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Africa - anybody been there? (1 Viewer)

Terminalxylem

Terminalxylem

Footballguy
Watching Planet Earth: Africa series. So many awesome places and animals. Wife and I had talked about going years ago, but due to the logistics of finding enough time to go, never really got off the ground.

Now we have the time. Could realistically spend 2-3 weeks, or more with some effort. Not really sure where to start though.

To narrow things down, I'm really interested much more in nature than anything cultural. Was thinking something in sub-Saharan Africa makes the most sense. Looks like South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya are among the most frequently visited, though Madagascar, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe also have a lot to offer. Can't see them all, so would like to narrow it down to a good place for a safari, plus maybe Victoria Falls.

Any FBG advice?
 
I've been to the following:

Tanzania - safari and beach time at Zanzibar
Kenya - safari, masai mara
Uganda - mountain gorilla trekking
Egypt - Cairo, archaeology

Each of them amazing. You want to go the time of the year animals are most active.
 
TripItUp said:
I've been to the following:

Tanzania - safari and beach time at Zanzibar
Kenya - safari, masai mara
Uganda - mountain gorilla trekking
Egypt - Cairo, archaeology

Each of them amazing. You want to go the time of the year animals are most active.
Click to expand...
All sound intriguing, except Egypt. And I’ve had my fill of beaches. Which safari did you prefer?

How close were you able to get to the gorillas? We’re more than willing to hike and climb to remote places, if that’s what it takes.
 
Terminalxylem said:
How close were you able to get to the gorillas? We’re more than willing to hike and climb to remote places, if that’s what it takes.
Click to expand...

you get up to about 10 yards away.... one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Most peope fly into Nairobi, then fly to kampala...from kampala you drive for a full day to the mountain preserve and stay overnight. Get up early in the morning and trek all day through the jungle to the gorillas. You get one hour with them.

It's a lot of work/effort/time/money for one hour with them but was totally worth it IMHO. Also, driving through Uganda was pretty cool.

You can also see the gorillas in Rwanda? I believe. They are in the Congo but not safe to go last time I checked.
 
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Terminalxylem said:
All sound intriguing, except Egypt. And I’ve had my fill of beaches. Which safari did you prefer?
Click to expand...

Serengetti probably to the Masai Mara, narrowly. We saw more cool animal stuff in the Serengetti but it's kind of luck of the draw.(lions killing a water buffalo, crocs attacking a zebra)

Both are amazing though and it is pretty much luck of the draw in terms of the wildlife exposure and experiences...which is why I spent a full 3 weeks on safari. I wanted to eliminate the luck part. If you go for just one week you may not see much other than the animals hanging out...you're guaranteed to see elephants, hyenas, monkeys, babboons, lions, giraffes, hippos, wildabeasts etc. in their natural habitat. If you go for just one week you might not see leopards, cheetahs, live hunts/killings/chases etc.
 
I've been to Zimbabwe and Botswana back in the late 90s. Some things were cool but overall I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't go back. The tv videos are better than the real thing imo
 
Dr. No said:
I've been to Zimbabwe and Botswana back in the late 90s. Some things were cool but overall I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't go back. The tv videos are better than the real thing imo
Click to expand...

There is some truth to this, a lot of people just get really unlucky with what they are able to see or they don't spend enough time. I got the advice to spend several weeks to ensure seeing more.

If you value seeing the more common animals in their natural habitat it is worth it, because that part is guaranteed. If you are expecting an epic cheetah hunt, put in extra time and money to increase the odds.
 
TripItUp said:
Terminalxylem said:
How close were you able to get to the gorillas? We’re more than willing to hike and climb to remote places, if that’s what it takes.
Click to expand...

you get up to about 10 yards away.... one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Most peope fly into Nairobi, then fly to kampala...from kampala you drive for a full day to the mountain preserve and stay overnight. Get up early in the morning and trek all day through the jungle to the gorillas. You get one hour with them.

It's a lot of work/effort/time/money for one hour with them but was totally worth it IMHO. Also, driving through Uganda was pretty cool.

You can also see the gorillas in Rwanda? I believe. They are in the Congo but not safe to go last time I checked.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Rwanda has the biggest gorilla population in the world, IIRC.
 
Just South Arica - the area around Cape Town. Would be a good kick off or end point If doing a safari from Southern Africa. Hike up Table Mountain, Stellenbosch area, Southern most point of the continent were highlights for me.
 
Terminalxylem said:
Watching Planet Earth: Africa series. So many awesome places and animals. Wife and I had talked about going years ago, but due to the logistics of finding enough time to go, never really got off the ground.

