Travel to Africa. Kilimanjaro, Masai, safari, Zanzibar. Safari in Africa: breaking the stereotypes that it is only for the rich (Namibia, Botswana) Interesting notes about traveling in Africa

Africa is the second most populous continent; more than 1.1 billion people live here: a huge number of nationalities, languages ​​and cultures. Among conflict-ridden and poor countries, there are also quite peaceful, safe and interesting ones for tourists. Many travelers are familiar with countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. And we will tell you about where you can have a pleasant time south of the Sahara in this article.

1.

Perhaps the most unexpected state on this list is Sierra Leone, which not so long ago was torn apart for ten years civil war. However, since 2002, Sierra Leone has undergone major changes and today it is already ranked among the peace-loving countries according to the Global Security Index (GPI). Sierra Leone is considered one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world, and life expectancy local population is 57 years old, which is not bad by African standards.

Sierra Leone has many beautiful nature reserves, such as the Gala rain forest or the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, clean beaches on the Atlantic coast, and its capital Freetown - oldest city in West Africa.

2.

Leader in security on the African continent. Whether this is due to the fact that peace and tranquility are one of the main characteristics of both the Tswana people and the Bushmen, or because the Botswanans understand the economic contribution tourists make, one way or another there is a very low crime rate.

However, no one promises that baboons will not attack you, so during a safari it is recommended not to feed these warlike monkeys or even smile at them. In general, there are a lot of animals in Botswana; for example, it is home to the largest population of elephants in the world.

One of the popular tourist attractions, along with safaris to the Kalahari Desert and visits to national parks, has been the search for ancient treasures hidden from the colonialists in the caves of Gchvihab since the 30s of the last century. No one has found the treasure yet, but the caves themselves with amazing stalactites up to 10 meters long are worth traveling to the north of the country for.

3.

In 2008, Ghana was identified by the Global Security Index as the most safe country Africa and has remained at the top of this ranking ever since. The country has rare internal conflicts and has peaceful relations with its neighbors. Tourists here are treated very friendly and speak English - this is official language Ghana.

Here you can visit numerous reserves with elephants, antelopes, monkeys and other exotic animals, visit the ruins of castles and fortresses of Cape Post and Elmina, listed World Heritage UNESCO and spend time on clean, uncrowded beaches.

4.

This country in South-West Africa is an oasis of stability and security on a turbulent dark continent. It was discovered quite late (in 1878) by Europeans, quickly emerged from all internal and external conflicts and is now one of the richest African countries.

Here is the oldest desert on earth - the Namib, the legendary Skeleton Coast, many national parks, the site of the fall of the largest Hob meteorite, the second largest canyon after the Colorado and much more.
Don't miss:

Namibia has good highways, and tourist train The Desert Express runs between the capital Windhoek and resort town Swakopmund, stopping at particularly noteworthy places along the way.

5.

Uganda is considered a safe country for foreigners by both GPI and public tourism opinion. This may be due to the fact that it is not customary here for traders and barkers to pester people, perhaps due to the fact that the proportion of the country's urban population is only 13%, and the main attractions are not in the villages.

Tourists in Uganda have a lot to see: one of the oldest in Africa national park Queen Elizabeth, botanical garden Entebbe, where the first Tarzan film was filmed, the Rwenzori mountain range - most likely, it was them that the ancient Egyptians called the Mountains of the Moon. Here they go sailing on Lake Victoria and rafting on the Nile, which originates in Uganda.

If local residents here they do not cause much disturbance to tourists, so you need to be careful with animals, especially if you see a mother elephant with her baby elephant. By the way, Uganda is located on the main migration route of northern birds: eagles, cuckoos, swallows, kites and many familiar birds spend the winter here.

6.

Cape Verde or Islands Cape Verde- an archipelago off the west coast of Africa. Calmness, tranquility, relative cleanliness and an acceptable level of service (European companies are investing in local tourism) await tourists here, in the homeland of the famous singer Cesaria Evora.

The islands have plenty of picturesque landscapes: extinct volcanoes, mountain ranges where you can go trekking, flowering meadows where you can just take a walk. But main feature Cape Verde is, of course, an ocean - it is used to its full potential: from beaches with black volcanic sand, continuing to dives to shipwrecks and ending with windsurfing, the schools of which are on every island, but the island of Sal is especially famous for them.

7.

8.

Residents of Tanzania are friendly and smiling, but, as elsewhere, travelers should not let their guard down - there are plenty of robbers here. But there are still many tourists in Tanzania who come here without fear. Here, in the homeland of Freddie Mercury, there is a lot to see.

Firstly, the Kilimanjaro volcano, to the top of which there are numerous hiking trails. Secondly, the island of Zanzibar is a resort place where the most beautiful island founded by the Arabs in the 9th century is located Stone City. From here they go on spice tours, during which you can grind cinnamon and try unfamiliar spices. Thirdly, the famous Serengeti National Park, which occupies a huge area and is home to more than three million large wild animals.

Fourthly, the Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve, located in the colossal (21 km in diameter) crater of an extinct volcano. It is home to about 25 thousand different animals and has the highest concentration of predators in all of Africa.

9.

Madagascar is a separate continent in miniature: it is so unlike Africa or any other place on earth. There are amazing landscapes here, and 80% of the living animals and plants are found nowhere else.

The island has many natural parks and protected areas. The largest reserve is Tsingy de Bemaraja, which, like many others, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The country is rich beautiful beaches; It is traditionally believed that swimming on west coast safer - there are fewer sharks there.
Take a look at this:

10.

