Who has traveled to Africa. Big trip to Africa

Why are you going to Africa? People really did not understand why spend money on some incomprehensible Kenya and Tanzania, when the Dominican Republic, Maldives and Thailand had been opened, explored and equipped for a comfortable stay long ago. I would be glad not to reinvent the wheel, but I could not. I've been brainwashed since childhood. And the BBC (in the sense of the British Broadcasting Corporation, not the Air Force) and Nikolai Drozdov are to blame for everything.

Photos and text by Yakov Oskanov1. Like many (I want to believe that I am not alone) boys of my childhood, I loved watching the TV program "In the world of animals." One of the programs showed a BBC film about the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. I tried to find this film on the net, yes, apparently, not destiny. I don't remember the content of the film at all. I only remember the final shots, where a herd of hippos in the early morning runs into the lake and the voice of Nikolai Nikolaevich: "The hippos are returning to their native element." If someone does not know, then no one drove the hippos out of there, they just graze at night, and in the morning they hide from the heat into the water. But it was filmed so cool and edited with such pretentious music that it seemed as if the hippos had been wandering in the desert for twenty years and now, finally, they finally found their Promised Water.

I also remember my mother, sharing her impressions of the film with me and said that, perhaps, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro are a real paradise for a zoologist. I still believe that all zoologists who behaved well during life end up in the Serengeti after death. And the most righteous are in Ngorongoro. In those years, I still dreamed of becoming (and dying) a zoologist, and therefore for me Tanzania began to personify the quintessence of everything unrealizable, where I wanted. I never became a zoologist, but Ngorongoro remained a beacon of childhood dreams in my stale adult soul.

1. Flew

The fact that I did not become a zoologist has its own advantages. The boring chores I do have earned me the money to travel to the blessed lands of the African savannah. Despite the fact that both Ngorongoro and Serengeti are in Tanzania, it was decided to visit Kenya as well. Firstly, because two countries are more interesting to visit than one, and secondly, rhinos. Yes, it didn't seem to you. I wrote exactly "rhinos". Someone loves sexy brunettes, someone DRC Romanée Conti Burgundy wine of 1934, someone a-la Lamborghini Aventador cars, but God made me fall in love with the thick-skinned megafauna of tropical countries. Those. I like all big animals. Not in taste, of course, but in appearance. And not in the sense in which people like sports cars, and certainly not in the sense in which men (and some women, however, too) like sexy brunettes. I just love watching these powerful giants. Africa is home to three animals that I wanted to see the most: elephant, rhino and hippopotamus. True, it turned out that during the time that has flown by since the moment I watched that memorable program "In the world of animals", Africa has run out of rhinos. In Tanzania, only black rhinos remained, and even then only a few. But it turned out that Kenya has national parkwhere white rhinos are bred. And so what? That's right - we decided to add Kenya to our route. Moreover, a hundred miles is not a hook for a mad dog.

2. Great Rift Valley. It contains all the national parks of Kenya and Tanzania of interest to us.

3. I will note right away - not all of our company dreamed of looking at rhinos from childhood. For these people, I prepared a dessert - beach vacation on the praised Chukovsky Zanzibar. The sea, palm trees, sun loungers and freshly squeezed pineapple juice - this is the carrot that I had to hang in front of everyone who was not ready to endure a week-long race across the African savannahs. The result is the following route, on the basis of which I plan to write a number of essays.

4. We arrived in Nairobi early in the morning, but did not enter the city itself. I didn't want to waste time looking at the city landscapes. The first stop on our route was Lake Nakuru National Park. This is where white rhinos meet white people. By the way, this is a great place. We immediately fell in love with it, and we fell in love with it. We met rhinos. And a bonus to them and the Rothschild giraffes and the leopard. The guide said we were lucky. We didn't argue.

6. On the way to the Masai Mara National Park, we stopped at Lake Naivasha. For bird-lovers, this place is definitely a godsend. I have not seen such an abundance of birds anywhere else. It seems that all water birds of the world flock to this lake in order to observe photographers in the natural environment of their (photographers) habitat. In two hours I ran out of stocks of flash cards, despite the fact that I deleted the bad pictures right on the spot.

