africa nariobi to cape town.good company to go with?any advice?

shadowdawn

Hello there, I'm thinking of travelling around Africa for 2-3 months by myself later in the year. I would love to do a trip from Nariobi down to Cape Town take in a much of Africa as I can.Could anyone recommend a good organisation group to go with please.I'm looking into travelling overland with Absolute Africia anyone have experience with them? Also any advice on must sees or any tips you can give me would really appreciate it!

LaMer

I traveled for a few days in South Africa with a girl during the summer who had done the Nairobi ( or maybe she had come from Dar Es Salaam, cant remember but it was overland) to Cape Town route a year or two ago, she raved about it, said it was such an experience. Although she did say that you were limited in meeting locals, since the truck only spends at most a day or 2 in a location, and sometimes only a night so she rathered doing it independently. She said though that you can meet some good people, get to do some good safaris and it's safe and comfortable.

I thought about doing one myself maybe during this summer, but I ruled it out, would pefer to do things independently.

mac123

LaMer wrote: »

I thought about doing one myself maybe during this summer, but I ruled it out, would pefer to do things independently.

I heard its practically impossible to get a fair price for transport etc when you do it independently?? But i agree its probably the only way to do it, I hate the idea of being on a strict route/timetable.

LaMer

Yep I heard that first hand too, apparently its possible up until Northern/Central Mozambique(if you're coming from cape town), but after that its foreigner prices from what I've heard, mostly on minibuses. A guy who had come from Tanzania said some people in Tanzania were paying $30 for bus journeys and stuff, and then sometimes bribes on top of that. He said it takes ALOT of bargaining, and a couple of beers/ciggies.
From what I saw and heard of the overland trips, you're cooped up alot in the bus/truck, only visit the set tourist areas, don't get much of a chance for socialising outside of your group, and you're set to a timetable which is pretty strictly kept to, eg if you spend a day extra in one place, you miss a day somewhere else.

belgowho

dont miss out on malawi, beautiful country, you dont need a visa for there either since they dont need one for ireland

Trapattoni

Howya, Ive travelling since last August. The first thing I did was fly to Nairobi, I travlled down independently to climb Kilimanjaro (this took around 10 days) and then bussed it back to Nairobi where I did the Nairobi to Cape Town tripe for 55 days.

All I can say is this will be the best thing you will ever ever do, but you're right to make sure its with the right company...met loads of trucks on the way I was glad I didnt end up on.

I dont think you can go wrong with Africa Travel Company ATC. The truck itself is quality and they aim at a 18-35 age group. I was on my own and I cant tell you how many lifelong friends Ive made from that trip alone.

Best of luck, let me know if you need anything else

youcancallmeal

Going to be doing a tour like this myself in the summer. Haven't done a lot of in depth research yet but the names I keep coming across are the likes of Dragoman, Absolute Africa and Intrepid Travel. The problem is even if you go with a first hand recommendation like Trapattoni's you could get stuck with some absolute tools on trip for 2 months. Despite this I think I'll probably just end up making my decision based on cost, itinerary and first hand reports. Trapattoni's, do you mind me asking how much was your 55 day trip all in?

Trapattoni

Honestly I cant remember now, does 2k sound right? maybe 1.5k....Dragoman are a rip off. Youre right there possibly will be a couple of tools along the way - I was lucky that the 60 odd people who were on it at some point were sound...you'll find your own group within the group though if you know what i mean

Bit of advice: once on board stay out of the truck politics and arguments that sometimes crop up - you come out of it so much better

I booked mine through an agency called detour africa but it ended up being the company ATC who took me on. Its pure pot luck , you cant arrange your own group so just go with the flow - I know that even if i had one or two people i liked on this particular trip it wouldnt of mattered , its a trip of a lifetime honestly

Just one more point africa is not cheap , make sure you budget for beer if you're into that!!

Gaz

Do it on your own, those overland trucks are terrible, very overpriced and its a very limited experience with regard to expieriencing the real Africa and interacting with the locals.

I travelled from Cairo to Cape Town completely overland using nothing but public transport, some of my best memories are from the people i met on those various forms of transport, sharing stories and sharing some interesting food. Plus its much cheaper.

With a bit of planning and a decent sense of adventure its not that hard, feel free to contact me if you would like anymore info.

Spider_Baby

Trapattoni wrote: »

Honestly I cant remember now, does 2k sound right? maybe 1.5k....Dragoman are a rip off. Youre right there possibly will be a couple of tools along the way - I was lucky that the 60 odd people who were on it at some point were sound...you'll find your own group within the group though if you know what i mean

Bit of advice: once on board stay out of the truck politics and arguments that sometimes crop up - you come out of it so much better

I booked mine through an agency called detour africa but it ended up being the company ATC who took me on. Its pure pot luck , you cant arrange your own group so just go with the flow - I know that even if i had one or two people i liked on this particular trip it wouldnt of mattered , its a trip of a lifetime honestly

Just one more point africa is not cheap , make sure you budget for beer if you're into that!!

This thread has gotten me reallllly interested in doing one of these trips!
I was in South Africa a couple of years ago and met heaps of people who had done a similar trip.
A lot does depend on who is in your group though. But once there are at least a couple of people you get on well with it should be okay...I hope.

Trapattoni, I know it's hard to remember exactly...but roughly how much spending money do you think would be required for a similar trip to yours over 30 days?

Thanks

mac123

Spider_Baby wrote: »

This thread has gotten me reallllly interested in doing one of these trips!
I was in South Africa a couple of years ago and met heaps of people who had done a similar trip.
A lot does depend on who is in your group though. But once there are at least a couple of people you get on well with it should be okay...I hope.

