Sub-Saharan Africa
Images are sometimes not shown due to bandwidth/network limitations. Refreshing the page usually helps.
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
Where to go these days? Planning on 2 weeks of vacation in March or April.
Where should we go? I was in Kenya once and was very impressed. Which countries are worth seeing, too? Flight (from Europe) and accommodation shouldn't be very expensive.
Stay the fuck away. I was in (North) Africa once and vowed never to go in Sub-saharan Africa without a personal AK. It's not even a joke, there are literally no laws, warlords, aids, civil wars, kidnappings and all forms of torture. Locals get by because they are locals. I don't think even US blacks will fit there. Yeah, there are whites that get by, but most likely from hotel lobby to work area and that's it. Fuck that place.
>>1058895
Botswana is quite safe and there's some cool things there like the Kalahari, the game parks, etc. doubt accommodation would even be anything to worry about.
>>1058519
Mombasa and Cape Town are tight
South Africa is a beautiful country and there are a lot of things to see and do for very little money. I would recommend travelling along the Garden Route and going to the Drakensberg for sure. I really like the Cango Caves and Ostrich farms in the former and the Amphitheatre Backpackers in the latter (the Dumbe Cottages are also an awesome place to stay here). Cape Town is generally considered a must as well, along with Kruger National Park (for Safari) near Johannesburg. Backpackers can be incredibly reasonable (if not seemingly cheap for the quality), especially considering the low price of the rand at the moment. The best thing would be to travel by car if possible, though there are always travelers in the backpackers who join up and tour the country together; there are probably other options I'm unaware of. If you get a chance, Lesotho is amazing! I took a 6-hour pony ride through the mountains there and stayed overnight in a remote village for roughly $45 American - well worth the price.
Just remember to use common sense - don't flash super expensive electronics or clothes, keep track of your wallet, and check with a local before wandering off to areas you don't know about (for example - it is commonly recommended not to go to a township unless on a tour).
English is spoken virtually everywhere.
I highly recommend this website:
http://coasttocoast.co.za/
I actually got the tangible book for free at a backpackers and it led me to so many amazing places I never would have known about. Also you would be going at a great time of year.
Sadly, SA is the only country I've been to in Africa as a whole, so it's all I can suggest.
Place of reference: My boyfriend is South African and I lived with his family for three months, in which time we toured around a lot.
>>1058895
>He's never been to Ghana
How is Gambia? Now that it's an Islamic Republic I would like to see it since the only others are Iran (can't go), Afghanistan (obviously can't go) and Pakistan (shouldn't go).
>>1058987
Avoid the Gambia at all costs.
Ivory Coast and Ghana are nice, and 30% of Nigeria was amazing.
>>1058895
Obvious troll. I've been to Ghana, Tanzania and Namibia for work and to Gambia, Togo, Kenya (Morocco, Egypt) for holiday. SSA is mostly safe to travel an really beautiful. You'll see poverty, sure, but a lot less than in India for example. Most countries nowadays are relatively wealthy, safe and used to tourists. If you want to go then do it and don't let anybody talk you out of it. Most people's image of Africa is outdated by 30 years.
Depending on what you want to see you have different options. Southern Africa is very similar to the Mediterranean in terms of climate and access to western products and services, but also expensive. East Africa is ideal for beaches and safaris but you'll pay a lot if you want a western style accommodation. West Africa is most interesting when it comes to people, languages and culture.
If you need specific advice just ask me.
>>1058519
What about Ethiopia? You won't see much of the classic African wildlife, but in terms of history, food, culture, and natural wonders it's difficult to beat.
It's extremely temperate in the Highlands where most of the most famous sites are. Probably the best things I saw while there: Lalibela, Gonder, Erta Ale (volcano).
OP here. Thank you for your replies!
At the moment I have a strong interest in Africa's nature. Since I've been to Kenya once, I would prefer a country with tropical rain forest now. Can you tell me anything about Gabon, Cameroons or Equatorial Guinea?
Alternatively Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa sound very interesting, too. Is South Africa very western or do you still have the feeling of being in Africa?
West Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast etc.) woudn't be on my toplist.
What is the general opinion on Uganda?
>>1058996
You confused Gambia with Ghana...
>>1059049
Gabon and E Guinea are supposedly some of the richest black african nations, but I have never actually read about travelling them. Cameroon is a poor mess, albeit interesting and beautiful. Tanzania is one of the prettiest and most fascinating (including Zanzibar here) African countries, you can have a nice time provided you got money. The cities are MESSY. Uganda is awful, why would you go ther? If you want rainforest there are much better countries, like in West Africa. I dunno what the ebola situation is like these days though.
