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Africa thread - travels and places to go
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Loved it but that was a while ago, you couldn't even get a direct flight there from the UK, we flew to Praia via Amsterdam and Paris with Cape Verde Airlines. We done some island hopping, it's a shame that everyone now seems to go to either Boavista or Sal as there are much more interesting places then those two islands but that's where the big companies go and where the all inclusive resorts are so you can kind of understand it.PopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.0 -
That's interesting Fiona where and what did you do in SA?....if you don't mind me asking.PrincessFiona said: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 westernised0 -
Lucky enough to get to travel to Africa quite a bit for work. Zambia is my personal favourite, the people are great, food is really good and the wildlife amazing. Was at a conference in livingstone last year and the hotel was in a nature reserve, having a pint at the bar and turning around to see a giraffe a few metres away was surreal and the Vic falls are mad impressive1
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Lol, I saw the thread title and wondered if you would be on singing the praises of Ghana!Boom said:Don’t go to Ghana. It’s the only holiday I’ve ever came home early from.
Customs bloke at Heathrow: Your ticket says you're due back next week. Why have you come back early?
You: Have you ever been to Ghana?
No
Well dont, its shit!
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We went to Sol. It was really sad. Most of the locals lived in shanty towns in the middle of the island. The culture had been sucked away and replaced by commercialisation.HastingsRed said:
Loved it but that was a while ago, you couldn't even get a direct flight there from the UK, we flew to Praia via Amsterdam and Paris with Cape Verde Airlines. We done some island hopping, it's a shame that everyone now seems to go to either Boavista or Sal as there are much more interesting places then those two islands but that's where the big companies go and where the all inclusive resorts are so you can kind of understand it.PopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.
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agreedPopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.0 -
Jump in a dinghy from Calais, works out much cheaper.Todds_right_hook said:Rwanda
Gorilla tour is a must. So is the genocide monument/museum for different reasons.0 -
agreedPopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.0 -
Love this thread! Went to South Africa a few years ago and absolutely loved it, we did Cape Town, Franschoek and the Garden Route and was an amazing trip.Then did Tanzania and Zanzibar last year and would highly recommended. We didn’t actually do the Serengeti, we did 2 other national parks - the Ruaha and the Selous (Nyerere). Both further south than Serengeti but both very different landscapes and so was a fantastic combination and much quieter than the more well known areas. Also the two biggest national parks in Tanzania.Zanzibar was amazing, but can’t say we did too much - just enjoyed the resort we stayed in!1
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Those people are likely to be from Senegal. We met a few lads from there when we were there (20 years ago) they were selling African style shirts....good quality mind, I still have mine.PopIcon said:
We went to Sol. It was really sad. Most of the locals lived in shanty towns in the middle of the island. The culture had been sucked away and replaced by commercialisation.HastingsRed said:
Loved it but that was a while ago, you couldn't even get a direct flight there from the UK, we flew to Praia via Amsterdam and Paris with Cape Verde Airlines. We done some island hopping, it's a shame that everyone now seems to go to either Boavista or Sal as there are much more interesting places then those two islands but that's where the big companies go and where the all inclusive resorts are so you can kind of understand it.PopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.0 -
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Just avoid Sal and Boavista.PrincessFiona said:
agreedPopIcon said:Avoid Cape Verde, it's a hovel.0 -
Posted about this in reply to another post on the holidays thread - but rememberd this thread and thought I'd ask for tips.
3 years since my trip to Kenya which made me fall in love with Africa. Have been to Egypt for some Scuba diving and Mauritius for beaches, sailing and diving but always dreaming of getting back to East Africa.
Early stages of planning a "once in a lifetime" trip for 2028. Plan is to take a mini-career break and get 6-8 weeks Travelling around Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania (but fairly flexible on this).
Have some extended family in Uganda so likely to spend 2 weeks visiting them with some other UK based family. Want to do the gorilla trekking whilst there. Will probably spend some time in Nairobi as my best mates family is there and some friends I made when there for his wedding - last time they showed us some great resturants and nightlife! Outside of that pretty flexible and looking for some ideas/reccommendations.
Would like to do some safari - potentially Tanzania this time as have done a number of parks in Kenya - though have some misgivings about supporting the Tanzanian tourist industry what with them offering of games licenses to kill big game and elephants in particular.
Want to spend some time on the beach - possibly at the end of a big trip to relax and want to do some scuba diving in the Indian ocean - so currently looking at either Zanzibar or the Seychelles.
Appreciate any tips as havent yet firmed up anything.1 -
I loved Tanzania as a teen, went there on a World Challenge trip and was out there for a month, obviously the majority of our trip was helping in schools and trekking, but what we got to see otherwise was spectacular.
We were based in Lushoto in the Usambaras for a week in a school, then moved across to Arusha for 2 weeks, climbed Mount Meru and went on a safari to Ngorogoro crater, which was absolutely stunning, then spent a week down on the coast by Bagamoyo.
I know this was now almost 20 years ago so not that relevant, but the things that stood out to me as a 17 year old was how amazing the locals were, and how glorious the nature reserves were at the time, nothing seemed too packed, too forced/fake and everyone seemed to greatly respect the land and the animals themselves1 -
In lieu of my 70th Birthday next March, I am going to Africa in September - 5 days Kruger national park followed by 5 days Cape Town.
