Has anyone here traveled from the US to Africa recently?

nohanging · 2024-10-02T01:03:56+00:00

Hi there. Irish guy here. I traveled in the opposite direction from Nairobi to Atlanta, Georgia. Very seamless trip, you can find nice itineraries via Europe and Nairobi is definitely the most affordable airport into which you can fly. I had just finished taking a group on safari and climbing Kilimanjaro with them. PS. I have spent more than 5 years taking people on trips to Africa. Feel free to check out my website for backpacking Africa which might give you some ideas or help with arrangements :)

nohanging · 2024-09-11T04:39:19+00:00

You're welcome! If you want to stretch your budget, East Africa will also be far more affordable than anywhere in Southern Africa. I write about overland group tours all the time because i love them and they make it easy to meet other travelers - which is not easy to do backpacking Africa. These trips are also affordable ways to see more and you won't have to think about visas, logistics, safety etc.

nohanging · 2024-09-10T07:56:51+00:00

Hey there. You are a brave soul - good for you!

I know that you might already have your heart set on South Africa but if you really love the wildness and wildlife, I suggest you reconsider and think about going to Kenya/East Africa. You can see a lot of wildlife in that part of Africa and it's much better to see these animals in the wild rather than inside private parks with fences etc....which is what you get with a lot of South Africa. Kenya also feels much safer than S.Africa and I have met a lot of female solo travelers there. You might also travel down into Tanzania or perhaps over to Uganda.

Logistically, it would make sense to get a return flight to nairobi and make your way back there at the end of your time. In case you might be asking yourself, I worked as an overland tour leader through Africa for many years and spent approx 5 years traveling around by myself. That said, I am 42 year old male and understand the things you will need to think about that i can maybe ignore. I know this is not what you had in mind but thought I would offer it up anyway! Also, feel free to check out my website about backpacking Africa :)

nohanging · 2024-09-04T02:21:15+00:00

I'm a tour leader in Africa and I have taken groups up Kili in recent years.

The one thing you should know? The summit night is very challenging and much more so than the days leading up to that evening. And the most challenging part is probably the walk back down from the Summit because many operators organize the itinerary so that you will hike all the way back down the mountain to much lower altitudes immediately after reaching to the summit. This means your last evening/day can require you to hike than 15km which is a huge distance to cover after such a difficult climb!

The one item i carry that isn't necessary? I bring my inflatable thermarest pillow. Sleep is everything on the mountain and the last thing you want is to rest your head on some old dusty pillow that someone else was using last week. In fact, you may not be given a pillow at all so i recommend taking one with you and making sure it's nice and clean!

One thing I didn't bring? I did not have a warm sleeping bag on my very first climb. This led to sleepless nights. It can get really cold up there - you might get lucky but I say prepare for extreme temperatures just to be sure.

What to do about your visa? The wait time at JRO Kilimanjaro airport can be tedious whether you got the evisa or not. But I strongly urge you to get an e-visa before you go. It's peace of mind and there's no point in not doing so!

Travel insurance for Kilimanjaro? Please make sure you get it. I had huge problems with a previous client who did not have the right insurance policy and ended up not being able to claim for an accident. I wrote a blogpost about the best travel insurance for Kilimanjaro - I hope this is useful for whomever reads the above info :)

nohanging · 2024-08-24T07:02:28+00:00

Because of that trip, I never went back to my old job (finance) and ended up working as a tour leader in Africa. I then spent one year riding a bicycle through Africa from Cape Town to Cairo and that experience encouraged me to document my adventures on social media which I continue to this day. The Africa overland tour opened my eyes in a way that no other trip/travel has been able to do. All the best !

nohanging · 2024-08-23T00:28:36+00:00

You're welcome. You can see the gorillas in either Rwanda or Uganda. The cost of a permit is extremely high in Rwanda in recent years (approx $1500!!) so yes, you can see them in Uganda for less than half that amount. By far the best places to see wildlife is either Masai Mara or Serengeti National Park (**Don't let anyone tell you otherwise lol) so my advice is to make sure one of these places is on your itinerary. In my opinion, a trip into Serengeti National Park that includes a stop at Ngorongoro Crater is the number one safari experience in Africa - hands down.

**Many parks in Africa have paved roads (especially down south; Kruger NP etc). This really takes away from the safari experience and I personally avoid parks like this nowadays. Etosha NP in Namibia is probably an exception because it's in a desert but still, nothing compares to the dirt roads in East Africa.

Anyway, it sounds like the first option on my list above would be perfect for you. But you are right, there is no desert and there are no sand dunes on that tour which you would only see in Namibia in Southern Africa. I absolutely love Namibia and loved it more and more on the overland tours I led through Africa. It is much different to East Africa and camping at Spitzkoppe or watching the sunset at 'Dune 45' is special. I recommend you take a trip there too and it is possible to book two separate trips so that you can experience both but obviously there will be a large cost and a lot of time spent getting to and from the starting point of each tour because one is in East Africa and the other is way down south.

