Where to go in Africa?
I am going to travel to Africa, as I didn't visit it before. And now I want to find out, what are the best variants for leisure time there? Climbing? Nature with the animals there? Safari? Or may be local tribes? Thanks a lot for the variants!
Egypt and South Africa are cool. I heard Tanzania is chill. Morocco is popular as well.
Yes.
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/where-to-go-in-africa-0
Have a buddy who lives in Mozambique on the beach. Looks like absolute paradise.
Why does he live there..?
South Africa is the obvious answer. Less obvious is Rwanda, Botswana, Morocco has already been said. Stay away from northern Nigeria and any country near it. Most of Northern and North Eastern (Somalia, Sudan) Africa is probably not worth the risk. Central is hit or miss but check the state department website.
For RSA, stick to the stretch of land between Capetown and Port Elizabeth. The rest of it is a shithole.
Yeah agree. More than a shot hole though, places in other parts of the country are very dangerous.
Also, Stellenbosch has some nice wines.
I'm African. Lived in a number of African countries including South Africa. While South Africa is great, I would stay away from it only because there is a lot of crime in certain areas. Unless you're going with someone who knows their way around I would stay away. Visit countries like Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania, Botswana.
I'd like to add Namibia to that list if you're just a standard white person.
This is the dumbest comment on this thread and disappointing for an African. South Africa is safe. Just don't be dumb and you'll be fine.
If SA is good enough for Joshua kushner and Karlie Kloss to honey moon there, or even as a prospective second home for the duke and duchess of Sussex, then it should be good enough for you, don’t you think?
That's like saying that since Charlie Wilson was able to go to Afghanistan, it's safe. Fuck no. If being holed up in Sandton is your kinda thing, sure go to Joburg.
Personally I would suggest sticking to between Capetown and Port Elizabeth.
Uncoventional idea: go to Eritrea.
Often regarded as the North Korea of Africa (though it's perfectly safe for the handful of tourists that visit) you'll have to put up without creature comforts at times, and the bureaucracy can be difficult. All that aside though ,it's a genuinely interesting, authentic, and off the beaten track destination.
I'd have also suggested Sudan, but not at the moment.
Asmara is gorgeous. The Italian art deco architecture is beautiful.
I hear the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC is lovely this time of year
I've been to most of the countries in Southern Africa. Hands down Zambia - most authentic African experience. I've been 3 times and would go again.
I would add Mozambique to the list as well, but they're having some real issues in the North, where all the nice beaches are.
I am going to respectfully disagree. Zambia has too many expats for the authentic feel. For a more "natural" experience, I prefer some places in Western Africa, including Cote d"Ivoire and Mali.
Also spot on with Mozambique - and you're right about the beaches. Unfortunately, the beaches in the north are usually only accessible by plane from Maputo.
Kurtis I get what you're saying but there are lots of parts in Zambia that would give you the authentic experience especially when you go deep in. Ivory Coast and Mali would definitely give an authentic feel but the challenge with most of West Africa would be language. Unless you speak French, finding your way around would be a bit difficult. In Zambia, on the other hand, most people would speak English.
By "authentic" I'm referring to the safari experience. Almost no crowds, walking safaris, lodges w/ only 4 tents, etc... You're going to get the expat feel in any well run safari area.
Since I go to Africa for the safari experience, I've had zero interest in going to Western Africa. I was under the impression Mali wasn't safe?
I'd love to go to Chad - Zakouma, but its difficult to get to. And someone joked about CAR, but Dzanga Sangha is supposed to be incredible, gorillas and forest elephants - but I don't think its safe right now.
I used to live in Tunisia back in 2003-05 or so, it's a beautiful country. Tunis itself wasn't that great beyond it's medina imo, but the surrounding neighborhoods are nice (Carthage is ok, but Sidi Bou Said has wonderful architecture with the blue and white painted houses, and La Marsa has some great beaches). Sfax is a nicer city, and the place they filmed the underground houses on Tatooine in Star Wars.
If you are looking for one country with everything - it’s Tanzania. Can climb Kilimanjaro for 6-7 days (don’t do the 5 day option), come down and go to Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater for safari (nearby and crowded, although the ones in south are better, but remote), then go off to Zanzibar for beach / diving (again Pemba and Mafia Island probably offers more but secluded / tough to get to). If you have even more time, you can ride the 2 day train from Dar Es Salam to Zambia and find a way to Victoria Falls (which basically is a bus to Lusaka then to Livingstone) and from there you can quickly take a boat or cross bridge to Botswana or Namibia or Zimbabwe and do more things. Overall - all these takes time especially if you don’t take the expensive small flights. Watch out for unreputable Ferries going into Zanzibar. Those sink. Think there is one good one (or used to be). Safari - you can find cheaper options w tent, etc vs a fancy lodge. Uganda - especially gorilla trek is worth it too.