8. Then we arrived at Masai Mara, and he charmed us. Unfortunately, our car broke down there, so the essay will contain a lot of reflections on boredom, loneliness and the endless African steppes. I swore, threatened, asked, admonished - all in vain. The car was not repaired until evening. With animals in the national park it is much better than with mechanics and spare parts. This was the most unpleasant moment of our trip. If only because this day cannot be compensated in any way. The program was designed in such a way that it was necessary to move on. On the other hand, there is a motive to return to Masai Mara again. But we managed to shoot something.

9. What is the Masai Mara without the Masai?

Then we went to Tanzania. We crossed the border, got into a Tanzanian car, and headed for the Serengeti. Yes, the one where hippos run into their native element in the morning. What can I tell you? If you love nature even a little, then in the Serengeti you will be seized with sacred ecstasy, you can be sure. It is beautiful, very beautiful and the feeling of the beauty surrounding you is simply intoxicating. You find yourself inside the scenery for the cartoon "The Lion King". By the way, we even drove past the Pride Rock, from which we drew the rock on which the lions in the cartoon lived.

10. Met Pumbaa's wife.

11. They bent the wildebeest ...

12. You can bend this fig. Even the lions are afraid of him.

But the most indescribable impression of the trip is an overnight stay in the middle of the savannah. Campground, campfire and wild savannah beyond the circle of the bonfire. There are no reflections of distant cities, no noise, only stars, flames and sounds of nature.

13. Our camp. View from our tent.

14. Dawn in the savannah.

Then our way lay in Ngorongoro, but on the way we decided to call in the Olduvai gorge. The place is quite curious. And for anthropologists, and in general - a cult. The fact is that it was here, according to a large number of scientists, that a branch of primates was formed, which later gave birth to the species Homo sapiens, one of whose representatives is now writing these lines. Olduvai Gorge.

When we approached the edge of the Ngorongoro crater, we just swore with delight for about five minutes. Even those who went to Tanzania for the sake of Zanzibar. The scale of the titanic crater was amazing! We took some memorable photos and left for the hotel to spend the night. We spent the whole day in this wonderful place. For me personally, this was the culmination of the trip. Then the impressions went along the falling one. But it doesn't mean that it was completely boring.

16. Panorama of the crater.

17. Typical landscape inside the crater.

18. Well, what about an essay about Africa without an elephant?

19. There is a small rainforest in the crater

20. Then we arrived in Arusha and flew to Zanzibar. The flight went without incident. And thank God! Flying adventures are not mine. On the glorious island of Zanzibar, I also had plans. If someone thinks that I can spend a whole week on the beach, then they are wrong. My maximum is two consecutive days of beach holidays. And then on condition that the beach is picturesque, or there will be a coral reef in shallow water, where you can swim with a mask, or rather in a mask. No, not in the Venetian carnival.

I honestly endured for two days, and then dragged the whole company to Stone Town - the only city in Zanzibar. I knew that this is an old colonial fort, which is among the objects World Heritage and is protected by UNESCO. To be honest, it doesn't matter it's guarded. All the cultural heritage entrusted to the Zanzibari people is in a deplorable state. After Sri Lankan Galle, Stone Town seems like a dump. However, in some places it is really a trash heap. But colorful. Lovers of genre photography would be stuck in it like flies in molasses.

22. Zanzibar Shipyard.

23. Fish market.

There is also the Island of Prisoners nearby. There have been no prisoners there for a long time, but there are giant turtles. In fair quantities. Available at arm's length. The highlight for me was, of course, the Jozani rainforest. Firstly, in principle, I do not often visit the rainforest. And secondly, there you can take pictures of rare endemic colobus, or to be more precise, Kirk's red colobus. Colobuses (thank you, dear ones!) Did not disappoint and allowed themselves to be properly captured on camera. I wanted to persuade the others to go on a jungle night excursion (see nocturnal primates), but was amicably sent. I didn't want to go to the forest at night. If only because I have a rather expensive camera and lens with which it is unreasonable to hang around alone in wild places with a low standard of living.

24. Portrait of a colobus.

We are also going to see the mangrove forest. And they even swam to him. But we got stuck in the middle of the ocean. And even on a fragile boat, hollowed out in a solid tree trunk. This is worth a separate sketch, especially since I made a video. There will be something to laugh at.

25. It is not surprising to run aground during low tide.

The days flew by quickly, I managed to dive with scuba diving, take pictures of the surrounding area, visit the famous restaurant "Rock". In the end, the beach holiday was frankly bored and I already wanted to go home.