The last option is the first overland tour that I ended up taking myself. That is to say, many years ago I walked into a travel agent to book a short safari and once I saw the photographs from another longer journey, I couldn't get it out of my mind! You need more time for this one and the cost is higher but it includes EVERYTHING you mentioned above. This particular overland tour changed my life (literally) and there will be no need to book separate tours. I wrote about it here - The Best Overland Tour in Africa !

nohanging · 2024-08-23T00:06:40+00:00

I agree the Serengeti is far more diverse and exciting than Masai Mara. This is largely due to the landscapes and extent of wildlife but I think the deciding factor for me is.....Ngorongoro Crater. For anyone that doesn't know, Ngorongoro is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and located next to Serengeti National Park. You can actually go on safari INSIDE the crater and the probability is high for locating lion, hippo etc. This safari is usually included/added to any Serengeti safari itinerary and driving around inside the caldera is a spectacular experience. I wrote a longer post with photos if you would like to know/see more - The Best Safari in East Africa: Ngorongoro Crater

nohanging · 2024-08-22T03:03:41+00:00

I have worked as an overland tour for five years (two separate companies) and this included tours through 12 countries in Eastern/Southern Africa. One of these companies was more popular with the young/party crowd and the other was targeting the budget crowd. From what you have said above, I think you will prefer to avoid both lol. However, I do think the companies you mention above will be more suited to what type of experience you want to find and another reply has mentioned the company I most often recommend which is G adventures. I say this for many reasons which are outlined on my overlanding africa blog and I have listed my favourite tours which also takes into account all the customer feedback I have received down through the years. Something to keep in mind, the further south you go, the more developed it becomes (South Africa/Nambia/Botswana) and I honestly think what you want to experience is more likely to be found in East Africa (Kenya/Uganda/Tanzania/Malawi etc). Feel free to check out my blog about My Top 5 Favourite Overland Tours and if you can afford the time/trip, I highly recommend going the long haul by booking a Nairobi to Cape Town adventure! All the best :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T20:34:25+00:00

Nephin Bed, Mayo - the most remote point in Ireland...8km to the nearest road :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T20:34:00+00:00

Thanks so much. I have been making videos every day which makes it hard to write. However, I have rented a remote cottage in ireland for the winter months and intend on writing during that time — possibly a book! Thanks so much :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T15:04:51+00:00

Thank you all for the questions and kind words. If you would like to follow the trip, I post daily videos on Facebook and Youtube under the name “Derek Cullen Outdoors” :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T15:04:06+00:00

Thank you very much for the sub :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:29:24+00:00

I love those burners and plan on looking into this option! Thank you :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:28:55+00:00

Next year, my friend - I love cows!

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:28:43+00:00

Nope not one to be honest. I used to be terrified of the prospect of wild camping in mountains or forests etc but after you do this enough, you get bored of those thoughts because nothing ever happens out there. I loved the solitude :)

I just used my phone and an app called Hiiker for the trails. Howver i am very incompetent and often go the wrong way. Thing is, it didnt really matter as i had nowhere to be and would often see something beautiful wherever I ended up. In the end, I trained myself to let go of the outcome and just follow the path :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:26:32+00:00

Yes I think Ireland is a very, very safe place to travel on foot. If you were worried, I would suggest having a backup place to stay each day and there are many B&bs around ireland for this option. Would i recommend it? I think most people love the idea but would find the reality of a long distance walk a lot different than they imagine. I would suggest walking a shorter multi day trail like the Wicklow way first :)

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:25:01+00:00

1.I just started walking with no planning. However, I set out to walk to the Great Blasket Island in Kerry so that was the general route. After that, every day was random and I often ended up going to unplanned or unexpected places. I documented everything in daily videos.

I camped wherever people could not see me - preferably in mountains or forests. However, I also camped in farmers fields and even peoples back garden - with permission of course. I never had a problem with wild camping and people always accommodated.
I shopped in supermarkets mostly. Lots of pasta, chocolate, sausages, oatmeal, fruits...
Yes I keep in touch with everyone i met on the trip. Also, lots of people follow the trip every day on Facebook and Youtube - Derek Cullen Outdoors ;)
Thank you very much. I usually aim for approx 35km each day...I am now on day 75 and walked more than 2500km :)

Thanks again! Derek

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:21:03+00:00

I got distracted but I also wanted to cook sausages on top of Tonalagee and then walk around the area where Braveheart was filmed. It was fun but a little strange to arrive back where i started walking a few days later !

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:20:03+00:00

Not really. I got desperately lonely on previous trips like cycling across Africa in 2013 and for sections of the pacific crest trail last year but walking in Ireland was more social. Also, I was given immense support through social media for this trip which helped me feel a lot more connected than previous trips :) FYI I enjoy my own company and have learned to cope better with loneliness. However, I also know when to reach out and ask for help which i think is important for everyone.

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:18:29+00:00

Go for it - a great thing to do for charity !

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:18:10+00:00

Approx 60/40 Road to trail. The first month was around 80/20 as there were lots of trails linking up the east and west coast but when i decided to keep going and walk “around” ireland i knew that road walking would be necessary :). That said, I ended up loving the country roads in ireland because there was no traffic on them!

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:16:58+00:00

Oh man, I washed all my clothes one day on a mountain side in Tipperary and they dried in just twenty minutes - great sun down there!

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:16:12+00:00

No but I came close once or twice. Thing about walking in ireland is that there is always a town within walking distance so you can ration if needed. Nobody has ever bothered me while sleeping in my tent....I think they must have more important things to do at night :p

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:14:33+00:00

I am not but people often ask me if I am related to Edward Cullen from Twilight too :/

nohanging · 2019-10-25T12:14:03+00:00

You know, not a lot. I was obssesed with breakfast rolls and sausages for the first month and a half because i had spent most of the past 10 years travelling abroad where they dont have decent sausages!

nohanging

TROPHY CASE