Destination Advice - Tour of Africa

[marcr1230]

I've never been to Africa

If you had about 2 weeks, and a decent but not unlimited budget, where
would you go ? This is probably a once in a lifetime thing.

I know nothing about Africa and I admit I'm being lazy by asking here

I've looked at a couple web sites , Kenya and Zambia seem attractive.

I kind of want a guided experience, and nice sleeping arrangements
with personal safety not in question

this would be for me and my wife.

any guidance welcome

Thanks!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Big place, Africa. A bit like Yurrup. Or (on a much more modest scale) the USA.

Cheers,

R.

 

[marcr1230]

Yup - very open question. Two weeks, need to edit like you do photographs - from 36 options to 2-3

In the Continental USA - I'd say see Yellowstone, after that New York City, maybe Washington DC or San Fran, and for another National Park - Yosemite or Zion/Bryce/Arches

Big place, Africa. A bit like Yurrup. Or (on a much more modest scale) the USA.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Hmmmm. I'd nor bother with either Yellowstone or DC. NYC and SF, probably. But what I'd REALLY recommend is driving from coast to coast to see the small places such as Dull, Tennessee. A friend of mine drove from Birmingham to Cape Town. And home for a vacation. And back to work... In a Land Rover, of course.

ONE COUNTRY in Africa is probably enough for two weeks, I've always fancied Morocco. Frances suggested Alexandria or Cape Town. How good are you on African politics? What do you like to photograph? People? Landscapes? Cities? Wars? If you try hard you can fit all of these (and more) into two weeks. If you live that long.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Addy101]

Alexandria? That's Egypt. If you want to go to interesting countries, why not Somalia, Eritrea, Mali, Central African Republic and Libya. :angel:

Without kidding, Africa is huge, some places like the above are dangerous, others are safe. What do you want to do? At the moment I'm considering Ethiopia, but if you want to do a safari, Kenia would be better.

 

[aizan]

places i'd like to go to someday:

devil's pool at victoria falls, zimbabwe
sossusvlei dunes, namibia

cape town, south africa
dakar, senegal
lumumbashi, drc
oshogbo, nigeria
lagos, nigeria
bamako, mali

great mosque of djenné, mali
the nubian pyramids at meroë, sudan
lalibela, ethiopia

 

[Roger Hicks]

Alexandria? That's Egypt. If you want to go to interesting countries, why not Somalia, Eritrea, Mali, Central African Republic and Libya. :angel:

Without kidding, Africa is huge, some places like the above are dangerous, others are safe. What do you want to do? At the moment I'm considering Ethiopia, but if you want to do a safari, Kenia would be better.

Over 50 years ago I went to Libya. It was a nice place in pre-Ghadafi days. Frances's suggestion for Alexandria was just that it's somewhere she's always wanted to see. But I don't think Egypt is the kind of war zone that the others are. The point, really, is that you can't see a country in two weeks, let alone a continent. You can say, I've been to A, B, C, D, but that's just box-ticking.

Kenya? From https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya/terrorism :

There is a high threat from terrorism in Kenya. The main threat is from extremists linked to Al Shabaab, a militant group in Somalia opposed to the Somali government. Al Shabaab has issued public threats against Kenya because of its military intervention in Somalia. The Kenyan authorities have increased security to counter potential reprisal attacks.

There has been a spate of small-scale grenade, bomb and armed attacks in Nairobi (especially the area of Eastleigh), Mombasa, and North Eastern Province. Methods of attack have included grenades, shootings and bombings, including car bombings. Public places and public gatherings have been targeted.

Cheers,

R.

 

[leicapixie]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143154

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143154

Two weeks for the Mother of All Continents!
Honestly, It's "Not it's Thursday, it must be Belgium".
2 weeks means that a booked tour is best.
Head for one County.
South Africa as a booked tour!
A few days Cape Town.
Fly to Durban area (Natal-Kwa-Zulu) and enjoy the warm sea.
Then Kruger National Park.
You need a booking, difficult except as tours..
It is 2x larger than Belgium.
Fly home via Johannesburg.
The largest urban forest in the world, man made!
On tour very safe.
On your own,looking for a problem.
S.A is really a First World country in many ways..
Crime is rampant, no street photography.
No doing Landscapes alone or un-armed.
Medical.
You won't need "shots" , but take Anti-Malarial
pills for Kruger Park.
Fly home.

Other suggestions..
Okavango Swamps,Botswana.
Get there via Johannesburg.
Kenya or Tanzania, but on wildlife tours.
Note Roger's comments, Kenya has problems..

 

[Rom]

A big place to see !!

