While going from South Africa to Kenya is certainly easier, it's also the popular tourist route. Markets and visits to parks and natives will not seem/be as genuine because they are used to and/or cater to tourists. West Africa is the real Africa...full of culture, lively markets, and less tourist-oriented parks and other sights. There are certainly no-go places like northern Mali, the Niger Delta in Nigeria, & most of Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, & Liberia. But it is much cheaper (except Nigeria) than southern/East Africa...for everything: food, hotels, tourist attractions, and busses. The only problems with your itinerary would be getting from Morocco to Mauritania (there is a long stretch...I think 200-300 miles or so...without public transport) and then passing through the center. Here are a couple of suggestions:
To keep costs low through southern/East Africa, join an overland tour! You'll spend most of your nights in tents and share some simple meals, but you'll also not have to worry about planning your route, waiting on buses, and finding lodging in a new town. You'll also be joining many other younger people and benefit from the experience of the tour guides. There are about a dozen companies doing such routes, mostly Cape Town-Nairobi through SA, Namibia, Botswana. Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania/Zanzibar, & Kenya and last 50-60 days. They run about $1500-2500 which includes the overland vehicles (gas, driver, all repairs), most meals, lodging (tents/campground fees and sometimes hotels/hostels), and most entrance fees. You'll pay half the amount before leaving and about half on arrival in USD cash for the "kitty"(used for food, border taxes, fees, etc). YOU will only be responsible for flights, visas, a few nights' lodging, a few meals, and optional activities. Most companies are very similar in their offerings and as this is a popular thing to do for backpackers, most will have frequent departures (every 2--3 weeks). The down side is that you will have little freedom to go where you want, spend more time in interesting destinations, and sleeping in a tent may not be comfortable.
I am partial to W. Africa, which tops my list of places to visit and is where I spend most of my time leaning about. One of the best things about W. Africa is that the dry season runs from (depending on location) November through March/April...perfect timing for your trip. Here's a couple of proposed itineraries (I'll rate them from 1 not worth visiting to 5 for very good destination):
-Senegal (4): Dakar is the hub of west African flights and an easy place to arrive, there are lots of French colonial buildings and museums around Dakar; Goree Island off Dakar also makes for an interesting visit; as well as Saint Louis which was the capital of French West Africa and is more reminiscent of a colonial Caribbean town than an African town
-Gambia(2): popular holiday destination with cheap flights from the UK, mostly known for its beaches and wildlife viewing along the Gambia River
-Guinea-Bissau(3):off the tourist radar, but that's a good thing...it's the safest and one of the friendliest W.African countries; Bijagos archipelago accessed by cheap ferries has a few cheap & decent facilities along with very picturesque scenery and hiking along with cultural immersion; Bisau has little to see but lots of great music and crafts
-Guinea (4): Fouta Djalon offers great hiking through valleys and forests where you can pass through Fulani villages en route to waterfalls and natural springs; Boke is a slave fortress which is now a nice museum; the highlands in the southeast are even more beautiful than Fouta Djalon, but are too remote and close to unstable Liberia
-Mali (5): Lots of history and of course the picturesque Niger River. I recommend purchasing the Bradt guide to Mali (3rd edition just came out in August 2009), browsing through this book will make you want to spend months in Mali! Dogon country is a place to trek for about a week passing through villages built to blend into hillsides plus the Dogon culture is very unique and worth learning...it is becoming exposed to tourists, so be careful to avoid touts and find a knowledgeable guide to enjoy the experience; Djenne is famous for its massive mosque and many towns made of mud bricks; Segou and Mopti offer lots of historic buildings and arts; Timbuktu is more legendary than what it has to offer....a couple of museums, the opportunity to ride a camel into to the desert to Tuareg "camps" for a night to 5 days (unique & fun, but about as tourist-oriented an experience as Masai and San visits in E/S Africa); Gao has some historic French building and sits across the river from a massive,picturesque pink sand dune (take the boat here, which is scenic and avoids the road which is prone to banditry)
