Hey all
I have been reading a lot both here and on other websites for the last few months, as i am planning a 4 month trip to East Africa.
I planning on arriving in Jo'burg (only because it's the cheapest, i'm not really into SA) and making my way up the east coast. The plan is to end in Sharm El Sheikh. Highlights (planned) so far are: Swaziland, Tofo (for scuba), Madagascar, Pemba Malawi, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha (for safari), Nairobi, Hargeysa, Sudan, North Eqypt.
Not wanting to stay for several weeks every place, but i don't want to rush it either.
What do you think? Is it too much? Travelling by plane for some distances is not unthinkable, like getting from Nairobi to Hargeysa.
Give me your pro's and con's. (and you tips for the mentioned areas)
Reply to this Hello and welcome to the Forum!
The trip is possible in 4 months, especially if you pass quickly through areas that don't interest you. However, there are a couple of areas you need to be aware of.
The journey from Nairobi to Hargeysa is a potentially dangerous one. Firstly, the northern part of Kenya has bandit trouble. Second if you decide to go into Hargyesa via Dira Dawa in Ethiopia, the security situation is problematic. There are varying reports as to whether you can cross by land into Somaliland from Djibouti or Ethiopia at present. I considered visiting Hargeysa myself earlier this year and calculated that my best way to get there was via Djibouti by plane, however, you may think differently. It may also be possible to fly from Addis Ababa.
You may already know this, but crossing into Somalia (as opposed to Somaliland) is extremely hazardous, and you should seriously reconsider any journey to Hargeysa via the south of Somalia.
You should have a hassle free border experience for your journey except for Sudan, there are stories of people being stuck in Ethiopia for weeks awaiting their Sudanese visa. However, there are far worse places in the world than to be stuck in Ethiopia for a few weeks - it is a fantastic country.
Reply to this Hi
I agree with most of what the Travel Camel says... personally, I would prefer to do that journey in 6 months although it should be possible in 4. Your main problem will be with getting the Sudanese Visa in Ethiopia. For some reason Sudanese Visas are much easier to get in Egypt, so I did the journey the other way around and had no difficulty getting my Sudanese Visa in Cairo. So, you may want to consider doing the journey the other way round - starting in Cairo and travelling south.
I would also recommend flying into Hargeisa from Djibouti which is what I did when I went to Somaliland. Alternatively fly from Addis. In no circumstances should you travel through Southern Somalia (as opposed to Somaliland) unless you have a death wish or can afford to hire your own armed security from one of the Somali warlords.
It a great trip, enjoy!
Reply to this Thanks for the advice. I wasn't planning on going through Somalia, that would be pretty crazy in my opinion. I have heard the stories about the Sudan visa in Addis, but i think i'll just get it before i leave home. Alternatively i have thought skipping Sudan and Egypt, and flying home from Addis.
I have understood that transport in Mozambique can be rather slow (not just africa-slow), so i have thought about going via Zimbabwe instead, wich should have cheap and safe trains from SA border to Harare and onwards.
Reply to this Agree with you Stuart, 6 months is preferable and would be more my pace of travel as well.
If you decide to skip both Sudan and Egypt, then the chance of completing the journey in 4 months at a relaxed pace is much better. It is easy to get lost in Ethiopia for a month if you so wish - partly due to the poor roads in getting to many places. It is also easy to linger in both Kenya and Tanzania for a month as well. Thus you would have the final month getting from South Africa into Tanzania via Zimbabwe.
It can often be the case with travelling that less is more.
Reply to this Madagascar deserves at the very least a couple of weeks, preferably a month, plus it's expensive to get to even from southern Africa (and you'll probably need to go via Joburg or Nairobi), so that might be worth saving for another trip if your time is constrained on this one.
Mozambiquan transport is certainly on the slow side, with one major exception being the luxury bus company called TCO (Transportes Carlos Oliveira) that does the run up the east coast of Mozambique from Maputo - it goes at least as far as Nampula, possibly all the way to Pemba.
Not sure the best way of getting from Pemba to Malawi, but one option would be to backtrack to Nampula and then get the train across to Cuamba.
Reply to this i think you should add, two or three more months to make sure you are not exhausted from your trip. but good luck with your back packing trip
Reply to this Agree with the guys saying six months. I did Nairobi to Cape Town in three and a half months, and by the time I was half way down I had to start really rushing. I didn't go along the coast though. There are a lot of really cool places in Africa that you'll want to linger around. The feeling of leaving 'too soon' from a place you really like because of your schedule is never awesome.
Reply to this I have edited the plans a little, leaving out Moz, Madagascar and Egypt, Going through Zimbabwe instead. Either leaving from Karthoum (via DXB) or Addis. The plan is to fly from somewhere in Kenya to Addis, as i have the impression that overland from Kenya to Ethiopia could be more enjoyable, plus saving time.
Reply to this This seems a more realistic plan, if you have any further questions, please ask.
Reply to this i shure have 😉
I know i can get a transit visa in Addis for Sudan, but it's for 15 days. How long time in raw transport (excluding stops on the way) does it take to get from the border to Karthoum?
Reply to this It will depend on the connections - I don't know what those are like going in that direction but, for what it's worth, I did something similar in reverse. Khartoum to Gedaref was about 5.5 hours (though I continued on to Kassala, from where I returned a few days later to proceed to the border). At Gedaref, I had to change bus station (~20 minutes). Then Gedaref to the border took about 2.5 hours. So, assuming it's similar going the other way, you're looking at about 8.5 hours of actual travel. Given decent connections, that might be doable in a day, but it should definitely be no more than 2.
Reply to this That's great.
I have heard that you need to get a visa to Egypt before you can get it for Sudan. But what if i want to fly from Karthoum to Dubai. Do i still need i visa for Egypt or maybe i plane ticket?
Reply to this 