26. The famous restaurant "The Rock".

27. I dreamed of quickly downloading photos to a computer and writing essays. Now my dream has come true. Honestly, now I feel a little devastated, because really didn’t want to go anywhere as much as to Tanzania. But that's okay. I will study the world, by the way, I haven't been to America at all. Neither North nor South.

Well, in the meantime, I will dream of hippos in their native element - in the Serengeti ...

I confess I have always thought that safari in Africa is for the rich. Or for those who save up all year from paycheck to paycheck, and then go down every last penny on the trip. Both options were not about me. I’m not rich, and I don’t know how to save all year. After all, in a year I want to go abroad not just once, but several times. What 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 an overnight stay in a lodge in Masai Mara, or an extra $ 1200 for a 3-day Serengeti safari? How to show a fat cookie to those who are much richer than you, and see even more than them, while paying several times less than them? All this I decided to prove first of all to myself, traveling in Africa.

Planning

... And Dyrkin seductively pushed his chubby cheeks out from behind the desk. Not understanding anything, Korotkov smiled askance and shyly, took the candelabrum by the leg, and with a crunch hit Dyrkin on the head with candles. Blood dripped from his nose onto the cloth, and he shouted "guard" and fled through the inner door.

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

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

Fury seized Korotkov. He swung the candelabrum and hit the clock with it. They responded with thunder and splashes of golden arrows. Longjohn jumped out of the clock, turned into a white cockerel with the inscription "outgoing" and darted through the door. Immediately behind the inner doors a cry of Dyrkin spread: "Catch him, robber!", And the heavy steps of people flew from all sides. Korotkov turned and started to run ...

Well, let's say we won't beat the travel agent. Is that a little, on the ass, and then, if the ass allows it. But cooperating with mass tourism is not worth it if you want cheap and cheerful to Africa. A nice girl may really want to help you. But, firstly, the level of professionalism of travel agents is often below the floor (fortunately, there are exceptions, but rarely), and secondly, it works 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 "ride" to the fullest, emptying your pocket as much as possible. This is not a $ 199 tour to Hurghada where bargaining is appropriate. From their point of view, the nouveau riche and the new Russians are going to Africa. The last point - travel agents are not flexible. They are often not friendly with geography, and only resell someone's vouchers, not 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 do not sell Cameroon (if the girl has even heard of the existence of such a country). But we have Zanzibar. What, have you been there before? Hmmm, then maybe you should go to Pattaya? More or less like this.

So we're done with travel agents, and 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 you can fly for 1500. It all depends on two things: seasonality and airline promotions. And also your ability to bypass all kinds of intermediaries. I have three favorite airlines in Africa, whose websites I regularly review from time to time: Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Egypt Air. All of them often give out shares when 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 big blue backpack

The first two (Ethiopians and Kenyans) do not fly from Russia, but fly from Cairo, where you need to go. I found on the Ethiopian website tickets from Cairo to Dar es Salaam for $ 376 (South Africa cost $ 480, which is also cheap) round trip via Addis Ababa. It remains to fly to Cairo, and there are many options. The same Egypt Air with Aeroflot will take you to Cairo for $ 320-380 in both directions. In total, we leave in the 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 we need theoretical knowledge and days spent on the Internet. First of all, forget about the popular tourist spots like Arusha in Tanzania. Yes, the beautiful parks of the Serengeti and Masai Mara are wonderful, you will be ripped off there. We ask ourselves the question - what do we expect from Africa? Nature and local flavor, isn't it? Then choose to visit those national parks where:

1. It is not required to travel far on 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 on it, saving on so-called game drives (jeep safari),
4. Stay the night cheap and cheerful

A poor country is not a cheap one

It is also very important to understand an important thing. A poor country is not a cheap one. As my friend jokingly says, who spent a year in Africa, working in a hospital in Congo, and traveled to 28 countries of the continent: "Africa is fantastically cheap for those who are ready to ride a donkey for days and sleep in a hut. If you have 2-4 weeks of time and you want to explore and navigate, then keep your pocket wider. " It said aptly. Take the beautiful country of Zambia, with its unique Luangwa Nature Reserve. How long do you think it takes by bus from the capital of the country, Lusaka, to Luangwa, which is 500 km north? Did someone say all day long? You are wrong. About 50 hours on a completely dead dirt road through the jungle. You will go crazy with this trip, and then you will come to your senses for a day or two. It costs money to recover as it costs extra days at the lodge, which are not cheap. Any step you take to the side entails serious costs. The air ticket costs significantly more than the bus, $ 180 (bus - $ 40), but you save time. And time is money. We arrived in Luangwa early in the morning, threw things into the lodge, and immediately started on the safari. For general knowledge of the park, 3-4 days are enough, this is 3 nights in the lodge. On average, a lodge will cost $ 150-200 for two, or we average up to $ 100 per person. For 3 nights you will give $ 300 + $ 180 air ticket \u003d $ 480.