Morocco was sick. Easily one of my favorite countries. I also hear Kenya is great too.
Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania are where its at
to the nearest airport
Morocco is wild place. It has the most mental population Ive ever seen. Ill never forget arriving in Tangiers off the ferry and being surrounded by 20 touts calling me 'friend' in every language possible hoping something sticks. So much hustle over there its amazing. Geography is pretty cool too. Mountains, desert, and beach.
No where
Wakanda forever
If you are actually interested in discovering the real Africa with its own culture, traditional religions, and amazing wildlife in the North you should look no further than little-known but amazing Benin Republic in West Africa.
Yup Africa is a country
dont get aids
this deserves way more SBs
Personally have been to a few countries in Africa, of those I would most recommend Tanzania (well covered by a previous poster above) and Morocco (mental place with lots of amazing architecture).
I am about to head to South Africa for my exchange semester so this is a pretty interesting discussion. What are the must sees I should visit regarding travel? Got plenty of free time at Uni their I suppose
Tunisia! I love it. Met my wife who is Tunisian in Tunisia. Go there and your life will change for the better.
Morocco is the best place and by far the safest. Senegal is cool as well. forget Tunisia, lots of terrorist activity in there. forget South Africa crime is sky high
.
In SA murder rate is close to Somalia and Afghanistan. https://businesstech.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/South-Africa…
I am a native South African and go back there every other year because I still got family there and you've been there for a couple of months... Not sure who knows the country better lol
Really good posts in this thread, will definitely bookmark and keep for later.
To add to the conversation, Eastern Africa (Kenya and south, including Rwanda) is super nice. Tanzania has pretty much everything one can want but the tourist population is therefore very present compared to other, more niche countries.
Morocco is great if you exclude Casa (in my opinion). Fes and Essaouira stand out as being less touristy with nice architecture and culture. Along with Egypt, it is probably one of the safest destinations if you exclude Mauritius and the Seychelles.
As PopDemand216 said, Benin is very authentic and can be a bit tough if it's your first trip to Africa, but some like this aspect over more well-known destinations such as Senegal or Namibia to the south.
Finally, South Africa is relatively safe if you are not too stupid. Cape Town and Joburg have good and bad neighborhoods, but basic research will help you navigate this aspect. Safaris and e.g. Stellenbosch are on the safer side as well.
About to head to Stellenbosch for my exchange semester next week. Hope your right on that one haha
Perfect moment to head to South Africa! I would recommend travelling almost as much as you can during your stay. Other Southern countries are easy to reach and will offer you a variety of experiences.
The currency having lost a lot in the recent past, you will find the CoL to be low, especially if you're into meat and wine (to some extent). Enjoy ;-)
Stellenbosch is nice and seemed quite safe. You should have lots of fun. University town in a good wine region and you are relatively close to Cape Town.
The weather could be a downside though - could be wet and cool during winter.
Do a Nile Cruise in Egypt: Luxor to Aswan, and a day or two in Cairo. Best trip of my life. Most cruise ships have giant sun decks with swimming pools, just chill up there with a beer to relax at the end of a day and grab some sun! Good times.
Did my honeymoon in South Africa and Mozambique a couple years ago. 2 weeks in SA and a week on the beach on Mozambique - I highly recommend it.
Headed to Botswana and Zambia later this year, supposed to be great as well.
Most countries have safe areas but some are more risky than others
Bold and underrated comment.
Mauritius
In fact, I thought about anything like Tanzania and Botswana, but after your comment I decided to tried climbing in Africa.
Just came back from a week-long trip to Kenya and did a safari in Masai Mara. Definitely, the best experience I've had in my life. Nothing like seeing animals in the wild saw two kills and it was an eye-opening experience. Definitely recommend that
Thanks a lot! I also thought on the wild animals, but it seems so dangerous...
Really? I have already heard about it, but had no experience from the real people.
I realized, that not only 2 countries in Africa areworth visiting. It seems to have more time to explore it in detail :)
I am African. I would recommend visiting Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Mali, and if you have time also Central African Republic. Heard they were quite thrilling countries to visit. Some killer views as well.
