Are you authentic? You are in the right place then.

Authentic Travels is a concept including heritage exploration and travel writing. How? Authentic Travels means exploring heritage places, different cultures and lifestyles, and authentic experiences, like the Al Ain Camel Market in the Arab Emirates, the Fes old medina or the Picturesque villages in Cyprus. Authentic Travels is a collection of travelogues, interviews, and architectural reviews, like Crossing the Atlas Mountains, A Moroccan Dar in Fes Old Medina or A Berber house in the heart of Bhalil. Authentic Travels explores different cultures, authentic experiences, and remoter places, in destinations like the Moroccan Desert, Nepal's Himalayan Villages or the Wadi Dana Trail in Jordan.

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Travel at Your Own Pace

Explore culture, heritage, architecture, lifestyle. Travel writing articles, documentation, research, interviews, reviews. Cultural tours, exploration, experience, satisfaction.

Morocco

Morocco Travel Photos

Route du Majhoul in Tafilalt Oases: a normal 'underground' street, a good playground for childrenThe photos in the Morocco Gallery were taken during a six-week road trip through Morocco, in the fall of 2015 (October- November). Here, you will find photos from Fes, Sefrou, Bhalil, Ifrane, Azrou, the Middle Attlas, Midelt, Ziz Valley & Gorges, Tafilalt Oases, ksars, Todra Gorges, Dades Valley, kasbah, Ksar el-Khorbat, Skoura, Ouarzazate, Agdz, Tamnougalt, N'Kob, Draa Valley, Zagora, the Jbel Bani Mountains, Sahara Desert - Erg Chigaga, M'Hammid, Ait Benhaddou, Marrakesh, Souss Valley, Essaouira, ... A general overview of this trip can Read More...

The road from Essaouira to El Jadida, with stops in Safi and Aze...

The old medina in Azemmour - Mohammed Janati in his Berber weaving shopThe road from Essaouira to El Jadida Short Description. I left Essaouira and had to go through a storm near the Atlantic. In Safi, the sky unclouded though, and I explored the medina, the Kechla kasbah, and Colinne de Potiers. For lunch I stopped in the lagoon of Oualidia and in the evening, I arrived in El Jadida. Long Description The sky was still cloudy and the forecasts were pretty uncertain. I had arrived at the Atlantic during the fall when the rains Read More...

Nepal

Nepal Travel Photos

Tamang Heritage Trail - Day 6: Briddhim village - a local old woman I met on the roadThe photos in the Nepal Gallery were taken during a two-month trip to Nepal, in the fall of 2016. Here, you will find photos from Kathmandu, Kopan Buddhist Monastery, the Tamang Heritage Trail (Langtang National Park), Patan, Pharping, Bhaktapur, Dhulikhel, Panauti, Sauraha (Chitwan National Park), Lumbini, Tansen, Pokhara, Ghorepani Trek, Bandipur, Gorkha. A general overview of this trip can bee found at Nepal Travel Planning. I work with a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX300, 20.1MP. Subscribe to my travel diaries here. Read More...

From Pokhara back to Kathmandu - Nepal

Pokhara to Kathmandu - Gorkha: Mahadev TempleFrom Pokhara to Kathmandu After five trekking days in the Annapurna Area, I had to relax and recover in Pokhara for one day. I had no idea where I was going to stay until my departure from Nepal. In this case, I took advantage of the luxury from Pokhara’s Lakeside for the rest of the day. I ate at my favorite Tibetan restaurant, lay on a sun bed among flowers on the lakeshore, and bought a few traditional souvenirs. I had a Read More...

Albania

Balkan Countries Travel Photos

Horses on the road from Leskovik to ÇarshovëThe photos in the Balkan Countries 2017 Gallery were taken during a two-month-and-a-half road trip through Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, in the summer of 2017. Here, you will find photos from Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo (2017). In the future, I am planning to explore more of this region, though - the countries of former Yugoslavia (summer 2018). A general overview of this trip can bee found at Balkan Countries Travel Planning - Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo. I work with a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX300, 20.1MP. Subscribe to my travel Read More...

