Africa Recommendations and Raves

I can vouch for Benin, West Africa! If you want something "off the beaten track" this country is for you! In the 3 months I lived there, I saw in total, about 15 yovos (the Fon word for tourists). Mind you I stayed with a host-family and the village we lived in wasn't a touristy one to start with, but we did go to tourist sites and could still have the place to ourselves. The people are amazing. You can get around the country with French (no english!). Voodoo is still practiced by a large part of the population, and this is evident as you walk through Fetish markets and hear the drums of voodoo ceremonies at night. Some nights locals warn you not to go outside because of the fetishes! Very interesting place. Huge history in the slavetrade with museums and Ouidah has the door of no return. Up north is even more barren and to the most northern parts are two safari parks, which have elephants, lions, buffalo, hippos, and quite a variety for West Africa. It's an amazing country which definitely hasn't been discovered by mass tourism, so get there while you still can have it to yourself!

morocco morocco tour ;; that was one of my questions ...
here is a website where you can see some wonderful tips and most beautiful pictures from morocan daily life:
www.go-maroc.com .

quote:

Originally posted by Elis:
Don't forget about West Africa either. Senegal is a great place, I can only recommend it. I've also heard very good things about Gambia and Mali. For anybody who wants to go to Africa for people and culture more than safari, head west.

I totally agree. I went to Burkina Faso last november/december and found it a perfect introduction to sub-Saharan Africa. There's good tourist infrastructure, but not loads of tourists. Ouaga's not that nice, but can be used as a base for daytrips, and there are a lot of restaurants, live music etc. . If I had to pick one place I liked best, it would be the area around Banfora.

Can't wait to go back there, though that is mostly because of a special someone there.

i'm going to go and put a shout out for malawi, especially the nkhata bay region. probably the most relaxing time i had in my tramp around eastern/southern africa. the people were so amazingly friendly, and it was a much-needed chill/downturn time from the absolute tourist/crush/insanity of arusha and tanzania. i finally felt like i could breathe again. plus there is a great hostel where you can get huts on stilts that are OVER lake malawi, so you can listen to the waves gently lap at the shore and crash underneath you. beautiful sunsets, small lizards all over, really chill.

that said, malawi is starting to get a little touristy.... as a gentlemen told me when i was there, "stay clear of cape mcclear!" if you want to avoid some of your more annoying co-travelers.

Ran a question on aardvardtravel on memorable countries/ places to visit in Africa. Had the following among the many responses:

otswana for a safari experience has my vote, visiting Chobe, Linyanti, Savuti, Selinda and finally The Okavango Delta

Tanzania/ Kenya are both Safari essentials - Would be interested to know what people actually thought of Botswana for a destination. I imagine its probably going to get massive in the next few years as Kenya did in the 60s/70s?

Mozambique. Stunning stunning country, with a truly wild and unexplored side.

My favorite has to be Cameroon. The people are the friendliest anywhere. If it is a wildlife experience you are after then you will not get better than Uganda,it has it all. Mountain Gorilla in lush forests, wide open savanna and the most amazing bird watching.


1. South Africa, to visit Robin Island and smell the history.

2. Kenya to play with the Lions.

3. Ghana, very SAFE, clean, friendly, lovely beaches.

4. Nigeria, to visit friends QUICKLY!!

Marrakech, Morocco: Exotic and exciting, and as comfortable and straightforward as you like. Marracech is a perfect destination for a long weekend from Europe and an essential side-trip for anyone backpacking around Europe. Get there from Europe on one of the low-cost European airlines (Ryanair, Easyjet etc).

If you've more time, go trekking in the Atlas mountains or go on a trip into the Sahara.

Morroco is an amazing and accessible destination, and Marracech is the highlight in my view.

Big ups to the people recommending West Africa. Currently traveling around Ghana about to head west to Ivory Coast. This is my second trip to Ghana, and I've found more to love. People are friendly and know how to have a good time, can listen to highlife on the beach, dance just about anywhere, everythings cheap and there aren't tour operators hassling you.

Worth it for this place alone: http://greenturtlelodge.com/

Kenya is wonderful.It has a bit of everything from mountains to white sandy beaches in Mombasa.Also deserts in the Northern part.
Nairobi the capital city is a wonderful modern city.
The best place is the Masai Mara which is renown for its rich wildlife population.I got to see the BIG FIVE and it was so wonderful.I was also hoping to see the migration ,but didn't catch it.
Kenya was great.