Zimbabwe is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa: it is here, on the border with Zambia, that famous waterfall Victoria. In Zambia, by the way, there are fewer tourists, so those who prefer a more secluded environment are recommended to admire the wonder of nature there.
This is definitely worth seeing:

Zimbabwe has a very good conservation structure and there are unusually many animals here even for Africa, so hunting is allowed in some places (almost everywhere on the continent is already prohibited).

In addition to countless national parks, there is also a unique historical site - the stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe: pagan temple complex, built over a thousand years ago.

Tourists planning a trip to Africa must have all vaccinations; a list of them is usually available on the embassy website. Even in those countries where vaccination is not required for travel, you must take anti-malarial tablets, and start taking them before the trip. It is strictly forbidden to use raw water even for brushing your teeth.

Are you going on a trip? Don't forget about

I admit, I always thought that safaris in Africa were for the rich. Or for those who save all year from paycheck to paycheck, and then blow it all down to the last penny on a trip. Both options were not for me. I’m not rich, but I don’t know how to save all year. After all, in a year you want to travel abroad not just once, but several times. What to do if you are not Abramovich, but want to see African nature in all its glory for little money? What if you don't have $250 for a night at a lodge in the Masai Mara, or an extra $1,200 for a 3-day safari in the Serengeti? How to show a fat fig to those who are much richer than you, and see even more than them, while paying several times less than them? I decided to prove all this first of all to myself by traveling around Africa.

Planning

...And Dyrkin seductively stuck out his plump cheeks from behind his desk. Not understanding anything, Korotkov smiled askance and shyly, took the candelabra by the leg and, with a crunch, hit Dyrkin on the head with the candles. Blood dripped from his nose onto the cloth, and he, shouting “guard,” ran away through the inner door.

- Ku-ku! - the forest cuckoo shouted joyfully and jumped out of the Nuremberg painted house on the wall.

- Ku Klux Klan! - she screamed and turned into a bald head. - Let's record how you beat the workers!

Fury took possession of Korotkov. He swung the candelabra and hit the clock with it. They responded with thunder and splashes of golden arrows. The long john jumped out of his watch, turned into a white cockerel with the sign “outgoing” and dashed through the door. Immediately, behind the inner doors, Dyrkin’s cry rang out: “Catch him, the robber!”, and the heavy footsteps of people flew from all sides. Korotkov turned and started to run...

Well, let’s say we won’t beat the travel agent. Maybe just a little bit, on the butt, and only if the butt allows it. But cooperate with mass tourism not worth it if you want a cheap and cheerful trip to Africa. A nice girl may sincerely want to help you. But, firstly, the level of professionalism of travel agents is often below par (fortunately, there are exceptions, but rarely), and secondly, they work on a percentage of sales. Why should she look for you cheaply, because this is her bread. And the third point. Travel agents are convinced that if you are going to Africa, you are a millionaire, and you definitely need to be given a complete ride, emptying your pocket as much as possible. This is not a tour to Hurghada for $199, where bargaining is appropriate. From their point of view, the nouveau riche and the new Russians are coming to Africa. The last point is that travel agents are not flexible. They are often not friendly with geography, and only resell someone’s trips without going into the essence of the issue. The choice is very limited. What, you want to go to Masai Mara and then fly to Cameroon? Horror, we don’t sell Cameroon (if the girl has even heard of the existence of such a country). But we have Zanzibar. What, have you already been there? Hmmm, then maybe you should go to Pattaya? Something like this.

So we're done with travel agents, and let's move on -

Flights

The issue of tickets to Africa is not at all trivial. You can fly to Johannesburg or Nairobi for $500-700, or for $1500. It all depends on two things: seasonality and airline promotions. And also your ability to bypass various kinds of intermediaries. I have three favorite airlines in Africa, whose websites I regularly study from time to time: Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Egypt Air. All of them often issue promotions where you can fly from Moscow to South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya for very little money.

Boarding the Ethiopian Airlines plane in Cairo. I'm standing on the left with a huge blue backpack

The first two (Ethiopians and Kenyans) do not fly from Russia, but fly from Cairo, where you need to get to. I found tickets from Cairo to Dar Es Salaam on the Ethiopian website for $376 (South Africa cost $480, which is also cheap) round trip via Addis Ababa. All that remains is to fly to Cairo, and there are many options. The same Egypt Air and Aeroflot will take you to Cairo for $320-380 in both directions. In total, we come up with an amount of 700-750 dollars from Moscow (add 150-250 dollars if flying from other cities) to South Africa.

My route through Africa in December 2009

The second question is more complicated. This is a safari organization for little money. And here you need theoretical knowledge and days spent on the Internet. First of all, forget about the promoted tourist places, like Arusha in Tanzania. Yes, the beautiful parks of the Serengeti and Masai Mara are wonderful, but they will rip you off there. We ask ourselves the question - what do we expect from Africa? Nature and local color, right? Then choose to visit those national parks where:

1. It is not necessary to travel far over rough terrain, and there are acceptable roads,
2. There are no crowds of tourists,
3. You can rent a car yourself and see the parks in it, saving on so-called game drives (jeep safaris),
4. Cheap and cheerful overnight stay

Poor country not cheap

In addition, it is very important to understand an important thing. A poor country is not cheap. As my friend, who spent a year in Africa working in a hospital in the Congo and traveled to 28 countries on the continent, jokingly says: “Africa is fantastically cheap for those who are willing to ride a donkey for days and sleep in a hut. If you have 2-4 weeks of time , and you want to know and move, then keep your pocket wider." Well said. Take beautiful country Zambia, with its unique reserve Luangwa. How long do you think it will take by bus from the capital of the country, Lusaka, to Luangwa, which is 500 km to the north? Did someone say all day? You are wrong. About 50 hours on an absolutely dead dirt road through the jungle. You will go crazy from this trip, and then it will take a day or two to come to your senses. It costs money to recover because it's paying for extra days at the lodge, which aren't cheap. Any step you take to the side entails serious costs. The air ticket costs a lot more expensive than a bus, $180 (bus - $40), but you save time. And time is money. We arrived early in the morning in Luangwa, dropped our things at the lodge, and immediately started the safari. For general knowledge of the park, 3-4 days are enough, that’s 3 nights in the lodge. On average, a lodge will cost $150-200 for two, or average up to $100 per person. For 3 nights you will pay $300 + $180 air ticket = $480.

