So you’ve decided to do it, you’re going to venture in what people find the scariest, darkest continent of them all. Let’s start by rectifying this misapprehension straight away, shall we.
Though there are some African countries that could qualify as somewhat “scary”, Africa is a huge continent. Did you know that Africa could easily fit the USA, China, India, Japan and Europe (Eastern and Western) all at once? How could a place this vast, possibly be generalised about, especially when it comes to safety, wealth, travel comfort, landscape or anything else for that matter.
Many travellers make it to Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia but never dare to wander more south, mostly out of fear. I won’t deny that the continent has its problems, but in terms of travel there is no reason to hesitate to chose Africa as a backpacking destination. That being said, it’s only natural to be at least a bit nervous about travelling to the ‘unknown’.
Every week I receive e-mails on this subject. Noob Africa travellers wanting to know where to go exactly. So I’ve come up with 5 of Africa’s most accessible countries; easy to backpack in, fantastic highlights, descent transportation, safe and a great introduction to Sub-Saharan Africa.
1. Tanzania: The Classic
Nothing wrong with a good classic. Going to Tanzania, you will not have any problems finding an easy tourist trail to follow while it’s just as easy to get off the beaten track. English is one of the official languages, so you should be able to communicate easily, even in small towns. The country offers a good mix of attractions: pristine beaches, mountains, scuba diving, rich cultural heritage, world class national parks… You’ll have the option to camp or to spoil yourself in the most amazing lodges and resorts. Tanzania has been hosting foreign visitors for decades, leaving it with a well developed tourist infrastructure.
A few backpacker highlights:
* Safari in Serengeti and/or Ngorongoro crater
* Chimpanzee tracking, Fishing and snorkelling in and around Tanganyika Lake
* Beaches, dolphins, culture, spices and architecture on the islands of Zanzibar and/or Pemba
* Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro
2. Senegal and The Gambia: The beating heart of Western Africa
Since The Gambia lies completely inside of Senegal you could easily visit both countries. Note that they each have very different personalities. Senegal, just like Tanzania, has seen visitors for decades. Though most stick to beach resorts, there is quite a good tourist infrastructure. In terms of communication, French is one of the official languages so unless you speak it, you’ll have to dialogue with gestures, which works just fine, especially in a country where laughter is more important than words. In The Gambia, however, you will be able to get by with English. It’s an up and coming vacation destination often nicknamed ‘Africa for beginners’. Due to its small size, you could experience The Gambia in just one week.
A few backpacker highlights:
* visit Dakar’s markets
* Join a fisherman’s crew in Gambia
* Live jazz and strolling around the historical town of Saint-Louis, Senegal
3. Uganda: Mellow and diverse – can be combined with Rwanda:
I was surprised to see how easy it was to navigate through Uganda while lugging around a backpack. At the same time, it feels like an adventure asking people for rides on the back of their motorcycles. In both countries English is widely spoken, which facilitates contacts with locals. Uganda has a lot to offer: Safari’s by foot/4×4/boat, explosive waterfalls, vibrant nightlife, adrenaline sports, lakes and gorgeous hikes. There is a reason why they call it the “Pearl of Africa”. Adding Rwanda to your itinerary will bring contrast to your trip. Both countries have gorgeous lakes, offer the opportunity to go gorilla tracking and are a bird watcher’s paradise, yet they are so different to one another culturally. Keep in mind that you’ll need a higher budget for Rwanda.
A few backpacker highlights:
* Gorilla spotting
* Relaxing and bird watching in Lake Bunyonyi
* Giraffes and waterfalls; Murchison Falls
4. Ghana: The Gold Coast of Africa
The best thing about Ghana must be its diversity and contrasts. You will find dry lands on one side of the country, lush tropical forests and waterfalls on the other. Muslim, Christians and animists living side by side in harmony. Traditional villages run by a chief versus big bustling cities where you can find high quality australian steak as well as fashionistas parading through the streets. With its position on the West Coast of Africa, Ghana played a crucial role in the slave trade with the Americas. You can learn more about it in the former slave markets on Ghana’s coast. Again, English is one of the official languages and there are plenty of intercity buses giving you the opportunity to travel around the country with minimum plans and good comfort.
A few backpacker highlights:
* Cape Coast and Elmina Castle
* Trekking in Kakum National park
* Experiencing village life and visiting Larabanga mosque
5. South Africa: Western comfort in an African robe
If you are yearning for some African flavour but are not quite ready to leave your western comfort, South Africa is the place for you. It has everything you would find in a modern European country combined with Africa’s typical ‘joie de vivre’. From transportation to hostels and top notch sites, South Africa has everything you need for a surprising backpacking trip. I write surprising because wine tasting, surfing and sharing a beach with penguins are probably not the first things that come in mind when you think of Africa. Note that you may need a slightly higher budget than in the African countries mentioned above.
A few backpacker highlights:
* Cape Town and surroundings
* Hiking in Drakensberg
* Wild life spotting in Kruger National Park
Backpacking in Africa is very different than backpacking in places like South East Asia. It’s a little tougher and more expensive. But the interactions with local people is much more intense as is the “I’m an explorer”-feeling. Though intrepid travellers would also very much enjoy the destinations listed above, I would probably add some other, more “edgy” recommendations. That’s for a future blogpost!
Have you backpacked Africa? Would you like/dare to?
The post “First time Africa Travel: where to backpack” first appeared on Travel Cake.
Comments
34 responses to “First Time Africa Travel: Where to Backpack”
I am excited that I will be traveling to Africa for the first time this spring (yay for flight deals). I would love to visit Africa annually and see all of the different countries on the vast continent!
