06/2026

In the Adrar region of Mauritania sits the town of Chinguetti, one of our favourite places and perhaps one of the most atmospheric towns in the Sahara, and West Africa as a whole.

Founded in the 13th century as the centre of several trans-Saharan trade routes, Chinguetti’s well preserved historic buildings give it the sense of yesteryear and walking through its sandy streets, rubbing shoulders with blue robed men and veiled women, it’s not hard to imagine that you’re in another time.

The old quarter of Chinguetti has five important manuscript libraries of scientific and Koranic texts that date back centuries. with many dating from the later Middle Ages.

For centuries the city was a principal gathering place for pilgrims of the Maghreb to gather on the way to Mecca. It became known as a holy city in its own right, especially for pilgrims unable to make the long journey to Arabia. It also became a centre of Islamic religious and scientific scholarship in West Africa and in addition to religious training, the schools of Chinguetti taught students rhetoric, law, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. For many centuries all of Mauritania was popularly known in the Arab world as Bilad Shinqit, "the land of Chinguetti."

All of our Mauritania trips stop here - so whether you're visiting as part of a longer trip through West Africa, or exploring country in more depth, you'll have the opportunity to soak up its very special ambience, and something of the Saharan soul.....

Full details of our tours in Mauritania can be found via the link below:

https://nativeeyetravel.com/destination/africa/mauritania-holidays-tours/

Some images from last month's departure of our North Pakistan Explorer tour. From Islamabad we headed north to the valle...
16/06/2026

Some images from last month's departure of our North Pakistan Explorer tour. From Islamabad we headed north to the valleys of the Kalash people to join them during on of their annual celebrations, then continued through majestic mountain scenery to Hunza and Baltistan.

Pakistan is home to some of the most incredible landscapes in Asia, gigantic 7000m plus such as Rakaposhi piercing the heavens and framing the journey. We stop in towns and villages that were once the centre of ancient kingdoms until they were eventually absorbed into the British Raj, as it expanded further northwards. Traditional cultures are strong here, not least among the Kalash themselves, known for their unique, 'pagan' customs that are unlike anywhere else on the subcontinent.

We'll be back following this route in August, with a few places left on our next departure - full details via the link below:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/north-pakistan-explorer/

Photos: Kath Donaldson

Kazakhstan is sometimes the 'forgotten 'stan'. Aside from a few examples, it doesn't have the exquisite Silk Road archit...
11/06/2026

Kazakhstan is sometimes the 'forgotten 'stan'. Aside from a few examples, it doesn't have the exquisite Silk Road architecture you can find in the well preserved cities of Uzbekistan, nor the strong nomadic culture of Kyrgyzstan. It's also the most 'Russian' of the stans, and the first part of Central Asia that was colonised by the old Tsarist regime, so feels a little more familiar than some of its southerly neighbours.

To ignore the country - the world's ninth largest - would be a mistake, and it deserves far more than just a cursory stop in Almaty or Astana to 'tick it off'. As well as ancient petroglyphs and some rather stunning mosques and mausoleums (albeit far fewer than some other countries in the region) it's home to some astonishing landscapes.

Nowhere are these more pronounced than in the deserts of Mangistau. In the far west of the country, abutting the shores of the Caspian Sea, this enigmatic and little visited part of Central Asia is home to scenery and sites that will take your breath away.

Don't just take our word for it. We've just finished our most recent group departure to this region and have been sent some photos from one of our travellers, which encapsulate the majesty of Mangistau.

If you'd like to explore Kazakhstan with us, our next group tour is in September, when it's a bit cooler - you can see the details here:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/hidden-kazakhstan/

Within southern Africa, Angola stands out as being the best place to experience traditional cultures. Lack of developmen...
09/06/2026

Within southern Africa, Angola stands out as being the best place to experience traditional cultures. Lack of development during the Portuguese colonial period, followed by a long period of conflict, meant that the 'modern world', for want of a better phrase, has been slower to arrive in Angola's more remote corners than in many other countries.

The south of the country is particularly rich in ethnic diversity, with a large number of very distinct groups, each with their own customs, dress and traditional hairstyles. Everyone knows the Himba, of course - better known in Namibia than Angola - but other groups include the Muila with their outlandish yellow dreadlocks, the Mucawana, the Mucabal and the Nguendelengo.

We've been running trips here for ten years now, and our relationships with these communities mean that we're treated as guests rather than visitors.

