Backpacking In Africa

Kevin!

Myself and a few of my friends are exploring the possibility of backpacking in Africa this year as an alternative to interrailing (first year college).

I've been to Africa twice before (Kilimanjaro hiking/Zambia charity work), but both were booked through a medium in Ireland so I've no personal experience in dealing with tour companies etc.

Our ideal trip would involve being immersed in the African culture, seeing the sights, meeting locals and staying in hostels with people from other nations as well for a few drinks.

Our primary concern is safety, is their many proven routes that tourists can take in Southern Africa? (possibly Zambia,Tanzania,Kenya,Malawi or similar) I presume it's a better alternative to book through a tour company to ensure safety? or is it possible to do this alone?

We are also on quite a restricted budget, we hope to go for in excess of a month and would be hoping to complete the trip on about 3,000€ per person including flights - is this possible?

Thanks

jimmii

I lived in Kenya for years. Not so long ago I would have said stick to Nairobi and avoid Mombasa to be on the safe side hard to know now. Unless you know someone who you can stay with further afield I would be hesitant at staying outside the main tourist spots to be honest. Definitely possible to do the trip for <€3k but you would need to know people to do it. See if you can find a friend of a friend to put you up and set you up over there we always used to do it for people when we lived there.

Kevin!

jimmii wrote: »

I lived in Kenya for years. Not so long ago I would have said stick to Nairobi and avoid Mombasa to be on the safe side hard to know now. Unless you know someone who you can stay with further afield I would be hesitant at staying outside the main tourist spots to be honest. Definitely possible to do the trip for <€3k but you would need to know people to do it. See if you can find a friend of a friend to put you up and set you up over there we always used to do it for people when we lived there.

Have no connections in Africa unfortunately, and their would be quite a few of us so I'd say we'd probably require a hostel or the likes - thanks for the advice on safety though!

thegreatgonzo

Kevin! wrote: »

Our primary concern is safety, is their many proven routes that tourists can take in Southern Africa? (possibly Zambia,Tanzania,Kenya,Malawi or similar) I presume it's a better alternative to book through a tour company to ensure safety? or is it possible to do this alone?

Thanks

I'm not very knowledgeable on Africa and I'm sure you will get better informed answers here, but I spent 3 months volunteering in Tanzania 10 years ago and adored the place.
However, I was also aware of how easily a relatively normal situation could become extremely dangerous, more so than it would in Asia or obviously in more developed places. I would not make any shortcuts where safety is concerned. You already know having been there that you stick out like a sore thumb and that makes you a magnet for any chancer/mugger etc. If you are with a group of lads, in some ways you will get more hassle.You just have to be careful, but I'm sure you already know this.
I booked a tour (safari) that was recommended to me by people who had used them. I'm glad that I did because when we arrived off the bus in Moshi we got hassled by really aggressive touts all the way to our hostel. I travelled to Zanzibar with a couple of girls and we didn't have any trouble doing that on our own.
What you could do is look up some of the overland tour company routes like dragoman or intrepid and see if you could follow their routes by public transport. Keep in mind that you have to organise visas for the border and buying bus tickets can take a long time so you won't be able to cover the same ground in the same time as an organised tour company.
Wish I was going:rolleyes::rolleyes:

thegreatgonzo

Just to add to that, I found the hostels very good. I stayed in the YMCA and the YWCA in Dar es Salaam and a fabulous place called Kendwa Rocks in Zanzibar. The Moshi hostel was good too. The rest of the time I was camping or in a safari lodge (you might get lucky and get a reduced rate for the lodge like we did) during my safari tour.
If you are going for drinks, just be careful and look after your drunk friends. Prostitutes and pimps will try to separate ye from each other so just be aware of it.

