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Africa thread - travels and places to go
cantersaddick
Posts: 16,913
Having spent some time in Kenya last year I've really caught the "Africa bug" dunno what it is but it gets under your skin. I spend so much time re-living that trip and planning future trips.
So I want to hear who else has been, what are your stories and experiences? Must sees and places to avoid?
So I want to hear who else has been, what are your stories and experiences? Must sees and places to avoid?
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So as I said we went to Kenya last year. Africa has been on my bucket list since I was a kid but needed a reason to actually get me there. Turns out being best man for a Kenyan born fella is a great excuse.We did plenty of the touristy stuff and the benefit of local connections was we got off the beaten track too.Safari wise our favourite was Ol Pejeta Rhino conservancy. Small enough you could see the whole park quite easily so you didn't have to be out at the hottest time of day but still the full range of animals. Here we had the best most intimate experiences with animals. Watched a Cheetah catch and eat a young warthog, spent a whole morning surrounded by a family of 28 giraffes of all ages. Saw the last 2 Northern white rhinos on earth. And fed Baraka a blind Rhino that wouldn't survive in the wild so they keep him in an enclosure.Amboseli was next best - full of elephants (saw probably 500 up close in less than 3 days!) Incredible views of Killimanjaro and again massive range of animals.Massai Mara was great for big cats and we saw so many more lions there than anywhere else including an amazing experience where we saw and older male lion get kicked out his pride by the females as he was no longer able to feed/protect them. But it was overly touristy, very busy and commercialised. Too many jeeps around and multiple times felt like we were interfering rather than watching.Spent time in Nairobi where my mates family is from, met his school friends who still live there who gave us the locals tour and there are some unbelievable restaurants and excellent night life.The wedding was at a safari lodge in Lake Navasha which was the most unbelievable setting with zebra just wondering around the lodge!About 40 of us went on to a beach resort at Diani beach. Not far from Mombasa but much much better. Beaches are beautiful but expect to have people trying to sell you stuff the whole time so spend more time in the resort by the pool. All inclusive for £60 per person per night (basic rooms even cheaper) less than my mortgage and bills!So now I've got the bug I can't stop planning other trips and have an ever growing bucket list. My sister in law is Ugandan and has family there so will have to take a trip there at some point and do gorilla trekking.I want to go back to Kenya and do Tsavo and Samburu as they look incredible.I want to do Tanzania and see the serengetti spring the great migration.Zanzibar looks beautifulI have an uncle who has lived in Zambia for 25 years and runs a couple of charities there, would love to go help him out at some point.Another friend is from Zim (wife of the Kenyan as it happens) and her family live there so a trip there will be in order.Botswana and Namibia look beautiful particularly the Okavango Delta.And of course South Africa for some wine and cricket.I've recently started following people on social media who drive converted Land cruisers which they use as campervans and they drive around Africa. Currently following a couple from Warrington's journey back up thre west coast having been down the east. They are planning on driving all the way back to Warrington. They've had some hairy moments but it looks an amazing experience. Don't think I'll ever persuade the wife to live in a car though!6
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I've been to Madagascar. Where people are it's totally spoiled but where people can't get, there's some of the best wilderness and wildlife in the world. I don't recommend doing it outside of an organised tour.I had 24 hours in Kenya coming home, went to Nairobi NP. Seeing animals in savannah is so much easier than jungle.We have 8 days in Cape Town in August. I'd prefer Jo'burg for Kruger but it's my partner's inheritance money, there's more to do in town, plus it's safer (better golf too). So our faux-safari is at Sanbona which although a private reserve, is the size of the Isle of Wight and has most major animals - plus niche stuff I'm more interested in.3
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Have only been Red Sea resorts and Gambia.Really didn’t enjoy Gambia to be honest - non stop hassle from the locals, ten times worse than anything experienced in Asia,Americas or Caribbean. Not just lookie lookie men, even people not selling stuff, just trying to befriend them suddenly ask you for money two days later. Even their bank notes annnoyed me.Your safari experiences sound great - would love that and also down by Victoria Falls.0
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Evocative stuff Canters, I’ve travelled widely but not seen Southern Africa.
My sister has booked for Botswana & Namibia departing May, trip involves some camping - she’s 75!