Now let's compare a ride on a cheap but grueling bus. After 2 nights of no normal sleep in a jam-packed lorry (a bus / truck hybrid, like a shift shift), you will arrive at your destination squeezed like a lemon. Your bus will look something like this (in the photo there is a Lusaka-Mwufe regular bus):

Exhausted, you stomp to the lodge and fall into bed. Bam! The first night, and minus $ 100 from your budget for rest, and most likely 2 nights, because such buses arrive at an extremely inconvenient time. Have already lost $ 200. Plus the initial $ 300 for 3 nights in the park, and go up to $ 500. And with the plane $ 480. Pretty much 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? You are in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Do not 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 the 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 your rental car and motels where you can spend the night inexpensively. All this is there. Compare with other poorer countries. Let's take the already mentioned Zambia. The roads are terrible and you need a 4x4 car that will cost you $ 200 per day. In South Africa, the same car will cost $ 50-60 per day, and a simpler type, for example Toyota Corolla, will cost $ 35-40. Remember I said about the quality of the roads? So, even in a simple city car, you can visit the chic national parks of Etosha and Bwavata in Namibia, Kruger in South Africa, or Chobe in Botswana.

Accommodation

Now overnight stays. These three countries have a chic chain of motels and low-cost lodges priced at $ 50-70 for two beds with in-room amenities, air conditioning and TV. In Tanzania, 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 in traveling in Africa in December 2009

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

In terms of tourism, Caprivi is interesting at once with three rivers that cross it in different places: Zambezi, Chobe and Okavango. Everywhere is full of animals and almost no tourists. And what's even more enjoyable are great roads, cheap tickets to parks ($ 4 won't bother you, right?) And inexpensive lodging in nature. Note that in neighboring Botswana, on these same three rivers, a whole tourist infrastructure has developed, and there are just those who travel there, in hats with livingston-style brims and million dollar show-offs, and then photographs in the style of “I am with an elephant in the background. After returning to Moscow, I am against the background of my dacha. I'm in the background of black women with boobs. I got drunk on vodka and am in bed. "You don’t have thousands of dollars to spare, are you bothered to sleep for $ 400 a night? Then forget about Okavango in Botswana. You’ll get to Caprivi.

After crossing the border, ours was waiting for a 3-hour run westward to the Okavango River and Popa Falls (yes, that's right - Popa). And there is also the Bwawata National Park. In the only city on the isthmus, Katima Mulilo, you must pay a Namibian toll of about $ 24. When you leave the country, you will be checked for a toll receipt. The town is absolutely unremarkable, except that here you need to refuel and buy food. And then there is the border with Zambia, and in addition, the gateway 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 eroded dirt road in Zambian territory. And no public transport. Taking into account the fact that it will be almost unrealistic for you to find a rental company that is ready to allow the export of their car to Zambia, visiting the Ngonie Falls turns into an exciting quest.

Roads, hotels and animals

The tracks in Namibia are good. The limit is 120 km / h and there are almost no cars, which gives 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 the victim, after which I did not exceed the speed until the very end of the trip -

The refrigerator was carrying frozen meat, as much as 8 tons. In the African heat, after a couple of hours of an inoperative freezer, it smelled terribly of rotten stuff. However, I do not want to discuss this episode. I can only say one thing - the truck drove rushing under 150, and fell asleep at the wheel. Science for all kinds of Schumachers.

National parks and lodges

This is where I end the story of Caprivi, and we are crossing the border to Botswana, which will be a separate story -

Other reports on Africa:

Having traveled 8 countries of West Africa and having gained some knowledge about this region, I decided to collect in one place general considerations about traveling around it. In general, some of these theses will apply to the whole of West and Central Africa, and some - and generally to the entire continent.

1. Let's be honest. Traveling in Africa, and especially along its western ledge, is, to put it mildly, not easy and strongly for an amateur. If you've never been anywhere before, then Africa is definitely not the place to go. There are more than enough reasons for this.