Now let's compare a trip on a cheap but exhausting bus. After 2 nights without proper sleep in a jam-packed lorry (a hybrid of a bus and a truck, a type of shift vehicle), you will arrive at your destination exhausted. Your bus will look something like this (pictured regular bus Lusaka-Mwufe):

Exhausted, you stomp to the lodge and fall into bed. Bam! The first night, and minus $100 from your vacation budget, and most likely 2 nights, because such buses arrive at an extremely inconvenient time. Already lost $200. We add the original $300 for 3 nights in the park, and we come out to $500. And with the plane $480. Almost the same. The question is asked - why pay more and travel with discomfort, if you can pay the same and fly like a king?

Country selection

Do you want cheap and interesting? To you in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that these are the most expensive countries in Africa. Nonsense. These are the most civilized countries in Africa with well-developed infrastructure and services. And first-class nature. And prices are not only not higher than in Kenya-Tanzania-Uganda-Ethiopia and others, but, as a rule, they are lower. You need a good road network where you can drive a rental car, and motels where you can stay inexpensively. It's all there. Compare with other poorer countries. Let's take the already mentioned Zambia. The roads are terrible and you need a 4x4 vehicle, which will cost you from $200 per day. In South Africa, the same car will cost $50-60 per day, and a simpler type, for example a Toyota Corolla, will cost $35-40. Remember what I said about the quality of roads? So, even with a simple city car you can visit the luxurious national parks of Etosha and Bwawata in Namibia, Kruger in South Africa, or Chobe in Botswana.

Accommodations

Now for the night. In these three countries there is a luxurious network of motels and inexpensive lodges priced at $50-70 for two places with amenities in the room, air conditioning and TV. In Tanzania, for example, you have a different choice: either $120-150 for an option similar to the South African one, or $15-30 for a terrible cesspool with mosquitoes.

Actually, my experience traveling in Africa in December 2009

First of all, I decided that I would look at nature in Botswana and Namibia. As the play progressed, fate brought me to Zimbabwe, where I also saw the wonderful Hwange National Park, but I’ll tell you about that another time. So, Botswana as a starting point for the national parks of southern Africa. I book a car on the website Avis.co.za, where a Toyota Corolla 1.6 sedan costs $53 per day without any volume restrictions. Next, I study sites dedicated to national park Chobe, which starts right from the town of Kasan, where I plan to stay:

In terms of tourism, Caprivi is interesting because of its three rivers that cross it in different places: Zambezi, Chobe and Okavango. Everywhere is full of animals and practically no tourists. And what’s even more pleasant is excellent roads, cheap tickets to the parks ($4 won’t bother you much, right?) and inexpensive overnight accommodation in nature. Note that in neighboring Botswana, on these same three rivers, a whole tourist infrastructure has developed, and those who travel there are those wearing hats with brims a la Livingston and million-dollar show-offs, and then photographs in the style of “I am in front of an elephant. Me, after returning to Moscow, in front of my dacha. Me against the backdrop of black women with boobs. I got drunk on vodka and am lying in bed." You don’t have thousands of dollars to spare, are you bothered by an overnight stay for 400 dollars a day? Then forget about the Okavango on Botswana territory. You have a direct path to the Caprivi.

After crossing the border, we had a 3-hour drive west to the Okavango River and Popa Falls (yes, that's right - Popa). And there is also the Bwawata National Park. In the isthmus's only town, Katima Mulilo, you'll pay a Namibian toll of about $24. When leaving the country, you will be checked to see if you have a toll receipt. The town is absolutely unremarkable, except that you need to refuel and buy groceries here. And then there is the border with Zambia, and besides, the gate to the upper part of the Zambezi Basin and the Ngonye Waterfalls, which can be reached, but only by jeep, having overcome 140 km of washed-out dirt road on Zambian territory. And no public transport. Taking into account the fact that it will be almost impossible for you to find a rental company willing to allow you to take their car to Zambia, a visit to Ngonye Falls turns into an exciting quest.

Roads, hotels and animals

The trails in Namibia are good. The limit is 120 km/h and there are almost no cars, giving you the opportunity to cover long distances in a minimum of time. I confess, I exceeded the speed and drove 150-160 km/h.

But after some time, we witnessed a serious accident with a victim, after which I did not exceed the speed limit until the very end of the trip -

The refrigerator was carrying frozen meat, as much as 8 tons. In the African heat, after just a couple of hours of not working, the freezer smelled horribly of rotten meat. However, I don’t want to discuss this episode. I’ll just say one thing - the truck driver was speeding at about 150, and fell asleep at the wheel. Science for all sorts of Schumachers.