Trapattoni, I know it's hard to remember exactly...but roughly how much spending money do you think would be required for a similar trip to yours over 30 days?

Thanks

Why would you bother trying to do that in 30 days?? You would barely be able to give south africa justice in that amount of time!

Spider_Baby

....because that's all the time I could take off work.

Off topic, but:


I really hate this travelling-snobbery.
Surely it would be better for me to do this trip in 30 days, than not do it at all? :rolleyes:

Of course having 6 months and plenty of money to spend on this trip would be way better.....but I obviously cant afford that, nor can I take that much time off work. Given the high unemployment rate in our country at the moment I would also be very reluctant to leave my job.

mac123

Spider_Baby wrote: »

....because that's all the time I could take off work.

Off topic, but:


I really hate this travelling-snobbery.
Surely it would be better for me to do this trip in 30 days, than not do it at all? :rolleyes:

Of course having 6 months and plenty of money to spend on this trip would be way better.....but I obviously cant afford that, nor can I take that much time off work. Given the high unemployment rate in our country at the moment I would also be very reluctant to leave my job.

Its not travel snobbery, i just think its crazy to try and cover that type of distance in that amount of time. If you dont have the time then why not pick one or two countries and spend a few weeks in each. You can always go back and see the rest next time!!

buccsboyo

Hey ,
Did a bit of research myself into this a while back. Here are some of the companies I found doing trips
Absolute Africa , Acacia , Go Bus ,OntheGoTours ,TopDeck , TravelMood, AfricaTravelCo , OasisOverland , Intrepid ,AfricanTrails , Overlandtravel , Imaginative Travel

Other Random Links
Thorntree Forum on Cairo to Cape Town
http://theroughguidetowestafrica.blogspot.com/
http://deeper-in2-west-africa.blogspot.com/

My plans to do this are on hold for the forseeable but if I was to pick which Id go with it Id pick African Trails they are by far the cheapest.
Someone who has been will know a lot more than me but hope those links might be some help anyway

P.S Gaz -would love to hear more about how you did your trip by urself.
Do you have a travel blog ?

LaMer

Yeah agree 100% with Mac123, definitely not travel snobbery, It took me 3 weeks to have a go in Northern South Africa/Swaziland, and even then it wasn't enough. 30 Days is definitely not enough to do Nairobi to Cape Town! Given the amount game parks (Masai Mara, Serengeti, Selous, Kruger, Hluhluwe), the amount of different people, tribes, traditions, etc. Even countries, you'd be doing at least 5, which are all bigger than any EU nation.

Gaz

No travel-blog im afraid. But as a quick overview .... I went Egypt > Sudan > Ethiopia > Kenya > Tanzania > Malawi > Zambia > Namibia > South Africa.

Trains are the easiest way to get around Egypt , then it was a 24hr ferry to get into Sudan , from then on it was mainly public buses and the odd animal transport. All of which where very cheap with the exception of the buses in southern africa , ie: Vic falls to Windhoek and Windhoek to Cape Town.
I met quite a few people on the way that used those overland trucks and to be honest it was a very mixed response from them, some loved it, some hated it. Personally I wouldnt like the lack of freedom in choosing where and when im going ...plus the gamble that you might get a bus load of knobheads.

If it was me I would use the 30 days to consentrate on one area, sure you can always go back to see the rest.

buccsboyo

Gaz,
How did you get on in when you were in Sudan. I read about having to register with the foreign aliens office regularly when you are there?Is this true? What did you see there ? How long did it take to get around here and in Ethopia? Did you stay in hostels or hotels on your trip? Are the bus's frequent on the way down or were you ever for example stuck in a town for a week cos of no transport?

Apologies for all the question v.curious about this.

Gaz

Sudan was actually one of my favourite, and the people where by far the most incredibly friendly and generous people, not a whole lot to see however with the exception of the incredible pryramids of Bagrawiyha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meroe)

My only gripe with that country was the red tape, you need a permit for EVERYTHING , visit a tourist site ...permit , cross the nile .... permit, take a photo ...permit. Also had to register with the police in every town and the visa is very exspensive at $100 and a further $80 for registration. Plus it was too damn hot , approching 50c. But still the people made it so worth while.

Sudan took about 3 weeks and another 3 for Ethiopia, transport is very reliable , although not even remotely comfortable. Stayed in a mix of guestouses and hotels, although calling them hotels is really stretching it , they had hotel in the title though.

Trapattoni

If she has 3 weeks to do Africa then she has 3 weeks to do Africa...I'd recommend the Eastern part for this amount of time rather than South Africa.

30 days spending money depends on whether you like a few beers to be honest- I know I did every night so maybe 30 euro per day which should get you souveneirs also----by the way 30 a day is loads and I quote this not as a budget amount seeing as you say its a holiday

Spider_Baby

Trapattoni wrote: »

If she has 3 weeks to do Africa then she has 3 weeks to do Africa...I'd recommend the Eastern part for this amount of time rather than South Africa.

30 days spending money depends on whether you like a few beers to be honest- I know I did every night so maybe 30 euro per day which should get you souveneirs also----by the way 30 a day is loads and I quote this not as a budget amount seeing as you say its a holiday

Thanks for the info

I spent 6 weeks in South Africa before and loved it. I met loads of people there who had just completed an overland tour, so it's definitely something I want to do at some stage.
Obviously I would love to spend months doing it, but that's not possible, at least not this year. So I'm considering a 30 approx. trip.

I appreciate what everyone is saying, that 30 days isnt enough to do it justice, but if I only have 30 days then I only have 30 days.
I was just enquiring how much a 30 day trip would cost approx, spending money-wise.

Thanks for the info though.
I'll be back with more q's no doubt!