2. I have visited the following countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast. In one way or another, the content of this post applies to all of these countries except Morocco - this is a state 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 any African population is not equipped in any way, and besides, it is overflowing with garbage and dirt. A day walk in an African city is sometimes comparable in the amount of dirt and microbes received to a visit to a city dump somewhere in Europe, Russia, or Latin America. On average, it is necessary to wash here 1.5-2 times more often than in other parts of the world.

4. Household unsanitary conditions... If you do not have the opportunity to regularly wash and disinfect your hands (and in Africa you usually will not have it), then you are at risk. Insidious microbes are waiting for you.

5. Prices. Africa is a very expensive travel region. It will seem strange to an uninformed person that poor countries, where 80% live below the poverty line, can be expensive, but everything is logical here. Very little is produced here other than food (and food is often imported from Europe or neighboring afghan regions), and terrible logistics, nightmare roads, customs fees make most of the goods that we are used to, which are an integral part of our everyday life, insanely expensive.

6. Africa motto: "Long and poor quality! But expensive"... Be prepared for the fact that hotels, transport, catering and much more - this is the provision of shitty quality services at prices close to European ones. In principle, it is possible to find something decent (which will also not be without jambs), but prices will generally be cosmic.

7. Local population. Actually, I've heard the saying that "if you are not yet a racist, you just haven't been in Africa for a long time." I didn’t become a racist, I’m all the same for the fact that all people are equal, but, frankly, blacks sometimes run out catastrophically. With his meticulous stinginess, tactlessness, laziness.

8. Everything in Africa is organized in an ugly, chaotic manner. Do not plan too many things in one day, you still will not have time, or you will not be able to do them. Always be prepared for delays, inconsistencies along your route, always put extra time on them.

9. About that, I already wrote. What was written related, however, mainly to the not entirely black Mauritania, but still. I will repeat the key thesis:

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: can this or that thing really harm health, or not. But even this is not the main thing ... Africa constantly puts before you the question: who you really are, and forces you to prove your convictions in practice.

Now I will add the following. White by definition, a rich snickering mister, a bag of money who is obliged to share every sneeze with poor blacks. You come across deceptions, overpricing, begging, and selling any 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, border guards) are also prone to the same extortion of money, sometimes active, sometimes cautious (but here I was lucky, I came across this only a couple of times). Ordinary citizens will just want money, for example, for the fact that you photograph them, but children - just for the fact that you met them.

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

12. In fact, this is not a question to joke with. Almost all of Africa is "infected" (with the exception of the extreme south and north). But malaria has different forms and levels of 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 protecting yourself from mosquitoes that carry malaria!

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

14. Another problem is man-made. Africa is the most troubled continent in terms of all kinds of political pertubation. Coups, civil wars, separatism, rebels are here in every other country. Of course, the real danger of being hit by a firefight is minimal: most likely, if, suddenly, a civil war occurs, you will find out about it, and simply will not go to this country. But all this translates into heightened suspicion of the special services, espionophobia, document checks, brain removal for photographing something "strategic".

15. But. The main thing, nevertheless, is not this.All these difficulties could be experienced if it were for what. And here we come to the main problem: there is not much to watch in West Africa!

16. Let's analyze this point in detail. In principle, there are no interesting cities in Africa outside the northern Arab countries! Well, that is, how, of course, there is something, the same Dakar is something interesting, and even in the provincial Ouagadougou you can find a lot of interesting things, a number of cities with colonial buildings can be found all over the mainland. But these are clearly not the cities for which it is worth going there, it is worth, perhaps, in passing, if you happen to be in those parts.

17. Ancient ruins are found, and it is here, in West Africa! Something is even listed by UNESCO. 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 thing for which people generally go to Africa. But here, too, there is an ambush. Firstly, the most interesting nature, nevertheless, in East Africa, and partly in the South. 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 space money, access is possible only by transport, with a guide, etc.

19. It's so logical: since rich white misters are willing to pay dofig money for 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 do not practically get there (although, I suppose, if it even came to them, then little would change).

20. In West Africa you can see elephants, crocodiles, lions, hippos and monkeys if you wish. Well, that is, the very animals with which Africa has been associated 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 desired animals. Let us multiply the equation for the quality of African service, which in this case cannot be avoided in any way (situations are quite real when lazy guides will lie and smoke bamboo for half the paid time) and calculate the ratio of costs to the impressions received.