Interestingly she’s been put off Kenya by reports of over commercialisation, 70 land rovers following a cheetah.0 -
Done the garden route from cape town, amazing scenery, did some amazing things, feeding elephants, stroking cheetahs and cuddling cubs. Did a quad bike safari meeting a Rihno and calf which was a bit of a shock!. Did it all with a personal guide staying in B&Bs on route some 20 odd years ago but just needed to be aware of your soroundings as a tourist.1
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Certainly the case in Masai Mara which is by a long way the most famous place for safari in Kenya. But every other national park/conservancy we visited that was not the case at all.Addictedoldgit said:Evocative stuff Canters, I’ve travelled widely but not seen Southern Africa.
My sister has booked for Botswana & Namibia departing May, trip involves some camping - she’s 75!
Interestingly she’s been put off Kenya by reports of over commercialisation, 70 land rovers following a cheetah.
Mara definitely felt like you were interfering at times, there was one point we were following a pride of lions stalking a herd of Buffalo but there were so many cars it gave away their position and prevented them maneuvering properly so they didn't get a kill. Everywhere else we had some amazing intimate moments where it was just us and the animals. You could go a while without seeing another car up close, if something big was happening then you might get 15 - 20 cars but nothing like the numbers omin Mara. But Mara is the best for big cats, by some distance.
It was also the only place our guide was willing to break the rules as he knew the rangers would take a bribe. Everywhere else he was a sticker for the rules as he was worried they would take his license. When the guides know that it led to a culture of pushing the rules and each driver was pushing slightly further than the one before.
Can also depend on your guide, our first guide was amazing, he read the animals behaviour and would use that to find interesting things. He could tell when a herd of impala were looking nervous and would go in that direction to find what predator they were worried about. He saw some jackals acting strange and there they were trying to seal a cheetahs kill. We met up with some friends later in the trip and had a new guide, he relied more on the radio to hear what was happening so by definition that meant we were around other cars much more.1 -
We lived in Kenya (Nairobi) for a couple of years back in the 90s. We still go back there (including to visit friends) and to other parts of Africa regularly- it does indeed get into your soul as you say @cantersaddick.Some of our favourite spots:
Lamu / Manda - really laid back, beach, boats, seafood, step back in time.Zanzibar we enjoyed the small resort we chose on SW coast, spice tour and Stone Town - but this was about 10 years ago and I’ve heard it’s not recovered too well from Covid.
S Africa / Cape Town is fab and fantastic wineries there and further along Garden Route - Robertson Valley a bit of a hidden gem.
Namibia is out of this world - I love deserts and the contrast of the orange sand and deep blue sky is seared in my memory. We did a balloon trip over the Namib Desert at sunrise which was spectacular. It’s v v empty - we did self drive and it’s a real adventure.Rwanda for gorillas was amazing. We were there just 10 years after the genocide - the locals and hotel workers were constantly thanking us for visiting. Heard some incredibly moving personal stories. We went to see the gorillas (coming face to face with the silverback beyond words - though Mr W did manage a rather loud expletive). It’s got a lot more expensive and the lodges are much smarter (and more pricey) now.Tanzania was good - went there because of friends - but my heart is in Kenya for safaris - especially beyond Massai Mara. It’s been wonderful to see the growth in community engagement in tourism over the last couple of decades. And they do not allow trophy hunting, whereas most other countries - Tanzania, S Africa, Botswana - do. We particularly love the North- Samburu an old favourite from when we lived there. Reteti elephant orphanage is well worth the three hour trip on bumpy roads. In March this year we had a fabulous few nights and excellent wildlife at Elsa’s Kopje in Meru. In 2019 we ventured all the way to Lake Turkana. Not a trip for the feint-hearted but somewhere magical, mystical and v v hot!
If anyone is contemplating a trip to any of the above, and especially Kenya, feel free to DM, and I’ll help if I can.5 -
Don’t go to Ghana. It’s the only holiday I’ve ever came home early from.
Like you, fancy Tanzania and Zanzibar (and Botswana).
Been to SA a couple of times. Once with pals and did Cape Town and drove to Durban and did hluhluwe imfolozi game reserve which was decent. Went darn to Margate as well
Went with the missus to Cape Town incl Camps Bay and then Stellenbosch for a few days (wedding). Stellenbosch is great (assuming you like vino).
Can do other trips from Cape Town to Boulder Beach (penguins) and down to the cape.
We also went to Sun City which is probably what you’d expect but went on a couple of good safaris in Pilanasberg reserve which were v good.Also, handy to go over to Mauritius which we did.