Sparky85

Might not be what your looking for but in 2009 I did a months trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls. Taking in Masai Mara, Senengti, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salem, Lake Malawi and parts of Zambia. It was with an over landing company called Acacia Africa. Was mostly camping, putting up and taking down your own tent provided by the company every day. Some stops had an option to pay a bit more and stay in a lodge or beach hut and all travelling was on a truck with a group of about 24 with a guide and a driver. I went alone and it was the best trip I've ever been on!! I've been to most of Asia and Oz and most of Europe but nothing comes close to this! It's all organised by the company and they do different tour lengths from a week to 9 weeks depending on where you join a group and where you want to finish. It is highly organised so may not offer the freedom you want in your trip but with the short time I had off work it was perfect for me especially as I was travelling alone, your budget looks good for something like this too.

thegreatgonzo

Sparky85 wrote: »

Might not be what your looking for but in 2009 I did a months trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls. Taking in Masai Mara, Senengti, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salem, Lake Malawi and parts of Zambia. It was with an over landing company called Acacia Africa. Was mostly camping, putting up and taking down your own tent provided by the company every day. Some stops had an option to pay a bit more and stay in a lodge or beach hut and all travelling was on a truck with a group of about 24 with a guide and a driver. I went alone and it was the best trip I've ever been on!! I've been to most of Asia and Oz and most of Europe but nothing comes close to this! It's all organised by the company and they do different tour lengths from a week to 9 weeks depending on where you join a group and where you want to finish. It is highly organised so may not offer the freedom you want in your trip but with the short time I had off work it was perfect for me especially as I was travelling alone, your budget looks good for something like this too.

That sounds amazing. I totally agree with you, Africa tops OZ and Asia. I did know someone else that did an overland bus tour and even though she is a very independent traveller she thought it was great. If you are on a limited timeframe you don't want to be wasting time on the admin of travel. Also how good is camping and hearing the sounds of the African night and the stars, oh my God the stars! I really want to go to back to Africa now:)

Kevin!

Sparky85 wrote: »

Might not be what your looking for but in 2009 I did a months trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls. Taking in Masai Mara, Senengti, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salem, Lake Malawi and parts of Zambia. It was with an over landing company called Acacia Africa. Was mostly camping, putting up and taking down your own tent provided by the company every day. Some stops had an option to pay a bit more and stay in a lodge or beach hut and all travelling was on a truck with a group of about 24 with a guide and a driver. I went alone and it was the best trip I've ever been on!! I've been to most of Asia and Oz and most of Europe but nothing comes close to this! It's all organised by the company and they do different tour lengths from a week to 9 weeks depending on where you join a group and where you want to finish. It is highly organised so may not offer the freedom you want in your trip but with the short time I had off work it was perfect for me especially as I was travelling alone, your budget looks good for something like this too.

This is an interesting proposition, will forward it onto the rest of the group - did you have to pay for visas for each country you entered?

Sparky85

Yes you pay at each border. As you are in an organised tour your guide would talk to the immigritation officer on your behalf as a group and you just que individually with your passport and pay individually each time. It never took more than an hour as a group of 24 to get through a border. I can't comment on what the circumstances would be if you were travelling independently but there are plenty of Mzungus (white people) crossing the borders on the better travelled routes through east Africa. The visas cost between $20 to $70 at the time I was travelling depending on the country your entering and the issuing country of your passport. Mine is an irish passport and can't remember paying more than $50 for a visa though obviously this could have changed in the meantime. US Dollars are king, all borders I travelled though only accepted US Dollars off foreigners. Everything is paid for in US Dollars regardless of what country you are in from accommodation to beer at a bar or food in a supermarket to souvenirs off stall holders.

Kevin!

Sparky85 wrote: »

Yes you pay at each border. As you are in an organised tour your guide would talk to the immigritation officer on your behalf as a group and you just que individually with your passport and pay individually each time. It never took more than an hour as a group of 24 to get through a border. I can't comment on what the circumstances would be if you were travelling independently but there are plenty of Mzungus (white people) crossing the borders on the better travelled routes through east Africa. The visas cost between $20 to $70 at the time I was travelling depending on the country your entering and the issuing country of your passport. Mine is an irish passport and can't remember paying more than $50 for a visa though obviously this could have changed in the meantime. US Dollars are king, all borders I travelled though only accepted US Dollars off foreigners. Everything is paid for in US Dollars regardless of what country you are in from accommodation to beer at a bar or food in a supermarket to souvenirs off stall holders.