National Parks and Lodges

With this I finish the story about the Caprivi, and we cross the border to Botswana, which will be a separate story -

Other reports about Africa:

This continent has probably attracted many of you since childhood. Ancient tribes, wild animals, unique nature and familiar words - Kalahari, Zanzibar, Serengeti. All this is Africa. Unfortunately, as tempting as this continent is, it also discourages travelers. Disease, crime, danger of being eaten. These horror stories were also instilled in us from an early age, but fortunately, not all of them are true. In this article we will tell you how to independently organize a trip to the most popular African countries, what you must do before the trip, how much money to take with you and what you should really be afraid of.

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Let's start with preparing for the trip.

Trip to Africa: about illnesses

Yellow fever

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter most African countries. Muscovites can get vaccinated for free at City Clinic No. 5 at the address: 107052, Moscow, st. Trubnaya, 19, building 1 on a first-come, first-served basis. You will need a passport with registration and an insurance policy.

Those who do not have a residence permit can get vaccinated at the following addresses:

• GKUZ Infectious Clinical Hospital No. 1Address: 195367, Moscow, Volokolamskoye Highway, 63Fax: +7 495 490-14-14

  Tel.: +7 495 942-48-39

  Price - 810 rubles

• State Budgetary Healthcare Institution City Clinic No. 5Address: 107052, Moscow, st. Trubnaya, 19, building 1 Tel.: +7 495 621-94-65

  Fax: +7 495 621-15-28

  Price - 1700 rubles

• Vaccination point No. 6 Federal State Budgetary Institution "Polyclinic No. 1" Department of the President of the Russian Federation Address: 119002, Moscow, Sivtsev Vrazhek lane, 26/28 Tel.: +7 499 241-01-90, 499 241-09-31

  Price - 2550 rubles

Malaria

Yellow fever is not a real threat. The situation with malaria is much worse. There is no vaccination against it, and therefore you will have to buy preventive tablets such as Chloroquine (Delagil). You need to start taking it two weeks before your trip and two weeks after. But remember that all antimalarial drugs have large number side effects, and therefore it is better to avoid their use.

In fact, according to the experience of our colleague, there are practically no mosquitoes during the day, but in the evening you need to use repellent and wear long sleeves. If you do not neglect these rules, then nothing bad will happen.

Visas to African countries

Russian citizens require a visa to most African countries, but we are talking about popular tourist countries, so let's focus on a few.

• Kenya. A visa must be issued in advance at the embassy, ​​the cost is $50. Usually, obtaining a Kenyan visa does not cause any difficulties, but they may put a stamp exactly on the travel dates, so be careful.
• Tanzania.
• Uganda. A visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is $50 for three months.
• Zambia. A visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is $50 for one month.
• Zimbabwe. A visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is 30 dollars for one month.
• Botswana. No visa required.
• Namibia. No visa required.

Visa to South Africa

From March 30, 2017, Russians can travel to South Africa without a visa for up to 90 days. Before this, you had to pay $30 for a visa.

What to take with you

1. Repellent (local) good means cost 3-4 times more than in Russia).
2. Powerful sunscreen (the equatorial sun never sleeps).
3. Discreet clothing (preferably khaki or sand-colored; women should not wear short skirts).
4. Headgear (Panama hat or baseball cap).
5. Insurance.

Myths

1. I'll go to Africa and get Ebola. Not true. All of the above countries do not and never have had the Ebola virus.
2. Africa is a wild, uncivilized place. Not true. Africa has good internet and is inexpensive. mobile communications, a huge number of restaurants for tourists and hundreds of hostels and hotels for every taste.
3. It's expensive to fly to Africa, I'll go broke on tickets. Not true. Very often you can buy tickets from, and for the price of tickets to Asia.
4. In Africa, I will be killed, raped and robbed (in that order) as soon as I leave the airport. No, that's not true. You need to be careful in major cities, especially in the capitals, since that’s where everyone who wants easy money comes. The measures are the most common: be careful, don’t wave your camera or iPhone over your head, and don’t go into the slums. In general, the residents of the listed countries are very, very friendly, you can fearlessly turn to them on the street for help, and calmly get into a taxi. But there is one “but” - you are a tourist, which means you have money. And in African countries this is felt especially clearly. Be prepared for constant beggars, helpers, sellers of anything (and they don’t understand the words “don’t need, don’t want, no money”) and other annoying, but not dangerous people.

What is a must see in Africa and how much does it cost?

Safari in Tanzania

Entrance to the national park is 40-50 dollars. But we must not forget that if you go to the Serengeti Park, you will also have to pay for the Ngorongoro crater, and twice. And the safari itself will take at least two days, so you will have to pay twice for the Serengeti.

From Brest I have already hitchhiked about 70,000 kilometers, driven to Nepal, the Republic of Tyva, Georgia and a bunch of other places European countries. She recently returned from a massive 157-day trip to Africa - on a budget of $1 a day. Is there life for 17,000 Belarusian rubles, how to hitchhike correctly and how to approach life knowing that you have cancer, Tanya told 34travel.

Tanya's story

I studied rather boringly, as an economist. Initially I assumed that it was not for me, but my parents insisted. I have always been a creative person: I danced, twirled fireworks, and studied medieval culture. Traveling is one of the greatest pleasures for me. We have a huge beautiful planet, and I’m not ready to live my whole life in one city or one country. For the last two years I have been constantly on the road and am almost never at home.

I only recently found out that I have a tumor - at the end of September. That it is thyroid cancer - in early October. Of course, I was offended, and I didn’t understand why. But I won’t say that I was depressed for a long time. I remember how after the operation everyone was brought to the ward crying, and I asked to put headphones in my ears and kicked my legs to upbeat music, although it was painful to move. If we cannot change the situation, we must change our attitude towards it!