GREAT!! I would love to see more of the continent too, I keep going to the same area because I want to visit my family since I’m there… I’ll definitely have to make some time to explore some more places! Spring is near! 😀
Fantastic write up! I will definitely consider Senegal and The Gambia (” where laughter is more important than words”) on my next Africa trip! 🙂
Oh great! I’m sure you will love it!
Africa has alluded me! I have yet to visit. But when we finally go, I’d love to just spend 3 months or so country-hopping. These are great suggestions, and your picture of Elmina Castle is stunning!
Three months country hopping sounds good What an adventure that would be! Elmina Castle is stunning indeed, one of my favourite sights I’ve seen in Africa so far, for sure. Partly because it’s so history loaded.
Would love to do a proper and thorough African trip, there are so many stories and the diversity is amazing!
I think for those venturing for the first time, having a local connection on ground really helps..especially when it comes to discounts and so forth, some folk overblow prices of stuff if you are not a resident, so having a trusted person to bargain as you manouever through helps quite abit!
It’s definitely a good thing to have trustworthy local connections or even speak the language! I too would love to travel more in Africa! When I go, it’s usually to visit family so I end up travelling in the same region.
Thank for for such a brilliant post, I’m saving this to my bookmarks as travelling throughout Africa is one of my dreams and is great to have this to inspire me to make them happen!
I really hope you get to make your Africa dream trip come true! I kinda have the same dream! 😀
The beaches of Tanzania have been calling my name for a long time. Hopefully it’s a trip we can do in the near(ish) future!
Yes, those beaches really are stunning! I’d like to return in the near(ish) future as well!
Very nice post and great tips! I’ve not done much of Africa except the North of the continent and would love to visit, Senegal has been one of the option I did consider! Maybe later in the year who knows!
Who knows, indeed! Great that you may have the opportunity to go so soon! I love the north of Africa, but it’s so different. I hope you do get to experience Sub-Saharan Africa as well!
Great post. I’ve been thinking about a trip to Africa for the past couple of months. It would certainly be an adventure but this really helps. Thanks!
I really hope you decide to take the plunge and head out there! 😀
This is great stuff. Hardly any travel bloggers are writing about travel in Africa so it’s refreshing to read something a bit different. I’d like to plan a trip there when our kids are a wee bit older.
Oh how lovely! I’ve seen some travellers bringing their kids to Africa and the kids always looked like they were having the time of their lives! I hope you guys do end up going!
What a fantastic post, and one that certainly raises more awareness of how beautiful and varied Africa is. My wife and I have seen a fair amount of Africa, and its beauty and people are always calling us back. We have plans in the future to visit Zambia and Zimbabwe, and thanks to this post you have renewed our interest in Uganda too.
I’m so happy to have discovered your website, I love it when people write about our favourite continent!
I’m glad you got excited about Uganda! I would love to go back to Zimbabwe and check out Zambia too! Glad you enjoy the blog, I hope to write more about Africa in the next months!
Great breakdown of Africa and everything it has to offer! I have always wanted to visit–hopefully we can make it there soon. Found quite a few new ideas here to add to the list for when we eventually visit!
Great! I’m happy this article provided you with some new ideas!
Thanks a lot. I’ve been swooning over Africa so much lately it’s definitely on the obsessive now. This post makes me want to book a flight right now! Love! I l also love that map that describes how big Africa really is. Regular maps or globes are just not true to scale at all. It is my dream to visit Kenya and South Africa. In addition to Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Tanzania!
Wow, big Africa dreams! 🙂 Yes, I agree, it’s hard to realise the size of things just by looking at the map. I was surprised too when I found this map of Africa! Hope you book that flight one of these days!
Thank you so much for your comment i really enjoy reading your blog. I think this green hue would surely look fab in a Kitchen for sure! Stay connected. Nice to meet you.
We haven’t been to Africa yet and yes, we would visit especially after your wonderful post. It’s great to read about all the different spots and the special “backpacking highlights”. The pictures are also so beautiful! Is that you with the crocodile? I’m not sure if I could be so bold. Great post!
Yes, that’s me with a crocodile, believe me I was not feeling too comfortable. I didn’t really want to do it to begin with but the park guard wouldn’t take “nah, I’m ok” for an answer. Sometimes we just need a little push, ey? 🙂
I would loooove to go to Africa! I haven’t been there, but it’s one of my top priorities to visit! Out of curiousity, I checked the flight ticket to certain countries in Africa. Unfortunately, I won’t able to this year but in the future (: Other than how it is more expensive, what were other challenges you faced during your trip there?
The only other challenge was transportation. Sometimes you have to wait for a long time for a scheduled bus to show up or leave. That’s why it’s important to have enough time and not too cram too much into the programme or else you’ll just get impatient. Also the toilets, can be somewhat of a challenge depending on where you go and how you travel. Other than that than, nothing that is particularly true for Africa and not for other continents.
Uganda was the first place I visited that was outside of North America so it holds a special place in my heart. I went on a medical mission trip and we spent most of our time in the rural northwest area so I missed most of the highlights of the country. I would love to go back, as well as explore some of the other countries on your list! I hadn’t thought much about Ghana until I saw your pics, now I’m going to have to add it to the list! 😉
The first international trip really stays with you forever, doesn’t it?! It’s a shame you didn’t get to see the touristic highlights, but I’m sure you really got the essence of Uganda by living and working there!
Hey. I am travelling to Senegal in around 2 weeks from the UK. So exited but a bit nervous as I don’t have any plans after being there for around a month, I may head to Cape Verde! Is it easy to meet other ‘backpackers’? I am really exited but scared of flying (loose plan at the mo is Senegal – Cape Verde – Ghana – South Africa ) maybe Gambia as well! I am hoping to explore and learn about music.
Here is my blog if your interested: https://enaidllawn.wordpress.com/
Great post 🙂