Thanks for the advice, will bring cash in USD - my friends are more geared towards staying in hostels and going on excursions that involve the community and culture, it seems difficult to find a tour company that caters for this as most are primarily focused on game drives/wild life?

Sparky85

Kevin! wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, will bring cash in USD - my friends are more geared towards staying in hostels and going on excursions that involve the community and culture, it seems difficult to find a tour company that caters for this as most are primarily focused on game drives/wild life?

As part of the trip I did we did visit a hospital in Malawi, spent a half day in a school in Tanzania and visited villages along the way too as most of our campsites were beside a village. If we choose to go out of campsites at night this wasnt a problem with our guide as he was very laid back, we did always go in small groups though. We had 3 free days in Zanzibar also to do whatever you choose.
As I said I was limited with time off work and as a female travelling alone this type of organised tour worked out best for me. I did have a few days in Nairobi to start with before joining the group. I prefered travelling with the group to be honest. You will be asked repeatedly for money by locals everywhere you go, not to the point of it being agressive but depending on your attitude it could be annoying, i know some in the group i was with couldnt get their heads around it. When we had free time in city's or villages along the way we still always went around in groups of 3 or 4.
I understand what you mean about wanting a more cultural trip but I can't advise on that I'm afraid.

Encrustment

I spent about a year and a half in East Africa just arsing around. Brought a load of cash with me and just partied it up. Ended up moving in with a local girl, living in a cosy slum in Nairobi. Definitely check out Uganda, really nice place and safe. Friendly people and has the best cuisine in the region - I had a beef & banana stew there, fecking delicious! There's also an Irish Pub in Kampala!

I basically just went around Lake Victoria - Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania & Zanzibar, Malawi, Kenya - using public transport and was traveling alone. I don't know why Jimmii said that Mombasa is dodgy. It ain't - it's a great spot for the sessions and meeting other travellers - Mombasa Backpackers being the main hub of sessioning and debauchery. By the way I was never mugged or stabbed. Nairobi is also a great spot for pubs & clubs & western stuff if you're missing the KFC or a lovely pizza.

Anyway without more specific questions I'm just blabbering.

For flights have a look at jetairfly - they often have cheap flights from Brussels to Kenya. You have to be very lucky though. Last minute stuff.

5p9arw38djv2b4

I did a few months in Africa, overlanded Nairobi to Jo'berg but spent some time travelling independently either end. It was phenomenal. Had amazing people on our overland bus, camped every night, made border crossing a heck of a lot easier, and made it unbelievably affordable to do epic safari's - we went bushcamoing in the okevango delta, camped at the rim of the Ngongorgora crater, safari in several national parks, etc. We went with Acacia Africa and could not recommend it enough - I had travelled a lot by myself before we went - europe, Canada, US, India - and over landing was for us the easiest way to do Africa ESP if you only have a few months.

Daisies

I live in Malawi and have done some short trips independently and it's perfectly fine. My main concern is your time frame. In that time frame I would cover one or 2 countries if you want to see anything other than buses. For example it takes a whole day to bus from Dar Es Salam to the Malawi border. I spent 3 weeks in Tanzania in Feb doing a safari, climbing Kili and a 4 days on Zanzibar. Even at that it was a bit rushed. If you are looking into cultural things to do, most lodges (from what I've seen in Malawi) have offers of tours to villages or even just meeting locals and talking to them in local bars or restaurants, something that you can't always experience on an overland truck.

Encrustment

If you don't mind me asking Daisy, what do you do in Malawi and how did you end up working there?

Daisies

Encrustment wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking Daisy, what do you do in Malawi and how did you end up working there?

I teach at a university in a course that was started by some international organisations. They recruited expat faculty until such time as the graduates can complete a masters to return. A bit random I know

endabob1

There are a lot of companies who do overland treks from Cape Town to kenya, I realise it may not be exactly what you are after, similar to what was mentioned earlier.