Cancer made me realize that I was also at risk. Therefore, the desire to travel opened up even more

Cancer made me realize that I was also at risk. Therefore, the desire to travel opened up in me even more. Yes, there are a few lifetime restrictions, but it's not as bad as it could be.

I am a chronic parasite. During my life, I officially worked for exactly a month. From time to time I take on some part-time jobs - writing, taking photographs, conducting opinion polls. When I travel, I play the guitar and draw. And since hitchhiking is quite inexpensive, traveling is often even cheaper than living at home. It’s expensive and expensive for me to stay in Brest - I’m forced to travel somewhere, but it turns out cheaper and much more interesting! For example, I left for Moldova for ten days with ten dollars, and returned with fourteen.

Tanya in Africa

In Africa I visited 5 countries - Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia. All countries are very different from each other.

Uganda. A land of fun, carelessness and joy. This is where the real “Hakuna Matata” is. There are songs and dances in the streets until late at night, people are everywhere, aunties are frying and steaming delicious cheap food. Noise, din... An ideal country for experiencing truly African life. They didn’t hear about hunger and lack of water there, and when I told them how poorly they live in the imagination of Belarusians, the guys were surprised!

Kenya. At first we were afraid of it: a lot of beggars, ugly guys in woolen hats and jackets, when it’s +40 outside, dirt, garbage, stench... But this is only in the suburbs of Nairobi. And you gradually get used to the garbage. There are a lot of animals right next to the roads. Zebras, giraffes - all this is Kenya. Red sand, Indian Ocean, mango.

Tanzania. Here, alas, the rainy season caught up with us. Therefore, we only stayed in Tanzania for two weeks. We visited Kilimanjaro Park. It was amazing to see this legendary mountain with my own eyes. Here we were taken to the very heart of Maasai culture - a real village.

Zambia. Country-forest. There are very, very few people here! You can drive 400 km along the road and not see a single person. Here and there there are houses sticking out in the forest. After East Africa, where there is something to eat at every turn, in Zambia we were literally starving: 2 boiled eggs, 2 tomatoes, 2 buns - our entire daily ration. Sometimes even this was not the case. But Victoria Falls makes up for everything at once!

Namibia. I don't have words to describe this country. So diverse nature, life, culture, people, animals! It would seem that everything is here - desert, wild forest, various tribes, the architecture of old German cities. God, these are the coolest sunsets in the world! And the baked goods are the coolest too!

Hospitality

Africans amazed me with their openness and friendliness. When I was planning to travel, I was afraid that I, as a white man who colonized them, would be hated or at least disliked. And they were very sincere! Of course, the drivers periodically tried to profit from us, but even they helped us when they realized that we had no money. The Africans checked us into hotels, invited us to their homes, fed us, and sometimes even gave us money.

We traveled in Kenya for about a month, and only slept in a tent once or twice - we were constantly being accommodated somewhere. They rarely invited people into the house - they were embarrassed by their poverty

In general, Africans have a strong sense of responsibility for those they have “tamed.” And this is despite the fact that in their concept, white people are fabulously rich and came to Africa to relax and spend money. We traveled in Kenya for about a month, and only slept in a tent once or twice - we were constantly being accommodated somewhere. More often settled in cheap hotels- Seeing that we were white, the Africans wanted to give us a better place. They rarely invited people into the house - they were probably embarrassed by their poverty, or they were simply uncomfortable. Not far from the sources of the Nile, in a small town, we made friends with the chief of police and on the way back we stopped by to visit him for a few days.

Africa also amazed me with its greenery: there are many familiar trees and field grasses there. I was expecting more exotic species. In general, in my mind, this continent was a semi-desert: heat, palm trees, blacks sitting in loincloths and eating bananas. It turned out that in Africa there is big cities with skyscrapers, where locals wear business suits and ties and eat in expensive restaurants.

Hitch-hiking

For the first month, the three of us traveled with a friend and a friend. Fortunately, in East Africa This is fine. The situation when a truck is traveling, there are five people in it and the three of us with backpacks are taken there - this is the norm. The problem of “no space in the cabin” does not exist for African drivers at all.

The main feature of traveling in Africa is that you are a “mzungu” - a white man who, in the concept of Africans, flies planes and drives jeeps. Besides, there is no such thing as hitchhiking! They give each other rides - but for money, since there is not enough public transport for everyone. Therefore, when you get into an African’s car, the first thing you need to do is explain why the hell you, a white man, ended up on the road, and without any money. This is a big shock for them. It is advisable to repeat several times while you are driving that you have no money and will not be able to pay.

When you get into an African's car, you need to explain why the hell you, a white man, ended up on the road, and without any money.

Once we even had a case when we argued with the driver and he even called the local police and convened a people's court. The driver drove us some absolutely ridiculous distance and demanded a lot of money. We were indignant. In the end, the elder sorted everything out, making sure that we warned the driver that we would not pay.

Another strange pattern: small white broken-down cars in Africa are always toll-free. We installed it in a couple of days and didn’t stop them anymore.

Robbery

Once we were robbed in Africa. A common thing that happens very often to people traveling. The only interesting thing is that this did not happen in poorest areas some criminal Nairobi. We were robbed during the day, in the center of the capital Windhoek, in Namibia, 200 meters from the main police station.