21. In general, the problem of the availability of wildlife in Africa is quite acute. I think that it is worthwhile to attend to the development of a technology for penetrating 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 negate the need to move around a rather vast territory. How? There is no public transport there, of course, walking is very long, difficult and ineffective. Well, you have to get to the park itself somehow, 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 on 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 him, only they are cheaper, the only advantage. I have never been to any national park (except, perhaps, Abuko Park in Gambia, but it's tiny, you can completely bypass it in an hour). Although, probably, for the sake of scientific knowledge, it would be worth visiting some of them.

23. What to say, West Africa is not a region where you want to visit a second time... This does not mean that you regret the first, on the contrary, it is very interesting to see all this. So from 8 countries the desire to come again caused only two, and the first and the last: Morocco and Cote D'Ivoire. I wrote about Morocco, but Cote D'Ivoire beckons that I never saw its capital Yamoussoukro with the largest temple in the world. And, in general, it is somehow more positive there than in other countries.

24. In general, of course, it is even convenient. In fact, I liked the vast majority of countries before, and I would come to almost all of them again. But this is not so easy, 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, there are countries where you no longer need to go.

25. Another such moment. In African countries, there are no cool "chips". Well, just what, when you return, there is nostalgia for the country. Some special food, drinks, institutions, some aesthetic moments such as carpets, local music. In most countries of the world, these chips are: falafels in the Middle East, lagman and pilaf in Central Asia, tajin in Morocco, hamams in Turkey, tea houses in China, meat in Mongolia, mate in Argentina, salsa and tango in the same place, samba and other groovy pop music in Brazil, etc. Well, that is, not necessarily food, but such 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 after them first. And there is nothing like that in Africa! Life here is as simple and primitive as possible. The food, in principle, is not very tasty and quite expensive, from drinks instant coffee and tea in 100-gram cups, the music here is generally primitive and disgusting - disgusting dull pop-chorus, and playing Afro-drums are rare and, in general, difficult to perceive. Therefore, there is nothing left to miss here on returning 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 your travel is first of all, these are interesting cities with a rich cultural program, do not go to West Africa.
- If you are a fan of traveling in beautiful nature: walking in the mountains, rafting on rivers, wandering in the jungle - do not go to West Africa (the jungle, however, is still in a reduced form in the countries of the Gulf of Guinea).
- If you like relaxed travel, rest and downshifting, lazing on the beach, then do not go to Africa in principle (in any!). 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 the proletarian, rural and very simple way of life, who do not turn away with comfort.
- geographers, geoproctologists and "collectors" of countries.
- adventurers, adventurers, everything new and unusual.

29. But nevertheless, I feel that my story turned out to be completely gloomy, that it is some kind of ass of the world, so one cannot but highlight the positive aspects of African reality. The main thing is that, in spite of everything, it is quite possible to travel here! It's not so trashy, awful, impossible to live here. There are numerous everyday difficulties, but, in general, something that would require some incredible heroism is not here. Perhaps it is in Central Africa. And here, you go yourself and go.

30. Security. This is a very pleasant aspect, especially for those traveling in Latin America. Indeed, most African countries are quite calm and peaceful. Yes, you will be annoyed with requests and begging for money, but violent cases of their taking away are extremely rare here. And outside of large cities like Cape Town, Lagos or Nairobi, it is quite calm. Even in Dakar and Abidjan you feel much calmer than, say, in Rio or Medellin. In other places, in general, you can safely walk through all sorts of homeless slums without fear of raking any problems there.

31. Coloring... That's what, and this is at least "well .. eat". The reality here is so bright and varied that it completely compensates for the absence of any interesting objects. These are aunts 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 the real Babylon sometimes reigns, and donkeys with rams 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 any ancient tribal cultures have been preserved, here it is really possible to see any ancient tribal rituals, moreover, conducted not for the amusement of tourists, but according to traditions. Or simply, even all sorts of dances or holidays in the countryside is already something unique in itself that you will never forget.

33. Rituals and holidaysBy the way, this is the second good reason to go to Africa in principle. But here, as well 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 take place, and then somehow get there. In cities, of course, you will not 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 ceremony, and not a show for tourists, under which they sometimes mow. The problem is that the line between the first and second categories is very blurred, they can be dealt with by the same people at different times, and sometimes the presence of a tourist can stimulate just to spend it earlier (naturally, financially). Those. they would have done it anyway, but not when you arrived, but in a week or two. And now it is not clear how to relate to this - on the one hand, everything seems to be authentic all the same, on the other, you brought your influence into the existence of this society and somewhat violated its usual way of life. In general, be that as it may, but such a study of African ethnography will require a gigantic preliminary preparation. Most are unlikely to bother with this, and then it remains only to hope that they will be lucky to meet something like that by chance, as it happened in my Gambia.