Love SA. If you can get to see some cricket, even better!2 -
Granted it was 15 years ago but I went to Tanzania as a lad at the age of 18, and had an absolute blast. Moshi, Arusha and the surrounding areas were amazing, full of friendly, welcoming people. We climbed Mount Meru and spent time in the Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti, both of which were phenomenal. Zanzibar and the east coast near Bagamoyo was also fantastic, and I thoroughly recommend it0
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I went to Tanzania in 2008 with this lot
https://africatravelresource.com/
They were superb. Tailored our trip for us at our budget.
We visited the Ngorogoron crater for a day where you could see rhino, lion etc but driving on roads and quite busy so had a bit of a safari park feel; then went to Ndutu for the longest part (our highlight) where you could drive over the savannah, no roads, wherever you preferred and hence get more up close and personal with the animals and it was quiet (people wise). We spent a couple of hours watching a cheetah and her cubs tuck into a gazelle and also watched a pride of lions getting frisky right in front of us with no once else around. Plus ate lunch in a field of wilder beast with eagles and vulchers in the trees around; amongst many many other favourites.
Obviously spent a night in Serengeti but apart from a long distance leopard in a tree it was less populated with animals (which the tour group had warned us, saying at that time of yr the migration isn't there so we just stayed the one night). It was an unforgettable holiday. Then spent 5 nights in Zanzibar which if I am honest wasn't for me but then I am not a beach fan.
Some pictures of mine from the trip..
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Spent my honeymoon in South Africa in Nov 2010. Went to Cape Town, Robben Island, Table mountain, great white shark diving etc then hired a car and went up the garden route stopping at Stellenbosch, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Nature's Valley, and DeHoop National park amongst others. Didn't make a safari there.
Wilderness, Nature's Valley and DeHoop my favs. DeHoop had sand dunes the height of 5-6 storey buildings with zebra and bok in the grass behind and whales in the sea in front. We watched a pod of dolphins and whales from the top of the hills by Nature's Valley and baboons coming out to the beach. It was magical.
Oudtshoorn we hired bikes from a youth hostel who took us to the top of a pass and we cycled downhill for the day stopping in caves and ostrich farms.
Picnicking at Bocshendal in Stellenbosch was a lovely bit of luxury. Just an amazing holiday.
Botswana is near the top of my bucket list but with 2 kids and the price of the place I am not sure I will ever make itThe Otter Trail and Whale Trail in SA are two incredible looking hikes.1 -
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I loved Tanzania and visiting the Serengetti. Simply fabulous.0
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Went to Malawi with Ex wife in 1980.Unfortunately she kept the photo album of a wonderful holiday.Highlight being taking a small boat down a river leading into Lake Malawi.Elephants running down the side of river and hippo’s underneath and side of boat and the wonderful sounds of them.Memories1
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Rwanda
Gorilla tour is a must. So is the genocide monument/museum for different reasons.0 -
It’s been a while now, but we went to Tanzania several years ago.
It’s a brilliant place to visit from the Masai Mara to the Ngorongoro crater and everything in between. We saw four of the big five in a relatively short period and then had to wait nearly 10 days to see a Leopard near the crater, that had just killed a Dikdik and was dragging it up into a tree to keep away from the hyenas.
Had some great photos, which I’ve now unfortunately lost.
Namibia is still on my bucket list.0 -
I did Cape Town and a chunk of the garden route 12 years ago. Only there 10 days so had to cram in a lot but we did 2 nights in Cape Town then drove along the south coast before doubling back at Knysna and heading inland a bit up to Oudtshoorn and then through the winelands (Franschhoek and Stellenbosch). Stayed in B&Bs mostly barring a night each at Spier and the Sanbona reserve. Absolutely amazing place. Scenery is stunning, food is great and people were so friendly. Would go back in a heartbeat.0
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I've been to Morocco and Madagascar. Both stunning, and neither probably all that representative of what most people consider as Africa! Madagascar is very poor but if you are into wildlife there's just about enough of it left to see, thought I'd consider some sort of organised tour if only for a few of the days. The capital is a bit sketchy so I wouldn't linger there but I never felt unsafe.1
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Did SA cricket tour in 95/96 (Durban, PE, CT, and Sun City), and took in safari north of Durban which was OK. It's a very cheap country!
