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Kenya to South Africa nine months

Ideas for hidden jems along the way?

12 years ago, June 13th 2011 No: 1 Msg: #138268 Delete Edit

International backpacker
Christopher

B Posts: 130

Hey guys,

In September we are heading to Africa for nine months from Kenya to South Africa and we are wondering what people recommend to do. I will list the countries we wish to go to (as a guide) which may help.

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and then South Africa for around one month each.

Like a favourite camp site (we taking a tent), location, National Park, experiences, best wildlife spotting etc.

Thanks for any advice and happy travels 😊

Chris and Diana Reply to this

12 years ago, June 13th 2011 No: 2 Msg: #138280 Delete Edit

The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas

B Posts: 7,300

Lucky you, what a wonderful amount of time to spend in Africa!

My experience is mostly in East Africa, so here it goes for animal spotting:
Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater - wild animals in a beautiful setting.
Kenya: Masai Mara - if you start in Kenya in September, than you will be there for The Great Migration - which has the best wildlife spotting in Africa. Once December arrives, The Great Migration heads to the Serengeti in Tanzania.

You don't have Rwanda listed but gorilla trekking in Parc des Volcanes (the location of Dian Fossey's research) is a wonderful experience, but some challenging hikes. It is easy to combine both Uganda and Rwanda for a month.

When in Kenya, head to Lamu as well - it is a UNESCO World Heritage Swahili town and a great place to chill for a while.

If you are into adventure activities, visit Jinja which is a base for such activities as white water rafting. Bujagali Falls which is nearby also has rafting and other activities such as Quad Bike (ATV) riding.

Though I haven't been to the Southern Park of Africa, I've heard that Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park (in Botswana) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) are essential stops.

I noticed you have missed Namibia - from those who have visited that part of the world - they rate Namibia as the best part of Southern Africa. There appears to be some amazing desert scenery there (Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft Park) some good self-drive game parks (Etosha), and the world's second largest canyon (Fish River). Reply to this

12 years ago, June 14th 2011 No: 3 Msg: #138283 Delete Edit

Maisondubonheur
Pierre-Alexandre

B Posts: 1,583

Gorillas, you can also see them in Uganda, that's what I did, we saw a group of 34...amazing!
Rafting the Nile in Jinja, that was truly something!
Tanzania, I went to Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar, all amazing.
Kenya, don't have much knowlegde of the country, but did stay and dive in Watamu, a really relaxing place with amazing beaches.
Victoria Falls...TO DO...the rafting was "the one", but also loved the sunset in the crack of the Falls.
Okavango, well, that was my favorite and most romantic safari by far!
South Africa, I love the place around Durban, if you dive, Aliwal and Protea Banks are a must....big sharks!
Around Cape Town, don't miss Robben Island, Table Mountain.the wine, shark cage viewing in Gansbaii. But there are also a lot of great places on the Garden route. Try to take the train from Joburg to Cape town, there is a cheaper version than the blue Train, but still pretty luxurious (on my list to do!).

And Shane is right, you have to go to Namibia, I had a wonderful few days there...a lot of great fun and things to do! Reply to this

12 years ago, June 14th 2011 No: 4 Msg: #138358 Delete Edit

International backpacker
Christopher

B Posts: 130

Thanks guys for all the information, best advice is from people who have visited the region 😊

Ok all your ideas are written down and Nambia is also included 😊 I have been doing some research into the Gorilla trecking (Uganda or Rwanda) and not yet decided which go and visit. But I guess I had better get my socks on and book soon as it is need many months in advance? For around November/december?

Chris and Diana

Reply to this

12 years ago, June 14th 2011 No: 5 Msg: #138364 Delete Edit

The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas

B Posts: 7,300

Gorilla tickets are very limited, but it does vary with the season - on the day I went (in May at the tail of the wet season) we didn't reach the full complement of visitors, so another carload could have arrived and still been able to join one of the groups.

At more popular times, they can book out months in advance, but if you have a bit of flexibility, you should be able to shift your itinerary by a few days in order to see them.

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12 years ago, June 15th 2011 No: 6 Msg: #138379 Delete Edit

Maisondubonheur
Pierre-Alexandre

B Posts: 1,583

Did the gorillas on the Uganda side. I booked it 2-3 months ahead. We were only 3 of us, so as for Shane, would have been room for more.

We only had to trek for less than an hour before we reached the group....the day before, they had to trek for 6 hours! Take time also to trek some of the volcanos around, they are amazing! Reply to this

12 years ago, July 17th 2011 No: 7 Msg: #140425 Delete Edit

International backpacker
Christopher

B Posts: 130

Hey guys, well we ended up going for Rwanda for the gorilla trek. I giess best to have it sorted now rather than waiting and turning up, knowing our luck be fully booked 😊

Thanks for the other tips once again, all wrote down and noted!

Chris and Diana Reply to this

12 years ago, July 17th 2011 No: 8 Msg: #140463 Delete Edit

The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas

B Posts: 7,300

I think you have made the correct decision in booking the gorilla trek/tickets in advance, you might turn up and their are spots, or their may not be any for a week or so - which would really disrupt the rest of your plans. Reply to this

12 years ago, July 18th 2011 No: 9 Msg: #140532 Delete Edit

Adventure88
Henry Smith

N Posts: 4

I recently went to Livingstone, Zambia and I highly recommend going to Zambia! There is so much to do in Livingstone including seeing the Victoria Falls. We went over to Chobe in Botswana for a day and it must surely be one of the best places in the world for game viewing. It's famous for their elephants. Reply to this