-Burkina Faso (4)- More a cultural visit than anything else, be sure to visit at least a couple of markets in different towns...especially on market day! There are also tailors in every town who will make custom African gowns (colorful, for both men & women) or Western-styled suits very cheap but with good materials (a few dollars for gowns around $50 or so for suits). Also is a great place to learn to play traditional drums and where music and drum beats are heard everywhere
-Ghana (4): The most tourist-oriented country in West Africa...and they speak English!; Cape Coast & Elmina castles are impressive remnants of the former slave trade; Kakum Nat. Park has a walkway suspended over the rainforest and trails through the rainforest; Nzulezo is a village entirely of 50+ year old houses on stilts over a marsh; Accra the capital is mostly modern and a welcome difference from the rest of W.Africa
-Togo(1): Not much except the city of Togoville with an old cathedral and voodoo shrines
-Benin(3): Ouidah is home of voudon (voo-doo) and there are many intriguing (if not disgusting) fetish markets and a very interesting museum it was also a major slave port with some powerful relics; Pendjari National Park is one of the best places in W. Africa to go on a safari with hippos, crocodiles, lions, antelope, etc...far less tourists than are found on safaris in E Africa and nearby Ghana; Abomey was the home of the powerful warrring Dahomey empire (Africa's equivalent of ancient Sparta) where the restored palace hosts a throne made of skulls; Cotonou and Porto Novo have a few decent museums
-Nigeria (1): While most Western people recognize the name and despite its size, Nigeria has next to nothing for the tourist; Lagos has plenty of flights and is very close to the border with Benin, so you can catch a flight to Kenya or South Africa or continue south to Cameroon; Lagos is the commercial capital of W.Africa and with 10million people spread out over the city, it is a monster! Aside from a couple museums and culinary experiences, there's little to do in this crime-ridden city;
If you continue to Cameroon, find a bus to Abuja (a newly built capital sprawled out & with little to do) and then to Cameroon.
-Cameroon (5): called "Africa in miniature", every type of landscape can be found in this modestly-sized country; Mount Cameroon is popular for climbing, it rises over 4000m straight out of the ocean and is covered in rainforest and often shrouded in mist; the ring road is 360km through very scenic landscapes and towns and is popular by tourist (some even rent bicycles to ride this road in the dry season); Dja Faunal Reserve has plenty of gorillas, forest elephants, antelopes, mandrills (bizarre monkeys), & other wildlife in unscathed rainforest; Korup National Park has some of the best hiking in Africa...search for a calm waterfall and swimming hole or take a botanical tour, track monkeys, or go birding...it's home to more bird species than any other park in Africa; Waza National Park is one of the best places for a safari in West Africa; Yaounde is the capital and has a couple of good museums; Douala is as hectic and sightless as Lagos...but safer, it has many flights and you could find a flight to Kenya or South Africa
A flight from Lagos or Douala to Kenya will cost around $400-800 one-way, but since West Africa is cheaper than southern Africa, that will not be a huge problem. Busses will cost $2-3 for short rides under about 3 hours and up to $20-30 for long, 12+ hour rides. Hotels with a simple mattress, fan & mosquito net will run from $5-20, add $5-10 for a room with air conditioning or in some of the larger cities, and $30-60 for a standard hotel...often with swimming pool and private bathroom. Please don't skip West Africa! There's lots less tourists which makes for a much better experience! A couple of good books I recommend are:
Rough Guide First-Time Africa : Not a guide book, but a planning book, it has pages briefly describing main tourist attractions in almost every country, and many chapters of practical info: flights, health, safety, money, accommodation, and more. Also lists plenty of adventure sports and best places for them. This book is good for someone interested in going to Africa, but doesn't know where to go. It retails for US$16.99, Can$22.99, & UK 10.99. You can likely get it cheaper at amazon.com ($12 in the US)
Bradt has plenty of great guidebooks for over 40 African countries. Unfortunately, you can't buy 20 books and take them with you. At least all are 200+ pages covering in great detail tourist attractions and practical information. I found new and used ones (some one-off editions) for as low as $1+$4 shipping on amazon.com in the US! Nothing quite like a 200 page guide to Niger or Cameroon.
Rough Guide to West Africa: Not quite a guide book in the sense of extensive, but has lots of detail for all W.African countries.
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