Now we have the time. Could realistically spend 2-3 weeks, or more with some effort. Not really sure where to start though.

To narrow things down, I'm really interested much more in nature than anything cultural. Was thinking something in sub-Saharan Africa makes the most sense. Looks like South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya are among the most frequently visited, though Madagascar, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe also have a lot to offer. Can't see them all, so would like to narrow it down to a good place for a safari, plus maybe Victoria Falls.

Any FBG advice?
Click to expand...

If you're going Sub-Saharan, I've been to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia and would recommend all of those. We did safari and Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe (mostly the former), wine country/Cape Town/Cape of Good Hope areas of South Africa. We stayed at three different locations for safari and liked South Luangwa the best.
 
My wife and I visited a niece/nephew in the town of Mbeya in SW Tanzania a handful of years ago. On the way, we visited Zanzibar, which was interesting. After the visit, we did a safari in north-central Tanzania. Safaris are absolutely incredible. Where we went, it wasn't the great plains migrations, but more of a turn the corner and "oh, there's a few giraffes" or some elephants and on and on. We saw where a leopard had pulled a zebra-kill up into the crook of the tree, and as we looked, a hyena sauntered by, wishing he could climb. We pulled off-road to watch two pairs of lions sunning on the hot afternoon. One lion moseyed over and plopped down five feet from our open air jeep. We could hear the flies buzzing on his back. As we sat at in our sheltered hut (inside the safari grounds), we'd watch a hippo splash around, farting and pooping, in a small pool down below our hut. Such unique experiences.

We also visited Cape Town and then cruised along the southern coast, which was all amazing. A great visit would be Cape Town, the southern coast, and then a safari in South Africa. Stay inside the park, wherever you go. One really cool place we visited was the Birds of Eden bird sanctuary in Knysna, South Africa. Most people walked quickly through the very large, netted enclosure, but we took a lot of time and got dozens of fantastic pics of an array of beautiful birds ...it was like a bird hunt, finding them in the tree branches. The south coast has other interesting towns as well, and it's a neat feeling to be on the very southern edge of the world like that.

That all said, seeing the gorillas in Rwanda would also be high on the list of possibilities.
 
go to kenya, then visit next door (north) to ethiopia (fear permitting) and see some wild history and eat some amazing food.

my family, along with some other families, helps run, financially, a hospital and school in madagascar - a place they'd return to every few years after living there. unfortunately, they're too fearful of returning now due to the dangers there... but they are absolutely obsessed with it.
 
went once but i had a hard time sleeping. The wild dogs cried out in the night.
As they grew restless, longing for some solitary company, I knew that I must do what's right. As sure as Kilimanjaro rose like Olympus above the Serengeti, I sought to cure what's deep inside. Honestly, I was frightened of this thing that I'd become.
 
I would love to go to sub-Saharan Africa. I don’t really care about the animals so much as the culture. I would love to see the dark continent—preferably without getting mugged or kidnapped. I understand that Botswana is a good place to go, as is Rwanda nowadays. Possibly Uganda too.

I have also heard great things about Ghana, and not just from #1 fan of Ghana soccer either.

North of that, Morocco must be fairly European, but maybe Mauritania and Niger might be very interesting too, as well as making it over to Mali and Timbuktu. I would hate to get hassled by the Tuaregs and Berbers though. Hell, they still have slavery.

I am a cartographer by trade, with a couple of degrees in geography (hey look at me, I have diplomas that aren’t worth ****). I’ve always been fascinated by Africa though. The Grand Tour (think Top Gear) guys just released a special in which they drive from Mauritania down to Senegal. Made my panties wet.

Definitely a bucket list kind of deal.
 
DA RAIDERS said:
@kutta climbed Kilimanjaro.
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed I did!
If you’re talking about a 3 week trip, you could actually try to fit Kili in. I did a 9 day climb but you could do a 7 or 8 (any shorter and the success rate declines incredibly) you’re also already in Tanzania so there’s a lot you can do there.

I did a safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa - incredible! I highly recommend. I don’t recommend South Africa itself so much, as it’s not quite the “African” experience I expected. And it’s quite racially divided down there. But a safari in Kruger is great.

I’ve been to Uganda, but that’s for an orphanage visit that I help with, so not a lot of sight seeing there.

I love the African culture, food, and people. Whenever you go I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
 
I backpacked Egypt and led a group in Morocco. Planning on taking another group to Tanzania in Jan 2025.
You can DIY your own safari or go with a company that works within your budget
 
Spent 3 weeks at the Rift Valley Children's Village in Tanzania with my daughter. Not a vacation spot, but it was extremely eye opening for both of us.
 
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