My friend had to get into a fight. He took back his passport; however, after that he himself had to be stitched up in the hospital

It was on a hill, so there were no people nearby. Two black guys with knives simply approached us and politely asked us to give up our backpacks, warning that they would not touch us if we gave everything up ourselves. But, seeing my fellow traveler have a camera in his backpack, they got cold feet from our loud screams and began to run away. My passport was in my backpack. A friend had to catch up with them and start a fight. He got his passport back, although after that he had to file it himself in the hospital. But scars only decorate men.

Budget

I spent 157 days in Africa. And, of course, the question that worries everyone: “How much money did you spend?”

For flights - $630, for visas - $200, for other expenses (food, travel in cities) - about $230. Total - $1060.

They gave us another $98. Thanks to all these kind people! We spent an average of $1 a day. I won’t say that you can feel comfortable with this amount, but we didn’t die of hunger.

Of course, we were often treated to food by the drivers and our hosts. For a dollar a day you can eat generously but modestly. For example, in Uganda you can buy 20 bananas and 6 flatbreads, this food will be enough not only for a day, but for three! There we spent 30 cents a day and felt great. It’s good that there was water in the pumps everywhere, otherwise the problem is that a liter bottle of water costs just $1.

In Namibia, as in a more civilized country, it was not possible to live on a dollar, here we spent about three, but I can safely say that we did not deny ourselves anything!

In Kenya, with this money you can buy 4 large and ripe mangoes, which is enough for me for a day. It all depends on your preferences; it is quite possible to eat simple African food (mashed bananas or corn porridge) and fruits. If you want to eat a piece of meat every day, of course, this amount is not for you...

Photo - Tanya Gendel

Having traveled through 8 West African countries and gained some knowledge about this region, I decided to collect in one place general thoughts about traveling along it. In general, some of these theses will apply to all of West and Central Africa, and some to the entire continent.

1. Let's be honest. Traveling around Africa, and especially along its western promontory, is, to put it mildly, not easy and is not for everyone. If you haven’t been anywhere in particular before, then Africa is definitely not the place to go. There are more than enough reasons for this.

2. I visited the following countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire. To one degree or another, the contents of this post apply to all these countries with the exception of Morocco - this state It does not fit into the general African trend at all, being much more civilized, interesting and convenient for travel. Well, it is known that Morocco is Africa purely geographically.

3. Is Africa terrible? Yes, yes, yes! Almost every African population is not equipped in any way, and is also overflowing with garbage and dirt. A day's walk through an African city is sometimes comparable in the amount of dirt and germs obtained to a visit to a city dump somewhere in Europe, Russia, or Latin America. On average, you have to do laundry here 1.5-2 times more often than in other parts of the planet.

4. Household unsanitary conditions. If you don't have the opportunity to regularly wash and disinfect your hands (and in Africa you usually won't), then you are at risk. Insidious microbes are waiting for you.

5. Prices. Africa is a very expensive region to travel. For an ignorant person, it may seem strange that impoverished countries, where 80% live below the poverty line, can be expensive, but everything is logical. Very little of anything other than food is produced here (and food is often imported from Europe or neighboring African countries), and terrible logistics, terrible roads, and customs duties make most of the goods that we are accustomed to, which form an integral part of our everyday life, insanely expensive.

6. Africa's motto: "Long and poor quality! But expensive". Be prepared for the fact that hotels, transport, catering and much else provide shitty quality services at prices close to European ones. In principle, it is possible to find something decent (which will also have some problems), but the prices will be generally astronomical.

7. Local population. In fact, I’ve heard the saying that “if you’re not already a racist, you just haven’t been in Africa for long.” I haven’t become a racist, I’m still for the fact that all people are equal, but, frankly speaking, sometimes blacks are catastrophically annoying. With his meticulous pestering, tactlessness, laziness.

8. Everything in Africa is organized ugly and chaotic. Don’t plan too many things in one day, you won’t have time to do them anyway, or you won’t be able to do them. Always prepare for the fact that there will be delays and inconsistencies along your route; always allow extra time for them.

9. I already wrote about that. What was written applied, admittedly, mainly to the not entirely black Mauritania, but still. I will repeat the key point:

Africa is a difficult continent. Africa teaches you to be tolerant of dirt, teaches you to overcome your traditional physical aversion to many things, kills excessive disgust, leaving only cold prudence: whether this or that thing can really harm your health or not. But that’s not even the main thing... Africa constantly poses the question to you: who you really are, and forces you to prove your beliefs in practice.

And now I will add the following. White, by definition, is a rich, snickering mister, a bag of money who is obliged to share every sneeze with the poor blacks. You encounter deception, inflated prices, begging, and selling all sorts of unnecessary things and services here several times more often than in all other countries of the 3rd world.

10. Naturally, representatives of official services (police officers, border guards) are prone to the same extortion of money, sometimes actively, sometimes cautiously (but I was lucky here, I only encountered this a couple of times). Ordinary citizens will simply want money, for example, for taking photographs of them, but children will simply want money for meeting you.

11. Is Africa dangerous? Yes, yes, yes! The list of problems that can happen here is incomparable to any other country. The main danger, perhaps, is tropical diseases, primarily malaria.

12. In fact, this is not a question that should be joked with. Almost all of Africa is “infected” (with the exception of the extreme south and north). But malaria has different forms and levels of its spread. In West Africa, the most terrible form of Plasmodium Falciparum is widespread, from which you can die within a few days if you do not start treatment on time. Therefore, you have to constantly think about protection from malaria-carrying mosquitoes!

