Letter of the week
I am travelling to Namibia in August with my mother as her 80th birthday treat. We want to visit my daughter, who is working with Voluntary Service Overseas in Rundu.
We intend to stay in Cape Town for a few days. Please recommend tourist attractions there and in Namibia. Are there any mandatory inoculations?
Fiona Burton, by email
Cape Town's key attractions, Table Mountain and Nelson Mandela's former prison on Robben Island, are easily accessible by cable car and ferry. Both are best visited early in the morning, for the best light and to avoid crowds. Book the island trip a few days ahead.
In Cape Town you'll enjoy strolling round City Bowl, home to the Company's Gardens and Art Deco and Victorian architecture. A day seeing the wildlife and beaches of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a great way to finish.
Namibia has the Namib Desert; Etosha National Park's wildlife; the dramatic Fish River Canyon and the unusual cities of Windhoek and Swakopmund.
Cardboard Box Travel Shop (www.namibian.org) organises safaris and itineraries. In the UK, Temple World (020 8940 4114; www.templeworld. com) has a variety of Namibia tours.
Beware malaria in northern areas. You need most standard vaccinations. Call Nomad Travel's health line (0906 863 3414; www.nomadtravel.co.uk).
We are to stay in a villa on the Greek island of Halki in late September for a week. The normal route is to fly to Rhodes and take the ferry. We want to extend the holiday by a few days either side, and wonder if we fly to and from Athens, can we get local flights or boats to Halki, perhaps taking in another island? Would we be able to do this in two weeks? Can you advise the best way or researching the options?
Jill Holden, Crediton
You can ferry from Piraeus, the port of Athens, to Halki on most days of the week during the summer - but services are less frequent out of season so check in advance.
The total journey time from Piraeus to Halki is 22 hours. It should be easy to stop off on other islands on the way. Ferries call at a couple of ports in Crete and at the Dodecanese Islands of Kasos and Karpathos. Services are operated by Lane Lines (www.ferries.gr/lane).
Halki has no airport, so you'd be looking at a flight to Rhodes from Athens and then jumping on a boat. The Greek National Tourist Office (020 7495 9300; www.gnto.gr) can provide you with more information.
Two friends and I plan to go walking for a long weekend in the autumn, somewhere in Europe that is still warm and not too far away. We were thinking of the Pyrenees, but can you suggest anywhere else? Our ages range between 40 and 52, and we are all fairly fit but not vastly experienced walkers.
Carole Jasilek, by email
The weather can be perfect for walking in southern Europe at that time of year, though you'll start to encounter rain and, at higher altitudes, snow on Pyrenean and Alpine routes. You will, however, encounter fewer crowds and cooler temperatures than in August, making it a great time to go.
On the Spanish mainland, the best walking at this time of year is in Valencia and Andalucia. The Els Ports area, around the mountain city of Morella, is a good place for a few days. You get there through the city of Valencia. There's also great walking around the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Grazalema and Cazorla Natural Park areas. Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana is another option.
You may also wish to consider the Jura and Massif Central in France. In Italy, there's plenty to choose from in Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia. ATG Oxford (01865 315678; www.atg-oxford.co.uk) offers a wide range of walking holidays in these destinations.
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