Angola is still far less visited than the rest of the region - without the iconic national parks and wildlife of neighbours like Zambia and Botswana, or the ethereal deserts of Namibia, it tends to be ignored. Either that, or still associated with a war that finished decades ago. While it's starting to become better known now, you're still likely to be the only visitors wherever you stop.

Our next group departure here is in July, with another in October. And of course, we can run private trips here at any time.

See the details of our trips to Angola via the link below, and get in touch if you'd like to explore and learn more about this fascinating country.....
https://nativeeyetravel.com/destination/africa/angola-holidays-tours/

The Tamberma are one of West Africa's most intriguing and traditional groups. Straddling the border between Togo and Ben...
04/06/2026

The Tamberma are one of West Africa's most intriguing and traditional groups. Straddling the border between Togo and Benin (where they are known as Somba), they live deep in the bush in fortress style houses which are utterly unlike anything else.

Rather than settling in villages each family has its own compound, an arrow's flight from anyone else, and the mud built dwellings, known as 'tatas' are built for defence, with strong walls and traditionally only accessed via a ladder which would be withdrawn in times of trouble. Inside the tatas are separate areas for people, livestock and grain, and some contain wells, meaning that the inhabitants could hole up for days when slave raiders came, making attacks on the Tamberma a far less attractive proposition than weaker, less defensive peoples.

Although modern influences are now starting to creep in, the Tamberma are still very traditional and it's possible to see groups of men heading off into the bush to hunt, armed with bows and arrows and accompanied by their dogs, while many of the older women still wear polished bones through their lower lips and wear impressive headgear adorned with gazelle horns.

We visit the Tamberma people and explore their customs on our trips through Benin, and our longstanding relationships here mean our travellers are welcomed as guests and afforded insights that elude most other visitors. If you'd like to learn more about the Tamberma (as well as the other traditional groups of Ghana, Togo and Benin), take a look at our regular Gold and Magic group tour:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/gold-magic/

We've been seeing a bit of a surge in interest for Turkmenistan in recent weeks. By far the quirkiest of the Central Asi...
02/06/2026

We've been seeing a bit of a surge in interest for Turkmenistan in recent weeks. By far the quirkiest of the Central Asian 'stans', Turkmenistan can often be overlooked - it doesn't have the exquisite Silk Road architecture of Uzbekistan or the wild mountainous landscapes of Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, that one might associate with the region.

What it does have, though, is a wealth of unique attractions that you won't find elsewhere. The capital city Ashgabat is awash with white marble and rather odd monuments, yet often seems virtually empty. Further afield the flaming crater of Darwaza provides stunning views against the night sky, while elsewhere you can find ancient dinosaur footprints embedded in the rock or spend the night camping in multi-coloured canyons.

Away from the cities you'll find pilgrims making their way to saintly shrines, small communities eking an existence in the Kara Kim desert, the remnants of long dead civilisations at Gonur Tepe and Merv, and arcane pagan traditions buried not so far beneath the surface.

We include Turkmenistan in some of our multi-country trips in Central Asia, but for a more in-depth experience spend two weeks exploring the country in our Total Turkmenistan tour. The next departure is in September, and if this sounds like your kind of place, you can see the full details here:

https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/total-turkmenistan/

Something of a hidden gem, Tunisia has much more to offer than the beach, and is quietly becoming more popular among tra...
22/05/2026

Something of a hidden gem, Tunisia has much more to offer than the beach, and is quietly becoming more popular among travellers.

Step away from the coastal resorts and Tunisia is home to some spectacular archaeological sites, from the enormous amphitheatre at El Jem to ancient Carthage, once the centre of a civilisation that challenged Roman for dominance of the Mediterranean.

In Kairouan and Tunis you'll find bustling medinas and vibrant souks - Kairouan is also considered the fourth holiest city of Islam, founded in the 7th century after the Arab invasion of North Africa. Heading further south the country turns into desert, with Berber villages hidden among the date plantations and rocks. Here you can see the extraordinary granaries of Tataouine and the troglodyte dwellings of Matmata, and the mighty dunes of Douz, the gateway to the Sahara.

Off the coast lies Djerba - the legendary 'land of the lotus eaters' of Greek mythology, and home to one of North Africa's most important synagogues, as well as pretty white washed mosques and forts.

Add to this the beautiful blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said, the traditional villages of En Negueb and some of Africa's best museums, and you've got to wonder why more people haven't discovered its charms.

