9 African Countries in 7 Weeks
We booked a driver to pick us up from the airport in Nairobi, Kenya and drop us off at the Ragati Reserve where we would go fly fishing for Rainbows, Browns and Ragati Reds. 3 days of fly- fishing the sweet waters of Mt. Kenya while staying in a pristine camp in the lower reaches of the mountain. Mt. Kenya tends to get overlooked by the popular Kilimanjaro but it has a lot to offer in terms of hiking, fishing and cost is half the price. At the bottom of Kilimanjaro lies Amboseli National Park which is where we did our safari.
With plans to head south, we didn’t want to miss out on visiting Uganda. Flights between Entebee and Nairobi were cheap making it an easy decision to visit Uganda. Uganda is home to the mountain gorillas, they are an endangered species that only a number of people are fortunate enough to see. The park grants up to 80 permits per day so it is recommended to book in advance. I can assure you it is worth every penny.
Walking over the border to Tanzania we grabbed a quick bite to eat before grabbing a mini bus to Arusha. After a crazy night of partying and a morning of samosas, we made plans to take the train across Tanzania to Mbeya. This gave us a week to take a trip to Zanzibar Island. The buildings in Stone Town have big blank white walls, colourful stained glass windows with tight alley ways taking you past all the tiny shops in the Darajani Bazaar. The architecture is beautiful and very different compared to what we have seen so far in Kenya and Northern Tanzania. After seeking out the real market where the locals eat, we ate our hearts out! We took a mini bus to Paje, the most beautiful beach we have ever been too. The train crossing to Mbeya was an amazing ride that connected us to the other side of the country and to 3 amazing people we’d spend the next week with.
Malawi. Malaaawwwwwiiiiii, is really how we were saying it. It sounded so tropical and exotic, and it is just fun to say. We stayed at a hilltop eco-friendly self-sustaining camp for a few nights, hiked to Livingstonia then headed to Nkhata Bay to swim with the colourful cichilds in Lake Malawi. From there we headed south where we’d cross the border and get ready to fish the Zambezi River.
As soon as we crossed the border to Zambia things were taken up a notch. There was supermarkets again, collarded greens and the most aggressive bus station we’ve ever been too. We spent most of our time in Livingston near the falls. There was no doubt that we’d be making our way out to the edge of Victoria Falls to sit in Devil’s Pool. It was a great adventure and a view and would highly recommend; you don’t want to miss out on Devil’s Pool. The Zambezi River offered an opportunity to catch the famous Tiger Fish that we couldn’t pass up. We fished surrounded by crocodiles and hippos. Afterwards we booked a bus to Namibia, little did we know we would be travelling through Zimbabwe and Botswana before entering Namibia. With Zimbabwe’s constantly crashing currency, we had planned on saving these countries for another visit but it appears our bus line had another plan for us.
Swakopmund, Namibia
Dune 45, Namibia
Shortly after arriving in Namibia, we felt like we were at home again. Vast landscapes with a small population. Abundant wildlife. It was the perfect place for our road trip. We rented a car so we could really make the most of our week in Namibia. We visited Etosha National Park and were finally able to check Rhino off our Africa bucket list. Like most of Namibia on the West coast you need a permit to access it so we headed south to Swakopmund to do some shark fishing. With our time in Namibia coming to an end we headed toward our last destination, Fish River Canyon. The Orange River lies on the border of South Africa and is definitely worth the visit. Note: Do not overstay your visa in Namibia like we did. They only approve your visa for your ‘intended’ number of days so make you add some extras days in case of a late bus or two.
Cape Town, South Africa
After our exciting exchange at the border crossing we made it to Upington, South Africa. We stayed at a home away from home which was a perfect way to be introduced to the country, living like a local. Taking an overnight bus to Cape Town we found ourselves wrapping up our trip with shark diving and penguin watching on the coast. We stayed on Long street at an awesome hostel surrounded by shops, restaurants and pubs, located in a great spot just a few minutes walk from the hop on hop off tour bus. Being the last stop on our trip, this is where we hoped on our flight back home to Canada.