34. And so the aforementioned flavor of ordinary life, it is very impressive. I’m even afraid that after what I saw here, there will be nothing special. Already in Latin America and the Middle East, it is much weaker.

35. But over time you get used to it too. And then, taking into account all the negative aspects described above, it becomes really boring and dreary if you do not find anything interesting and do not do it. So it happened to me by the end of the trip, when Africa really got sick, I really wanted to go home. Because for a month already, it was practically the same thing.

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

And in general?

37. Well, you probably ask: do you mean 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 “like” / “dislike” categories. In any case, they are not determinative. Everything is interesting to me, but not necessarily 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 do not like it there, but I have already received knowledge about Mali, and this is enough for me.

38. Will I still go to Africa, and in particular to West Africa? Yeah, that would be nice. I probably won't waste time on the countries I have visited, but there are still many others left: Guinea, Liberia, Togo-Benin, Niger, etc. It would be interesting to see them too, and the 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 nose and swear that "not with a foot anymore", while others simply go crazy about this continent, rave about it, and they are drawn and drawn to return to Africa again. Apparently I'm a rare person who finds myself in the middle and my attitude here is quite moderate: I'm not going to go crazy about Africa, but I would like to come here somehow, and more than once. However, it is absolutely true that Africa did not leave me indifferent. In terms of the power of impressions, this journey rewinds most of the previous ones. Just mat.expectation of aspects that influence the desire to come again a little above zero somewhere :)

40. Whatever you say, Africa evokes a lot of emotions, Africa is a constant drama. It may be hard, disgusting, disgusting for you here, but it won't be boring for sure, well, at least at first. Therefore, if you are able to experience all the difficulties in it, and also if this emotional aspect of the trip is important for you, first of all, you will definitely not regret that you have come here.

This continent has surely 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 scares away 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 to take with you and what you really should be afraid of.

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Let's start by preparing for the trip.

A trip to Africa: about diseases

Yellow fever

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

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

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

  Tel .: +7 495 942-48-39

  Price - 810 rubles

• GBUZ City polyclinic №5 Address: 107052, Moscow, st. Trubnaya, 19, building 1 Tel .: +7 495 621-94-65

  Fax: +7 495 621-15-28

  Price - 1700 rubles

• Vaccination station No. 6 of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Polyclinic No. 1" of the Administrative 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. Malaria is much worse. There is no vaccine from it, and therefore you have to buy preventive tablets like Chloroquine (Delagil). You need to start taking it two weeks before the trip and two weeks after. But remember that all antimalarial drugs have a large number of side effects and are best avoided.

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

Visas to African countries

Russian citizens need a visa to travel 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, \u200b\u200bthe cost is $ 50. Usually, obtaining a Kenyan visa does not cause any difficulties, but they can paste a stamp exactly on the dates of the trip, so be careful.
• Tanzania.
• Uganda. A visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is $ 50 for three months.
• Zambia. The visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is $ 50 for one month.
• Zimbabwe. The visa is issued upon arrival, the cost is $ 30 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 that, you had to pay $ 30 for a visa.

What to take with you

1. Repellent (local good remedies cost 3-4 times more than in Russia).
2. Powerful sunscreen (the equatorial sun does not sleep).
3. Discreet clothing (preferably khaki or sand-colored, women should not wear short skirts).
4. Headwear (panama hat or baseball cap).
5. Insurance.

Myths

1. I will go to Africa and get Ebola. Not true. All of the above countries do not and have never had the Ebola virus.
2. Africa is a wild, uncivilized place. Not true. Africa has good internet, 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. It is very common to buy tickets from, and for the price of tickets to Asia.
4. In Africa, I will be killed, raped and robbed (in that sequence) as soon as I leave the airport. No, it’s not. You need to be careful in large cities, especially in the capitals, since this is where everyone who wants easy money comes. The measures are the most common: be careful, do not swing your camera or iPhone over your head, do not go into the slums. In general, the inhabitants of these countries are very, very friendly, you can fearlessly contact them on the street for help, calmly get into a taxi. But there is one "but" - you are a tourist, which means you are 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 to see in Africa and how much does it cost?