Here are some images from our most recent trip. Our next group tour runs in September, with full details via the link below:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/tunisia-explorer/

Photos: Ellen Golden

We've just finished the spring departures of our Algerian Odyssey tour, exploring Africa's largest country from the Medi...
20/05/2026

We've just finished the spring departures of our Algerian Odyssey tour, exploring Africa's largest country from the Mediterranean to the Sahara.

If you’ve travelled through Morocco or Tunisia before you’ll find some similarities but a lot of differences. For one, Algeria receives nowhere near the number of visitors of its neighbours and you won’t find the crowds of Marrakech here.

What you will find is a genuine welcome from local people, who treat you as a guest rather than a customer, and are truly pleased to meet you. Despite the myriad amazing sights to be found here, our travellers consistently say that meeting Algerian people, in the souqs, in the safes, in the casbah, is one of their favourite experiences. There’s not the pushy sales patter or jaded indifference that you can find in some places, that see thousands of tourists each week.

This spills over into the sites. Algeria has some world class archaeological sites, from the Numidian, Roman and Phoenician eras and beyond. Anywhere else and you’d be jostling for a position. Here you’re likely to have them to yourself.

Deep in the Sahara you’ll see isolated villages, their mud brick houses built from the desert earth, surrounded by date plantations and looking the same as they have for hundreds of years (well, except the electricity cables…!). Far away from the modern cities of the coast, the Sahara is a snapshot into a bygone age, its sacred shrines, mosques and weekly markets the centre of daily life. And of course, beyond the villages, vast dunes, salt lakes and oases beckon.

We began running trips here in 2017. Back then, you’d be lucky to see one other group of tourists during your entire stay. Algeria’s now becoming more popular, and definitely on the radar for more adventurous travellers, but still feels like the forgotten corner of North Africa – despite its enormous size.

We’ll return there after the heat of the North African summer abates. If you fancy joining us, check out our Algeria tours via the link below:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/destination/africa/algeria-holidays-tours/

Photos: Robin Mayes, Brita Askey, Michaela Tart.

The Danakil Depression is one of the most extraordinary landscapes on Earth - a place where geology, anthropology, and h...
18/05/2026

The Danakil Depression is one of the most extraordinary landscapes on Earth - a place where geology, anthropology, and human history converge in dramatic fashion.

Located in northeastern Ethiopia near the borders of Eritrea and Djibouti, the Danakil sits at the junction of three tectonic plates that are slowly pulling apart. This immense geological activity has created one of the hottest, lowest, and most visually surreal environments on the planet: vast salt flats, sulphur springs, lava fields, and hydrothermal landscapes unlike anywhere else on the planet.

Among its many wonders is Erta Ale, one of the world’s few continuously active lava lakes, and Dallol, a remarkable spot where mineral-rich hot springs create vivid formations of yellow, green, orange, and white across the desert floor.

But the Danakil is much more than a geological curiosity. For centuries - and likely far longer - this region has been home to the Afar people, whose culture and camel caravan traditions have adapted to one of the harshest environments imaginable. The Afar region is also one of the most important locations in the history of human evolution. Fossils discovered here, including the famous 3.2-million-year-old “Lucy”, have transformed our understanding of where we came from and how early humans evolved.

We visit the Danakil Depression in conjunction with Djibouti, also home to some incredible scenery - the towers of Lac Abbe and the shimmering salt lake of Lac Assal. There's also the option to continue on to Somaliland, to see the amazing rock art at Las Geel and explore the markets of Hargeisa and the Ottoman era architecture of Berbera.

Our November 2026 departure is confirmed to run, and if this sounds like your kind of adventure, you can see the details via the link below:
https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/djibouti-the-danakil-depression-somaliland/

Due to a cancellation, we have one space available on our Central Africa Encompassed tour in February 2027, with both th...
14/05/2026

Due to a cancellation, we have one space available on our Central Africa Encompassed tour in February 2027, with both the November 2026 and March 2027 trips being full.

Covering some of the more 'challenging' parts of the continent, we visit Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo (with an extension to DRC). Along the way we see thundering waterfalls, spend time with a pygmy community, see the incredible Bwiti ceremony, visit a chimpanzee sanctuary and meet the ever stylish sapeurs of Brazzaville.

This has become one of our more popular tours, and this is now the only spot available until November 2027. If you fancy joining us on a real adventure through the least visited countries in Africa, check out the full details via the link below:

https://nativeeyetravel.com/itineraries/central-africa-encompassed/

Photos: Christophe Beaubron.

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