Most of my current trip through Africa was on an Overland Truck (i.e. cook groups and camping) but I did manage to include few three-to-four star hotels here and there in the larger Africa cities along the way. For me, “overlanding” is a great way to experience the rural spaces between the large cities and provides exposure to the smaller communities, not just large cities. One can miss a lot of local culture by flying in and out of countries. Even though I do it all the time. And did it on this trip. I flew in and out of: Mozambique, Burundi, Djibouti and South Sudan.
As you would expect, I'm always asked "what were your favorite countries"? My "personal" favorites are: 1) The Gambia (I liked the people a lot. They were somewhat aggressive towards tourist, but in a friendly, humorous way.); 2) Ghana (It reminded me of how Kenya was in 1985. The tourist attractions were a bit “unfinessed”, but I liked that.); 3) South Africa (I’ve been to Johannesburg and Cape Town before. I expanded by exposure of the country this time by traveling from Kruger to Port Elizabeth. It was absolutely amazing - mountains, vistas, beaches, game parks, diversity of people, etc.); 5) Mozambique (scuba diving, coastline and beaches) and 6) Kenya (Not only this visit, but previous visits combined, has made me fond of Kenya. e.g. Taking the overnight train to Mombassa. Returning for my friend’s wedding, etc.). These are my personal favorites, not universal favorites.
In general Africa has been good to me. A number of the countries I visited are designated “orange” (Mauritania, Sudan, Burundi) or “red” (South Sudan) by the US State Department, but I never felt unsafe in any of them. Other than getting scammed at an ATM in South Africa - they got my card information, but no money - and my iPhone pick pocketed in Ethiopia, I had no major issues. Both of the incidents were due to me feeling a little too at ease and letting down my guard. Many African countries have a history of corruption, but I did not experience it. I was asked a few times very casually by officials for “donations, but I would say “no” and that was that. I felt less safe in Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa (immediately post-apartheid) in the 90’s than any place I visited in 2017-18. The places I’ve visited previously in Africa during the ‘90s have certainly improved, expect for Zimbabwe.
Overall it was a great trip. I got to traveled with some amazing people, made some friends, but also met and traveled with a few duds. On this trip, I visited 34 countries (5 of which I’ve visited previously) on mainland Africa. I’ve visited 2 additional counties, Egypt and Malawi, on prior trips. I expect that some day I’ll visit the balance of 11 countries*. All of which are located in North Africa (except one), but I don’t want to rush visit them. Eventually I’ll get there, in due time. I also would like to return to the DRC to raft down the Congo River, but perhaps not until after the recent outbreaks of Ebola is resolved.
*Wish list: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central African Republic, Chad, Algeria, Tunisia, Liberia, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Somalia
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