Hiking the Albanian Alps - Valbona Theth, Albania

Trek Valbona Theth: on the way to Valbona Pass (Qafa e Valbonës)The first day of the trek Valbona Theth Short description. I took a local shuttle (furgon) from Shkodër to the onboarding place on the Komani ferryboat. For four hours, we traveled by ferry on the Komani Lake until Fierza. Then, we took a car to Valbona, where we stayed overnight before the Valbona Theth hike. Long description At six o’clock in the morning, I was in front of Camping Ledgenda and waited for the shuttle for the Komani Lake Ferryboat. Felix and Christiana, Read More...

Macedonia

Balkan Countries Travel Photos

Horses on the road from Leskovik to ÇarshovëThe photos in the Balkan Countries 2017 Gallery were taken during a two-month-and-a-half road trip through Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, in the summer of 2017. Here, you will find photos from Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo (2017). In the future, I am planning to explore more of this region, though - the countries of former Yugoslavia (summer 2018). A general overview of this trip can bee found at Balkan Countries Travel Planning - Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo. I work with a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX300, 20.1MP. Subscribe to my travel Read More...

The return to Macedonia - Kumanovo, Skopje, and Kratovo

Kratovo - generous lunch at Etno House ShancevaHow I decided to go to Kumanovo? On the 2nd of August, I had to be in Macedonia, in the small town of Kratovo. There, I had promised to Stevce Donevski to write an article about his traditional guest house, Etno House Shanceva. I had another week left until then and had to do something during that time. Eventually, I chose to go through the northern part of Macedonia - 3 days at Nate in Kumanovo and 2 days at Read More...

Guesthouse Reviews

Dana Tower Hotel, Dana Village, Jordan

Dana Tower Hotel - with Nabil Nawafleh on the terrace of the hotelDana Tower Hotel - Dana Reserve and Village Dana Tower Hotel. Situated on the very edge of the Great Rift Valley, Dana is considered Jordan's largest nature reserve. Dana is on the major migratory routes between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Thus, it is the quintessence of flora and fauna species from all the three major continents. Intricate cliffs and canyons of sand, limestone, and granite strangely cut by the winds create a nearly moonlike landscape. Acacia trees twisted by drought appear Read More...

Etno House Shancheva - Kratovo, Macedonia

Etno House Shancheva - with Stevce Donevski in front of his guesthouse from KratovoEtno House Shancheva - Kratovo town Etno House Shancheva. Kratovo was a major mining center in the Macedonian part of the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, Saxon settlers came here during the Middle Ages. Moreover, Kratovo is also known as the town of towers and bridges. The town developed in the crater of a former extinct volcano. Nowadays, it's still interspersed with defense towers and old bridges between steep valleys and different neighborhoods (Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, and Jewish). Only six of the Read More...

Greek Islands

Greek Islands Travel Photos

Thassos Island - Marble Beach: SaliriaThe photos in the Greek Islands Gallery were taken during a three-week road trip to the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea, in the summer of 2016. Here, you will find photos from the Thassos Island, Lemnos Island, and Samothraki Island (2016). In the future, I am planning to explore more of this region, though. A general overview of this trip can bee found at Greek Islands Travel Planning. I work with a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX300, 20.1MP. Subscribe to my travel diaries here. Thassos Island Lemnos Island Samothraki Island Read More...

Samothraki Island - pebbled beaches, goat dishes, bouzouki music

Hora - the capital of Samothraki Island: typical housesWhen I returned from Lemnos Island, I reached the port of Kavala late at night. As I wanted to take the morning ferry to Samothraki Island, I decided to drive 120 kilometers on the highway to reach my intermediary destination, the town of Alexandroupolis. I went to the municipal campground in Alexandroupolis where I was charged the price of a campervan again because I planned to sleep in the car. The following day, I paid a bigger price for almost the Read More...