>>1059209
Thank you for the reply. Are you sure, that the rainforest in West Africa is more worth seeing than the part in Gabon and E Guinea? Ebola would be the reason not to go.
Thank you for your advise about Tanzania. Do you think it's similar to Kenya there? Zanzibar looks nice, too.
>>1059216
I was in Tanzania in February and it was awesome! But it might be a bit similar to Kenya - Zanzibar was pretty cool with amazing diving but it takes a while to get to the good spots. If you liked the safari part in Kenya then you should also love in Tanzania - We stayed in a tent lodge in Serengeti and that was out of this world with animals running around the camp at night
Uncle lives in Kenya, he recommends never living there but from what I saw Mombasa was a fucking incredible city, if you avoid the overly touristy bits and stick to where the growing middle class hangs out it's really quite something.
>>1059113
nah, Gambia is known for being safe
>>1059049
If you want rainforests, got to Uganda.
For wildlife, I'd recommend Uganda (and maybe Rwanda) for monkeys, apes, birds, but you can still see some elephants and stuff. If you're only interested in the big stuff then I'd go south africa
>>1059113
No I didn't. I possibly just have outdated information/haven't bothered to look into it recently.
Why is The Gambia unsafe?
>>1061209
Ok, do you think it's possible to drive around the Lake Victoria in ~ two weeks? Than I could see Uganda AND Tanzania.
>>1061325
Uhh, yeah you could. I wouldn't recommend it though. It's a pretty remote part of tanz and not much to see. Apart from the Serengeti but I'm not sure if you can access it from the west.
2 weeks is about the length of the standard beach/mountain/safari trip in tanz which might suite you more. Depends on your budget though
The only reason I suggested Uganda was because you mentioned rainforests and the forests in south west Uganda are godly
If you have more questions, I'll try to remember to check back on this thread
>>1061388
Thank you for the answer! I guess, 2 weeks wouldn't be enough time for such a long distance.
I wasn't really sure about Uganda, because I hardly know anything about the country and >>1059209 didn't seem to be that impressed.
At the moment (as I'm going to the SEA rainforest region soon) I would prefer Tanzania to visit. Because I'm not interested in beach vacation, which are the best spots for nature and wildlife in Tanzania in August?
>>1061417
Oddly enough I was there in august. I think it kinda depends on the year - the migration is always slightly different.
For us, Tarangire was fantastic. Ngorogoro was also good, and beautiful. But the main wildebeest migration was in the masai mara in august and we heard the serengeti was comparatively empty. Ask around at the time though. You could also just drop into kenya if need be, especially if you already want to go to mombasa.
I'm not too interested in beaches either, but Zanzibar is still worth a look.
>>1061503
Wow, thank you for all the information. I woudn't have thought this thread is going to be the one to decide where and when to go. Thank you :)
>>1059049
South African here. The most "western-feeling" area is probably Cape Town and the surrounding areas. Other than that, the Dutch heritage of the Afrikaners has also influenced country differently to other places in Africa. But its more of a colonial vibe than a western one.
I have an invitation to visit Sudan and South Sudan. Do you guys know much about it and is it wise to go alone?
>>1058895
Like Anon I would much prefer it to have a gun for any eventualities
>>1061670
Sudan and South Sudan is one of the most critical areas throughout Africa due to civil wars and genocides. Maybe it's safe in some years, but at the moment definitely not. You should watch the documentary 'The Devil Came on Horseback' and than decide again, if you want to go there.
I don't think it's legal to carry a weapon in a foreign country. But if something critical happens, I don't think a gun will save you.
>>1061661
What about Free State and Pretoria(Afrikaner monument).
>>1061670
I've been to Sudan.
I probably wouldn't go alone, but the people are really lovely there. Go and see the pyramids of meroe, pic related.
>>1061996
I actually live in the Free State and studied in Pretoria. There's a horrible drought at the moment so the province is almost a desert. The Free State is mostly farmland in any case so the best bet for visitors is the town of Clarens, the Drakensberg and maybe a visit to Lesotho. If you're looking for a quintessentially "African" experience though, rather look at the Kruger Park.
Here's some inspiration OP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH2g_gT6eQY
>>1062609
Wow this looks fun! I'm wondering which of Zimbabwe, Mosambique and Tansania would be the best pick.
>>1062447
where the fuck did people who lived here get water?
The Nile?