13. It might not be so scary if malaria were the only natural danger in Africa. But alas, there are more than a lot of nasty things here: Ebola, hepatitis, dysentery. However, the real danger of Ebola, I believe, is greatly exaggerated, the chance of encountering it is minimal (it is common only in the Guinea region), but everything else can happen if you do not take precautions. I am not yet talking about AIDS and all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases (but this is relevant for those who love all sorts of adventures with local representatives of the opposite sex). Yes, it’s quite possible to simply get poisoned by low-quality food here.

14. Another problem is anthropogenic. Africa is the most turbulent continent in terms of all kinds of political disturbances. Coups d'etat, civil wars, separatism, rebels here in every second country. Of course, the real danger of getting caught in a firefight is minimal: most likely, if, suddenly, a civil war happens, you will find out about it and simply will not go to this country. But all this results in increased suspicion of the special services, spyphobia, document checks, brainwashing for photographing something “strategic”.

15. But. The main thing, however, is not this. All these difficulties could be survived if there was something for it. And here we come to the main problem: there is not much to see in West Africa!

16. Let's look at this point in detail. Interesting cities in Africa outside the north Arab countries no at all! Well, that is, of course, there is something, Dakar is interesting in some way, and even in the provincial Ouagadougou you can find a lot of interesting things; a number of cities with colonial buildings can be found throughout the mainland. But these are clearly not the cities for which it is worth rushing to go there; they are worth visiting, perhaps, along the way, if you find yourself in those parts.

17. Antique ruins meet, and right here, in West Africa! Something is even included in the UNESCO list. But, objectively, there are not very many of them, and even now a significant part of them are located in territories controlled by the rebels.

18. Nature. This is, perhaps, the main reason why people generally go to Africa. But even here there is an ambush. Firstly, the most interesting nature is still in East Africa, and partly in South Africa. In the West, everything is much sadder and more monotonous. And, secondly, no matter how interesting places are located in the territories of national parks, where entry costs a fortune, access is only possible by transport, with a guide, etc.

19. After all, this is so logical: since rich white gentlemen are ready to pay a lot of money for a safari, then why not take it from them. The fact that not all whites are equally rich does not occur to Africans, especially since the poor practically do not get there (although I believe that even if it occurred to them, little would change).

20. In West Africa, if you wish, you can see elephants, crocodiles, lions, hippos and monkeys. Well, that is, the very animals with which we have associated Africa since childhood. But for this you will have to spend a lot of time and, especially, money, without any guarantee that you will meet the animals you are looking for. Let's multiply the equation by the quality of African service, from which in this case there is no way to get out of it (situations are quite real when lazy guides spend half the paid time lying around and smoking bamboo) and calculate the ratio of costs to the impressions received.

21. In general, the problem of accessibility wildlife in Africa it is quite acute. I think it’s worthwhile to be concerned about developing technology to penetrate national parks, bypassing posts and imposed guides, or minimizing their harm. Here, however, you automatically face the problem of transport, which also needs to be solved somehow. Because even if visiting the national park without it is not prohibited, this does not eliminate the need to move around a fairly vast territory. How? There is, of course, no public transport there; walking on foot takes a very long time, is difficult and ineffective. Well, you have to somehow get to the park itself, but they are always away from civilization. In West Africa, for example, the entrance fees themselves are not very high, but the main costs will be for guides and transport.

22. However, West African parks are considered less interesting than East African ones. There are fewer animals here, it is more difficult to meet them, but they are cheaper, the only advantage. I have never been to any national park (with the possible exception of Abuko Park in the Gambia, but it is tiny; you can completely walk around it in an hour). Although, probably, for the sake of scientific knowledge it would be worth visiting one of them.

23. What to say West Africa is not a region you want to visit a second time. This doesn’t mean that you regret the first one; on the contrary, it’s very interesting to see it all. So, out of 8 countries, only two aroused the desire to come again, and the first and last: Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire. I wrote about Morocco, but Côte d’Ivoire beckons because I haven’t seen its capital Yamoussoukro since the very big temple in the world. Well, in general, it’s somehow more positive there than in other countries.

24. In general, of course, it’s even convenient. In fact, I liked the vast majority of countries before, and I would visit almost all of them again. But this is not so simple, especially if they are far away! But there are also unvisited countries, of which there are even more. It turns out that the process is generally endless, and almost the whole world will always be in sight. And then, finally, countries appear where you no longer need to go.

25. Another such moment. There are no cool “tricks” in African countries. Well, just what makes one feel nostalgic for the country upon returning. Some special food, drinks, establishments, some aesthetic moments such as carpets, local music. Most countries in the world have these features: falafels in the Middle East, lagman and pilaf in Central Asia, tagine in Morocco, hammams in Turkey, tea houses in China, meat in Mongolia, mate in Argentina, salsa and tango there, samba and other catchy pop music in Brazil, etc. Well, that is, not necessarily food, but these pleasant little things that are an integral part of everyday life, which you always remember with such warmth, and if you find yourself in the country, you always go for them first. And in Africa there is nothing like this! Life here is as simple and primitive as possible. The food, in principle, is not particularly tasty and quite expensive, drinks include instant coffee and tea in 100-gram glasses, the music here is generally primitive and disgusting - disgusting, dull poppycock, and Afro drum playing is rare and, in general, difficult to understand. Therefore, there is nothing left to miss here when you return home.

27.
- If you are sensitive to dirt, poor living conditions, terrible service, if comfort and coziness are important to you, do not go to West Africa!
- If travel is your first priority, this interesting cities with a rich cultural program, don't go to West Africa.
- If you are a fan of traveling through beautiful nature: walking in the mountains, rafting down rivers, wandering through the jungle - do not go to West Africa (jungles, although in a reduced form, still exist in the countries of the Gulf of Guinea).
- If you like relaxed travel, relaxation and downshifting, lying on the beach, then don’t go to Africa in principle (anywhere!). Although, objectively speaking, even in West African countries there are enough European downshifters.

