B747-437B

No, the US Embassy is on the airport road so nowhere near downtown. But there are all sorts of official and secret government facilities everywhere in Equatorial Guinea.

I lived just across the street from the US Embassy in Accra for over two years so I know well the paranoia about photography and even stopping there. It was always a challenge for the poor delivery drivers and Ubers!

cargueiro

Huambo and Lubango are preferable to Luanda to stroll in. Luanda is rather hot, the police can be a bit of a pain if they see you taking photos (although with smartphones this has decreased) and it is rather run down. The beachfront has been redeveloped and is ok for a sweaty stroll. Both Huambo and Lubango have far nicer climates for strolling. Huambo has had huge redevelopment with many Portuguese buildings restored and is far more impressive than Luanda's Cidade Alta or Banco Navional. Petty street crime is also far less prevalent than in Luanda.

Swakopmund is another nice city to stroll in.

Palal

I've had no problems in Addis. Plenty of interesting places to see street life, sit for a US50¢ beer with locals, etc.
One undiscovered gem - Bissau. The old center has really cool architecture and is interesting to visit. The city is also safe from a crime perspective - you can stroll around day or night (just beware of open manholes).

B747-437B

The only issue you will have in Addis (or indeed most of Ethiopia) with photography is the swarm of kids that will inevitably show up. Most are benign, but I've twice caught them trying to pickpocket me (pretty amateur attempt which is why I caught it!). A quick yell and they scram, but I'm sure the less urban-savvy tourists could fall victim.

BuildingMyBento

Ah, so Bissau is the Jakarta of Africa.

Since you mentioned architecture, I reckon Asmara is interesting, if not so open to photography.

Palal

Yes, during the day that's the biggest risk. One distracts your attention as if trying to sell you something. The other goes for your phone, which is in the other pocket. Some get aggressive. Don't be afraid to punch if they don't scram once you scream at them.

Palal

The country was closed when I was nearby, didn't get a chance to visit, unfortunately, but I've also heard that both Asmara and Mogadishu have lots of Italian architecture, in various states of decay.

B747-437B

Not much left to see in Mogadishu city unfortunately. The old buildings that were war damaged are largely being progressively replaced by diasporan funded modern ones with more functionality but less personality.

FWIW, I would highly not recommend Mogadishu as a place for an obvious foreigner to go strolling, even with a security team. I've lost too many friends there to both random and targeted attacks.

BuildingMyBento

Uganda, anyone?

B747-437B

Entebbe is great for a stroll. It has a nice quiet small town feel (well, it is a small town other than the UN and the airport and the Presidential palace but...) and beaches, parks, etc..

Kampala is a bit meh. Too much going on and too many boda-bodas whizzing by uncomfortably close.

stimpy

Entebbe is nice, especially along the beach.

I posted above that I lived in Kampala. It is a fairly large city and like all cities there are good parts and bad parts. Taking a stroll in Bugolobi for instance is quite pleasant. As is Mbuya, parts of Nakawa, the non-hilly parts of Kololo, Munyonyo, etc.

And there are many other parts of the country that are quite wonderful to visit and walk around.

stevento

Kigali has very lovely neighborhoods. We didn't stay long and we didn't stroll, but should have and could have.

IggySD

What a great thread! I'm another who enjoys strolling around to see great architecture / explore in general.

Headed to Dar es Salaam in September and in my mind as well it has always sounded like a fascinating place. Are there any redeeming parts of the city?

Have been to a few other places where walking was perfectly fine and I never felt the least bit unsafe, but they weren't that exciting of a destination:

Djibouti - stayed at the Sheraton and the peninsula around is very walkable. The "downtown" district was bustling and worth an hour or so. There was also an area of quiet streets with nice houses, but it was very hot.
Dire Dawa - had intended to move on to Harar but as my bag was stuck in Addis I spent three days trekking back and forth to the airport as I was assured it would always be arriving on the next flight. There was somewhere along the way where I passed monkeys playing in trees so was always nice to stop and observe them. Can't really recall anything interesting about the town but people overall were friendly and may have been more interesting if I didn't have the bag issue
Saint-Louis - the most interesting of the bit, a lot of cool colonial architecture, a bridge constructed in part by Eiffel, good amount of tourism infrastructure due to the jazz festival. There was a bird sanctuary nearby I wanted to take a tour of as well but it was out of season.

Palal

Djibouti city is nice. I stayed at a local $30/nt hotel. The hotel was great, near a beach, but this was the first time I saw non-fully-desalinated water coming out of the tap. The Sheraton was $400/nt. Did not want to spend that. I have mixed feelings about Djib. The Somalis from Ethiopia and Somaliland were much more welcoming than the Somalis in Djib.

Dire Dawa - walked from the airport. Nice little railroad town (there was nothing there beforehand). Worth spending 2-3 hrs in, but not much more than that.
Harar in Ethiopia - worth a few hours to see the colorful buildings.
I'd say most of Ethiopian towns and villages are very walkable and the locals are quite friendly!