Originally Posted by
TheFerret
I'm not 100% sure it would work for backpacking but Cape Town is really affordable and gorgeous. You also do not need special vaccinations to go there as well, saving money. If you also like wine, Cape Town would be great for that as well since it has the winelands. The only problem is the fact that it is a long flight from Europe (11hrs direct from Amsterdam).
Do you know where I could go without special vaccinations? Can I head over to J-burg and go to Kruger? How about other towns in South Africa? It would be sweet to cage dive with great whites.
Originally Posted by
Sabasi
Hard to have a unique African experience when so many things are "out", like visas, vaccinations, long travel times, and hassles.
Not sure why you've excluded Kenya.
These things are certainly not out. But I am factoring them into the budget, which is a negative. If there's a strong enough argument. I am willing to do these things.
I have not excluded Kenya, I just haven't mentioned it yet. It is worth considering for sure. I understand the wildlife there is pretty great, but I'm not sure what else would be great. I would love to hear an argument. I am admittedly ignorant about Africa, which is why I threw this post up. I would love any ideas that you might have.
Originally Posted by
farci
I am a Scot and I lived in Ghana in sub-Saharan Africa for ten years. Naturally I would recommend you consider that destination for the warmth of its welcome, connections with slave history and beautiful scenery which is still underdeveloped and so more authentic.
Africa is challenging but very worthwhile so try to concentrate on what would interest you - game reserves, wine, white sandy deserted beaches? - and African people will welcome you on their terms for a great experience.
I never hear anything but nice things about the people of Ghana. The reason I'm not considering it, is that it seems like a relatively small country and I'd like to hop around for my 4-5 weeks and not stay in one place. It seems like the neighboring countries are not nice places to go right now.
The things you mentioned, I am actually interested in all of those things. Those all sound great as long as it's budget minded. I like a mix of adventure and kicking back in a big city, wining and dining with the locals.
Originally Posted by
Mike Jacoubowsky
Can you get to Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)? Because that's going to be an Africa you'll remember. I'm saying that not having been to Morocco, which could be an awesome place. But if you visit East Africa, you'll be away from anything that looks like home. It won't be "cheap" but it can be reasonable. I just took a look at day trips out of Arusha (accessible via JRO/Kilimanjaro airport) that aren't too expensive. And, of course, you could hike up Kilimanjaro itself. How cool would that be for "backpackers?" You could even visit Olduvai Gorge. How cool would that be?
Originally Posted by
Sabasi
Tanzania is dirt cheap except where western tourists hang out on package tours.
I have strongly considered Tanz. in the past. I have kind of moved away from that because I hear Dar Es Salaam is a complete sh!t hole. I have a friend who spent time there and he said that it's absolutely terrible. Travel guides say that it is very unsafe. It seems like if you go to Tanz, you're going to end up there. It doesn't seem like a place I want to be.