The place that i like the most, (in fact where i have worked)

• Dodoma, Arusha, Dar El Salam, Tanzania
• Mozambic
• Huambo, Angola
• Zimbabwe, Harare
• Gabon
• Kenya

The best one for me is Angola, but really expensive !! Mozambic is good too 🙂

Too difficult to make a choice !

 

[marcr1230]

I'm not interested in hopscotching across the continent in order to see everything poorly
I'd like to be safe with respect to crime and conflict zones
I'd like to see big game
I'm not thinking of North Africa or Egypt
More the Africa of "the Lion King" for lack of a better description


Keep the advice coming - I'm taking notes

 

[rso]

I have done one of the east africa tours with gadventures in 2008 - Kenya safari, 9 days. Highly recommended.
http://www.gadventures.com/search/?f=c16691311182

The tour comes with a chef, drivers, and tour guide. Stayed in tents (provided), bring your own sleeping bag, buy bottle water, food provided (somewhat western style), hot shower, 3rd world condition toilets

Photos are here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151387944221767.1073741830.507701766&type=1&l=56159e4e1e

There is also an option for hot air ballon ride ($300), and you may also consider looking for gorillas in Uganda...

 

[icebear]

You should better know where you're going and if you are sure personal safety is not an issue,
well then good luck and be on your way. Share some pictures when you get back.

Visiting countries were the camera you are pointing at someone is worth a years average income,
has to have a better reason than tourism. Otherwise it's like visiting a big zoo. .... end of rant 😉.

Sorry, just back from a dentist visit, half the face is still numb.

 

[KenR]

Remember you need shots for much of Africa - some for your safety like typhoid and polio but some required for some countries such as yellow fever. Malaria prophylaxis is not mandated but very important in many area as you would hate to come down with that. Check the CDC.gov website under "information for travelers" for up to date advice.

 

[Rom]

I'd like to be safe with respect to crime and conflict zones
I'd like to see big game

So, after thinking where i would like to spend more times. For me, will be definetively Tanzania.

Tanzanian people are very peacefull.

From the Kilimanjaro, with the lake Victoria down to the fabulous coast at Dar El Salam & Zanzibar, you can see many different landscapesn peoples and animals.

Finish with Dar El Salam and Zanzibar in order to find nice hotel to rest a bit.

Kilimanjaro, you can climb it easily if you have one week for it.

 

[Addy101]

Tanzanian people are very peacefull.

Hmmm, from the travel advice of the Dutch department of foreign affairs it seems it isn't as peaceful as you think:
13 June 2014 - bomb explosion in Stone Town, Zanzibar (Unguja) near a mosque
24 February 2014 - several explosions near tourist destinations (Anglican Cathedral and Mercury’s restaurant) in Stone Town, Zanzibar (Unguja).
13 April 2014 - bomb explosion in a bar in Arusha, an explosive was found in another bar on 15 april 2014.
The Dutch department of foreign affairs warns that foreigners are being kidnapped and forced to give money.
So, not that peaceful....

South Africa probably is the easiest country, you can see big game there 😎

 

[Rom]

Hmmm, from the travel advice of the Dutch department of foreign affairs it seems it isn't as peaceful as you think:
13 June 2014 - bomb explosion in Stone Town, Zanzibar (Unguja) near a mosque
24 February 2014 - several explosions near tourist destinations (Anglican Cathedral and Mercury’s restaurant) in Stone Town, Zanzibar (Unguja).
13 April 2014 - bomb explosion in a bar in Arusha, an explosive was found in another bar on 15 april 2014.
The Dutch department of foreign affairs warns that foreigners are being kidnapped and forced to give money.
So, not that peaceful....

South Africa probably is the easiest country, you can see big game there 😎

Yeah you're right, so the best is to stay at home isn't it ?

If you follow the french diplomatie web site, it's the same. Like for Angola, they say that you should go only if you have imperative reason...

South Africa is a wonderful country, but, just for our information, how many murders per day ? I think it's in the top ten of the world....

But as usual, it depends from wher you get your informations...

 

[MiniMoke]

Lesotho - the kingdom in the sky!

 

[emraphoto]

Most government travel advisories need to be taken with a grain of salt. I remember either the New Zealand or Australian consulates advising citizens to avoid Canada due to 'avalanche and bear danger' (not verbatim) a few years back.

If I could make a humble suggestion, I would keep Ethiopia high on the list.

 

[Rom]

Most government travel advisories need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Agreed at 100% with you.

 

[Austerby]

Botswana

It's a peaceful, well-run country which looks after its people. Lots of interesting places to visit and all achievable within two weeks - Kalahari desert, Okavango delta, safaris and Gaborone itself.

Read Alexander Macall Smith's No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books and imbibe the spirit of Mma Precious Ramotswe