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Africa: Route??

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Looking for advice on possible overland travel route
12 years ago, November 10th 2011 No: 1 Msg: #146757  
N Posts: 1
Hi,

I'm in the very early stages of planning trip to Africa. Approximate time for trip is 8 months...up to 12 months if need be.

It's quite daunting the planning required but after identifying a LOT of things I'd like to see/do, I'm now trying to work out a rough backbone to the trip from which to fill in the details.

Main interests are wildlife, nature, cultural etc My tentative route at the moment is:

Morrocco - Senegal (via western sahara) - Mali - Burkina Faso - Ghana - Togo - Benin - Nigeria - Cameroon.

From Cameroon I'm thinking on flying to Ethiopia (if thats possible) and work my way down to SA, if not fly to SA and work my way up. Roughly along the lines of:

Cameroon - Ethiopia - Kenya - Uganda - Rwanda - Tanzania - Malawi - Zambia - Zimbabwe - Botswana - Namibia - South Africa - Mozambique.

I know it's a lot so I suppose my main question is will this be possible within an 8-12 month timeframe (I notice not too dissimmilar route travelled by LuBarnham). I don't expect to have enough time to see and do everything everywhere...some areas will just be about travelling through.

Also I'm wondering if there are any issues about this route in terms of border crossing etc

Also any changes/ammendments/pointers from those with far more wisdom than I/ would be welcomed.

As I say I'm at the very early stages of planning and education and feel I would benefit from a spine to the trip from which to work from.

Thanks Reply to this

12 years ago, November 17th 2011 No: 2 Msg: #147071  
Hello James and welcome to Travelblog!

That is a very extensive itinerary you have there. I have only been to East Africa of the countries you mention (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania) and one could easily spend 4 months here looking at all there is to offer.

The best wildlife viewing is expected to be in Tanzania/Kenya (Serengeti/Mara region) assuming you are there in the correct season, and of course the gorillas in either Rwanda, Uganda, or DR Congo. For tribal life, I'd steer towards southern Ethiopia (Lower Omo Valley) and the southern Mali (Dogon Country); have a look at my blogs on Southern Ethiopia for what might be in store if you decide to head there.

You can fly Ethiopian Airlines from Cameroon (Yaoundé) to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) which would be a wise decision. Reply to this

12 years ago, November 20th 2011 No: 3 Msg: #147199  
We've just returned from Morocco and the prices are reasonable. We loved Morocco but the cities are spread out. We didn't use public transportation but I understand that the train and buses will serve you well and are reasonably priced. We spent two weeks doing a loop around the country. I would say that is a bare minimum.

You will have to find your own pace for travel. We generally like to travel a bit slower than we did on this trip. We had some time constraints so we made do.

The country is rich in history. I would recommend Fes, Marrakesh and Essaouria as must see. The drive through the Atlas Mountains is stunning. We posted a few blogs if you would like to take a look. You might want an extended stay in Marrakesh or Essaouria. Taracloud spent a month in Marrakesh. As I said, you will have to find your own pace.

Reply to this

12 years ago, December 3rd 2011 No: 4 Msg: #148260  
You ought to read The Dribbleman's blogs about his journey through Africa. He is currently featured on the front page and is driving across the US. Reply to this

12 years ago, December 6th 2011 No: 5 Msg: #148409  
B Posts: 5
Hi. I am currently traveling Africa. Its taken me 8 Month and roughly GBP1000 a month to travel from South Africa to Ethiopia. Starting in South Africa I have gone through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Kenya and currently Ethiopia. Next should be Somaliland, Djboute, Sudan and Egypt. (i.e. classic Cape To Cairo overland route with a few side trips) Its expensive, people underestimate it in both duration and cost. Make sure you have a good budget! My budget has involved hitchhiking, camping and staying, flea ridden shit holes and the occasional backpackers when I can find one. Any trips you do into National Parks are very expensive, so choose them carefully. Drop me a message if you want any further info. Darren (aka FreeSpirit) Reply to this

12 years ago, December 30th 2011 No: 6 Msg: #149571  
This is a favourite 2011 TravelBlog discussion. If you have seen some good discussions in 2011, add them to the following thread. 😊

Your 2011 TravelBlog favourites Reply to this

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