Went on self-drive in Namibia in 2008 - our best ever holiday. You MUST have a 4-wheel drive though, despite being told otherwise. We got stuck in a river bed and had to be towed out by the next passing tourists (who thankfully came by 90 minutes later!). We changed cars after that. The Skeleton coast is amazing; Dead Vlei unreal; and then there's the wildlife...up close with lions, cheetahs, rhinos, snakes, giraffes, zebras, warthogs and many different bird types. The only thing we missed was elephants (who had gone up to the mountains as one was having a baby!). Amazing trip booked through ExpertAfrica.0 -
MrOneLung said:Have only been Red Sea resorts and Gambia.Really didn’t enjoy Gambia to be honest - non stop hassle from the locals, ten times worse than anything experienced in Asia,Americas or Caribbean. Not just lookie lookie men, even people not selling stuff, just trying to befriend them suddenly ask you for money two days later. Even their bank notes annnoyed me.Your safari experiences sound great - would love that and also down by Victoria Falls.
Went to some good bars in Gambia but loads of middle aged European women looking for a 'friend'. used to hate going for a piss as there was always someone chatting to MrsH when I got back, though in all fairness it never led to any kind of hassle.0 - Sponsored links:
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Flew over Madagascar....the bit we could see looked very baron/de-forested. Morocco was a fascinating country to travel around we went for 3 weeks but could of done with twice that amount of time.....we did get a fair amount of hassle though, particularly the first couple of days in each place we went, once the locals got used to seeing you they then moved onto the next new face in town.McBobbin said:I've been to Morocco and Madagascar. Both stunning, and neither probably all that representative of what most people consider as Africa! Madagascar is very poor but if you are into wildlife there's just about enough of it left to see, thought I'd consider some sort of organised tour if only for a few of the days. The capital is a bit sketchy so I wouldn't linger there but I never felt unsafe.1 -
Got family (sister nieces and nephews) in SA, mum (RIP) moved out there early 90's. Haven't seen that much of it just the area around Durban and Cape Town (got a nephew lives there) but we did really like Cape Town a trip up to Table mountain is a must if your ever there.AllHailTheHen said:I did Cape Town and a chunk of the garden route 12 years ago. Only there 10 days so had to cram in a lot but we did 2 nights in Cape Town then drove along the south coast before doubling back at Knysna and heading inland a bit up to Oudtshoorn and then through the winelands (Franschhoek and Stellenbosch). Stayed in B&Bs mostly barring a night each at Spier and the Sanbona reserve. Absolutely amazing place. Scenery is stunning, food is great and people were so friendly. Would go back in a heartbeat.
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I lived and worked in SA for 3 years from 2014, so can help mostly re SA. Had to go to Mauritius, Zim, Malawi and Angola with my job (and also previously to Kenya) but we also travelled around too including Namibia and Madagascar. Pros and cons to a lot of the places and quality can vary a fair bit - but that's part of the charm, which a lot of us on here seem to love
SA has it all, but of course other places are less developed and less westernised2 -
The sand dunes at Sossusvlei in Namibia are amazing. Did a tour of the country back in 2009. This is the famous Dune 45, but elsewhere they are much quieter.
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Went to Kenya in 1983. Was supposed to be going to the Maldives but it got cancelled due to the unrest in Sri Lanka.
So glad it worked out that way as Kenya was amazing. We stayed 3 weeks in a hotel in Malindi, north of Mombasa. Did safaris to Tsavo and Amboselli and spent a night at Voi Lodge, which was incredible.
Never to be forgotten memories.1 -
I climbed Kilimanjaro 20 years. Was an amazing experience. Tho bloody cold at the top. We spent a week in zanzibar afterwards which was lovely and a great contrast!1
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I have been to South Africa a couple of times before and went into Swaziland and Lesotho. Lesotho the magic kingdom in the mountains was amazing. But this was some years ago but have always wanted to travel in Namibia. And so in November and December 2023 I went on a trip which started in South Africa and Krugar NP, a stay in Joburg for a few days visiting Soweto before heading to Cape Town. A week seeing the tourist things around Cape Town including the wineries before joining an Intrepid tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls which travelled through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Absolutely fantastic trip and would recommend this tour company. I then went on to Kenya and the Masai Mara which was so different but equally fantastic. And lastly some R&R on the beaches of Zanzibar and Stone Town to finish the trip off. I certainly agree that Africa gets into your blood. The people are so welcoming, helpful and good food too.
Now planning on Rwanda to see the Gorrillas and Zambia to finally take the plunge into the Devils pool at Victoria Falls (didn’t have time when I was there). And I’m sure there are other places I will also consider when I get around to finalising another trip to Africa.
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I bless the rains down in Africa
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Great thread!0
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Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.1