28. But who should really go to ZA is
- lovers of all sorts of rare semi-wild peoples.
- fans of proletarian, rural and very simple life, who do not bother with comfort.
- geographers, geoproctologists and “collectors” of countries.
- adventurers, adventure seekers, everything new and unusual.

29. But still, I feel that my story turned out to be completely gloomy, that this is some kind of ass of the world, so it is impossible not to highlight the positive aspects of African reality. The main thing is that, no matter what, It's quite possible to travel here! It’s not so trashy, terrible, impossible to live here. There are numerous everyday difficulties, but, in general, there is nothing here that would require some kind of incredible heroism. Perhaps it exists in Central Africa. And here, you go and go.

30. Safety. This is a very pleasant aspect, especially for those who have traveled to Latin America. Indeed, most African countries are quite calm and peaceful. Yes, they will annoy you with requests and begging for money, but violent cases of taking it away are extremely rare here. And beyond major cities like Cape Town, Lagos or Nairobi, it’s quite calm here. Even in Dakar and Abidjan you feel much calmer than, say, Rio or Medellin. In other places, you can generally calmly walk through all sorts of homeless slums without fear of getting into any problems there.

31. Color. That's what, but at least eat this. The reality here is so bright and varied that it completely compensates for the lack of any interesting objects. These include women in all sorts of Afro dresses, carrying giant bales on their heads, and minibuses hung with all sorts of bags on three sides, or with goats on the roofs, and markets, where sometimes a real Babylon reigns, and donkeys with sheep grazing in front of elite hotels. In Africa you will often sing the song “I know for sure: the impossible is possible.”

32. In Africa, elements of all sorts of ancient tribal cultures have been preserved; here you can really see some ancient tribal rituals, and they are carried out not for the amusement of tourists, but according to traditions. Or just even all sorts of dances or holidays in the countryside are in themselves something unique that you will never forget.

33. Rituals and holidays, by the way, is the second good reason to go to Africa in principle. But here, as with national parks, everything is very difficult and there are many pitfalls. Firstly, in order to get to a wedding, holiday or ceremony, you need to know where and when they are taking place, and then somehow get there. In cities, of course, you won’t find such brightness, although anything can happen; interesting weddings are also held on the outskirts. Secondly, it is advisable to make sure that this is a real ritual, and not a show for tourists, which they sometimes watch. The problem is that the line between the first and second categories is very blurred, they can be carried out by the same people at different times, and sometimes the presence of a tourist can simply stimulate it to be carried out earlier (of course, financially). Those. they would have held it anyway, but not when you arrived, but a week or two later. And it’s not clear how to feel about this - on the one hand, everything seems to be authentic anyway, on the other hand, you brought your influence into the existence of this society and somewhat disrupted its usual way of life. In general, be that as it may, such a study of African ethnography will require enormous preliminary preparation. Most people are unlikely to bother with this, and then they can only hope that they will be lucky enough to come across something like this by chance, as happened to me in Gambia.

34. And the above-mentioned flavor of ordinary life is very impressive. I’m even afraid that after what I’ve seen here, there won’t be much sticking around here anymore. Already in Latin America and the Middle East it is much less pronounced.

35. But over time you get used to it. And then, taking into account all the negative aspects described above, it becomes really boring and sad if you don’t find or do anything interesting. This is what happened to me towards the end of the trip, when I really got tired of Africa and really wanted to go home. Because it’s been virtually the same thing for a month now.

36. Unpredictability and adventure. Be that as it may, no matter how you go to Africa (civilized or wild), no matter what you focus on (cities or national parks), your trip will be filled with surprises, surprises, pleasant and not so pleasant, but definitely an integral part of the journey.

But in general?

37. Well, you’ll probably ask: so you didn’t like it? Why then go to this hole in the world at all? I will say that in principle I try not to operate with the categories “like”/“dislike”. In any case, they are not decisive. I'm interested in everything, but it won't necessarily be pleasant. I am interested in life in Argentina, I go there and I like it there. I am interested in life in Mali, I go there and, for example, I don’t like it there, but I have already received knowledge about Mali, and that is enough for me.

38. Will I go to Africa again, and in particular to West Africa? Yes, I would like to. I probably won’t spend time on the countries I visited, but there are still many others left: Guinea, Liberia, Togo-Benin, Niger, etc. It would be interesting to see them too, and my existing experience of traveling around the region will allow me to better prepare for these countries.

39. I heard from my colleague Alexander Volkov ( wolfgrel ) the thesis that Africa leaves no one indifferent. Only some, having arrived here, turn up their noses and swear that “never set foot again,” while others simply go crazy about this continent, rave about it, and they are drawn and drawn to Africa again to return. Apparently I’m a rare person who finds himself in the middle and my attitude here is quite moderate: I’m not going to go crazy about Africa, but I would quite like to come here someday, and more than once. However, it is absolutely true that Africa did not leave me indifferent. In terms of the power of impressions, this trip surpasses most of the previous ones. Just a mathematical expectation of aspects that influence the desire to come again just above zero somewhere :)

40. Whatever you say, Africa evokes a lot of emotions, Africa is a constant drama. It may be hard for you here, disgusting, disgusting, but you definitely won’t be bored, well, at least at first. Therefore, if you are able to experience all the difficulties it contains, and also if this emotional aspect of the journey is primarily important to you, you will definitely not regret coming here.