South Sudan is where it’s at. Half the Army is loyal to the vice president, the other half to the president. It makes for good breakfast chatter on the latest plots and counterplots. Somalia actually isn’t too bad because the handful of ragheads everyone is making a fuss about there, limit their ambitions to regional control unlike the global crazies in Syria; Chad basin is hit and run.Boko Haram or ISWAP are internally conflicted. Boring shit and their aim is terrible too. Libya, the French.
Here are some great suggestions:
Make sure you link up with a Norwegian guy named Roland in Biafra. You can identify him by his lack of a head and his Thompson gun.
Be careful in South Africa. I went to Johannesburg and security is taken to an extreme because crime is so bad. Pretty much every building is surrounded by fence and everywhere looks like it is a government building, prison, or embassy.
I had to pass through security clearances and metal detectors just to enter some buildings.
Same thing with Nairobi. And apparently the economist did a piece on “Nairoberry” almost 20 years ago that’s still relevant today. I know someone who didn’t end up well because they wanted an IPhone. Apparently it’s worse than Joburg, but I have doubts.
.
Take with a grain of salt.
Excellent that you are considering traveling to such a great and amazing continent. The only challenge is where to go. With 50 plus countries each with different offerings, choosing can be quite hard. But let's start with the most basic perception of foreigners of what Africa is. Safaris and animals come to mind. So Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana are great starters. But of course that's not all there is to see there.
Enjoy beaches? Wonderful coasts in Kenya: Malindi, Lamu; South Africa: Cape Town; Mozambique: Ponta Mamoli; and even more wonderful island life in Mauritius and Seychelles. If you fancy the desert, Botswana and Namibia will do. But be warned if you want to see nature and natives who are yet to be fully civilized, stay away from cities like Nairobi, Luanda, JoBurg, Addis, and Lagos, because you will not find the common perception of what Africa is supposed to be there, just like the two island countries mentioned above that are technically African, but don't look like it because Africa is supposed to be warlords, orphans, wildlife, and tinpot autocrats.
The cities are just like any other modern city, and quite boring for a fresh faced tourist who expects to see natives, animals and vast swaths of land, but very exiting for those with a thrill for speed and exposing themselves to a high risk of death via insane cab drivers. They are totally normal though for the locals.
Although Nairobi does have an animal park right next to the city, unless you're an expat do not stay there longer than it requires to catch your helicopter ride to the game reserves of which there are plenty. To bask in the colonial spirit, a pith helmet and khakis with a military style jacket are standard. Don't forget selfies at the Karen Blixen farm for breakfast with giraffes, with the added trip to an orphanage within 15 minutes drive. But few people travel thousands of miles to snap awkward selfies with orphans, whose names you forget after 5 minutes, so that wouldn't make sense for you. You're a person of money so stop by some of the tech companies in Lagos, Johannesburg, and Nairobi to see what they are up to. In the North, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia (great democracy by the way) are fine--but is it Really Africa? You decide. The Arab world is very different to that of Sub Sahara Africa. You also forgot to mention whether you enjoy a bit of risk. If you do, may I suggest Chad, Mali, Niger, Libya, Mogadishu, CAF, South Sudan, and even the southern Algeria border crossing for excellent tea with armed human traffickers? Be warned however, that you may find yourself on some type of watchlist, which if you do, simply accuse the State Department of having a high risk travel advisory for almost every country in the continent and argue that they are exaggerating the risks and you knew better than they do, of which they'll admit to, and let you back in easily.
Speak Russian and have a taste for diamonds? You'll be welcomed on a red carpet in CAF as you pretend to be an "advisor" with access to minerals for you to sell to an infamous Sudanese General, and turn a quick profit. Most of his troops are fighting a war in Yemen and therefore undermanned for the diamond business, so you'll be helping an African out. Speak French? West Africa is the place to be. Senegal and Nigeria's coasts are gorgeous. Their historical forts are not. Some still have shackles and other brutal artifacts from the slave trade. Moving exhibitions, but too much for the first trip. Congo is great. Angola is okay (don't build an economy on oil).If you like high speed internet, the autocratic paradise of Rwanda is the place for you as it was first country in the world to implement 5G. Uganda is iffy. Ethiopia is amazing. It's it's own place.
As you see, there's a lot to see in one lifetime. You decide.
Oman. Contender for most beautiful country on the planet. Incredibly clean. Locals do the hospitality thing like you’ve never seen.
Hot af though.
Since when is Oman in Africa ?
Where can I find Skull Island?
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