>>1062825
There's some plants, so presumably they had a well. When that ran dry, this particular place was probably abandoned.
>fucking gifts in the captcha
I'm in Ethiopia now and want to meet some friends down in Cape Town. Thinking of traveling overland through Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique to reach them. Looking up prices for national parks and meme safaris and they look well out of my brokefag price range.
Probably gonna travel along the coast down south. Any thing I shouldn't miss in these countries that I might skip over being cheap? Is it reasonable to assume that I will find secluded enough areas to put up my tent on the beach?
>>1063011
>Is it reasonable to assume that I will find secluded enough areas to put up my tent on the beach?
Definitely not something I would do, but campers often do things I don't understand.
I'd recommend ibo and Mozambique island in northern Mozambique.
The best cheap safaris are by joining a group hiring a car out of Jo'burg to kruger. South luangwa in Zambia is pretty cheap too of you head that way at all.
>>1061626
>>1063011
Both of you should look into the usambaras in Tanzania if you're into hiking/forests/mountains/rural areas. Some of the cheapest accommodation on my whole trip was there. Most of my research beforehand made it look pretty dull but it's actually really nice
>>1063029
Ok thank you for the info!
I also heard good of Mosambique, that it would be great, but the tourism isn't evolved as much as in other East African countries. Can someone relate?
>>1063029
Why don't you recommend wild camping?
Do you think there are not enough secluded areas? I would check things out of course and if it seems suss I have no problem staying in a cheap hotel. Just like getting in touch with the places I travel to.
>>1063659
you're right about mozambique. It's tough travelling. Though I only went in the north. A lot of the south seems pretty straightforward and easy enough to add onto a south africa trip
>>1064957
oh, it's mostly personal preference I think. I can imagine it would be super nice at times
There seems to be a fair bit that can go wrong though.
The area around vic falls/livingstone is full of elephants and they often enter the outskirts of those towns. What if you didn't know that and camped there?
I met a camper who walked into the amphitheatre in north drakensberg only to find virtually no flat ground and that place has a relatively large watershed flowing through a small area so he got completely washed out.
Baboons would be your main worry desu. They'll easily get in your tent if they smell your food.
So yeah, stay informed I guess. People definitely do it so you should go for it, ha
>>1059049
SA is only white in the southwestern part otherwise many blacks and you only think you are in the west when in CT desu, it's a beautiful country and I defintley recommend
>>1059049
>Is South Africa very western or do you still have the feeling of being in Africa?
If you're wondering about being hot as fuck all the time, yeah. Lions in the streets, no. We have a lot of parks with wildlife in them for viewing. Even some places where you can personally touch and pat a cheetah, no jokes.
>>1058519
>Where should we go? I was in Kenya once and was very impressed.
Uganda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, according to my ranking of natural beauty. All of these are relatively safe but first two countries are quite overpopulated.
Go in rainy season or just after it has finished.
>>1059040
>What about Ethiopia?
It's the shittiestest shithole. Running and begging seem to be national sports and unfortunately most of the population practices both, while some also include training of stone throwing at white people.
>>1061678
>Sudan and South Sudan is one of the most critical areas throughout Africa
Actually Sudan is a very safe place to visit and Khartoum is probably the only subsaharan capital where a white person can walk overnight and survive.
South Sudan is another story.
Here's OP again. We virtually decided to go to Tanzania. Our vacation will be for about two weeks and propably in the north of the country. We want to make some good safaris and hikes in this area. Besides the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, which parks are the ones you definetely would recommend? Amonst other things we think about Arashu, Lake Manyara and Tarangine.
>>1065853
>It's the shittiestest shithole. Running and begging seem to be national sports and unfortunately most of the population practices both, while some also include training of stone throwing at white people.
To be fair this describes Liverpool only the people throwing stones are also white and much uglier.
How much does an average day trip in Tanzania cost? We want to go on photo safaris, but alone only with our guide.
>>1067916
anyone?
>>1058519
Ghana then skip down to South Africa.
>>1058895
>implying all of sub-Saharan Africa is the Congo.
Stop playing Far Cry...
>>1067916
Like $100ish? A bit less? Depends on the trip. Tanapa will bleed you dry though . Keep in mind it is not possible to do day trips to a lot of the popular places like the Serengeti and ngorogoro. 100 per day should easily cover accommodation and food as well on multi day tours.
If you are booking with locals (best value) make sure you are very clear that you want a car to yourself. The company you book with probably won't be the company you go on the tour with and they often don't communicate special requests very well.