Safari in Tanzania

Entrance to the national park - $ 40-50. But we must not forget that if you go to 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 have to pay twice for the Serengeti.

The group arrives in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (or Livingston, Zambia). Check in at a wonderful hotel. The first day of our Great Journey. Relax after your flight. Take a walk along the falls and get wet from the splashes!

We will see the waterfalls from both Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Waterfall day and motorboat safari.

We start the morning with a walk along the Victoria Falls. Then, those who wish can bungee from the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe, lie in the devil's font right on the edge of the falls (availability depends on the season), or fly over the falls by helicopter!

After lunch, we cross the border and find ourselves in Botswana, an open-air zoo country.

We are waiting for a safari on a motor boat along the Chobe River, where it will be possible to swim up to the animals and take pictures very close. We will observe hippos, elephants, crocodiles, antelopes and other animals.

The main elephant of the planet and the Baobab forest.

Morning in Africa starts well with a safari on the nat. Chobe Park, which has the largest population of elephants on the planet, and even the largest elephants.

This country is amazing - if in Russia we usually see cows on the side of the road, here elephants and giraffes are often commonplace! After the morning safari, we drive around the country and drive to the baobab forest. We are staying in houses right in the middle of the baobabs! Delicious dinners, photographs with giant trees.

Breakfast with meerkats, salt marsh.

We'll have to get up early, because today we sit on jeep safari and go to breakfast with meerkats - funny animals that look like little people. In parallel with the meerkats, we admire a giant salt marsh similar to Uyuni in Bolivia. At 360 degrees we will see the vastness of white salt! In some months, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water and then the sky merges with a thin surface of water.

In the afternoon, transfer to the capital of the Okavango Delta. Scenic flight over the delta (optional)

Okavango Delta.

This is the largest inland delta of the planet, which has no outlet to the ocean. The river splits into 5 branches and dissolves into the Kalahari Desert. It is home to a huge number of animals. All the Big Five can be seen here. It's like National Geographic programs, only live!

You now have a choice:

1. Go on a safari deep into the delta for a day and spend the night right among the animals! You will not have a fence, and you cannot move more than 100 meters from the camp. Open jeep safari.
2. Go on a boat safari - dugout Mokoro. Authentic, swampy, meditative. Hiking safari with local guides
3. Just relaxing in the town with comfort is important if you need to save money.

Return from the Wild and interact with the Bushmen.

The Bushmen are the indigenous peoples of southern Africa. They have preserved the most ancient language on earth, consisting of "clatter", and they are also of a different race - more like Mongoloids than Negroids.

And although civilization takes its toll, we will still visit them, talk, learn about their way of life and herbal medicine.

Hello Namibia!

After spending the night with the Bushmen, we set off towards the new state - Namibia! We will cross the Kalahari Desert and find ourselves in the capital - Windhoek. Here we will comfortably stop for one night, and the next day we will go to meet the pearl - the Namib Desert, with the highest dunes on Earth.

The road to the Namib desert.

Transfer to the Namib Desert. Walk along a small canyon typical of these areas. Watching the sunset overlooking the red dunes, lilac rocks.

We go deep into the desert, a walk through the dead forest.

We set off to meet the dawn on the red and yellow dunes. They are among the tallest in the world here! Those who wish will be able to climb over the desert in a hot air balloon or by plane (optional).

Then we sit down in jeeps and on all-wheel drive we go to the dead forest - the hallmark of Namibia!

After lunch, we head south to the grandiose Aus Valley with alien Martian views.

Atlantic and surreal day.

Namibia is washed by the cold Atlantic Current. Penguins and Seals live here. The wind is cold and salty. You cannot say that Africa is here. Today we will just get to the small and picturesque town of Luderitz on the coast. We can eat fresh oysters and wash them down with champagne. If the weather is favorable, it is possible to go out on a catamaran to the Penguin colonies (optional).

On the same day, we will visit a ghost town, half covered with sand. Once upon a time there lived German prospectors - diamond miners, but the deposit dried up and the city was forgotten. Now there are abandoned schools, hospitals and residential buildings, half covered with sand.

The African Grand Canyon and the Orange River.

Today we will see another miracle of our Planet - the second largest canyon in the World and the first canyon in Africa. You want to stay here for a long time, and the views are fantastic and alien.

After the Canyon, a relaxing evening on the banks of the Orange River. Here you can swim or canoe.