Missing Charlton v QPR2 -
Go north in Kenya if you can - Samburu or if really adventurous, Lake Turkana. Samburu has a whole range of options and the community are heavily involved in tourism there - much more real than the Masai Mara. Elsa’s Kopje in Meru is a beautiful safari camp. A lifetime experience for me was rhino trekking on foot at Saruni Rhino. Though the dry river bed we’d been walking through in the afternoon turned into a torrent overnight from flash flooding and we had to wade to the other side the next afternoon to continue our journey.There is also a wonderful elephant sanctuary at Reteti - it is pretty remote - two and a half hour trip each way from the lodge we stayed at. Lots of Samburu women work there - a great example of community involvement.Lake Turkana (which featured in the Le Carre novel / film The Constant Gardener) is right up there for me - it is wild, hot, remote and viscerally beautiful. I was there just pre Covid. There are few places to stay - Oasis Lodge in Loyangalani was as good as it got when we went and I’m not sure it’s changed much. It’s people rather than wildlife there. We met the town school kids who had all just been playing football in their uniforms - both girls and boys.
For beach, do take a look at Lamu and Manda Island. Zanzibar is great too though much more developed.Happy to provide more info if you wish to DM - lived in Kenya many years ago, still have friends in Nairobi and regularly go back to visit.1 -
I’ve booked the Intrepid trip “Gorillas & East Africa Safari to travel in January 27 (have used this travel company many times) just before the rainy seasons kicks in. I’ve yet to decide on where to go at the end of this tour but considering going on the Mauritius for some R&R and to avoid the winter months in Blighty.
The trip i most enjoyed in Africa was the Cape Town to Victoria Falls; Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe (I started off in Jo’burg and Kruger NP) in 2023. I now wished that I’d booked an extra day at the Victoria Falls to visit the Devils Pool in Zambia but will go back one day. I then went on to Zanzibar for some R&R before returning back to Blighty.1 -
My African (mainland) travel. Cape Town twice, plenty to see such as Table Mountain, V andE waterfront for drinks, meals and music; trip to Cape of Good Hope, where Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Boulders Bay for penguin colony. Seal and Whales sightseeing and visit to the Island where Mandela was incarcerated for 28(?) Years. Sadly, now no or little chance of cage diving for Great Whites since two Orcas moved into the area.
Victoria falls (Zimbabwe side for best view), worth a visit if combined with other destinations; we did it with trip to Botswana (Chobe River) where there is the biggest Elephant numbers in Africa, due apparently to smaller tasks and thus less poaching. Crossed the river into Namibia to a small village where villagers live in less modern times.
Tanzania, for Serengeti. Marvellous trip to see the big five and others, and housed in beautiful tents. Loved this holiday.
Twice to Kenya. A week on the beach just south of Mombasa and a short trip to Sarvo East, where we saw plenty of animals. We stayed overnight close to a watering hole.
Off mainland we have been to The Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros Islands and Zanzibar2 -
Thank you. Some great advice there. Samburu looks amazing and is definitely on the list.Weegie Addick said:Go north in Kenya if you can - Samburu or if really adventurous, Lake Turkana. Samburu has a whole range of options and the community are heavily involved in tourism there - much more real than the Masai Mara. Elsa’s Kopje in Meru is a beautiful safari camp. A lifetime experience for me was rhino trekking on foot at Saruni Rhino. Though the dry river bed we’d been walking through in the afternoon turned into a torrent overnight from flash flooding and we had to wade to the other side the next afternoon to continue our journey.There is also a wonderful elephant sanctuary at Reteti - it is pretty remote - two and a half hour trip each way from the lodge we stayed at. Lots of Samburu women work there - a great example of community involvement.Lake Turkana (which featured in the Le Carre novel / film The Constant Gardener) is right up there for me - it is wild, hot, remote and viscerally beautiful. I was there just pre Covid. There are few places to stay - Oasis Lodge in Loyangalani was as good as it got when we went and I’m not sure it’s changed much. It’s people rather than wildlife there. We met the town school kids who had all just been playing football in their uniforms - both girls and boys.
For beach, do take a look at Lamu and Manda Island. Zanzibar is great too though much more developed.Happy to provide more info if you wish to DM - lived in Kenya many years ago, still have friends in Nairobi and regularly go back to visit.
Will definitely drop you a DM nearer the time. Thanks so much!
Have you ever been to Watamu? My Kenyan mate is recommending it for beaches and a chill vibe.1 -
Went to Watamu many years ago - stayed at a place called Hemingways. It was very much all about big game fishing then. Personally I’m more of a Lamu fan but there could be more to Watamu these days!0
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Wife is a little nervous about Lamu as its in the area the foreign office advice against travelling to due to being near(ish) the Somali border... What I was seeing about Lamu did look amazing until she dropped that nugget of info!Weegie Addick said:Went to Watamu many years ago - stayed at a place called Hemingways. It was very much all about big game fishing then. Personally I’m more of a Lamu fan but there could be more to Watamu these days!
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I’m not sure that’s true of Lamu? I’ll check.
OK, it’s as I thought - as shown on the inset, Lamu Island is green so the same as Nairobi and the safari areas. It’s the mainland there that is red or orange. You fly in and out - the airport is on Manda Island - so you wouldn’t go near the mainland. This is the map from Foreign Office website. I appreciate it may still look a bit scary and it’s not for me to persuade if it makes either of you nervous.
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Ahh thanks very much for the clarification. We will have a discussion about it I imagine!Weegie Addick said:I’m not sure that’s true of Lamu? I’ll check.
OK, it’s as I thought - as shown on the inset, Lamu Island is green so the same as Nairobi and the safari areas. It’s the mainland there that is red or orange. You fly in and out - the airport is on Manda Island - so you wouldn’t go near the mainland. This is the map from Foreign Office website. I appreciate it may still look a bit scary and it’s not for me to persuade if it makes either of you nervous.
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